《The Consequences of Meeting a Dragon》 Chapter 1 - Frivolous Things One of the best memories Thenio had of his childhood was when his father took him to see a magic circus when he was five years old. It was a few months after his brother Lem was born, and Thenio''s parents told him that it was a reward for being such a good boy and helping them look after the baby. Later, he found out it was really just that his father had gotten a couple of tickets for free from one of his coworkers. That ruined the sentiment a bit, but it wasn''t really surprising. Thenio knew that his father hated spending money on ''frivolous things.'' At that age, he didn''t exactly understand why some things were ''frivolous'' and some weren''t. He just knew that it seemed to include most of his favorite things, like toys and picture books and pastries from the bakery on the next street. And there was never enough money for them because all the money had to go to ''essentials.'' That category was also confusing. It contained things that Thenio could recognize as being important, like bread and soap and magic crystals to make the lamps work. But he wasn''t sure why it also included things like fancy new curtains for the dining room or an ever-growing collection of cute hats for Lem to wear when they went to the park. In any case, if the things Thenio liked mostly went into the ''frivolous'' category, then it only made sense for the circus to be included there. Because he loved it. He laughed at the clowns who told jokes and acted out funny skits. And he watched in open-mouthed wonder while the jugglers tossed flaming sticks to each other and the illusionist used light magic to put on a dazzling display of fireworks that filled the inside of the huge circus tent. There were horses wearing fancy harnesses and feathers on their heads. Real, live horses¡ªnot the horse-shaped golems that Thenio usually saw around the city. They pranced and galloped around the ring, and a woman in a sparkly dress did tricks while she balanced precariously on their backs. Then there were brightly-colored pygmy gryphons that jumped through rings and balanced balls on their beaks. But the part that Thenio remembered most vividly was the acrobats. He stared, transfixed, while they used wind magic to soar and tumble high above the stage, like a flock of graceful swallows. Thenio had never seen anyone use magic like that before, and he thought it must feel wonderful to be able to move so freely through the air. At first, it was simply exciting. But as he watched, a strange, aching feeling rose up inside of him, and his throat tightened with an emotion he didn''t quite understand. A painful sense of loss and longing. I wish I could fly like that again. It was a strange thought. At five years old, he could barely use magic at all, and he''d certainly never flown before. He didn''t understand it then, and he didn''t understand it when he thought back to that moment, even years later. Strange thought. Strange feeling. But there they were. And Thenio never forgot them.
"How was it? Did you have fun?" Thenio''s father asked as they walked from the circus grounds to the nearby trolley stop. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Yeah! It was so amazing!" Thenio clung to his father''s hand and half ran to keep up with his long strides. "There were so many animals! And those guys with the painted faces were really funny, huh?" He was usually a calm and quiet child, but for once he was chattering excitedly. "And the people flying around at the end were really great! They''re all wizards who use wind magic, right? Can everybody who uses wind magic do that? Do you think I''ll be able to use wind magic when I get older? I hope so. I want to be a magic acrobat when I grow up! It looks like so much fun!" Thenio saw a crow swoop over the street ahead of them and land in a nearby tree. He briefly imagined himself flying high over the city and perching on rooftops to watch people below like the birds did. His father looked down at him with a sigh. "Thenio. You can''t pick a job just because it''s fun. A job is how you get money. And money is how you live. Our house, the clothes we''re wearing, the food we eat, the bed you sleep on at night. All those cost money. So you need a job that pays you regularly. Performance magic isn''t like that. Sometimes you can make money. But sometimes you can''t. Just because you have enough this month doesn''t mean you will next month or next year. You always have to be worried about the future. It''s much better to have a nice, stable job doing something that people will always need and always be willing to pay you for, even if it''s something you don''t like doing as much. Like healing magic. People will always need doctors. Or crafting magic. Magic crystals are everywhere, right? They have all kinds of uses. So people always need more of them. I help make magic crystals at the workshop, and people keep buying them, so I keep getting paid. So you and I and your mother and brother keep having food to eat." He sighed again. "Well¡­you''re probably too young to really understand what I''m saying. But even at your age, it''s important to start thinking about¡­." The lecture went on while they waited for the trolley and lasted most of the ride home. There were a lot of things in it that Thenio didn''t understand, but he got the most important point: He shouldn''t talk about wanting to be a magic acrobat in front of his father anymore.
"Grownups are weird, you know? Why do they have to be so serious about everything?" Thenio asked Butterfly while he got her dinner ready that evening. "I mean, I just said I thought it looked fun. I never said I had to do it as a job or anything. Why is it so bad to want to do fun things?" The cat didn''t seem to have an answer. She just rubbed against Thenio''s legs and meowed impatiently. He smiled a little at the sight of her staring expectantly up at him. Her funny, mismatched face¡ªblack on one side and orange on the other¡ªnever failed to cheer him up. "Okay, okay.... Here, it''s ready." He knelt down on the floor and set the bowl in front of Butterfly, who rushed to it and started chomping enthusiastically on the minced chicken. "Silly cat. I fed you at lunchtime. Why do you always pretend you''re starving?" Again, she didn''t answer. But Thenio didn''t expect her to. It was enough that she listened to him without lecturing him about anything. When they''d gotten home, Thenio had made the mistake of telling his mother about the magic acrobats. He tried to explain that he already knew it wasn''t a good job but that it looked really fun, so he wanted to try it sometime. But even that much was enough to earn him his second lecture of the afternoon¡ªthis time about the importance of good impressions and social standing and how performance magic wasn''t a well-respected career. It was even harder to understand than his father''s lecture about money. But again, he got the main idea: His parents did not like magic acrobats. Thenio sat on the floor for a while, stroking Butterfly''s soft fur and laughing at the funny snorting noises she always made when she ate. His parents didn''t really like cats, either. But they liked mice even less, and getting an anti-rodent enchantment put on the house was very expensive. Thenio was secretly glad about that. Butterfly was his best friend, and he had happily taken on the responsibility of caring for her, which his parents had just as happily given up. Cats were so much easier to please than people were. Chapter 2 - The First Explosion When Thenio was nine years old, he learned that his parents were expecting another baby, which meant he was going to have another little brother soon. He had mixed feelings about this news. He got along well with Lem and enjoyed spending time with him, so it wasn''t that he minded the idea of having another brother. The problem was with his parents. It didn''t take long after Lem was born for Thenio to realize that the two of them didn''t exactly have equal standing in the family. It wasn''t obvious on the surface, of course. Thenio''s parents didn''t neglect or mistreat him. It was just...sometimes, Thenio noticed that his parents looked a bit tense when he was near them, as though he made them uncomfortable. They never made that expression when they were interacting with Lem, not even that time he embarrassed them by spilling punch all over the tablecloth at Aunt Suliya''s house. Thenio tried to convince himself that he was imagining it or that it was just because Lem was younger, so it was normal for everyone to favor him a little bit. But he couldn''t completely shake the feeling that there must be something wrong with him. Something his parents didn''t like. And if that was the case, wouldn''t having another sibling for them to compare him to make things even worse? It wasn''t just his parents, either. Maybe it had something to do with being unusually mature for his age, but Thenio had always had a hard time interacting with other children. He was in his fourth year of general school now, and he still didn''t really have any friends. He wasn''t bullied, exactly, but his classmates usually avoided him, and he''d once overheard a girl telling her friends that she thought he was creepy. One day in early autumn, Thenio left school and walked the short distance home, moving more quickly than usual. If anyone had asked, he would have said it was because of the dark grey clouds overhead, which were threatening to start raining at any moment. But the real reason was that he''d had a difficult day at school and wanted to get home as soon as possible. Even if home wasn''t always completely comfortable, at least no one there made a fuss about getting assigned to sit next to him. And Butterfly would be there. She was usually eager for attention when Thenio got home, and cuddling and playing with her always made him feel better. He looked around as he entered the house and was slightly disappointed when he didn''t see any sign of the cat. She was waiting for him by the door most days. But it was a cool, stormy afternoon. She had probably found a cozy napping spot and didn''t want to leave it. Thenio went to his bedroom to put his school bag away and change out of his uniform. He looked around the room in the spots where Butterfly liked to sleep, like underneath the bed and on the shelf in the closet, but he didn''t find her in any of the usual places. That was a little surprising. She did most of her napping in Thenio''s room, since it was the best place to avoid four-year-old Lem, who wasn''t always as gentle with cats as he ought to be. He went to the kitchen next to start getting dinner ready. His mother was seven months pregnant now, and she was having some trouble getting around and doing things like housework, so Thenio and his father were both helping out more than usual. For Thenio, that included cooking dinner most nights. He liked to cook. And it made him feel useful, even if he couldn''t make anything very difficult yet. Tonight, he was planning to make a stew, so he was going to get the ingredients ready and put them in a pot to cook while he did his homework. As was his usual habit, he also went to get a serving of cat food out of the ice box, so it would be thawed by the time he needed to feed Butterfly. That was when he first realized that something was wrong. The cat food that should have been stacked up on one side of the ice box wasn''t there. Thenio stood and blinked at the empty space in confusion. Was Butterfly out of food already? That couldn''t be right. He''d made a new batch just a couple of days ago. It should have lasted for the rest of the week. Had his mother moved it somewhere else? Before he went to find her to ask about the missing food, Thenio checked Butterfly''s food and water bowls to make sure she''d at least gotten fed at lunchtime. She had a different colored bowl for each meal of the day to make it easy to tell when she''d been fed last. That had been Thenio''s idea, since he didn''t entirely trust his mother to remember to feed her while he was at school. But Butterfly''s dishes, which should have been in the kitchen corner, were nowhere to be found. Even the mat that went underneath them was gone. Thenio stared at the clean, empty corner for a moment. Then he went to look for his mother while trying to push back the uneasy feeling rising inside him. She and Lem were in the study. Lem was sitting on the floor playing with a set of colored wooden blocks that were painted with letters and numbers, as well as enchanting runes and alchemical attribute symbols. Thenio''s parents both thought that studying magic was much more important than playing with toys, so the few toys they did buy their sons were mostly educational ones. Thenio had played with those same blocks when he was younger. He''d been able to recite the entire Kushula runic alphabet by the time he turned three. Thenio''s mother was seated at the desk in the corner of the room, doing some kind of paperwork. She usually worked half days at the same magic workshop where Thenio''s father worked, but they were letting her do some work at home for a while, until the baby was old enough to be left with a sitter. She seemed to be concentrating and didn''t notice when Thenio came into the room, but Lem jumped up and ran over to him. "Thenio¡¯s home!" He grabbed his older brother''s arm and tried to tug him toward the stack of blocks. "Thenio, come watch. I''m making the most biggest tower ever!" "In a minute, buddy. I need to ask Mom something." Thenio smiled and ruffled Lem''s hair. Then he turned to his mother. "Mom, I can''t find Butterfly''s food bowls. Do you know where they are?" She raised her head, looking tired and a bit irritated. "The cat''s gone, Thenio. I sent the bowls and everything else along with her." "Huh? What do you mean she''s gone?" Thenio stared at her blankly, not understanding. "Where would she go?" "We were finally able to get the anti-rodent enchantment installed on the house this morning, so there''s no need to keep a cat around anymore. We gave her to one of the other workshop employees." Thenio stood there, stunned, for several seconds as he tried to process what his mother was saying. "Wait...but...but..." he stammered. "Why would you...? Why didn''t you say anything? Why didn''t you ask me first?" She sighed impatiently. "Thenio, your baby brother''s going to be born in a couple of months. That means three boys to take care of, including a brand new baby. I know you liked the cat, but I just can''t deal with taking care of an animal that we don''t need on top of everything else." "You...." Thenio felt a strange, hot sensation growing inside his chest. "You weren''t even the one taking care of her! I took care of her!" He was suddenly shouting, his voice filled with a fury that took even him by surprise. "I fixed all her food. I cleaned her litter box. I brushed her. I played with her. I did everything! All this time!" Tears pricked at his eyes. He felt dizzy, like the world was spiraling out of control. That hot feeling inside of him was spiraling along with it. "Butterfly is my cat! She''s my best friend! How could you just give her away and not even tell me?!" Lem was staring at him, his eyes wide. He''d never seen his brother lose his temper and yell like that before. Their mother also looked taken aback for a moment. Then a deep frown appeared on her face. "Thenio, get ahold of yourself," she scolded him. "What''s the matter with you? Getting so upset over an animal." Thenio could only stare at her, completely lost for words. His clenched fists were trembling with suppressed anger. He felt like a bolt of lightning was writhing around inside of him, about to break loose and go out of control. "If you have that much energy to fuss over a cat, you ought to be working harder on your magic studies. You only have a few years of general school left. It will fly by before you know it." What was she even saying...? "Doing well on your entrance exams and getting into a top-tier magic school is so important. It will affect the whole rest of your life, you know? I think it''s a good thing we decided to get rid of that animal. If you''re this worked up over it, the cat was obviously going to be a terrible distraction for you." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. What kind of horrible excuse was that? "I understand that you''re upset now, but once you calm down and think it through, you''ll see it''s for the best. A nice, sanitary enchantment on the house is going to be so much better than that dirty animal. And you''ll save so much time and energy not having to feed and clean up after her." That ''dirty animal'' was his very best friend.... Caught up in dismay and anger, it took Thenio a minute or two to notice that something was terribly wrong. Much too late, he realized that the rampaging energy inside him was far more than just rage. This feeling...it was like when he used magic. But it was so much stronger...so much wilder.... He desperately fought to get it back under control, but the normally obedient magic power didn''t respond to his efforts at all. If anything, it got even worse as he grew more panicked. "I think you need to go to your room and settle down for a while, Thenio. Look, you''re scaring your brother." He glanced at Lem, who was still clinging onto his arm and looking up at him with a worried expression. Thenio suddenly had a horrible premonition. "Thenio! What¡ª?" Thenio heard his mother''s startled exclamation as he shoved his little brother away from him as hard as he could. At that same moment, the raging power inside of him finally broke free.... There was a blinding flash of light. Thenio felt something like a fiery gust of wind slam into him and knock him off his feet. When his vision returned, he found himself lying face down, staring at the floorboards with an unfocused gaze. It hurt. It hurt so much he could hardly breathe. Shallow, shuddering gasps were all he had strength for. Half paralyzed by shock, with tears streaming down his face, Thenio slowly lifted his head. He''d fallen with one of his arms stretched out in front of him, and he could see that it was covered in angry, dark red burns. He wasn''t sure how long he''d been staring at his own burned skin when he numbly realized that he could hear someone screaming. With difficulty, he raised his head a little higher and saw Lem sprawled on the floor, howling at the top of his lungs. There were red patches on his face and arms, like he''d been badly sunburned. Their mother knelt on the floor beside him, checking Lem''s wounds with a panicked expression on her face. Just then, she looked up and met Thenio''s gaze. The sight was enough to make him momentarily forget about the horrible pain. His mother¡ªhis very own mother¡ªwas looking at him with her face twisted in anger and fear. Like she was looking at a monster.
Thenio left school with his head down, ignoring the other children shouting and running around him, excited to be released from classes for the day. He trudged slowly down the street in the direction of his house. It was his first day back at school after needing almost a week off to recover from the accident. After a visit to the hospital and some intensive treatments with healing magic, his skin looked normal again. But magic burns left damage under the surface that took time to heal. He still wasn''t completely recovered, even now. Thenio paused as he went by the entrance to the neighborhood park, which was between the school and his house. He was tired, and his partially-healed burns were aching. But he really didn''t want to go home, in spite of all that. No one there would mind if he were late getting back, anyways. Lem was now terrified of him and started crying whenever Thenio got close. His mother had been avoiding him, too, though she was much more subtle about it. She seemed to be worried about him hurting the baby, like he''d hurt Lem. Butterfly, of course, wasn''t there anymore. Thenio''s father had assured him that the coworker who had taken her was a very nice woman who loved cats and that Butterfly was very happy in her new home. And it was probably true. Thenio had met the woman and her husband a couple of times before when his parents had taken him with them to work parties. They were an older couple who seemed to like children a lot and had been very kind to him. And Thenio knew Butterfly had never enjoyed living in the same house with Lem. She probably wouldn''t be thrilled with a new baby, either. He was relieved to know that she was all right, of course. But at the same time...he wasn''t sure how to feel about the thought of her being happy somewhere else while he was missing her so much.... After debating a little, Thenio turned and took a detour through the park. There was an open area on one side where a group of stalls and tents were set up, forming a small marketplace where people sold things like secondhand clothes and vegetables from their gardens. Thenio made his way through the area, looking around and searching for a particular figure. Eteon would be here, wouldn''t he? He was usually here at this time of day. Finally, Thenio spotted an elderly man sitting under a tree on the far edge of the market. There was a large blanket spread out on the ground in front of him, holding an assortment of wooden figurines and toys for sale. The man had a piece of wood in his hands and was deftly shaping it with a small knife. Thenio walked over to him. When he got close, the man¡ªEteon¡ªlooked up and gave him a warm smile. "Oh, Thenio! Come sit down." He patted an empty spot next to him on the blanket. Thenio set his school bag down and sat next to it, hugging his knees up to his chest. He watched as Eteon continued with his carving. It looked like he was making some kind of four-legged animal. "It''s been a while since you last came by." "I had to stay at home for a few days. I¡­had an accident. I lost control of my magic. It exploded, and...and I got some magic burns." Eteon looked at him sympathetically. "Magic burns, huh? Those are nasty things. Do they still hurt?" "A little." There was a brief silence while Eteon examined the figurine in his hand, turning it around slowly to see it from all sides. He was apparently satisfied with it, because he set down his knife and pulled out a rag and a tin of varnish. "What made you lose control of your magic?" he asked as he started rubbing varnish onto the freshly carved wood. "I just¡­got upset about something. But it was just a stupid thing. Nothing really important." Stupid? Not important? Why did he say that? He had no idea. He didn''t need to hide anything from Eteon. He was Thenio''s closest friend after Butterfly. But the truth just wouldn''t come out for some reason. Thenio looked down at his knees and hugged them a little tighter. The pressure on his arms where the burns had been was painful, but he didn''t relax them. "The doctor said it''s normal for people my age to start having trouble with their magic control. Just...it doesn''t usually happen so fast...and it usually isn''t this bad.... But they gave me some magic control exercises to do. They said that should keep it from happening again. So it''s...probably fine." "I see...." Eteon finished polishing the figurine, working slowly and carefully, then set it down on the blanket next to the others. It was a deer, with long, graceful legs and intricately carved antlers. The new varnish glistened in the bits of sunlight that filtered through the leaves overhead. Like most of Eteon''s carvings, the deer looked oddly lifelike, as though it might flick its tail and bound off across the park at any moment. "Well, what should I make next? Any ideas?" Eteon asked, looking through a nearby basket that was full of chunks of wood of various sizes and colors. Thenio knew they were lumberyard scraps. Eteon always said that using random odds and ends inspired him to make more interesting carvings. Thenio bit his lip. "Can you make...a cat?" "A cat, huh?" Eteon pondered briefly and then pulled out a light colored piece of wood. He picked up his knife and started carving down the edges. "Did something happen to Butterfly?" Thenio looked away. He clenched his fists and held his legs even more tightly than before. There was a long moment of silence before he managed to force the words out. "Butterfly¡­is gone. Mom gave her away. She didn''t even tell me. I just¡­came home from school¡­and she was gone¡­." "Thenio...." Eteon reached over and patted his back comfortingly. There was a pause. "I hurt Lem." Thenio''s voice was quiet and strained. "He was close to me¡­when my magic exploded¡­and¡­." He trailed off. "They said he''ll be fine. His burns weren''t very bad. Just¡­." He hesitated. "It must have hurt a lot. He was screaming...." Thenio''s voice trembled and broke. He buried his face in his arms. "Mom was so mad¡­." Neither of them spoke for a long time. Eteon resumed his carving. Thenio kept his face hidden, listening to the rhythmic sound of the knife scraping against the wood and the murmur of voices coming from the nearby market stalls. The branches above them rustled occasionally in the breeze. There was a pleasant smell of wood shavings, mixed with the odd, spicy scents of the varnishes and stains Eteon used. He wasn''t sure how much time went by before he felt Eteon take hold of one of his hands and place something in it. Thenio raised his head to see what it was. His eyes widened in surprise. "Butterfly?" Sitting on Thenio''s palm was a small wooden cat. The pale wood had been dyed with patches of color in a very familiar pattern, including the black and orange face and the butterfly-shaped spot on the side. It looked remarkably similar to the real Butterfly. Thenio stared at the cat for a long time. Then he swallowed. "Can...can I buy this from you? Please? I don''t have much money right now, but I promise I''ll bring more next time I get an allowance." Eteon smiled and ruffled Thenio''s hair affectionately. "Silly. You don''t need to buy it. I made it for you. I''m just sorry I can''t get the real one back for you¡­." Thenio''s expression fell a bit. He didn''t speak, still staring at the wooden cat cupped in his hands. "Thenio, it wasn''t your fault." Eteon stroked Thenio''s hair. "None of it was your fault. I know you''ve always taken good care of Butterfly. And you would never hurt your brother on purpose. You''re a good boy. You''re kind and considerate. You work hard at everything you do. You''re a very good boy. Don''t ever let anyone tell you otherwise." The calloused hand continued stroking Thenio''s hair softly. The warm voice and gentle touch eased the sting in his heart a little. But only a little. Chapter 3 - A Dragon and His Chicken By the fifth time Thenio caused an explosion during scribing class, everyone was more or less prepared for it. His classmates were already avoiding him like he had demon poison, out of fear of losing limbs and possessions. The teacher had put up a barrier around his workstation to protect the rest of the room. And Thenio, who had spent the last seven years causing explosions on a far-too-regular basis, was well past being shocked at just how painful magic burns could be. What he wasn''t prepared for was his scribing teacher coming to find him in the infirmary after the class had ended. "Really, Thenio, I don''t know what we''re going to do with you." She shook her head, then looked at him with a skeptical expression. "Have you really been doing the exercises I gave you? How has your magic control not improved at all since the beginning of the year, if you''ve been doing them properly? It doesn''t make sense." He knew it didn''t make sense. But he also knew for a fact that he''d been doing the exercises, even if no one believed him. Most of his free time was devoted to magic control exercises these days. Not that it was helping. "You know exams are coming up in a few weeks, don''t you?" He knew. He had marked the dates on the calendar in his dormitory room a long time ago. "I''ve been willing to keep working with you because you''ve been doing so well on all your written assignments. But it''s going to be a serious problem if you can''t get your practical scores up." He knew that, too. Why else would he practice so hard? "If you still haven''t made any progress in a few weeks'' time, there are going to be some...very unfortunate consequences. It''s a shame, but this is the best magic school in the country. There are many more applicants than we have space for. We simply can''t keep students who don''t fulfill their class requirements¡ªit''s not fair to everyone else. Do you understand? Even if you prefer theoretical knowledge, you can''t become an enchanter with just that. Practical skills are very important." He knew that! He knew all of this! Why couldn''t she tell him something he didn''t know? If this was really the best magic school in the country, why did the professors just keep repeating this same useless lecture? Work harder. Do better. You''ll never be successful if you can''t take things seriously. He''d already heard it a thousand times from his parents. Couldn''t the professors of the prestigious Kafron Royal Academy of Magic come up with something new to say? Something that would actually help? After she left, Thenio stayed sitting in the infirmary, clenching his teeth and staring at his bandaged arms. He''d lost count of how many magic burns he''d gotten by now. They still hurt like crazy every time. After that first explosion that Lem had gotten caught up in, the doctor who''d treated Thenio had explained to him that the reason magic burns hurt so much was because the flow of magic power in the body was disturbed, and it took some time for it to calm down and go back to normal, even after the physical wound was healed. The disturbed magic flow aggravated the nerves, which caused the pain. It was a simple enough explanation. Even the nine-year-old Thenio could understand it. But it wasn''t the whole story. It was only now¡ªseven years and dozens of burns later¡ªthat Thenio finally understood the true pain of magic burns. Proper wizards almost never burned themselves. Burns were usually the result of poor magic control, which meant they were the mark of an amateur. Getting a magic burn meant you did something wrong. You messed up. You weren''t good enough. It was normal to burn yourself a few times when you first started learning to use magic. People were usually sympathetic when it happened to a beginner. But when it kept happening again and again, year after year, they started to wonder what was wrong with you. Thenio himself had long been wondering what was wrong with him. Unfortunately, most people explained the situation away by assuming that he was lazy and irresponsible and lied about doing his control exercises. And once they''d decided that was the case, nothing he said seemed to make any difference. When Thenio had finally been accepted at the Royal Academy¡ªafter failing the practical skills portion of the entrance exam twice¡ªhe''d felt truly hopeful for the first time in years. Surely the country''s best magic teachers would be able to help him? In reality, though, all they''d given him were more lectures and more magic control exercises. Thenio let out a long sigh and stood up from the cot he''d been sitting on. He thanked the nurse¡ªwho he was quite familiar with by now¡ªand headed slowly back to his dormitory. Even after the pain medicine they''d given him, his arms were aching from the magic burns, and his head was aching from the unreasonableness of it all.
Thankfully, Thenio had a break from classes the following day, even though that didn''t mean a break from studying. He couldn''t afford to take a break. But he did go lightly on the magic training, in consideration of his burns. Instead, he planned to spend the day reviewing his class notes and working on written assignments. Or trying to, at least. It was hard to focus when his arms still hurt and yesterday''s conversation with his professor was still echoing in his head. The weather was pleasant, so Thenio decided on an outdoor study session for the afternoon, hoping the change in scenery would help clear out his thoughts. He found an empty table in a secluded corner of the academy grounds and settled down with his textbooks in front of him. It was quiet for the first hour or so, other than the rustling of pages and the occasional sound of people passing by. Thenio read a chapter about the major factions involved in the Great War for his magic history class and finished some sketches for his enchantment design class. He had just pulled out his notes on alchemical catalysts to start reviewing when he heard noises nearby. "Caw-caw bird!" called a childlike voice. "Come back, caw-caw bird! Come back and play!" Thenio turned his head in time to see a crow burst out of a nearby shrub, cawing loudly, and fly off toward the center of the campus. A second later, another small, dark figure flew out after it. At first, Thenio assumed it was another crow. But when it got closer, he realized the shape was wrong for a bird. It had too many legs and not enough feathers. Was that what he thought it was¡­? The little creature seemed to notice Thenio sitting there. As it neared his table, it slowed and hovered briefly in the air, flapping its bat-like wings. Then it glided down and landed on the table with a soft clatter of claws. Yes. That was definitely a dragon. A kitten-sized dragon with black scales and brilliant orange eyes. It was wearing an ornate leather harness. Thenio and the dragon stared at each other for a long moment. "Hi!" the dragon said brightly. "You smell nice." "Hah?" Thenio could only manage a weird noise in response. He''d heard wrong, right? He was sure he''d heard wrong. "Your magic." The dragon took a few steps closer, eyes shining as it looked up at Thenio. "It smells like all kinds of colors! Sparkly and pretty. I like it a lot!" The slender black tail was waving enthusiastically. That meant the dragon was¡­happy? Maybe? Did dragon tails work like dog tails? Thenio didn''t know much about dragons. The best he could do was identify this one as a male, since it had a tiny pair of horns in between its deer-like ears. "I¡­thanks?" Thenio had no idea how to respond in this situation. He had no idea how magic could smell like pretty colors, either. "Uh¡­does everyone''s magic have a smell?" "Mmm!" The dragon nodded vigorously. "Everybody''s magic has its very own smell. Except it''s not a smell. It''s like a smell. But it''s not a smell. And it''s like a color, too. Only it''s not really either one, you know? Mmm. Anyways, your magic is super special. I never smelled a magic like it before." He suddenly turned his head, distracted. "Oh! Obby caught up!" Thenio followed his gaze and saw a small, round object floating toward them. It came over to where the little dragon was and hung over him, bobbing around like a balloon. Thenio blinked at it. "Is that...a chicken?" Now that it was closer, he could see that it was a plush toy that resembled a chicken with a ball-like body. It was made of a furry black material, with a bright red comb and a yellow beak and feet. "Mmm! It''s my chicken friend Obby." The dragon stood up on his hind legs and caught the toy in his front paws. "He''s good at following me, but he''s a little bit slow. And I can fly fast, you know? Super fast! So he got left behind when I was chasing the caw-caw bird. But now he''s here." He set the chicken down on the table. Thenio half expected it to float back up when he let it go, but it sat there obediently. "Ariom made him for me. Because he knows I really like chickens. So he made me my very own chicken friend! He''s good, huh? Oh. But his head doesn''t come off, okay?" The dragon suddenly looked serious. "Not all chickens have removable heads. That''s very important." "Huh? Oh. Um¡­right?" Thenio nodded, trying not to show how bewildered he felt. Just what kind of chickens did have removable heads? "I guess it would be a big problem if you tried to take the head off a chicken you weren''t supposed to." "Right, you get it." The dragon nodded approvingly. "Uncle Bero''s chickens are okay, but you have to make sure you don''t go around pulling the heads off other chickens without asking permission first. Ariom said he made Obby''s head not come off on purpose to help me remember. You remember too, okay?" "Ah. Okay. I''ll remember." Were all dragons this weird? And did they all need regular reminders to not decapitate chickens? Thenio sincerely hoped not. "Um¡­is Ariom your contract partner?" "Ariom is just Ariom," the dragon said with another nod, as though that explained everything. "Oh! And I''m Iggy. What''s your name?" "I''m¡­Thenio. Thenio Iterune." Thenio was still terribly confused, but he decided it was better to introduce himself properly. He didn''t know much about dragons, but he at least understood the most important thing: A dragon was a high-class luxury. Dragons were one of the most sought-after magic beasts, whether as pets or as familiars. And they were one of the most expensive. Only aristocrats and high-ranking wizards could afford them. Since Iggy could speak, that meant he was a familiar. Which meant that there was a very rich and possibly very powerful wizard behind him. It was definitely in Thenio''s best interest to try to make a good impression, no matter how strange the little creature was. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Thenio. Got it." Iggy nodded again. "Let''s be friends, okay? Obby will be your friend, too. And Ariom. Your magic is interesting, and he likes interesting magic things. So he''ll like you, right? You should meet him and be friends." "Ah. Okay." Thenio also nodded, smiling awkwardly. He seemed to have just become friends with a slightly crazy dragon and a toy chicken. This hadn''t been in his plans for the day¡­. Then his expression became serious as his head finally caught up with the conversation enough to realize that said crazy dragon had just told him something that might be very important. "Hey, Iggy," he said slowly. "What did you mean when you said my magic is special? Is there something strange about it?" "Um¡­maybe it''s strange?" Iggy tilted his head to the side. "It might be strange. I mean, it''s nice, okay? It''s a really nice-smelling magic. But it''s different from other people. Mmm. Most magics just have one or two smells, right? Some special magics can change, but they can only be one color at a time. But yours is lots at once! It''s pretty, right? But. Maybe it''s confused. Or...broken?" He paused for a moment, apparently considering his word choice. "Mmm. Right. It might be kind of broken. And confused. I think it doesn''t know what color it wants to be. So it tries to be all of them at the same time." "Oh." Thenio felt a bit ridiculous. Was he actually expecting this weird little dragon to give him a helpful answer? Still¡­. He was silent for a moment, trying to work some meaning out of the nonsense about colors and smells. "Then¡­how do I stop it from being confused? How can I make it be like other people''s magic?" Iggy shook his head. "Thenio''s magic is Thenio''s magic. It can''t be like someone else''s magic. Mmm. It''s special, okay? But. Maybe it can be unconfused? I don''t know. Maybe Ariom would know. Ah, but you should be less mean to your magic, okay? It looks really tired. It will be even more confused when it''s tired." "My magic is tired? What does¡ª" Thenio''s question was interrupted by the sudden chiming of the academy''s clock tower, which wasn''t far from where they were. "Oh, I have to go!" Iggy said urgently. "Ariom said to come back as soon as the clock made noises. His meeting is supposed to be over now. I''ll come back to play again next time, okay?" He spread his wings and jumped off the table. "Bye, Thenio!" "What? Wait!" This was important! Was he going to just leave in the middle of the conversation like that? Apparently he was. The little dragon zoomed off and disappeared from view before Thenio could stop him. Obby the chicken floated up and drifted slowly after him. Thenio stared after them in silence, trying to wrap his brain around what exactly had just happened.
The research group meeting finally ended, and Ariom let out a small sigh before he started putting his notes away. The group was organized by several professors at the Royal Academy, but they had also invited a few outside wizards, like Ariom, who worked in related fields. They met once a month to discuss recent developments in the study of Pre-War Era documents and artifacts. It was normally a subject he was very interested in, but there was a certain professor in the group who gave presentations so dry they could have put a rampaging behemoth to sleep. Ariom pitied the students who had to sit through his classes. He was glad he''d let Iggy go play outside. There was no way that hyper little guy could have sat through this entire meeting without causing some kind of disturbance. One of Ariom''s cousins was currently a student at the academy, and he usually left Iggy with her while he attended the meetings, but she''d had a supplemental lecture to go to this afternoon. Nobody at the Royal Academy of Magic was stupid enough to mess with a familiar, though, so it was safe for Iggy to play by himself as long as he didn''t wander too far. ...probably. You could never guarantee anything with that little bundle of chaotic energy. But his harness did have several safety enchantments inscribed on it, just in case. The sound of the academy''s clock tower striking came from outside as Ariom finished gathering his things. Shortly afterwards, there was a scrabbling noise as a tiny black dragon landed on the sill of an open window nearby. Ariom held up one of his arms, and Iggy flew over and perched on it. Obby the chicken was dutifully bobbing along in the air behind him. "Ariom, I''m back, see?" Iggy stuck out his chest proudly. "See? I came back just like you told me to!" "Yes, you did really well." Ariom smiled and rubbed the little dragon''s head. "Did you have fun playing outside?" "Mmm!" Iggy nodded enthusiastically. "Obby and I played together. Then I saw a caw-caw bird! So I chased it around. But it flew too far away, so I had to stop. But then I found a friend! My new friend Thenio!" "Thenio? You met someone from the school?" "Right. Probably? He was wearing those green school-colored clothes. And he was sitting at a table and reading books and stuff. And he had special magic! Super special with lots of colors in it." "Lots of colors? Like a null affinity?" Iggy shook his head. "No, not like that. Kind of like that. But different. And kind of like our magic. But also different. This was lots of colors all at the same time. So many colors! And the null kind of magic is shiny, right? Smooth and shiny. Thenio''s magic is all sparkly and pretty. I never smelled a magic like his before." "Really? Sparkly magic?" The unusual description caught Ariom''s attention. "Right, spiky-sparkly. But." The dragon''s ears drooped a bit. "Thenio''s magic isn''t happy, you know? It was hurt. And tired. And scared?" He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Maybe not scared all the time. But I think it''s easy for it to get scared. Mmm. And then it goes boom! Like when someone steps on your tail, you know? And your body wants to jump and hiss and run away. Getting your tail stepped on really hurts, okay?" Iggy flattened his ears and twitched his tail in agitation. He was silent for a moment, apparently dwelling on the horrors of tail abuse. "But. Magic burns hurt more, right?" He shuddered a little. "Mmm. Magic burns are bad. Really bad. Even more bad than getting your tail stepped on. And Thenio had lots of magic burns, you know? New ones. And some old ones, too. So. That''s how I know his magic goes boom when it gets scared." Ariom frowned. "How strong is his magic?" "Um¡­not very strong? I think? Not as strong as me. His magic is bigger than some of the people who wear school-colored clothes. But not as big as the biggest ones. Less big than Seyli''s magic. But. It will be a problem if his magic gets bigger, right?" Iggy sounded concerned. "If his magic gets really big, and it gets scared, then Thenio will have a big problem! Instead of going boom, he''ll go boom, boom, BOOM! Like fireworks, okay? I don''t want Thenio to turn into fireworks!" Ariom was quiet, thinking over Iggy''s words. His forehead was still creased in a slight frown. A woman in a professor''s uniform, who had been listening to them from across the conference table, spoke up during the pause. "The two of you always talk like you''re having some kind of deep academic discussion, but you know it sounds like complete nonsense from the side, don''t you? Can you honestly understand what he''s saying?" Ariom raised an eyebrow at her. The woman was fairly new to the group, so he didn''t know her well, but her question was enough for him to be sure she didn''t have a familiar. No one who did would ask such a stupid thing. Obviously wizards could understand their own familiars. Assuming they wanted to, of course. But that was a different issue. Rather than answering directly, he asked, "Have you heard anything about a current academy student who has serious magic control issues? He''s probably been involved in several incidents recently." "What?" She looked confused at the apparent change of subject. "Well, yes, I''ve heard some rumors like that. A first year enchanting student, I think it was. I heard a teacher from that department calling him the Walking Magic Bomb, since he''s caused a string of minor explosions during classes." She shrugged. "Well, we get students like that once in a while. Probably a spoiled noble brat who barely squeaked past the entrance exam but is still convinced that he''s a genius who doesn''t need to practice his magic skills outside of class. You work with nobles a lot, don''t you? I''m sure you know the type." "Thenio''s not like that!" Iggy glared at her, flattening his ears. "He''s working super hard, okay? His magic is all tired out. I could smell it being all tired out!" "Calm down, little guy." Ariom stroked the dragon''s back soothingly. "I''m sure your friend is a very good worker. But let''s not argue about it right now. We need to go soon. Seyli and Tava were going to come meet us after they got out of class, remember? They''re probably waiting downstairs." "Oh! Right!" Iggy''s expression brightened, and he scampered up Ariom''s arm to sit on his shoulder. "And then we''ll go visit Mr. Kraken and have spicy fish balls, right?" "Right." Ariom gave the dragon a light pat and then stood up, slinging his bag over his other, dragonless shoulder. "You were a good boy and waited while I had my meeting, so you can have all the spicy fish balls you want." He bid farewell to his colleagues and left the room, with Iggy humming happily on his shoulder and Obby trailing behind them.
Later that evening, Ariom sat in his workroom, looking over an enchantment diagram. Iggy was perched on the edge of the desk, rolling a large green marble back and forth between his paws and singing to himself. Spicy, spicy, spicy Don¡¯t you taste so nicey? Fiiiiiish balls! Spicy fiiiiiish balls! The little dragon finished his song and sat quietly for a minute. Then he looked at Ariom. "Are we going back to the school tomorrow?" "Hmm?" Ariom looked up. "No, I don''t have another research meeting until next month." "But we should go again to visit Thenio! I told him I''d come back and play with him. And that you''d meet him and be friends." "Thenio''s probably really busy right now, little guy. He''s a student, and it''s almost the end of the term. Remember Seyli talking about how many papers she has to write? Thenio should be the same. He must have a lot of assignments to finish and exams to study for. It''s better if we don''t bother him for a while. We''ll try to find him when we''re there next month, all right?" "No! We need to go see Thenio and help him!" Iggy came across the desk and shook Ariom''s arm with his front paws. "It''s super important!" "Why?" Ariom frowned. "Why is it so important?" He knew as well as anyone that magic instability was a serious problem, but it was strange for Iggy to be so concerned about someone he''d just met. The distractible little dragon couldn''t even remember people''s names half the time. "It''s because¡­because¡­um¡­." Iggy fidgeted awkwardly. "I don''t know how to say it right¡­." Ariom waited patiently. Human language was difficult for many magic beasts, even after they formed a familiar contract. And Iggy was still a very young dragon. He often had trouble expressing complicated ideas, and Ariom knew that rushing him wouldn''t help. "Um...Thenio''s magic is nice, okay? I like it a lot. But. It doesn''t know what it should be. So it''s confused and scared. And tired. And sad. From trying too hard to be something. And Thenio''s tired and sad. And I want Thenio to not be sad. And I don''t want him to go boom like fireworks! But also¡­." Iggy tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Mmm. Also. You want to learn how to make magic not get scared and go wild, right? It''s important to know, right? Because wild magic is bad? So. I think. Helping Thenio would help. If we can make Thenio''s magic learn to not be scared, then we can teach other magics to not be scared, too. And also¡­um¡­." He paused and screwed up his face. "I don''t know. There''s more, but I don''t know what it is. Just. Helping Thenio is really important! I don''t know how to say why. It''s just¡­important." Ariom sighed and leaned back in his chair. He stayed quiet for a few minutes, one hand stroking Iggy, who was watching him anxiously. Finally, he reached over and picked up a small, leatherbound book that was lying on the desk. The edges of the book''s pages were covered in small tabs with names written on them. Ariom skimmed over them until he found the one he wanted and then opened the book to that location, revealing a blank page. He pulled out one of the many pens organized in a rack at the back of the desk and began writing a short message. His handwriting was extremely neat and beautiful. An enchanter''s handwriting. I need to ask a small favor. Iggy is insisting that I meet a student that he talked to while we were at the academy today. Thenio Iterune. I think he¡¯s a first year in your department. He seems to be prone to acute magic instability, so he''s probably caused some accidents. What can you tell me about him? "All right." Ariom let out another sigh. "I can''t promise I''ll be able to do anything for him, but we''ll try to meet with him, at least. Okay?" "Mmm!" Iggy waved his tail happily. Chapter 4 - Hes a Grandmaster, You Know? Thenio really wasn''t looking forward to scribing class. His teacher had been cold to him ever since his last in-class explosion. She hadn''t liked him that much to begin with, and now it was clear that she had completely given up on him, despite there still being some time left until he officially failed the class. And the other students were more or less ignoring his existence, not wanting to get caught up in the problem. Thenio couldn''t really blame them for that. He hadn''t exactly put a lot of effort into making social connections since coming to the academy. His classmates here treated him a bit better than the ones in general school had, but Thenio wasn''t used to having friends. And he hadn''t thought he could afford to take time away from training and studying for having fun. He was regretting it a bit now. He arrived in the classroom early and sat quietly, reviewing his notes. He had already studied them well, so this wasn''t really necessary, but it allowed him to look busy and avoid making eye contact with anyone. "We''re having a guest lecture today. I saw Professor Erish in the library earlier, and she told me." "Really? This close to the exam?" Thenio half listened to his classmates chatting as they entered the room and settled into their workstations. A guest lecture? Maybe today''s class wouldn''t be so bad, then. The academy regularly invited respected wizards from around the country to come speak to classes so that the students could learn about real-life magic work and make connections with potential mentors. Most of these guest teachers were really interesting. He just hoped the lesson wouldn''t involve any in-class practice work. Blowing things up in front of a visiting wizard made it even more embarrassing than usual. He knew that from first-hand experience¡­. "Well, we''re basically just reviewing at this point, aren''t we? I guess they decided we could skip a day of that. And it''s a grandmaster enchanter, you know? A grandmaster! If somebody like that is willing to come lecture, who cares about the exam schedule?" "What?" "Are you serious?" Everyone in the room suddenly became interested in the conversation. "That''s a joke, right? A grandmaster coming to lecture to a first-year class?" "Well, that''s what Professor Erish said. She seemed excited about it too." "I''ve never met a real grandmaster before¡­." "Sure you have. The department head is one. We met him at the beginning of the term, remember?" "That was just him talking to the whole auditorium at once. It doesn''t count." "Did Professor Erish say who it was?" "Ariom Denifor. She said he''s the youngest grandmaster in Kafron right now. And he''s won a couple of Silver Golem Awards. So he''s pretty famous." "Ah, I''ve read about him." Thenio frowned a little. Ariom Denifor? He felt like he''d heard that name somewhere recently. Where had that been¡­? "Hey, the professor''s coming!" One of the students near the door had apparently been keeping watch on the hallway outside. At the warning, everyone moved quickly to their assigned workstations and settled down, pulling out books and scribing tool kits. A low murmur of conversation continued briefly, but it ceased when the professor entered the room. She was accompanied by a tall, dark-haired man. But Thenio''s gaze was immediately drawn, not to the wizard himself, but to what was perched on his left shoulder. A tiny black dragon with bright orange eyes, wearing an expensive-looking leather harness. Ah. That was where he''d heard the name ''Ariom'' recently. Ariom is just Ariom, huh? Talk about leaving out important details¡­. Iggy was looking all around the room as they came in, apparently fascinated by anything and everything. His head turned briefly in Thenio''s direction, but from across the room, Thenio couldn''t tell if the dragon had recognized him or not. Iggy''s attention span did seem to be a bit¡­lacking. Maybe he''d already forgotten about their meeting the other day. Thenio wasn''t sure whether he''d feel disappointed or relieved if that were really the case. He turned his attention to the man who was presumably Ariom Denifor. He was oddly colorless. His hair was charcoal grey, even though he looked fairly young, and his eyes were a bright silver. Even his skin had a greyish tint, as though some of the color had been leached out of it. Was that his sorcerer''s stigma? He should have one, since you had to be at least a third-rank sorcerer to get a grandmaster level enchanter''s certification. But Thenio had never heard of a stigma that turned someone grey like that. Of course, even stigmas from the same magic affinity manifested differently for different people, so strange ones did turn up now and then. Or he could have a rare affinity. Quite a few high-ranking wizards did. Come to think of it, what about Iggy? A grandmaster wizard wouldn''t have an ordinary, run-of-the-mill familiar, would he? Could that weird, chicken-loving little dragon actually be some kind of rare and amazing creature?
Over there. That must be him. Upsetting an unstable magic user was dangerous, since strong emotions made their magic more likely to go out of control. So Ariom had warned Iggy ahead of time not to make a fuss when he saw Thenio, and he himself glanced casually over the students as they entered the classroom, trying not to single the boy out. Even so, he wasn''t hard to spot. A student sitting on the far side of the room, a bit separate from the rest. He looked normal enough on the surface, albeit rather pale and fragile-looking. But like Iggy, Ariom''s magic sensitivity was much higher than average, which meant he was able to see just how unusual Thenio Iterune really was. Everyone else in the class had a smooth, relatively steady flow of magic power circulating through their bodies. But Thenio''s magic was continually shifting and trembling, like tree branches blowing in the wind. That wasn''t how human magic power was supposed to move, even if it was unstable. Ariom had seen people suffering from magic instability before, but he''d never seen anything quite like this. ''Sparkly magic,'' Iggy had called it. Ariom''s eyes narrowed slightly. Right. ''Sparkly and pretty.'' Like a whirlwind of broken glass. Pretty. But dangerous. Since this was a practical skills class, they were in a large room that had rows of individual workstations and a long table at the front for demonstration purposes. When they reached it, Iggy hopped down onto the table and trotted over to inspect the image projection equipment and the rack of scribing tools that were sitting there, his tail waving around enthusiastically. Ariom set down the leather satchel he was carrying and started to unpack the materials they would be using during the lecture, while keeping one eye on his dragon. As an enchanter''s familiar, Iggy knew perfectly well that he shouldn''t touch any of the tools without permission. But he had a bad habit of forgetting things like that when he got too excited. The bell for the start of class chimed while Ariom was setting up, and the professor addressed the class while he finished. "It looks like everyone''s here. Good. We''ll get started. It''s on short notice, but we have a very special guest lecturer with us today. I''m pleased to introduce Ariom Denifor, a grandmaster enchanter who lives here in the capital. Grandmaster Denifor is a very accomplished wizard who has won multiple awards for his work. We''re incredibly lucky to have such an amazing wizard come visit our class. I want everyone to be on their very best behavior today, all right?" Ariom saw her direct a meaningful look at Thenio. "Pay close attention so that you don''t waste this valuable opportunity." She turned and gave Ariom a pleasant smile. "If you''re ready, I''ll turn the class over to you." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Did she really have to glare at him like that? Thenio shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the teacher finished up her introduction and went to sit on the side of the room. It wasn''t like he meant to cause trouble in class.... He glanced nervously at the box that the ''amazing, accomplished wizard'' Ariom had set on the end of the demonstration table. It was clearly too big to have fit in that satchel, but it wasn''t unexpected for someone like him to have a space compression bag. Most people could never hope to afford one, but a grandmaster enchanter would definitely have either the money to buy one or the skills to make his own. Rather than the bag, Thenio was much more concerned about what was in the box. It looked suspiciously like it was full of items for scribing practice. That wasn''t good. He could tell Professor Erish was going to straight up murder him if he caused an explosion in front of the grandmaster and made her look bad. "Thank you, Professor." Ariom came around the table and stood in front of the class. It must not have been his first time doing a guest lecture because he looked relaxed in spite of having a roomful of eager students watching his every move. "As your teacher said, my name is Ariom. And this little fellow is my familiar, Iggy." Iggy had finished sniffing all the items on the demonstration table and was sitting off to one side watching the class. When Ariom introduced him, he sat up on his haunches like a squirrel and waved his front paws at them, resulting in admiring coos from the girls. Well, he was pretty cute. Weird, but cute. "I''m an independent wizard, so I mostly contract with clients directly," Ariom went on. "But I also do consulting for workshops and other organizations." His expression became a bit tired. "And because people always ask this when they find out I''m a grandmaster: Yes, I''ve worked for the royal family before. But I''m afraid it wasn''t anything exciting. It was just doing maintenance on some enchanted items stored in the national archive. And yes, I¡¯ve met the king¡­for all of about thirty seconds during my rank promotion ceremony. He doesn''t generally hire or work with magic consultants directly. The palace has a small army of secretaries who deal with things like that." Several of the students exchanged glances. From their expressions, some of them had probably been planning to ask those very questions. It was a well-known fact that the Kafron royal family preferred to hire grandmaster wizards whenever possible. They claimed it was in order to build connections with the leading members of various magic fields, though the real motivation was probably just to flaunt how many grandmaster wizards Kafron had compared to most other countries. "My specialty is enchantment analysis and tailoring. That second part is a concept you probably haven''t talked about in your classes yet. Tailoring an enchantment means adapting it for a specific use case. Like optimizing an enchanted item for an individual person to use. It''s a different approach than the general-use enchantments you''ve been studying so far." Ariom gave an apologetic smile as he looked around the classroom. "And it''s too advanced a topic for first-years, to be honest. I normally give that lecture to the senior enchanting students. So some of you might get to hear it in a few years. For today, we''re mostly going to stick to enchantment analysis, which is a useful skill for enchanters of all levels, including beginners like you." Ariom picked up a sheet of paper and placed it on the projection device. He turned the device on, and a large enchantment diagram was displayed on the wall behind him. Based on the drawings, it looked like it was intended to be inscribed on something like a pendant or brooch. "A good portion of my work involves analyzing and restoring the enchantments on old or damaged items. In particular, I do a lot of work with artifacts from the Pre-War Era. Since you''ve all had a term''s worth of magic history class by now, you should have an idea of just how much magic knowledge was lost during the Great War and the Demon Rift Crisis." Many of the students nodded. This was a topic that came up frequently, even in general school classes. "We''ve been able to regain some of that knowledge by studying enchanted items that were made prior to those events. Unfortunately, not a lot of them survived intact, so most of these items¡ªespecially the ones still being found in recent times¡ªneed extensive repair and restoration work. This diagram is from an item that I worked on a few years ago. You see how there are parts missing?" Looking at the diagram, Thenio could see that there were several portions that seemed to be broken off or scratched out. "We''ll go through this one together, and I''ll explain how to analyze the remaining portions in order to figure out how to fill in the gaps. This enchantment is probably more complex than the ones you''re used to seeing, but it''s all based on principles that you should already know. If we just take it a step at a time, it''s not as difficult as it looks." Ariom tapped a stack of papers that was sitting on the demonstration table. "And after you understand the general process, I have some others for you to try out on your own. These are all copies of actual enchantment matrices found on Pre-War items. I picked out some simpler ones that you should be able to handle at your current skill level. I also brought some replicas of one of the original items, so you''ll be able to inscribe your reconstructed design onto it and see the result. I''ll pass them out in a bit." Thenio grimaced. Of course it made sense to include some actual scribing in a lesson meant for a scribing class, but.... "All right, going back to our example here." Ariom picked up a long pointer stick and tapped the tip of it on the projected image. "You should generally start a reconstruction analysis by figuring out what the purpose of the original enchantment was. Sometimes you''ll be able to get this information directly from the client. Sometimes you''ll have to look at what''s left of the item and the inscription and work it out yourself. This particular enchantment was on a necklace that the Wizard Association kept stored in one of their vaults for many years before anyone got around to examining it, so the only available information was a note that was packed away with it, saying that it was found in a ruined house in the upper-class district of the city of Brieso in Eskya. Brieso was the site of one of the earliest demon rifts and was pretty much destroyed as a result." Ariom made a bitter expression. "Ironically enough, the cities worst hit by early rifts are where a lot of the best artifacts have been recovered, since it was too dangerous for looters to go into those areas. Demons only care about eating people, not stealing their jewelry afterwards." There was a rather gloomy pause. "So, all we really know about this item is that it belonged to an aristocrat. But knowing that is still helpful, to some extent. Members of the upper class in the Pre-War Era were almost exclusively wizards. Or magicians, really, since the wizard certification system didn''t exist at that time. Trained magic users, in any case. Because of that, their enchanted jewelry was usually powered directly by the wearer rather than incorporating an energy source like a magic crystal. Which means we should start our analysis by looking for a power input point, not a crystal socket. And on a small item like this, the input point will usually be in the center of the enchantment matrix because that''s the most stable area. So if we look at the center of the diagram, you can see...." As the lecture continued, Thenio set aside his worries about the upcoming scribing practice and focused on taking notes. Ariom was a good teacher. Unlike their usual professor, who restricted her lectures to whatever principles they were supposed to be learning, he threw in a lot of interesting background information about why the enchantment was constructed the way it was or about various aspects of Pre-War magic practices and culture that helped him know how to analyze the enchantment and what choices to make when he was reconstructing the missing parts. It was scribing, enchantment design, and magic history all rolled into one, and it was much more interesting than any one of those classes normally was by itself. Thenio wished that all his teachers had enough information stuffed into their heads to be able to provide this much context for the subjects they taught. Being able to do an apprenticeship with somebody like Ariom was probably an amazing experience. Though Thenio doubted that any grandmaster would ever look twice at him, considering how pathetic his practical scores were. He was going to be lucky just to graduate from the academy and do an apprenticeship at all. He thought back to his conversation with Iggy the other day. If the dragon could recognize that something was strange with Thenio''s magic, shouldn''t his contract partner have something to say about it, too? A lot of guest lecturers would stay after the class period had ended in order to answer questions from the students. Would he have a chance to ask then? And would somebody who was prestigious enough to work for the royal family actually be willing to help him? He did his best to push these distracting thoughts aside and focus on the lecture, but he couldn''t stop a small, nervous feeling of hope from rising in his chest. "All right, that should give you the basic idea," Ariom said when he had finished walking them through the entire reconstruction. It had turned out to be an emergency protective enchantment that combined a magic shield with some basic healing magic. "Professor Erish, will you help me pass out these packets?" The professor happily jumped up from her seat and took the stack of papers from him. Thenio had seen her taking notes during the lecture, too. He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d really learned something new or if she was just trying to brown-nose. "We''ll be spending the rest of the class time on the first diagram in the packet. You can look at the others on your own time if you want to do more. Since this type of reconstruction and the study of Pre-War artifacts are a bit outside the standard enchanting curriculum, there''s also contact information for a couple of academy professors who specialize in these subjects. They told me they''d be happy to help anyone who''s interested in learning more. And after we''ve finished passing these things out, I''ll come around the room to see if anyone needs help on the assignment or has other questions." There was a soft buzz of excitement throughout the classroom at these words. It was a rare chance to get one-on-one help from a high-ranking enchanter, and the students were all looking forward to it. All but one, who was too busy worrying about how to get through the rest of the class period without his magic exploding on him. Chapter 5 - Void Mages Are a Little Scary Ariom and Professor Erish moved around the classroom, passing out materials to each student. As she set one of the packets of paper on Thenio''s worktable, the professor bent over and said in a low voice, "Please use as little magic as possible, Thenio. If you cause an explosion today...." She didn''t finish, but from her tone, it was clearly a threat. "I know..." he muttered, avoiding her stern gaze. He considered pointing out that pressuring him like this would only make his control over his magic even worse. But she probably wouldn''t listen. The professor moved away from his workstation, leaving Thenio biting his lip and looking despondently at the papers in front of him. Simply not doing the assignment¡­probably wasn¡¯t an option. Not if he wanted to convince anyone that he was more than just a lazy student who wasn¡¯t worth helping. He''d have to spend as long as he could on the design part of the project and hope it wasn''t too obvious that he was stalling. And when Ariom stopped by his workstation...what? What should he say? Would a grandmaster enchanter actually listen to him, when none of the academy professors ever did? Thenio closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Worrying wouldn''t help. He could already feel his magic starting to act up. If he didn''t calm down, he was going to blow up before he even did anything. He turned his attention to the item that he was supposed to be enchanting. It was an octagonal brass plate about six inches across with a white magic crystal already set into the center of it. That must be the power source that the enchantment was supposed to use. Thenio flipped through the packet and found the diagram he needed. He studied the lines of its central magic formation, starting at the points that should connect to the magic crystal socket and carefully following them as they ran through the rest of that formation and on into other parts of the matrix. There was a large chunk of the diagram that was missing altogether and several places where the tiny runes written along the circuit lines were obscured by scratch marks. But this part here was definitely an attribute convertor, which would change whatever type of magic the crystal was charged with into...light magic? That should be it. Then that formation there was to adjust the power flow. There should be some kind of trigger point to start and stop the magic draw from the crystal.... There it was, over on the side. The runes there were mostly gone, but Thenio could recognize the shape once he knew to look for it. Then this large portion that was missing...? Ah. The original item must have been a portable magic lamp. So the area of the inscription that was broken off had probably been something to control the appearance of the light, like specifying the size and color. Thenio took out a clean sheet of paper and a pencil and started redrawing the diagram. Once he understood the enchantment''s purpose, he didn''t have too much trouble filling in the missing parts. The Pre-War runic system was different from the one that was most commonly used now, but Thenio was already somewhat familiar with it. And the packet Ariom had given them included a helpful chart that showed the archaic system compared with the modern one. Thenio referred to it as he wrote in new runes. Figuring out the large missing section took the most time. When Ariom had mentioned ''seeing the result'' of their reconstructions, this must have been what he was referring to. From the diagram he''d given them, there was no way of knowing exactly what this section had contained in the original version. The students would each have to decide on their own how to fill it in, which should mean that everyone''s finished lamps would look different when they were turned on. Interesting. Thenio pondered for a bit, trying to recall what he knew about Pre-War culture. Weren''t botanical motifs popular back then, at least in this area? He''d been to the Kafron National Museum a few times, and he remembered seeing a lot of plants on the Pre-War items they had there. It supposedly had to do with the region being a major producer of alchemical materials at the time. All right. A flower seemed like a safe choice. Something like a lotus, maybe? That would be easy to make because of the repeating shape of the petals, and it would look good with the octagonal plate. He used another sheet of paper to do some sketches and calculations. After working out how to create the shape and color he wanted, he went back to his new diagram and drew in the last part of the magic formation. Then he went through the entire diagram very carefully, checking every part and correcting a few small mistakes. There. That should do it. Thenio smiled a little as he finished up his design. This reconstruction stuff was actually pretty fun¡ªlike solving a puzzle. He could see why Ariom liked it. His smile faded as he thought of the grandmaster wizard and remembered that he was still in the middle of class. He glanced around to see what was happening in the rest of the room. Oh. He¡¯d been a bit careless. He ducked his head down again. He¡¯d gotten too interested in the assignment and hadn¡¯t worked as slowly as he should have. It looked like most of the other students were still working on their own diagrams. Some were obviously having trouble. Professor Erish was across the room helping a girl who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Only a couple of students had their engraving tools out. Thenio looked back at his paper, feeling conflicted. Really...why did the assignment have to use a metal plate? He would have been fine if it were an inscription that could be drawn on with ink, but he couldn''t use his engraving tools without magic. This particular inscription was actually large enough to make using regular, non-magic tools. But it was impossible to do that with advanced enchantment inscriptions, which were often so tiny and intricate that they couldn''t even be seen without using special magic tools. The purpose of scribing classes was to train students in the techniques they would eventually need to create these advanced inscriptions. So they were deliberately given tools that required magic to operate. Thenio understood the intentions, but he was feeling quite resentful toward them at the moment. This inscription wasn''t that complicated. He''d created hundreds of simple enchantments like this before. If he were by himself, in a calm state, he probably wouldn''t have any trouble with it. But in the middle of class...with a grandmaster visiting...and knowing how upset Professor Erish would be if he messed up.... Just by sitting there and worrying about what might happen, Thenio could already feel his magic stirring restlessly, like a wild animal trapped in a cage. With a resigned sigh, he picked his pencil back up and started going over his diagram again...very slowly.
Ariom had never really enjoyed doing guest lectures. He did them occasionally because he had also been a student at the Royal Academy of Magic at one time, so he recognized the value of them. But he hated the fawning looks the students gave him, especially now that he was a grandmaster. It was even worse with these younger ones. He never would have agreed to teach a first-year class if that conniving department head hadn''t forced him into it as a requirement for helping him meet with Thenio. That same Thenio, he noted, watched him during the lecture with a different kind of expression than the other students. It was cautious, even a bit fearful, but also slightly hopeful, as though he were a hungry stray dog who was sizing Ariom up and trying to decide whether or not it was safe to come closer and ask for something to eat. Well, it was understandable why he might feel that way. The poor kid had clearly been having a rough time. His magic circuit was a mess. Ariom wasn''t sure how much of the damage was caused directly by that strange instability and how much was Thenio overworking himself in an effort to compensate for it. Either way, he was going to be in real trouble if he didn''t get proper medical attention soon. Just what exactly had the academy professors been doing? How did a first-year student manage to cause half a dozen explosions in one term and not get carted off to the necromancy department for a thorough magic analysis? Ariom gave the scribing teacher a sideways glance. Was it because of her? Nelina Erish. She was the daughter of an earl, but her magic talent was mediocre. Despite being only a few years younger than Ariom was, she was still just a journeyman wizard¡ªthree ranks below him. Not even a sorcerer yet. She was barely qualified to teach at the academy and almost certainly wouldn''t have gotten the job if she hadn''t been from a noble family. And she obviously didn''t like Thenio much. It would be hard to prove one way or the other, but Ariom strongly suspected that she was the one who had perpetuated the idea that Thenio was merely an irresponsible student who never practiced his magic skills. "Why does this part of the formation loop around like that? Wouldn''t a straight line there be more efficient?" "It would, but efficiency isn''t always the highest priority. Those loops are called stallforms. They''re intended to slow down the magic flow. There are various reasons for doing that. In this case, it''s to lessen the load on this junction over here. That''s a weak point, so you''d get power leakage and overheating without a protective measure like this." Ariom kept half of his attention on the student he was currently helping and half on the unstable boy in the corner. He really shouldn''t have given the class an engraving project.... Thenio was clearly nervous about the prospect of using magic when there was a grandmaster wizard visiting the class. His magic power fluctuated noticeably whenever he glanced at the other students who were already engraving or caught sight of Professor Erish looking in his direction. Ariom had chosen the assignment because he wanted to see Thenio use some basic magic in order to better evaluate his control issues. But the boy''s condition was much worse than he''d anticipated. If Thenio tried to use magic right now, with his anxiety exacerbating his damaged, unstable magic circuit.... Well. Things might get a little dangerous. Fortunately, Thenio seemed to be aware of his own condition. He had been one of the first students to complete his enchantment diagram, but rather than moving on, he''d gone back and started checking over it again. Probably as a delay tactic. "Make the corners on the runes a little sharper.... Right, that''s it. Keep your lines nice and clean like that." As he was speaking, Ariom felt a sudden tug from the magic bond he shared with Iggy, a sensation rather like having someone pull on his sleeve to get his attention. The young dragon hadn''t gotten the hang of telepathic speech yet, but he was able to transmit general impressions. And Ariom had specifically asked him to monitor Thenio, so he knew what Iggy was trying to tell him. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He looked up in time to see Thenio open his scribing tool box and stare at his gravers with a hesitant expression. Ariom sighed and leaned closer to the student he''d been helping. "Looks like you''re doing fine now," he said quietly. "Just keep going. I need to go stop your classmate from exploding." "Huh?" The boy blinked, then looked over at Thenio. "Oh. Him." He made an aggrieved expression. "Does he seriously have to explode today of all days...?" "It''s fine. I''ll take care of it." The other students obviously weren¡¯t fond of Thenio¡¯s pyrotechnics¡­. As he approached, Ariom could see Thenio fiddling with his tools, acting as though he were having trouble deciding which one to use. Almost all the other students were engraving now, so he must have felt that continuing to check over his diagram stood out too much. But he was clearly still just killing time. Thenio froze when he noticed Ariom, looking up at him with faint trepidation visible on his face. His magic power flickered dangerously. "You''re not engraving yet. Are you having trouble?" Ariom did his best to keep his tone casual and non-threatening. "Well...um...I guess? Kind of...yes," Thenio stammered awkwardly. It felt a little like talking to Iggy when he didn''t know how to explain himself. Ariom held out a hand. "Here, let me look over your enchantment diagram." Thenio silently handed him the paper. Ariom looked over the neatly drawn lines and couldn''t help raising his eyebrows a bit in surprise. This kid was pretty good. Ariom hadn''t seen all the students'' reconstructed diagrams yet, but this was easily the best one in the class so far. "Good." He nodded approvingly. "You even thought to use a floral design to match the fashions of the time. I wouldn''t call this a perfect reproduction, since you incorporated a couple of modern techniques. But there aren''t any functional problems, and it would be unreasonable to expect you to have a thorough knowledge of Pre-War enchanting methods at this point. For a first-year student, this is very well done." Ariom handed the paper back. "Your diagram looks fine, so you can go ahead and start engraving it." "That...um...." Thenio had looked a bit happy at the praise, but he quickly turned solemn at the mention of engraving. Ariom saw him glance nervously at Professor Erish. "I probably...probably really shouldn''t. It''s...kind of dangerous." "Because of your magic instability?" Ariom also looked briefly in the teacher''s direction. When he turned back, Thenio was staring at him, his eyes wide. "What? Is it that surprising? Even Iggy could tell you had a problem. Didn''t he talk to you about it when you met him the other day?" He paused. "Well, not that I could blame you if you didn''t understand him. The way he talks.... It does take some getting used to." He shook his head. "Anyway. You have to be able to analyze people''s magic circuits if you want to do enchantment tailoring. I''ve studied necromancy, and I can use magesight. So I can see perfectly well that you have a serious problem. Luckily for you, I''m also a void mage, so I can deal with it if your magic starts going out of control. Don''t worry about it. Just try engraving a little. I want to check how your active magic flow looks."
A void mage? No wonder he hadn''t recognized the stigma.... Thenio wasn''t sure which part was more surprising¡ªthe very rare magic affinity or the fact that he hadn''t had to use a single one of the arguments he''d prepared to convince Ariom that he had a real problem and wasn''t just a slacker. "Is it really okay?" he asked cautiously. "You''re sure?" Ariom nodded. "I''m sure. Go ahead." "Okay...." Thenio took a deep breath and looked at his tool box seriously for the first time. He took out a small pair of pliers and used them to loosen the prongs holding the magic crystal in place, then he removed it and set it aside. The channels that came in contact with the crystal and drew magic power from it should be a bit larger and deeper than the rest of the engraved lines, so Thenio selected a larger, square-shaped graver to start with. He was still nervous, but the knowledge that a void mage was on hand to disperse any runaway magic gave him courage. Very carefully, he infused a bit of magic power into the tool and cut four lines leading away from the crystal socket, making sure they tapered neatly on the ends. Then he switched to a slightly smaller graver and continued carving out the main lines of the central formation. He managed to make it through most of that first formation before he ran into trouble. His magic gave a sudden surge, causing an ugly jag in the previously smooth curve he''d been drawing. Thenio stopped and looked at the mistake, his brow furrowed. "It''s fine," Ariom said, his voice calm. "Just correct it and move on." Thenio nodded, biting his lip. He took out his smelting tool and ran it over the damaged area to smooth out the metal. His magic flow was still uneven, so it was difficult to get the surface as flat as it had been before, but he eventually got it to a workable state. Then he continued with the engraving. After the first problem, though, things quickly went downhill. His unruly magic soon caused another mistake. Then another. Each one increased his tension and frustration, which in turn made his magic harder to control. Ariom''s calm encouragement was the only reason he dared to keep going. Ironically, it was while he was trying to form the intricate loops of the magic flow regulation formation that he finally lost control. His power started thrashing wildly, causing him to accidentally carve a deep gouge across the metal. He froze and dropped the graver, but the magic didn''t stop. Thenio tried to ignore his rising panic and forced himself to take slow, even breaths, while fighting to hold his magic back. But he knew it was already too late...it was just about to break loose.... Then he felt someone place a hand lightly on his back. Thenio let out an audible gasp of surprise. It was gone. It was just...gone. The surging magic inside him was suddenly extinguished, like a raging fire being drenched with water. All that magic.... Was this what a mid-rank void sorcerer was capable of? It was amazing...and a little scary.... "It''s all right." Ariom''s voice was low and soothing. "I''ve got it under control. Just catch your breath and try to calm down." Thenio nodded. Then he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing again, slowly bringing it back under control. Now that he''d experienced how easily Ariom could scatter his magic, even at its wildest, he was able to calm down fairly quickly. After a minute or two, he opened his eyes and was about to tell Ariom that he was okay now.... Then he saw who was standing in front of his workstation, and the words caught in his throat. "Is everything all right over here?" Professor Erish gave a rather forced smile. "Thenio, you''re not giving Grandmaster Denifor any trouble, are you?" Had she recognized the panicked expression on Thenio''s face when he was about to lose control? Whether she realized exactly what had just transpired or not, the professor had obviously decided that she needed to intervene and stop the grandmaster from seeing too much of her number one problem student in action. Thenio watched her with mute apprehension. "I really appreciate your patience and your willingness to work with Thenio here." Her smile became warmer as she turned to Ariom. "But I think your time would be better spent helping some of the other students instead." She gave Thenio a patronizing look. "I''m afraid this one is a bit of a lost cause. I haven''t been able to convince him to take his magic control practice very seriously." Thenio''s face grew hot. It was bad enough when she told him things like that one-on-one, but did she really have to say it in front of the entire class and a visiting grandmaster wizard? His magic power shifted threateningly again, and he clenched his fists and stared fixedly at the table in front of him, trying to will himself to calm back down. Ariom let out an irritated sigh. "Really, now. And here I''d just gotten him back under control. What irresponsible fool decided to inflict a teacher like this on poor, innocent first-years? I''d like to have a good talk with them." A shocked silence followed these words. What did he just...? Had he heard that right? Thenio stared at Ariom in disbelief, completely distracted from his embarrassment. "Professor Erish." Ariom straightened up to look at her squarely. His voice was calm, but his expression was chilly. "I can accept that you don''t understand this boy''s problems. I can accept that you''re not able to recognize how overworked and damaged his magic circuit is, which is a clear sign that he''s been taking his magic practice far too seriously. I can even¡ªreluctantly¡ªaccept that you somehow believe that publicly declaring your student to be a ''lost cause'' is appropriate behavior for a teacher. But as a certified wizard and a professor of the Royal Academy, how can you not understand the concept of acute magic destabilization? You should know how dangerous it is. You should know that he''s much more likely to destabilize when he''s emotional. And here you''re deliberately insulting and upsetting him in front of the entire class? Do you enjoy seeing him explode and hurt himself? Are you trying to put the other students at risk? Or are you just a complete idiot who has no idea what''s going on here?" Now it was the professor who turned red. "Of course not! I wasn''t¡ª I mean, I never meant¡ª" She broke off, caught between admitting ignorance or confessing ill intentions and apparently unwilling to choose either one. The students all watched this exchange in stunned silence. Professor Erish was one of the youngest teachers in the enchanting department, but she was from a noble house. Even the senior teachers treated her politely. Did this guy not know? Or were grandmaster wizards such fearsome creatures that he didn''t need to care? Ariom snorted disdainfully and then turned back to Thenio. "I''ve seen enough for now." His voice was suddenly much gentler. "We need to talk more¡­but later. Are you free after this class?" Thenio nodded. What was this? Talk more? "Does that mean you¡ª?" Thenio swallowed. "Do you know...do you think you can¡­help me...?" he asked in a very small voice. Ariom looked at him in silence for a moment. His expression was difficult to read. "Help you?" he said finally. "Yes. I intend to help you. But it might not be the kind of help that you want." Before Thenio could ask what he meant, he turned toward the front of the room. "Iggy, come over here." Iggy, who had been watching them alertly, immediately jumped up and flew across the room. Several students tilted their heads back to watch as he passed over them. Ariom held out an arm for him to land on, then he set the little dragon down on the table. "It''s better if you don''t use any more magic right now, since you''re still unsettled." Ariom gestured at the packet of papers on Thenio''s worktable. "Why don''t you clean up your tools and then try out some more of those practice reconstructions?" He patted Iggy''s back. "You stay here and keep an eye on Thenio for me, okay? Just in case his magic goes wild again." "Mmm!" Iggy settled on the edge of the worktable, his swishing tail hanging over the side. "Don''t worry, Thenio. I won''t let you go boom!" "Ah¡­okay," Thenio agreed without being quite sure what he was agreeing to. Wait¡­did that mean Iggy could also use void magic? He didn''t know void affinity dragons even existed. "All right, everyone," Ariom told the still-staring class. "Drama''s over. You can get back to work." He walked over to a nearby workstation to start helping another student. Professor Erish was standing rigidly off to one side. Her cheeks were still rather pink, and her expression was somewhere between baffled and outraged. Thenio quickly busied himself with putting away his engraving tools before she could look in his direction. He was honestly a bit worried about what she might do in the future. He knew she was probably going to hold a grudge against him over this event. But at the same time, he had to admit that seeing her get told off by a higher ranking wizard was pretty satisfying. Chapter 6 - Magic Affinities The rest of the class went by peacefully. The other students kept giving their professor uneasy looks for a while, but they eventually recovered and regained their enthusiasm for the practice assignment and the chance to get individual help from a grandmaster. Thenio noticed some envious glances in his direction, presumably because of the little black dragon perched on his table. He had expected that having Iggy close by while he was working would be a huge distraction, but other than occasionally humming softly to himself, the dragon was surprisingly calm and quiet. Maybe he was used to watching Ariom work? He seemed interested in what Thenio was doing, but he didn''t interrupt. It took Thenio a little while to settle back down as well. He was grateful to have the packet of practice diagrams to focus on. He was a bit anxious about his upcoming talk with Ariom, not knowing exactly what the grandmaster had in mind. But he eventually managed to set those thoughts aside and immerse himself in piecing the centuries-old enchantments back together. He had made it through more than half the packet by the time the bell for the end of class chimed. He looked up briefly as his classmates started bustling around and cleaning up their things, but then he focused his attention back on the diagram he was working on. He knew the enthusiastic students would keep asking questions as long as Ariom was willing to stay and answer them, so it would probably be a while before he was free. There were even a few students¡ªmostly girls¡ªwho came over to Thenio''s workstation to talk to Iggy. The little dragon seemed to enjoy the attention. He chatted happily and allowed them to stroke his back and scratch his ears. He refused to leave Thenio''s table, however. Apparently he took his assignment from Ariom very seriously. After about twenty minutes, Ariom shooed away the crowd of students and came over to them. "I''m sorry, but I need my dragon back now," he told the girls who were still fussing over Iggy. "We have to get to an appointment in another part of campus. Thenio, you''re coming with us." Thenio was a bit startled by this, but he hurriedly packed his things into his bag and stood up to leave. Iggy hopped off the table and flapped his way up to Ariom''s shoulder, where he sat and waved one of his front paws in farewell as they exited the room. Thenio thought he caught a glimpse of Professor Erish glowering at him just before he went through the classroom door, but he quickly turned away before she noticed him looking at her. Scary. But he already had a high chance of failing this class, and there was no reason for him to take the side of a teacher who hadn''t helped or even listened to him. Ariom''s ''not the kind of help that you want'' worried him, but it was still the best prospect that Thenio had at the moment. It was probably better to avoid Professor Erish as much as possible in the future, though. Maybe he ought to think about transferring to a different department.... Well, that was something to worry about later, once he knew whether he''d even be able to stay at the academy or not. He followed silently behind Ariom as he wove through the students and teachers in the corridor. The wizard and his dragon attracted a lot of curious looks. Ariom ignored these, but Iggy looked around with great interest. A few people noticed him looking at them and smiled or waved. The little dragon waved back, tail swishing happily. They finally made their way out of the building and started along one of the sidewalks that crisscrossed the campus. "Um...where are we going, exactly?" Thenio finally dared to ask. "The necromancy building." "We''re going to see the crystal guy!" Iggy chimed in. "Oh." Thenio decided not to comment on the dragon''s lack of helpful information. "Is that where your appointment is?" "It''s where your appointment is. A professor I know¡ªthe ''crystal guy,'' as Iggy calls him¡ªis in charge of a lab there. I told him I''d probably be bringing you over today in order to run some tests." That wasn''t really what Thenio had been expecting, but it made some sense once he thought about it. "Is that what you meant by helping me?" "More or less." Ariom paused a moment, looking pensive. "I...have an idea about what''s causing your magic instability. The tests are to confirm my hypothesis." "You know what''s causing it? Really?" Thenio couldn''t help getting a bit excited. "Well...possibly," Ariom said cautiously. "I could be wrong." "What do you think it is?" But Ariom shook his head. "I probably shouldn''t say more than that until after the tests." Thenio frowned at these words but didn''t argue. It was frustrating to wait when the solution might be close at hand. But if Ariom didn''t want to talk, it wasn''t like he could force the words out of him. "Do you have enchanters in your family?" Ariom asked, breaking the brief silence. Thenio hesitated, a little reluctant to answer. "Well, not exactly. My parents are both magic assistants. My father is a scribe, and my mother does alchemy preparations." They were magic assistants who were very bitter about not being fully certified wizards and strongly pushed their sons into studying magic as a way to make up for their own perceived shortcomings. But he didn¡¯t mention that part. "I see." Ariom nodded. "Well, that would explain it. Aside from the stability problems, your scribing ability is unusually good for a first-year''s. You must have learned from your father. A lot of assistant scribes do really beautiful work. Most certified enchanters could stand to learn a thing or two from them." Thenio raised his eyebrows. That was unexpected. There was nothing shameful about being a magic assistant, of course. It was a respectable job with a good salary, and assistants played a vital part in the magic industry as a whole. But a lot of full-fledged wizards regarded them as failures and looked down on them. He''d never expected to hear a grandmaster, of all people, praising them like that. And wasn''t that the second time Ariom had complimented Thenio''s work? That was pretty unexpected, too. "Well, my parents have always taken magic education really seriously,¡± he said, feeling a little embarrassed. ¡°And they think crafting magic is the most practical career choice for anyone who doesn''t have a special affinity, so they started teaching my brothers and me enchanting and alchemy when we were really young. I like both, but for some reason I have more problems with magic control when I try to do alchemy. So I went with enchanting when I started school here." "Hmm. That fits..." Ariom said, a bit cryptically. "What is your affinity, by the way?" "Water." He needed to ask? Huh. Thenio would have guessed that Ariom could identify affinities using magesight, if he was good enough at it to recognize Thenio¡¯s instability. But apparently not? "Was that the result of the test the school gave you?" "That''s right." "And is that the only time you''ve ever had your affinity tested?" "Well...yeah. I mean, younger kids don''t usually get tested, right? Since affinity doesn''t matter that much at lower power levels?" "That''s...how it usually is, yes. I was just checking." Thenio frowned. Those questions seemed a little strange. Especially since Iggy was looking back and forth between the two of them, as though he wanted to say something. Ariom reached up and gave him a few light pats. The dragon settled back down, but he kept glancing at Thenio and looking a bit discontented. What was that about? Did they think the test was wrong? The academy tested all incoming students¡ªthousands of them every year¡ªand Thenio had never heard of anyone getting the wrong results. And it was perfectly natural for him to have a water affinity, since his mother''s affinity was clay with a water primary. It was true that he wasn''t as good at water magic as he should be...but, well, he wasn''t as good at any kind of magic as he should be.... He considered trying to get more answers out of Ariom, but he decided to be patient for now. They had almost reached their destination, anyway. The necromancy lab building wasn''t far away from the enchanting one, and the two were similar in layout and design. That made sense, considering how much overlap there was between the two fields of study. Necromancy could be loosely defined as enchanting applied to living things. Or formerly living things, although only a small percentage of modern necromancers dealt with corpses on a regular basis. And most of those worked in archaeology or forensics. But the name and some of its historical associations still persisted. That was one reason why the necromancy building was far less crowded than the enchanting building had been. Though the bigger reason was probably just that it was hard to become a high-level necromancer if you didn''t have an affinity for life magic. And people who were lucky enough to be born with that affinity usually preferred to study healing magic. Wizards like Ariom, who studied necromancy as a supplement to their main area of expertise, were fairly common, but pure necromancers were quite rare. Ariom led Thenio up to the second floor of the building and into a large room full of strange equipment. There was a young man in a teaching apprentice uniform who was adjusting something on a large, complicated-looking machine that stood against the far wall. A middle-aged man in a professor''s uniform sat at a desk near the door. He seemed to be grading a pile of student essays, but he looked up when they entered. "Oh, Ariom. You''re here. Come in, come in." He beckoned them over and started tidying up his papers. "Go ahead and take a seat," he added, nodding toward a couple of chairs that were placed in front of the desk. "Hi, crystal guy!" Iggy called out and waved as they approached. "Nice to see you again, Iggy," the professor said with a smile. "Have you been staying out of trouble?" "I always stay out of trouble." The dragon pouted a little. "...mostly. Mostly always." "I''m sure you do." The man chuckled. Then he looked over at the apprentice. "Bauto, come over when you''re finished with that, all right?" Stolen novel; please report. "Got it. I¡¯m almost done." The professor turned back to them. "Well, then. This must be the student you wanted us to run some tests on." "That''s right." Ariom sat in one of the chairs, and Iggy jumped down onto his lap. "This is Thenio Iterune, a first-year enchanting student that Iggy''s taken a liking to. And after meeting him, I can understand why. He''s...quite interesting." "Oh? If you''re saying that, he must really be something." The man looked at Thenio appraisingly, causing him to fidget nervously in his seat. "I''m Teselin Rhimari. I teach in the necromancy department. And that kid over there is my apprentice, Bauto. Ariom was one of my students back when he attended the academy, and we still work together from time to time." He glanced at Ariom. "So what exactly was it you wanted to check on?" "Thenio''s been having a lot of trouble with acute magic instability. Much more than he should, considering his age and experience. And it''s not due to lack of effort on his part¡ªhis magic circuit shows clear signs of overtraining. I have an idea of what the problem might be, but I''m not entirely sure. I brought him here in order to confirm my suspicions." Professor Rhimari looked a bit awkward. "Well, I''m sorry to hear he''s been having a hard time. And of course I''ll help if I can. But I''m not exactly sure what you''re expecting. I study affinities, remember? I don''t know nearly as much about magic instability as you do." "I know that," Ariom said evenly. "I want you to test his affinity." "He was tested when he first came to the academy, wasn''t he?" "He was. But the result was wrong. He says he tested as a water affinity, but he''s definitely not." Oh. Apparently Ariom could see magic affinities, after all. Though Thenio wasn''t sure why he hadn''t just said that in the first place. Why beat around the bush? The professor also looked a little puzzled, but he shrugged and turned to Bauto, who had finished whatever he was working on and come over to listen to the conversation. "Well, all right. Go ahead and test him." The apprentice nodded and went over to get something from a nearby shelf. He brought back a small rectangular box that had a cylindrical crystal sticking out of one end. Thenio recognized it as an affinity tester. Or at least that''s what they were usually called. The proper name was ''magic power frequency profile analyzer,'' but that was quite a mouthful. He didn''t know all the details of how they worked, but he knew they identified the power frequencies present in a person''s magic. Everyone''s magic was slightly different, but there were common patterns that most people followed. These patterns were what determined a person¡¯s affinity, or what types of magic were easiest for them to use. "Okay, now just hold onto the crystal and infuse a little of your magic power into it," Bauto said, holding the tester out toward Thenio. "I''ll tell you when to stop." Thenio took hold of the crystal and cautiously pushed a small amount of magic into it. Fortunately, his power was much more cooperative than it had been during scribing class. He didn''t even want to know how much it would cost to replace that device if he accidentally blew it up.... "That''s enough." When Thenio released the crystal, Bauto pulled the tester back and examined the display on the side for a moment. "Looks like...swamp affinity." Swamp? Well, Thenio would be thrilled if that were really the case. Swamp was a fairly rare combination type affinity, and it was generally considered the best affinity for alchemists to have. But that was why it was hard to believe. Hadn''t he had extra trouble controlling his magic when he tried to do alchemy? That didn''t seem to fit.... "You said you tested as water before, right?" Bauto went on. "You probably have a really strong water primary. The tester they used on you could have read it wrong if it wasn''t calibrated quite right." Professor Rhimari frowned a little but nodded. "Yes...that''s possible. It''s unusual for them to make a mistake like that, but I''ve seen it happen before." He looked at Ariom. "Does that answer your question?" But Ariom shook his head. "No. Test him again." "Huh?" Bauto stared at Ariom with a bemused expression. "I''m sure I didn''t do anything wrong just now...." He turned to his mentor for confirmation. The professor was giving Ariom a searching look. But after a moment, he turned and nodded at his apprentice. "He must have something in mind. Do it again." Thenio and Bauto exchanged confused looks, but they obediently repeated the testing process. This time, though, Bauto''s eyebrows shot up in surprise when he looked at the display. "What? Lightning affinity? How...?" He looked up at the others, baffled, and then back at the tester. "Is this thing broken?" Professor Rhimari stood up and came around the desk. "Let me see it." Bauto handed him the device. The professor examined it for a moment, frowning deeply, and then looked at Ariom, obviously asking for an explanation. "Test him again." Ariom didn''t seem at all surprised by the unexpected test result. Professor Rhimari raised an eyebrow at him. Then he turned the affinity tester over and slid off the back panel. He fiddled with the insides of the device for a minute, then let out a short sigh. "Calibration looks fine." He put the panel back in place and held the tester out to Thenio. "Okay, try it again." Thenio injected his magic power into the device for a third time. Then there was a tense silence as the professor stared at the results. "Sandstorm," he said flatly. "Okay. Either this is a prank, and the kid is a null affinity with exceptionally good control, or...." He trailed off. "You''re going to want to do a blood analysis," Ariom said quietly. The professor nodded. "Yeah. It looks that way." He turned to Bauto. "Get me a test kit, will you?" Bauto went to a cabinet on one side of the room. There was a magic lock panel on the front of it, and the apprentice placed his hand on it for a couple of seconds before pulling the door open. He rummaged around inside the cabinet for a minute and then came back carrying several items on a small metal tray, which he held out toward Professor Rhimari. "You probably haven''t had a blood magic analysis done before, have you?" the professor asked, picking up what looked like a scalpel from the tray. Thenio shook his head. "It''s a more advanced kind of magic affinity test. It''s mostly used for research purposes, since the required equipment and materials are too expensive for large-scale use, and the standard test is enough for most people''s needs. We''re going to put some of your blood on this special crystal." He picked up a palm-sized crystal slab from the tray and held it up for Thenio to see. "Then we''ll put it into a machine that can analyze your blood to give us a detailed look at your magic profile. All right? Now, just give me your hand for a moment. Don''t worry¡ªthis has a numbing enchantment on it, so it won''t hurt." This must be where the ''crystal guy'' title had come from, Thenio mused as he watched Professor Rhimari use the scalpel to make a small cut on one of his fingers, which he then held against the crystal. Thenio wasn''t sure what it was made out of, but it obviously wasn''t an ordinary crystal, because it absorbed the blood like a sponge, turning from white to a light red color. When it had apparently absorbed enough, the professor set the crystal back on the tray and picked up a small bandage, which he wrapped around Thenio''s finger with a well-practiced motion. "This has some healing salve on it, so your finger should be completely healed up within an hour or so." Professor Rhimari picked the crystal slab back up. "All right. Now let''s see exactly what we''re dealing with here." He took the crystal over to one of the complicated-looking machines standing around the room and put it on a tray sticking out of the center. Then he pushed the tray into the machine and flipped a switch. The machine hummed for a minute or two and then went quiet again. A single sheet of paper slid out of a slot on the top. Thenio couldn''t see it well from where he was sitting, but there seemed to be some kind of diagram printed on it. Professor Rhimari picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. And kept looking at it. There was a long silence. The rest of them waited awkwardly while the professor simply stared at the sheet of paper, seemingly frozen in place. Thenio wasn''t even sure he was still breathing. "Hey, what is it?" Bauto finally asked, breaking the silence. "Is he some type of crazy morph or something?" The professor finally moved in response to that, but he still didn''t say anything. He simply took the paper over to another machine that Thenio recognized as a projection device. He set the paper on it and turned the device on. A large copy of the printout was displayed onto the wall for all of them to see. "What is that?" Bauto asked, staring at the image with an expression of consternation. That''s what Thenio wanted to ask. He had no idea what he was looking at. The projected image was a sort of erratic starburst pattern, like a messily drawn sunflower, with some regular grid marks printed in different colors around the edge. His best guess was that it was a circular graph of some kind, but he wasn''t sure exactly what it was supposed to represent. But it would have been normal for him to ask what it was. The fact that the one asking was Bauto, an apprentice who worked in a magic affinity lab, wasn''t at all comforting. "What''s with that pattern? I''ve never seen anything like that before." Bauto went on, adding to Thenio''s unease. He turned to the professor. "Do you know what that is?" Professor Rhimari didn''t answer. He was still staring at the pattern, his brow deeply furrowed. After a moment, he went to a bookshelf that was standing against the wall behind his desk and pulled out a large book. He flipped through it briefly, then came to a stop as he apparently found what he was looking for. He stared at the book for a minute, then looked back at the pattern on the wall. Then back at the book. Then the pattern. Finally, he looked at Ariom. "You already know what this is, don''t you?" Ariom nodded, his expression somber. "I was hoping I was wrong.... But yes, based on Iggy''s description of Thenio''s magic and the research I did, this is the profile pattern I was expecting to see." "What''s wrong?" Thenio looked between the two grim-faced men, a knot of tension forming in his stomach. "What kind of affinity is that? Is there something the matter with it?" Professor Rhimari sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face. "Seriously, Ariom, I get that you weren''t sure, but...you could have warned me, you know? I really wasn''t prepared for something like this." He shook his head and looked at Thenio. "How much do you know about magic affinities?" "Well, I know the basics. I read some books on affinities when I was studying for the academy entrance exams." "Good. Then you know what morphs are? And the difference between spontaneous and conditional morphs?" "Morphs are affinities that just pop up, rather than being inherited." Thenio went into student recitation mode, partly as an automatic response to a professor asking a question and partly because it soothed his nerves a little to focus on memorized facts. "Spontaneous morphs are just random mutations. They''re extremely rare but can usually be passed on to future generations. Most variant and arcane type affinities started as spontaneous morphs. Conditional morphs occur due to the influence of specific circumstances. They happen more frequently but are rarer overall because they usually aren''t hereditary." "Very good." The professor nodded approvingly. The detour into an academic discussion seemed to calm him down a bit, too. Maybe that was the real reason he''d brought up the topic. "What we have here is a conditional morph. Or at least it''s assumed to be, since we don''t know what causes it, but we do have records of it reoccurring a few times in the past several centuries. There aren''t any records of it from before the Great War, but they may have just been lost.... Well, in any case, it''s a very rare conditional morph, but it''s also fairly well known on account of its...ah...distinctive properties." He hesitated, then took a deep breath and pointed at the projection. "This is a chaos affinity." "Chaos affinity?!" Bauto was visibly excited. "Are you serious? I can''t believe it. I never thought I''d meet a living chaos morph!" Professor Rhimari gave him a look of disgust. "What are you getting excited about, you insensitive idiot?" "What?" the apprentice asked, aggrieved. "What''s wrong with being excited? It''s a researcher''s dream to find such a rare affinity, isn''t it?" "Maybe so. But think about it a little, will you? Think about exactly what you just said." Bauto looked confused. "Huh? All I said was that it''s a researcher''s dream to see such a rare magic type. And that I never thought I''d meet a living¡ª" He suddenly broke off. "Oh." His face went pale. He swallowed hard and turned stiffly to look at Thenio. "I''m so sorry. I really wasn''t thinking...." "What...?" Thenio was seriously alarmed now. He whipped his head back and forth to look at the grave faces surrounding him. Even Iggy was curled up into a subdued little ball, ears lowered. "What''s wrong? Why is everyone...?" The professor gave another heavy sigh. "There have been about half a dozen confirmed cases of chaos affinity since the Great War, along with a few more suspected ones. Almost all of those...were identified via autopsy." He gave Thenio a complicated look, and his voice became a little softer. "Like I said, there aren''t any records from before the war. And the few we do have aren''t really a large enough sample to make accurate predictions...but...." He paused and seemed to steel himself. "All the chaos magic users we currently know of have died from injuries caused by magic explosions, self-induced as the result of severe magic instability. The average life expectancy...based on the numbers we have available...is fourteen years. The oldest chaos morph on record...died at the age of nineteen." Average of fourteen...maximum of nineteen...his current age was...sixteen. At that point, Thenio''s mind went blank and refused to process the numbers any further. Chapter 7 - Chaos There was a pen holder on Professor Rhimari''s desk. Just an ordinary, rectangular pen holder, nothing special about it. It didn''t even have any decorations apart from the highly figured grain on the cherry-colored wood. But Thenio found himself staring at it with an inexplicable fascination, only half aware of what the professor was saying to him. "One of the prevailing theories is that chaos affinity is some kind of variant form of null affinity, since there are some similarities between the two. The fact that there are no records of the affinity from before the Great War and the Rift Crisis has even led a few people to suggest that it arose as some kind of interaction that happens between a null affinity and rift miasma, but there''s no real evidence to substantiate that. And like I said earlier, there are few enough cases in the first place that it''s entirely possible that the records were simply lost during the destruction...." He was using a lot of words just to say that nobody really knew anything about chaos affinities. They were very rare and very unstable. Children who were born with them didn''t live very long. That was about it. "Naturally, a lot of people have been interested in it through the years. Well, you saw Bauto''s reaction...." The professor cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "Researchers like us are interested just because of the rarity of chaos magic, of course. But the fact that it seems able to shift into other types of magic, like you saw with the affinity tests earlier, opens up a lot of possibilities. There''s obviously a lot of potential there, if anyone can figure out how to control it...." Potential? Sure. Right. That would be a lot more convincing if Professor Rhimari weren''t saying it while putting up magic barriers around where Thenio was sitting in order to protect the research lab. Not that Thenio was going to complain¡ªhe certainly didn''t want to have to pay for any expensive equipment he might accidentally destroy. That was all the potential he could see in this stupid affinity. Potential for destruction. It seemed to be doing a pretty good job at destroying his life, for starters. He felt his magic power flare up in response to his angry thoughts, but it disappeared almost immediately. Ariom had pulled his chair close to Thenio''s and was sitting with one hand resting lightly on Thenio''s shoulder, keeping his magic under control. If not for that, he definitely would have exploded by now, considering his current emotional state. You couldn¡¯t just tell someone they had the unluckiest magic affinity in existence and were probably going to die within a year or two and expect them to stay calm about it.... Iggy was sitting on the opposite end of the desk from the pen holder, which was one of the reasons Thenio had chosen that particular object to stare at. Hadn''t he ended up here because of that dragon? He didn''t want to look at him right now, though he could see the thin black tail twitching restlessly out of the corner of his eye. Bauto had been sent off to find someone or deliver a message or...something. Thenio hadn''t really been paying attention. It was probably just an excuse to get the more vulnerable apprentice out of explosion range, anyway. "There, that should be enough, unless he can output a lot more power than I think he can. And the lab equipment will be the last of our worries, in that case. How are you managing over there?" "I''m fine. He''s not doing so well, but...well, what can you expect under the circumstances?" "You''re sure it wouldn''t be better to put suppression bands on him?" "It would, but if Melea is on her way here, it''s better to wait so she can take a look at his magic circuit first. The bands will make it harder to see clearly." "Sometimes I envy you people and your magesight skills. I''ve never quite gotten the hang of it...." It was hard to focus on the conversation. Thenio felt like the words were sliding around him in a blur. Everything felt like a blur, really. He half wondered if this wasn''t just some kind of nightmare, and he''d wake up back in his dormitory room any time now. His thoughts were in a dense enough fog that it took him some time to notice that a petite, elderly woman had entered the room and was standing nearby, looking at him thoughtfully. He finally tore his gaze away from Professor Rhimari''s pen holder and blinked dazedly up at her. She had curly white hair and vivid emerald eyes. A life mage? They didn''t all have unnaturally bright green eyes like that, but it was a common trend. "Thenio, this is Melea Nistren," Professor Rhimari said. "She''s the head of the necromancy department. She has a lot of experience with treating magic circuit damage, so I asked her to come help us decide what to do from here. We''re also contacting the enchanting department and the school administration, of course." "Wait, why the administration?" Thenio asked. There was a short silence while Professor Rhimari and Ariom exchanged uncomfortable looks. "To process your withdrawal from the academy," Professor Nistren said quietly, still inspecting Thenio closely. "Withdraw¡ª" Thenio broke off, his throat tightening. In truth, he had known this was coming. But hearing the word out loud was horrifying, almost worse than hearing he might not have long to live. His magic spasmed violently, and he felt Ariom grip his shoulder a little tighter as he dispersed the fresh wave. "No...I shouldn''t have to withdraw from school altogether, right? I mean, we know what''s wrong now. Isn''t there...there should be some way to deal with it, right? Like...some kind of special exercises or...something?" He ended with a pleading note in his voice. "I guess you haven''t noticed...." Ariom sighed. "Your magic control probably got a lot worse once you started school here. Is that right?" "Well...I guess?" It was definitely true, and Thenio had wondered about it a lot. But right now he was reluctant to admit it. "Isn''t that just because it''s a specialized magic school, so the classes here are more challenging than the ones I had before?" Ariom shook his head. "No, that''s not it. And they shouldn''t be that challenging for you, anyway. I asked the head of the enchanting department for information about you after Iggy talked to you the other day. He told me you''d gotten a perfect score on the written portion of the entrance exam. And you''re acing all your magic theory classes. You''d probably be the top student in your year if it weren''t for your practical scores dragging you down. And from what I saw in the scribing class earlier, your magic skills are actually very good when you can keep your power under control. I''m guessing that you can use basic magic perfectly fine when you''re in the right setting." Thenio didn''t say anything. A part of him was eager to hear the rest of Ariom''s explanation. But he also had an idea of where it was headed, and he didn''t like it at all. "That''s what I''m getting at¡ªthe setting. You don''t seem to have realized it yet, but you''re extremely sensitive to ambient magic. In class earlier, I was watching closely when you were engraving, and for the most part, it wasn''t anything you did that caused your magic to go out of control. It was the other students using magic around you. People usually have a sort of barrier around their magic circuit that prevents outside interference, but you don''t seem to have that at all. So whenever a wave of magic hits you, it interferes with your magic and throws it out of whack. And beginning magic students leak power all over the place, so this whole school is full of magic waves. It''s a horrible environment for someone like you.¡± That...made a lot of sense, actually. But Thenio wasn''t ready to give up yet. "But...but...." He frantically tried to come up with some kind of counter argument. "But what are my parents going to say? I''ve been hearing them talk about how important magic school is for as long as I can remember. They''re going to have fits if I drop out. And I have a sponsorship contract!" "I really think your parents are going to care more about the possibility of you exploding and killing yourself than they do about you having to leave school," Professor Rhimari said dryly. "And it would be unreasonable for anyone to expect you to fulfill a contract under these circumstances. I''m sure your sponsor will understand that." Thenio wasn''t sure about either of those things. But he also wasn''t sure how to explain his doubts to anyone who didn''t know the people involved. "Who is your sponsor?" Ariom asked. "The Perinith Workshop. My parents both work there." "Ah, that place." Ariom nodded. "I don''t think you''ll need to worry. Sponsorship contracts are monitored by the relevant wizard guild to ensure fair practices, which should be the Enchanter''s Guild in this case. And the guild master of the local branch is a force to be reckoned with, let me tell you. Otker Perinith might be a cunning old weasel, but he''s not an idiot. He won''t do anything that might get that maniac to come after him. They''ll probably just ask you to repay whatever the workshop has spent on you so far. And maybe a termination fee, in the worst case. You''re only partway through your first year, so the total amount can''t be that much yet." Thenio highly doubted that a grandmaster enchanter''s concept of money was at all similar to his. If the cost of attending the Royal Academy were really that low, he wouldn''t have needed a sponsorship in the first place. "The academy will have to take some of the responsibility for this," Professor Nistren said. She must have finished with whatever examination she had been performing because she was no longer looking at Thenio with the same intense gaze as before. "Not properly identifying your affinity during the routine testing was an understandable mistake, but the school is still at fault for letting things progress this far. You can probably expect a refund of your tuition, at the very least. If it were up to me, the academy would completely reimburse your sponsor and cover all the treatment costs for your magic circuit damage on top of that. But that''s something you and your parents will have to work out with the administration office. All I can do is put in a recommendation." So maybe he wouldn''t have to spend his short remaining life in debt. That was something. A very small something. "And what about after that? I drop out of school and get treatment for the magic circuit problems. Then what am I supposed to do? Just sit around at home for however long I have left to live and do my best to not take any family members with me when I inevitably blow myself up and die?" Thenio didn''t even try to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Of course not," Professor Nistren said patiently. "We''re going to turn you over to the experts. There''s an entire military research division dedicated to magic stability. It exists in order to help people like you." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. For some reason, Ariom looked a little uncomfortable at her words. He shifted in his seat but didn''t say anything. "Can they help me?" Thenio glanced at Professor Rhimari. "Didn''t you say before that pretty much nobody knows anything about chaos magic?" "It''s hard to say whether they can or not." The professor shrugged. "But like I told you, the chance to study a chaos morph is rare, and a lot of people will be interested. If enough of us put our heads together, it''s possible that we''ll figure something out." "But nothing will happen if you don''t give them a chance," Professor Nistren added. "I understand why you''re upset, but stubbornly refusing to accept the situation isn''t going to help you any. And you''re not the only one we need to consider in this. The other students will also be at risk if we let you stay here." That last point was hard to argue against. Thenio lowered his gaze, biting hard at his lower lip. Professor Nistren sighed. "Now that I''ve had a look at your magic circuit, I''m going to go contact the Stability Center. Teselin, would you mind coming with me? You understand the affinity itself better than I do. They might have some questions for you. Ariom, are you all right staying and keeping an eye on him a little longer? We can find some suppression bands, if that would help." "I''ve got some." Ariom reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of leather straps. They both had a pattern that looked like an enchantment matrix tooled onto them. "Here, I''ll do it." Professor Rhimari stepped forward and took the straps from Ariom. "Just hold out your hands, Thenio. That''s it. Have you ever worn suppression bands before?" Thenio shook his head as he watched the professor wrap one of the bands around his left wrist. "They''re a little uncomfortable, especially at first. But they''ll help you keep your magic under control. I won''t set the suppression rate too high. And they''re not locked, so you''ll be able to take them off if they bother you too much." As the straps were fastened on his wrists, Thenio felt an odd stuffy feeling come over him. It was reminiscent of having a bad cold. He didn''t actually feel sick, but his body was suddenly heavy and tired. "Try to relax. We''ll be back soon." Professor Rhimari patted Thenio''s arm and then followed Professor Nistren out of the room. Everything was quiet for a few minutes. Ariom had started rummaging around in his bag for something. "Why did you tell them?" "What?" Ariom looked up from the bag. "The academy!" Thenio burst out angrily. "Why did you have to tell them? They''re going to throw me out because of you!" Ariom blinked a few times. "And what do you think would have happened if I hadn''t told them?" He seemed surprised by Thenio''s outburst, but not particularly upset. "Do you really think you would have been able to stay in school much longer, the way things were going?" "I don''t know! But maybe. At least I would have had a chance!" "No. You wouldn''t." Ariom''s voice was soft but very steady. "The only difference would have been that you would have had to leave school after getting seriously hurt and possibly hurting others. And by that time it might have been too late to help¡ª" "You don''t know that! Nobody knows what would have happened. If I''d just kept trying a little longer...if I''d just worked a little harder...then maybe...maybe...." Thenio''s voice shook. He clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms. "What gives you the right to decide for me, anyway? You think you and your weird little dragon can just show up and do whatever you want? You ruined everything!" He was talking nonsense. He knew that. They''d probably saved his life. He ought to be thanking them, not blaming them. But he couldn''t stop the words from spilling out. "Do you have any idea what''s going to happen to me now? My parents have been shoving magic down my throat since before I could walk! They''ll never accept me not becoming a real wizard. Never! They practically disowned me when I couldn''t pass the entrance exam on the first try." Thenio''s breath kept coming faster, and his voice increased in pitch as his throat started to tighten painfully. "They already think I''m not as good as my younger brothers! And if I drop out of school.... If I fail here.... They won''t.... I can''t...." His words finally choked off. For a brief moment, his rough breathing was the only noise in the room. Then there was the sound of flapping wings, and a small black dragon landed on Thenio''s lap. His first, angry impulse was to push Iggy away. But before he could act on it, the dragon crouched down and started licking the back of Thenio''s clenched fist. His tiny pink tongue felt rather dry and rough, similar to a cat''s. Thenio hesitated, then finally let the little dragon be. "Why is this happening...?" His voice was weak now, not much more than a whisper. "I''ve worked so hard." All those months he¡¯d spent studying for the academy entrance exam. "I''ve given up so much...." All those days he¡¯d headed to the magic practice rooms after classes instead of going to play around and make friends with the other students. "I did everything my parents and teachers told me to." All those magic control exercises he¡¯d diligently performed, even when he was doubted and belittled because they failed to produce results. "So why...? How did things turn out like this? It''s not fair! It''s just...not fair...." Iggy stood up on his hind legs and put his front paws on Thenio''s chest, whining softly, like a worried puppy. Butterfly used to do something similar when she wanted to cuddle, so almost without thinking, Thenio lifted the little dragon into his arms. He was very light and surprisingly warm and soft. It was like holding a leathery bird. "I agree that it''s unfair," Ariom said quietly. "I don''t know why things like this happen. It''s just how life is sometimes. You work hard for something only to see it snatched away from you. You get obstacles thrown in your way when other people seem to have an easy path. It really is unfair. And I can''t tell you why. I''m sorry. I wish I could." There was a moment of silence. "But I can tell you this much," Ariom went on. "It''s been about sixty years since the last chaos morph died. A lot can change in sixty years. The Kafron military is deeply invested into stabilization research, since combat wizards are at a higher risk of destabilizing than any other profession. Since my¡ª Well...since I have some family history of destabilization, I''ve kept up on the recent developments. There''s been a lot of progress just in the past decade. I can''t guarantee that it''s enough for them to be able to help you. But there''s definitely still a chance. It''s too early for you to give up completely." Thenio didn''t say anything. Neither did Iggy. But maybe he wanted to echo his partner''s hopeful sentiment, because he reached up and carefully licked away all the tears on Thenio''s face.
As much as Ariom disliked the military, he had to admit that they were good at what they did. The stabilization team arrived within half an hour and went straight to work when they got there. Two of them joined Melea in examining Thenio, one followed Teselin over to the enchanting building to meet with the department head, and the last one spoke quietly to Ariom, asking a series of questions about his observations of Thenio and making detailed notes. The magic suppression bands were finally doing their job, and Thenio was sitting quietly, his eyes drooping. He looked like he was falling asleep, but he was still responding when someone spoke to him and occasionally stroking Iggy, who was curled up on his lap. Ariom had finished being interviewed and was standing off to the side watching the progress of Thenio''s examination when Teselin returned. "They''re contacting his parents," he said in a low voice, coming over to stand next to Ariom. "They''ll process the withdrawal paperwork and negotiate a settlement with them whenever they''re able to come to campus." He looked over at Thenio. "Have they decided where he''s going from here?" "They''re going to take him to the Stability Center for now, so they can keep him under control until he gets over the shock. They also want to do some additional tests. They''ll decide on a long-term plan once they can meet with his parents, but it sounds like they want to focus on letting his magic circuit heal up before they try to develop any kind of management program for him. His power level is still fairly low, so they''ll probably just keep suppression bands on him and send him home to rest for a few weeks." Of course, from the way Thenio had been talking about his parents, staying at home might not be that restful for him. But Ariom didn''t actually know anything about the boy''s family. It was possible that Thenio was just panicking and exaggerating the situation. And if he was sedated enough, his surroundings wouldn''t really matter anyway. Ariom glanced back at his old professor. "I''m sorry for getting you caught up in this." Teselin raised an eyebrow at him. "It''s all right, you know? You can admit that you pulled me into it because you didn''t know how to deal with it yourself." Ariom narrowed his eyes and then turned away in annoyance. "...fine. I''ll admit it." "You really haven''t changed, Ariom." Teselin shook his head and gave a wry smile. "You''ve gotten pretty good with the hotshot grandmaster act, but that awkward boy who used to sit in the corner by himself because he didn''t know how to talk to his classmates still shows through sometimes." He looked over at the little dragon sitting on Thenio''s lap. "Actually, I''ll take that back. You have changed some. If this had happened a few years ago, you might have tipped me off about the possible chaos affinity, but you probably wouldn''t have gotten involved yourself. I think having Iggy around has been good for you." Ariom made a noncommittal grunt. "And I don''t really mind getting involved with this. Even if he''s not in my department, taking care of a student is my responsibility as an academy professor. You''re the one who shouldn''t have had to get involved. The admissions office and enchanting department really should have caught this and sent Thenio over to us for testing a long time ago." "At least someone here still understands that much. A certain first-year scribing teacher ought to lose her job over this, if you ask me. Though I guess that''s up to her department head. I certainly won''t be putting in a good word for her when I talk to him about this, though." "Fair enough. It''s true that this whole thing could have turned out a lot worse. We''re lucky Thenio happened to meet Iggy when he did." They both fell silent, simply watching the proceedings for a while. After a few minutes, Ariom saw Melea bend down and speak to Iggy, who nodded and stood up in response. He said something to Thenio, but someone had increased the suppression on his magic, and he didn''t seem to be very aware of anything at this point. Melea picked Iggy up and carried him over to Ariom. "They''re going to move him now," she said, handing the dragon over. "I think you''re free to go if you want to, Ariom. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Things probably would have ended much more tragically if you hadn''t stepped in." "Thenio will be okay, right?" Iggy asked with concern, looking between Ariom and Melea. "They''ll be able to keep his magic from getting scared, right?" "That''s right." Ariom patted the little dragon reassuringly. "Those people are experts on magic stability. They''ll take good care of Thenio. He''ll be just fine." It was more optimism than he really felt, of course. But Iggy didn''t need to know that. On his way out of the lab, Ariom paused and looked back. He caught sight of Thenio''s face. Slack-jawed. Eyes cloudy and unfocused. It was the expression of a person under the influence of high-level suppression bands. It had been years since he''d seen it last, but it wasn''t the sort of thing you could forget. Especially when that was how someone looked the last time you ever saw them alive. Was this the last time he''d see this boy? It might be. Perhaps sensing his gloomy thoughts, Iggy whimpered and nudged Ariom''s cheek with his nose. "It''s okay. This just made me remember something unpleasant." Ariom rubbed the little dragon''s head. "Let''s go home. The school and the military will take care of him now. We''ve already done everything we can." He wasn''t sure which one of them he was trying to convince. Ariom looked at Thenio one last time. Then he turned and left the room. Chapter 8 - Where Have I Seen This Before...? The only good thing about the next two weeks was that Thenio mostly slept through them. The medical evaluation at the Magic Stability Center confirmed that he had extensive damage to his magic circuit, and after staying overnight for observation, he was sent home wearing suppression bands set to seventy percent. The point was to keep him from using any magic, but they made him physically weak and groggy enough that he couldn''t do much of anything else, either. After a few days, Thenio discovered that several bags had appeared in his room containing his academy uniforms and textbooks. The school had apparently sent over all the belongings he''d left in his dormitory room. Once he realized what they were, Thenio spent a while staring blankly at the bags containing the remnants of his former life before shoving the whole lot into the back of his closet. Then he went back to sleep, exhausted by the effort. At one point, he woke up to the familiar scent of wood shavings and knew Eteon must have been there. He didn''t see anyone when he looked around the room, but after a minute, he noticed a carved figure on his bedside table that hadn''t been there before. What was that? A hippogryph? No. It was similar, but it didn''t have a bird head. He blinked at it sleepily, trying to puzzle it out. It was a deer-like creature with large, feathered wings. It was painted a deep indigo color with white markings, and there was a single, pronged horn on its forehead. It was carved with the wings stretching out and curving around in front of the creature, as though it were protecting something near its feet. It was obviously some kind of magic beast, but Thenio didn''t remember seeing a creature like that in any of his books. He had always liked drawing animals and magic beasts, so he had quite a few books with pictures of them. Eteon had given him a lot of them. Thenio''s parents didn''t think picture books were useful for his magic studies, so it was hard to persuade them to buy him very many, and his monthly allowance could only stretch so far. Strange. He was sure he''d never seen a magic beast like that before. But at the same time...it felt so familiar.... He spent a while lying there and staring at the figurine, trying to think what it reminded him of. But it was difficult when he kept drifting in and out of sleep. Eventually, he was distracted from both sleep and the figurine by the sound of the bedroom door opening. "Oh, you''re awake. I brought your dinner. Should I put it on the desk? Or do you want to eat in bed?" Thenio raised his head. Kleyo, his youngest brother, had just entered the room, carrying a tray of food. Thenio''s bedroom was in the attic, and in his current state, it was difficult for him to navigate two flights of stairs down to the dining room and back, so his family had been bringing meals up to him. Seven-year-old Kleyo had been doing the majority of this. He was the only one in the family that Thenio really had a close relationship with. For some reason, Kleyo didn''t seem to feel the same aversion to his presence that the others did. Thenio''s parents were treating him more kindly than he''d expected, though. He was sure they were hugely disappointed by him dropping out of school, but they didn''t seem to be blaming him for the situation, at least not on the surface. Lem, as always, simply avoided him. "Put it on the desk. I''m going to fall asleep in the middle if I try to eat here." Thenio really wanted sleep more than he wanted food. But he knew that he''d have even less energy the longer he went without eating, so it was better to get it over with. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Just doing that much took most of his strength, and he had to sit and recover for a minute before moving any further. He needed another rest after he managed to stumble over to his desk. And he had to pause frequently while he was eating, too. Fortunately, his meal had been prepared with slow eating in mind, with bite-sized pieces of foods that didn''t need to be eaten hot or cold. The Stability Center had given Thenio''s parents an entire booklet on how to care for someone who was under high-level magic suppression. It was a little scary to think about why they were such experts on the subject.... While Thenio ate, Kleyo sat in the chair by the window, looking through a book he''d taken from the bookshelf next to the desk. It was one of Thenio''s sketchbooks. Kleyo had always been fascinated by his older brother''s drawings. He probably knew the contents of that shelf full of sketchbooks better than Thenio himself did. "Hey, was Eteon here earlier?" Thenio asked during one of his breaks. Kleyo looked up. "Oh, yeah, he was. I went to the park to visit him on my way home from school. He said he wanted to see you, so he walked back with me. You were asleep, and he didn''t want to wake you up. He just sat here and carved for a little while. Then he left. He said he''d come again in a few days." Kleyo had also become friends with the elderly woodcarver. He loved the toys Eteon made, especially the jointed animal dolls. He said he wanted to learn to make animal golems when he got older. "I saw he left a carving. Did he tell you what it was? I don''t remember ever seeing a magic beast like that before." "He said it''s a dream beast. They can go into people''s dreams and keep them from having nightmares." Thenio frowned. "I''ve never heard of them. Are they real?" "No idea. Probably not? Eteon said that he heard stories about them when he lived in Ket''qe, and it was pretty common for little kids there to keep figurines like that one by their beds so that they wouldn''t have bad dreams. Nobody had ever actually seen one, though. The Forest People seem to believe they''re real, but most humans think they''re just stories." Kleyo shrugged. "But anyways, Eteon said that since you had to sleep so much for a while, maybe you could use some help having good dreams." "Yeah, I probably could...." Thenio sighed. He did appreciate the thought, but he wasn''t sure how much it would help to just avoid bad dreams while he was asleep. All the real nightmares came when he was awake.
"Good. Now try channeling some power into this. Remember to take it slowly." The doctor handed Thenio a device that was shaped vaguely like a rabbit head¡ªan oval base with two rods sticking out of the top. This week''s doctor was a youngish man with curly brown hair and no apparent sorcerer''s stigma, but Thenio suspected he was just wearing an illusion accessory to hide it. Doctors seemed to like using those for some reason. And Thenio had been seeing plenty of doctors lately. The Stability Center had him meet with different people each time he came. They said it was because they didn''t have any established methods for dealing with a chaos affinity, and they wanted different experts to take a look at him and give their opinions before deciding how to proceed. Thenio took the crystal synthesis tool from the doctor and set it on his lap. He held on to the collector rods and cautiously started infusing his magic power into them. The device collected raw magic power and converted it into a crystal form. It was something that sorcerers could do on their own, but lower-level magic users needed to use tools like this. The crystals weren''t much use without further processing, but you could sell them to magic workshops, and some workshops even set up synthesis areas where people could come in to convert and sell their magic. But doing it too much wasn''t good for you, and for most affinities, you wouldn''t earn enough to really make it worth the trouble. So it was mostly something that magic school students did to get a little extra spending money. Thenio''s magic crystals, however, were currently in high demand. So he''d been using synthesis tools a lot lately. He didn''t get paid for the resulting crystals, but they were being passed on to researchers who were hopefully going to use them to figure out a way to keep him alive, so he couldn''t complain. Having Thenio use the synthesis tool was also a convenient way for the doctor to check on his magic flow, so he was wearing a number of monitoring devices. He''d been a little surprised the first time they''d asked him to wear them, since Ariom and Professor Nistren had easily been able to do the same thing without using any equipment. But apparently wizards who were that skilled in magesight were quite rare. Even the Stability Center only had a few. And they usually used the monitoring equipment anyway to keep their records more consistent. It was too bad. The monitoring devices were irritating. But Thenio did his best to ignore them, focusing on his breathing and the trickle of magic power he was sending into the synthesis device. After a few weeks of rest to help his magic circuit heal, his power was noticeably easier to control than it had been, but he still needed to pay close attention to his emotional state to make sure it didn''t disrupt his magic use. "All right, that''s enough. Your stability''s dropping a bit. Let''s not overdo it." Thenio stopped his magic and handed the device back to the doctor, who checked the display on the side, wrote a note on Thenio''s chart, and then opened a compartment in the base of the device to remove the crystal. "It really does keep changing, doesn''t it?" The doctor held up the small crystal for Thenio to see. It was a translucent sea green color with bits of orange in it. Magic crystals came in all colors, but most people would produce the same color consistently unless they''d had special training to adjust the frequency of their magic power. For Thenio, however, the color seemed to change randomly, just like the results from the magic affinity tester had. "There are still a lot of irregularities in the structure, but it''s improved since your last check-up. Let''s move you down to forty percent suppression this week. That will give you some more energy, so try to increase your physical activity a little. Nothing strenuous, though. And keep your magic training the same. A set of basic exercises, once a day. Nothing else. Make sure to keep avoiding external sources of magic as well." After Thenio finished receiving his instructions for the week and was unstrapped from all the monitoring equipment, the doctor walked him out to where his mother was waiting for him in order to give her a written copy of the same instructions. This was another area where their vast experience with magically suppressed patients showed. They always took the time to give Thenio clear explanations and never underestimated his intelligence, but they also never assumed that he would remember everything, since the suppression bands made him chronically fuzzy-headed. When they reached the waiting room, Thenio saw his mother sitting at a small table with papers spread out in front of her. This was presumably job-related paperwork. Thenio''s parents were currently working from home on alternate days so that one of them was always on hand to keep an eye on him. This was one of the requirements that the Stability Center had for allowing him to live at home while his magic circuit recovered. Thenio knew his parents weren''t really happy about this arrangement, since they were both very committed to their jobs. The Perinith Workshop had been surprisingly cooperative about the whole thing, though. No one had complained about Thenio canceling his contract or his parents needing their schedules rearranged. It would be nice to think that they were simply considerate. But Thenio strongly suspected that most of their ''consideration'' was due to the fact that they''d been promised some of his chaos magic crystals to do research on. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Sitting across from his mother was an elderly man in a doctor''s uniform who bore a strong resemblance to a wrinkled old tortoise. He turned his head as they approached and looked over Thenio with what seemed to be a casual glance. But Thenio knew the old man was probably evaluating him even more thoroughly than all the fancy equipment they''d used on him earlier. This was Focilo Sephior, and despite his old and frail appearance, he was the head doctor at the Stability Center and was one of only a handful of wizards in the world who had grandmaster level certifications in both healing magic and necromancy. He was the one overseeing Thenio''s treatment. "Good, good." Grandmaster Sephior nodded his head, giving Thenio a pleasant smile. "Still a ways to go, but you''re looking much better than you were a few weeks ago. Good." He nodded again. "I was just telling your mother that you''ve improved enough for us to start working on your stability training plan. We''ve scheduled a meeting with the relevant parties to discuss what to do with you from now on." "Relevant parties?" Thenio asked, puzzled. "Is there someone besides my parents and people from the Stability Center?" "Oh yes, boy. Yes." Grandmaster Sephior gave a dry chuckle. "You''re quite a popular fellow, you know? A lot of people are interested in taking you under their wing. Most of them aren''t really up to the task, of course. They''re just hoping to profit from researching your magic. But we''ve vetted out a few possible candidates. Not that we''re giving up our responsibility for you, mind. Whoever ends up looking after you will be doing so in cooperation with us. We just want to give you all the options we can so that you and your family can decide on the approach that suits you best." "And can any of those options actually help me?" Thenio asked, rather cynically. His mother made an uncomfortable expression when she heard him, but he ignored her. It was something he needed to know, even if asking so directly was a bit rude. "I don''t know that, boy," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. "No one knows that yet. That''s not the kind of place this is. We never really know how things will turn out, for any of our patients. So we''ll do the same thing for you that we do for the others¡ªtake care of you the best we know how, one day at a time. That''s all we can ever do."
Ariom frowned at the enchantment diagram he was working on. Another mistake? He erased the runes he''d just written and wrote in the correct ones. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He''d been having a lot of trouble focusing on his work recently. Some of the reasons for that were obvious: He''d taken time from his other projects in order to investigate Thenio and teach that guest lecture¡ªto a first-year class, no less, which required preparing almost entirely new materials. That was followed by a few days of being contacted by people from the academy and the Magic Stability Center. And then there were the incessant questions from Iggy, wondering how Thenio was doing and when they were going to see him next. But all of that died down within a week, and life went back to normal. And yet Ariom still couldn''t push the ill-fated boy out of his mind. He wasn''t sure why. Maybe it was because Thenio was close to the same age as his cousin Seyli. Or maybe it was because he was only a couple of years older than Ariom himself had been when he''d encountered a life-changing disappointment of his own. He sighed and shook his head, refocusing his attention on the diagram. He was designing a customized storage enchantment for the Duke of Sciedan, one of his regular clients. He was one of the few nobles that Ariom actually liked, since he was a conscientious leader who actively worked to improve life for the people in his territory. This particular project was to figure out a better preservation method for the silkbell mushroom, which was a specialty product of Sciedan and a valuable alchemical material but was difficult to transport because it deteriorated quickly after harvesting. Fortunately, the job didn''t have an urgent deadline, but if he didn''t start making progress soon, he was eventually going to have a real problem on his hands. There was a sudden, loud thump to his left. Ariom started a little but then relaxed as he recognized the sound. It wasn''t exactly the first time a dragon had crash landed on his desk. "Iggy, what are you¡ª?" Ariom broke off as he saw what had caused the rough landing. "What are those?" Iggy was carrying a sheaf of papers in his mouth. Or rather, he was dragging them by one corner, since the papers were bigger than he was. He pulled them across the desk and dropped them in front of Ariom. Then he puffed out his chest and waved his tail, obviously pleased with himself. He looked like a cat who''d just brought back a dead mouse and expected to be praised for it. "They''re Thenio''s papers! They''re the papers you gave him to work on when we went to teach his class." "What?" Ariom was taken aback. "Why do you have those?" "I sneaked them!" Iggy said proudly. "I sneaked them out of Thenio''s bag and into my pocket!" There was a space pocket installed into the dragon''s harness. It was just a small one, but it was enough to carry some snacks and a toy or two, plus any small objects that Iggy found while they were out and insisted on bringing home, like oddly-shaped pebbles or interesting leaves. Or a stack of stolen school papers, apparently. "Iggy, you can''t just take people''s things like that," Ariom scolded him. "These belong to Thenio." He looked at the papers and sighed. "Well, not that he''s going to need them, at this point.... But that doesn''t mean it''s okay to steal them." "I wasn''t trying to steal them!" Iggy protested. "I was going to give them back to Thenio, okay? I just wanted you to look at them first!" "And how exactly were you planning to give them back?" "We''ll give them back the next time we go visit Thenio," Iggy said promptly, as though that were obvious. "Iggy...." Ariom rubbed his hand over his face. He could feel a headache coming on. "You need to see Thenio''s pictures," the dragon insisted. "Thenio can draw really good pictures! You didn''t get to see them when we were still at the school, so I sneaked them for you, okay? You need to see them!" Ariom let out a long sigh. "Fine." He pushed his work papers to one side and started looking through the stack Iggy had brought him. He did his best to ignore the teeth marks on the corner.... Iggy didn''t really understand enchanting from an academic standpoint. But he was remarkably sensitive to magic and was somehow able to understand the magic flow of an inscription just by looking at the shape of the lines. This allowed him to ''read'' an enchantment diagram, even if he didn''t understand the theory behind it. Ariom had never quite worked out how the little dragon managed it. Of course, he could do something very similar himself. But that was only because he had twenty years of experience and had studied and created thousands of enchanting inscriptions. It really wasn''t a skill that a three-year-old dragon ought to be able to replicate. But even if he couldn''t fully explain it, he acknowledged that Iggy had good judgment. He was honestly curious about Thenio''s work, after hearing the little dragon praise it like that. The workroom fell silent, apart from the occasional rustling of paper. Iggy, understanding that Ariom needed to concentrate, pulled a small stuffed octopus out of the basket of dragon toys on the desk and started playing with it quietly. After about half an hour, Ariom sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "You looked at all the pictures, right?" Iggy asked eagerly, jumping off the desk onto Ariom''s lap. "They''re really good, huh?" "Yeah," Ariom said, scratching Iggy''s ears and staring vacantly at the ceiling. "Yeah, they''re really good." Thenio had only spent about an hour working on that packet, but he''d finished more than half of the reconstructions. And done an excellent job on them, too. He was a bit lacking in knowledge about Pre-War techniques, but he obviously had a solid foundation in modern enchanting methods. His work was better than most of the senior students that Ariom had taught. With that kind of skill, if he''d just been able to use magic properly.... What a waste.... "We should ask Thenio to come live with us!" Iggy''s bright voice interrupted Ariom''s musings. "He can help you draw magic pictures!" "Wait, what?" Ariom sat up and looked down at Iggy incredulously. "We can''t do that." Iggy cocked his head to one side. "How come? You said you might hire somebody to come help, right? Because Toflyn and Sundog left? And Thenio''s really good at drawing magic pictures, right? So why can''t you hire Thenio?" "Because Thenio''s too young, and he doesn''t have a magic assistant''s license. And he can barely use magic. And he''s unstable and could explode and hurt himself at any time. Plus, the military''s already gotten involved. Thenio''s a valuable research subject. I really doubt they''ll be willing to hand him over. And even if they did, that would make us in charge of keeping his magic under control and monitoring his training program. And...well...he was pretty upset with us the last time we saw him, remember? He might not even want...." Ariom trailed off, looking at Iggy''s expression. The little dragon''s ears had drooped lower and lower as Ariom listed off reasons he wouldn''t be able to hire Thenio. He was starting to resemble a melting candle. "But...can''t we just ask?" Iggy said in a faltering voice. "Thenio might want to come live with us.... And the military people might say it''s okay...right? So we could ask, right?" Ariom made an awkward expression and didn''t say anything. "I just...I really like Thenio, you know? His magic smells really, really nice. And he''s smart. And good at drawing pictures. And I wanted to draw pictures together with him, okay? And I wanted to show him my tree. And sing songs together. And play in the sandbox. And...and...." Iggy hesitated. "And I just...I just...I think it would be really good for Thenio to live with us, okay? And maybe...I think...Thenio would be happy living with us, you know? I think he really would...." Ariom stared at him, conflicted. It was true that he''d been considering hiring an assistant. His last apprentice, Toflyn, had advanced in rank a few months ago, and there was a noticeable difference in the amount of work he was able to get done without a helper around. And when Toflyn had moved out, so had his dragon, Sundog. It was Iggy''s first time not having another dragon around regularly, and Ariom knew he''d been feeling lonely. He wanted to make Iggy happy, of course. And it did leave a bit of a sour taste in his mouth to just leave Thenio the way they had. It was true that they couldn''t know for sure that it was impossible to take the boy in unless they tried. And...well...it was also true that Ariom was uniquely qualified to deal with someone like Thenio, given his knowledge of magic stabilization and his ability to use void magic to help prevent explosions. But it would basically mean taking custody of a disabled and potentially explosive teenager. It would be a lot of work...a lot of responsibility.... "I don''t know, little guy...." Ariom sighed and patted Iggy''s back. "I just...need to think about it...."
Ariom spent the evening shooting targets. Physical conditioning had a significant impact on magic control, so it was common for wizards to have some kind of training room in their homes. Though there probably weren''t many who had a full archery range in their basements. That was a perk of being a wizard who was certified in both elementalism and enchanting. Ariom could more or less design his house any way he wanted, since he was able to build and reinforce the structure himself. He had been practicing archery ever since he was a child. It was good for mental focus and discipline. Aiming at a target required the same kind of concentration that high-level scribing work did. But more than anything, it helped him calm down and think. He stood in the center of the large, open room, with a bow in one hand. A container full of arrows stood on the floor next to him. By operating the controls built into one side of the arrow holder, he caused a large number of round targets to appear, scattered around the room. The target creation enchantment built into the training room was one that Ariom had designed himself, and it had a variety of options for different targets, including moving objects and realistic illusions of various types of demons. But for clearing his thoughts, simple target practice was best. Pick up an arrow. Nock. Draw. Aim. Release. Repeat it all again. And again. And again. The rhythmic pattern was familiar and soothing. A few minutes later, the arrows were gone. Ariom lowered his bow and let out a long breath. Fifty arrows fired. Fifty targets shot cleanly through the center. He used the controls to make all the targets fly back toward him. They converged and formed a neat line, each one depositing the arrow it held back into the container before it disappeared. Ariom sighed and rotated his shoulders. He''d been at this for several hours already, and his muscles were getting tired. He looked down at the bow in his hand. It was one of a number of practice bows that he owned¡ªa simple flatbow made from creamy white wood. He always used light-colored bows. It was a rule he''d made for himself as a teenager. There was no purpose to it, really, except as a silly display of bitterness. A pointless act of rebellion against a situation he''d been powerless to change. As he ran a finger over the pale wood, Thenio''s face came to his mind once again. Life...really was unfair. There wasn''t anything you could do about that. But that didn''t mean you should just do nothing. Chapter 9 - Unexpected "Well, this is a pleasant surprise. This is the first time you''ve ever taken the initiative to talk to me, isn''t it?" Ariom scowled at the elderly man on the other side of the desk. General Kalion Obarin was no longer the powerful battlemage he''d once been, but he was in good shape for someone over a hundred years old. His white hair still had bits of copper in it, and his clear eyes were still a vivid red-orange. The classic mark of a fire mage. And of course, he still had that boyish grin that always got on Ariom''s nerves. "Don''t look at me like that. I mean it. I was honestly surprised to hear from you, and I''m honestly happy to see you. I''m even resisting the temptation to annoy you by telling you how much you resemble a certain unmentionable relative of yours when you glare at me like that." "I think your sincerity still needs some work..." Ariom said through clenched teeth. Kalion shrugged. "You''re the one who insists on seeing ulterior motives in everything I say. And what''s wrong with your dragon?" Iggy was huddled in Ariom''s arms, looking around the room anxiously with his ears flattened. "Where''s the scary monkey?" he asked, finally turning to look at Kalion. "Tamon? He went out for a stroll." Kalion gestured toward the open window on one side of his office. "Did you want to see him? I can ask him to come back." Iggy shook his head so vigorously that his ears made a flapping sound. "Really now.... I''m not sure what you''re so worried about. He likes to act tough, but he''s actually a sweet guy at heart, you know? And the contract prevents him from eating anyone''s magic apart from mine, so he''s not going to hurt you. Anyway, you can relax. He left not long before you came, so he probably won''t be back for a while." Kalion turned back to Ariom. "Well then, what was it you needed?" Ariom patted Iggy, who had calmed down a bit at hearing that Kalion''s familiar wasn''t around. Then he took a deep breath to calm himself down. It wouldn''t do to lose his temper when he was here to ask for a favor. "It''s about a boy that the Stability Center took in a few weeks ago. The chaos morph." "Ah, him." Kalion nodded with recognition. "I haven''t met him yet, but I''ve seen the reports. A sad case, that." His expression became unusually somber for a moment. "We''ll do the best we can for him, of course, but the prospects don''t look good. All we can really do is study his magic as thoroughly as possible and hope something comes up during the research. We''re cooperating with the Association and the Royal Academy to that end. In the worst case...well...at least we can improve the odds for the next chaos morph that comes along...." He sighed. "So, did you come to ask for a sample of his magic to research?" Ariom shook his head. "I want to offer him a job." Kalion raised an eyebrow. "I''ve been thinking of hiring a magic assistant, and Thenio happens to be quite good at enchanting. The Stability Center does sometimes allow outside wizards to take custody of young magic users who have come into their care, don''t they?" "They do," Kalion said slowly. "But that''s generally because the two have similar affinities. The purpose is to give the younger magic user a suitable mentor to help them learn to control their powers. What makes you think you''re particularly qualified to take care of a boy with a chaos affinity?" Ariom had expected this question. "Iggy and I can both use magesight and void magic, which means we can detect when Thenio''s magic is starting to destabilize and keep it from going out of control without needing to keep him under heavy suppression. Iggy''s still young, but he''s from a high magic breed, so his power level is already quite a bit higher than Thenio''s. And his familiar talent is exceptionally good magic sensitivity, which means I''ve already put in a lot of effort making sure the enchantments in our house have very low power leakage so that they don''t irritate him. That should make it a relatively safe environment for Thenio to live in. The report you got should have mentioned that he''s easily influenced by ambient magic, correct?" "Yes, it did. And it''s true that''s a concern with having him live at the Stability Center, since it means they''d have to keep him mostly isolated from the other residents. Though keeping him isolated at your house won''t be that much better." "I don''t think he''ll need to stay isolated for long. It will take some experimentation, since I''ve never worked with a chaos affinity before, but I should be able to design a customized insulation enchantment for him. It won''t be enough to completely protect him from outside magic, so he''ll still have to be careful, but it should increase his overall stability by quite a bit. He''ll be able to leave the house, at least." "Oh? Now that''s interesting...." Ariom frowned. He didn''t like the way Kalion said that. He had a feeling he was going to have to enforce his ''no work commissions from the military'' rule in the near future.... "And what about his training program?" the general continued, seemingly oblivious to Ariom''s suspicious gaze. "Do you have something in mind?" "That one''s going to take some experimentation, too. I can teach him the Center''s standard training methods, of course, but it''s hard to say if they''ll work with his magic type. If they don''t...well, I''ve thought of a few things to try out. Elementalism exercises, for one, since chaos morphs seem to be somewhat similar to null affinities. I''m planning to ask my uncle for his advice, too." "Hmm...." Kalion tapped a finger on his desk thoughtfully. "All right, then. One more question: Why? Even if it''s within your realm of expertise, it''s a pretty daunting task. I know you, Ariom. You''re not the type to get involved with a random boy you have no connection to. You don''t even take on apprentices unless they''re relatives or close acquaintances. So why are you willing to take on this responsibility? Why do you care about this boy so much¡ªto the extent that you''re even willing to come ask me for a favor like this?" There was a moment of silence. "Iggy likes him a lot," Ariom said finally. "He feels sure that working with Thenio will be good for us...and for him." Kalion raised his eyebrows. "That''s it? You''re just doing this because your dragon wants you to?" "Isn''t that enough?" Ariom looked down at Iggy and rubbed the little dragon''s head lightly. "I know he''s young, but he has scarily good instincts. I''ve learned it''s better to trust him on things like this." There was a pause, and then Kalion sighed. "I guess I can sort of understand that. I have a rather peculiar familiar myself, after all...." He gave a wry smile. "All right. I''ll vouch for you. You''ll still have to go through the official approval process over at the Stability Center, but if you have my recommendation, they shouldn''t give you too much trouble. But there are a few things you have to agree to." Ariom frowned. "What things?" "First." Kalion held up a finger. "This should be obvious, but you''ll have to get Thenio and his parents to agree. We''re not going to forcibly assign him to you if he doesn''t want to go. Second." He held up another finger. "You''ll need to cooperate with the Center on this. I know you don''t like the military. But keeping the poor kid alive is already going to be enough of a challenge as it is. He doesn''t deserve to miss out on potential resources just because of your grudge." "I guess I can''t argue with that..." Ariom said, a bit reluctantly. "Is that all your requirements?" "No, there''s one more. Consider this returning the favor I''m doing you by giving you my endorsement. I want you to consider taking on a job. It''s not directly through the military¡ªit''s something we''re working on together with the Royal Guard. You''ve done work for them a few times before, haven''t you? They''ll be the ones hiring you if you decide to accept." "If I accept?" Ariom raised an eyebrow. "You''re not forcing me into it?" Kalion shook his head. "It''s serious business, and it could be a bit dangerous. Though a void mage should be less at risk than most. But I''m not going to try to force you to take the job. I just want you to consider it." Ariom frowned. It really must be serious if that''s all he was asking for. "What kind of job is it?" "Analysis of some...rather volatile enchantments. The Royal Guard will give you the details when they contact you, but...are you familiar with the Order of the Ravener?" "What, those psycho demon worshipers?" "The very same. They use an unusual style of magic formations for their rituals. We''ve had a lot of trouble finding anyone who can analyze them properly. Especially since ''properly,'' in this case, also includes being able to analyze them without triggering any of the nasty traps that the cult enchanters seem to love throwing into their work. I''ve actually thought of asking for your help before, but I was pretty sure you''d refuse any request that involved the military. Well, like I said, I''m not going to force you to do it. I just want your permission to tell the Royal Guard to contact you and your promise that you''ll hear them out when they do. That''s not too much to ask, is it?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Since it''s coming from you, I can''t help feeling like there must be a catch somewhere." Ariom eyed the general suspiciously. "But...fine, if it''s just listening to the request. I won''t promise any more than that." "I''ll take what I can get." Kalion smiled pleasantly. "Then if you don''t mind waiting a few minutes, I''ll call over someone from the Stability Center."
Thenio was dreaming. What made him realize this fact was, appropriately enough, seeing the dream beast standing in front of him. He wasn''t really surprised to see it. He''d been spending a lot of time looking at the figurine Eteon had left in his bedroom. He found it very comforting for some reason. So it was probably only a matter of time before it appeared in his dreams, whether dream beasts were real or not. What did surprise him was how big it was. He''d been imagining something about the size of the black deer that lived in the mountains surrounding the capital city¡ªonly four or five feet tall. But this was even larger than a gryphon. The top of Thenio''s head didn''t even reach its shoulder. It was also much more beautiful than he''d expected. The figurine was painted a solid indigo color, but this creature''s coat was mottled shades of deep blue and violet, with a light dappling of white that shimmered faintly, like stars in the night sky. Against this dark background, the brilliant white on its mane and the edges of its wings shone like moonlight. Thenio gazed into the dream beast''s silvery blue eyes for a long moment. Then the creature turned and trotted lightly away from him, following a path that led deeper into the misty forest that surrounded them. "Hey, wait!" Thenio ran after it. The creature seemed to be running slowly enough that he could stay behind it easily, but he couldn''t get closer to it no matter how hard he tried. Well, it was a dream, after all. The dream beast didn''t run for too long before it slowed to a stop. Thenio came up beside it and looked around. They''d reached a point where the path branched off in a number of different directions. But as far as Thenio could tell, the different paths all looked exactly the same. "Thenio! Hi!" Surprised to hear a familiar-sounding voice, Thenio turned and saw that one of the pathways was different. There was a tiny black dragon in the center of the path, sitting up on his haunches and waving both his front paws in a cute, welcoming gesture. "Thenio, come this way, okay?" Iggy called. "Come and play with me! We''ve got lots of good toys and lots of chickens to chase! We''ll play together and be friends, okay? And Ariom and I will help your magic not go boom!" Thenio didn''t think he really wanted to chase chickens.... He stood there awkwardly, not sure how to respond. Then he felt something prodding him gently from behind. He turned to see the dream beast. It had been pushing his back with its nose. "What? You think I should go with him?" The dream beast inclined its head. "That''s...." Thenio hesitated and took a step closer to it. He didn''t know why, but the creature gave him an odd sense of nostalgia. He felt reluctant to leave it. "I understand, but...can''t it wait a little?" He reached out a hand and tentatively stroked the silky white mane that covered the dream beast''s neck and chest. "Can''t you stay...just a little longer...please...?" It lowered its head and softly nuzzled his cheek. I''m here. It wasn''t an audible voice. Rather than hearing it, Thenio seemed to feel the words swirling around him, like they were floating on the breeze. Whenever you need me. I''ll always be here.
Thenio opened his eyes. The early morning sunlight was shining through his bedroom window, making long golden rectangles on the slanted ceiling. Thenio stared at them for a few minutes, trying to shake off the strange mood that the dream had left him in. It wasn''t too hard to figure out why he''d had a dream like that. Today was the meeting with the people from the Stability Center and whatever other groups were interested in researching chaos affinities and helping Thenio stabilize his magic. The decisions made in this meeting would probably have a huge impact on the rest of his life¡ªhowever long that turned out to be.... The symbolism of trying to choose a path to get through a dense, dark forest was obvious. And the dream beast...well, hadn''t there been a wooden carving of one sitting by his bed for the past couple of weeks? It wasn''t hard to see why he would dream about that, either. He wasn''t sure what Iggy was doing in his dreams, though. It had been over a month since he''d even seen the little dragon. And the last time they''d met.... Well, Thenio''s memories of that day were actually pretty fuzzy, either because of the magic suppression bands or because of the shock of learning about his chaos affinity. But he was pretty sure he''d yelled some rather unpleasant things at Ariom and Iggy in his fit of anger. At the time, they seemed to pity him enough to overlook it, but he didn''t really expect them to go out of their way to get involved with him any further. He probably wouldn''t even see them again, let alone get invited to chase chickens together.... After a few more minutes of contemplation, Thenio got up and got dressed. When he arrived downstairs, he found Lem in the kitchen measuring baking ingredients. Lem looked up as he came into the room. "How come you''re up so early?" Thenio hadn''t been much of a morning person this past month. "I just had a weird dream that woke me up." Thenio shrugged. "Is there anything I can help with?" Lem nodded at a bowl of apples on the counter near him. "You can cut those up, if you want." Thenio found a knife and a cutting board and sat down at the kitchen table to start peeling apples. It had been quite a while since he and Lem had cooked anything together. There hadn''t been much opportunity while he was living in the academy dormitory, and after leaving school, he''d always been wearing suppression bands and hadn''t really had enough energy for things like cooking. He''d never understood why Lem was willing to cook together when he usually avoided Thenio as much as possible. Maybe just because Lem really enjoyed cooking? He was planning to study alchemy when he went to magic school in a couple of years. But whatever the reason, Thenio was grateful to at least have one thing he and his brother could do together. "It looks like you''re making breakfast cake. Do you want these cut into small pieces, then?" "Yes. But cut one of them in thin slices. I''ll put those on top." "Got it." There was a short silence. "You don''t usually put this much effort into cooking breakfast," Thenio said, trying to keep the conversation going. "Is there any special reason for it? Or were you just in the mood to do something fancy?" Lem dumped a small spoonful of cinnamon into the mixing bowl and then paused, apparently considering his response. "I just...thought it might cheer everyone up a little," he said finally. "You and Mom and Dad have that meeting at the Stability Center today, don''t you? They''ve been worrying a lot lately. About everything. About you." Thenio''s knife stopped moving. "Yeah...I guess they have...." He stared at the half peeled apple in his hand for a moment. "Well. It''s really good of you to want to help." He resumed his peeling. Lem didn''t say anything. The two of them worked in silence after that. Much as he valued time with his brother, Thenio really didn''t feel like talking anymore. "How much do you have left?" Lem asked a short time later. "I''m on the last one. Just give me a minute." Thenio finished cutting up the last chunk of apple and used his knife to transfer the stack of apple slices from the cutting board into the bowl. "Okay. Here you go." He held the bowl full of neatly cut apples out to his younger brother, who was waiting next to the table. Lem reached for it, but as soon as his hand touched the bowl, he stiffened and his face distorted slightly. "Lem? Are you okay?" "Yeah." Lem took the bowl and turned away. "I''m fine." Thenio frowned as he watched his brother take the apple chunks back and start stirring them into the cake batter. What was that about? Lem probably wouldn''t tell him, even if he kept asking. He was a good kid with a lot of talent, but he''d always been a bit odd. Thenio sometimes worried that the burns he''d given Lem the first time his magic had exploded had somehow had a permanent effect, although based on everything he knew about magic burns, there was no reason to believe that was the case. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, temporarily ignoring the pile of apple peels on the cutting board in front of him. He wasn''t looking forward to the meeting later, but he was anxious to move on to a new training routine and hopefully stop having to wear these stupid suppression bands. Getting tired out just from cutting up a few apples seemed a bit ridiculous.
"Right this way." The young woman wearing one of the Stability Center''s blue apprentice uniforms gave them a pleasant smile and gestured toward a hallway to the left of the reception desk. "Everyone else is already in the meeting room." "They''re waiting for us?" Thenio''s mother sounded alarmed. "We''re not late, are we?" "No, no. You''re actually a bit early," the apprentice reassured her. "Grandmaster Sephior wanted to meet with everyone else ahead of time in order to go over a few things. That''s all." "Oh. I see." Thenio''s mother didn''t seem entirely convinced. She''d spent the past few days worrying about making a good impression in front of all the important people they''d be meeting with today. Not that anyone had told them exactly who they were meeting with. But Grandmaster Sephior had mentioned the Wizard Association and the Merioc Research Alliance. These were major international organizations, and their representatives were likely to be fairly high-ranking wizards. Thenio''s mother got nervous enough just talking to Grandmaster Sephior, who was pretty non-threatening in spite of his impressive titles. The three of them followed the apprentice down the hallway and into a large meeting room. There was a long table running down the center of the room, with six or seven people seated around it, who all turned to look at them as they entered the room. "Thenio! Hi!" called a cheerful, child-like voice. Thenio froze in surprise. A tiny black dragon was trotting across the table toward him. When he reached the edge, Iggy jumped off, spread his wings, and flew up to land on Thenio''s shoulder. What was this? He wasn''t still dreaming, was he? What was Iggy doing here...? Chapter 10 - Magic Beast Magnet Still a bit stunned, Thenio lifted the little dragon off his shoulder and held him out where he could see him. Same orange eyes. Same leather harness. Same happily swishing black tail. Yes, that was definitely Iggy. "Why are you here?" he asked blankly. "We came to give you a job and take you home to live with us!" Iggy said excitedly. "A job? What...?" Thenio stared at the dragon, nonplussed. This meeting was to discuss options for his future stability training program, wasn''t it? Why was he suddenly getting a job offer? Thenio heard a chuckle nearby and looked up to see Grandmaster Sephior approaching. "That little fellow has been anxious to see you. He was quite literally bouncing off the walls," the elderly doctor said with an amused smile. Thenio knew Iggy well enough to believe it. "Why is he here, though? And what''s this about giving me a job?" "He''s here because his partner is here, of course. Didn''t I tell you there were a lot of people interested in you? Ariom Denifor is one of the people we''ve approved as a potential caretaker for you. And as for the job...well, why don''t you sit down first? We''ll introduce everyone and let them explain their proposals to you. Since we conveniently have a void mage present, we''ll have you sit next to him." Grandmaster Sephior nodded toward the long conference table. Following his gaze, Thenio saw several empty chairs on one side of the table and Ariom sitting next to them. "I''d like to remove your magic suppression for this meeting, to be sure you can consider everything with a clear mind. The rest of us met here early so that I could give everyone instructions on how to avoid triggering your instability. But it will be better to have you stay close to someone who can monitor and control your magic, just in case." Thenio let Iggy climb back onto his shoulder and then held his hands out so that Grandmaster Sephior could deactivate the suppression bands on his wrists. Getting his suppression removed was always a wonderful feeling. He felt a sudden rush of energy and clarity. Everything seemed brighter and more focused, like the sun coming out after a rainstorm. Too bad it would only last until the meeting was over. "Now, try to keep your emotions steady. This discussion might be stressful for you, but remember that we''re all here to help you." Grandmaster Sephior patted Thenio''s arm. "Ask as many questions as you want. And let me know if you need a break to sort out your thoughts." Thenio nodded and then followed his parents over to the table. Or tried to, at least. He''d been focused on Iggy and hadn''t noticed before, but the little black dragon wasn''t the only familiar in the room. Thenio found his way blocked by a small brown and white wolf. "Wow, Iggy''s right. He smells really nice!" the wolf said, sniffing furiously at Thenio''s legs. "I want to smell!" A creature that resembled a large green squirrel ran to the edge of the table and stood up on its hind legs, sniffing around in Thenio''s direction. "Hey, come over here and let me smell you!" "Mala, don''t be rude!" a young woman with light green hair scolded the squirrel. "If you really have to start smelling him right off the bat, you should ask politely, at the very least." "Oh." The squirrel sat down, looking subdued. "Um...will you please come over here so I can smell you?" "Hmpf." A bronze-colored male dragon sitting in an elegant pose on the other side of the table looked at the squirrel disapprovingly, but Thenio could see him subtly sniffing the air as well. "Well, isn''t this interesting?" Grandmaster Sephior watched the wolf circle around Thenio with its tail wagging. ¡°Do magic beasts normally react to you like this?¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t met very many.¡± It was fairly common for higher-ranking wizards to have familiars, but for most people, meeting a magic beast wasn¡¯t exactly a daily occurrence. Let alone meeting four at once like this¡­. "Hmm. Now I really want to introduce you to my familiar to see what he thinks....¡± Grandmaster Sephior said thoughtfully. ¡°But for now¡ªVielle, would you let him go to his seat, please?" The wolf obediently moved to one side to let Thenio pass. Then it followed him over to the table and lay down on the floor next to his chair. As Thenio sat down, the green squirrel ran over to him, jumped onto his arm, and started sniffing him. "Mala...." The green-haired woman put a hand over her face in exasperation. Then she looked at Thenio. "I''m sorry. I only formed a contract with her about a year ago, and she''s still a little fuzzy on human etiquette...." "Ah...no...it''s fine." Thenio was rather bewildered by the sudden attention from so many familiars, but he didn''t really mind it. He looked over at the bronze dragon, who was still sitting up straight with his tail curled neatly around his paws, trying not to look too interested. "You can come sniff me too, if you want." The dragon hesitated and looked up at the man sitting beside him. "Go ahead." The man nodded. He had a faint, polite smile that never seemed to leave his face. "A scent that''s attractive to magic beasts? That is quite interesting. I''d like to examine this further." The dragon stood up and walked gracefully over to take a few sniffs at Thenio''s outstretched hand. Then he wrinkled his nose, looking puzzled, and took a step closer to smell the hand more thoroughly. "I don''t think he smells that special?" Mala said, abandoning her sniffing. "But...hmm...he feels comfy." She wrapped herself around Thenio''s arm and laid her head on his shoulder with a small, contented sigh. "It''s probably not his scent, exactly," Ariom said. "Iggy talks about magic in terms of smell or color because that''s the only way he knows how to describe it, but that''s not really how dragons sense magic. Vielle probably does perceive it as a scent, though, since she''s a canine." "I see." The ever-smiling man nodded again. "What do you think, Falco?" The bronze dragon looked at him. "He''s right. It''s the magic, not a physical scent." He turned back to Thenio. "But.... Well. It does seem pretty nice...." He sounded rather embarrassed to admit it. Thenio glanced over at his parents. They both seemed shocked by the enthusiastic greeting he had received from the familiars. They were watching him with incredulous expressions, obviously struggling to understand why their disappointing failure of a son was suddenly so popular with magic beasts. "I read something about this in the Association''s records," an older woman sitting next to the green-haired woman said. "In the research notes about one of the previous chaos morphs that the Association had custody of. It mentioned that all the familiars at the research center liked him a lot. I had assumed that particular boy just had a talent with magic beasts, but maybe it''s something innate to chaos magic. Like how some magic beasts are attracted to life mages." "Right, it''s like life magic," Mala agreed. Thenio could feel her nodding vigorously with her head still against his shoulder. "It''s not quite the same, but it feels comfy like that." Both dragons nodded in agreement, although Falco stopped quickly once he realized what he was doing. "You''re just full of surprises, aren''t you, boy?" Grandmaster Sephior said, shaking his head. "I guess that''s one more thing for the researchers to puzzle over. And speaking of researchers, let''s finish introducing everyone to you." He looked around the table. "First of all, I''m sure you''re all aware, but this is Thenio Iterune, the subject of our meeting. And his parents, Lunon and Siora." "Hello, and thank you for coming to meet with us." Thenio''s father took the initiative to greet the rest of the group. "We''re very grateful that so many people are willing to help our son." "Well then, you already know who Ariom and Iggy are, since they were the ones who identified Thenio''s chaos affinity and made sure we were notified. Next to Ariom is Kymia Larinos, the guild master of the Kamari branch of the Enchanter''s Guild." Grandmaster Sephior nodded toward a woman with a thick mane of red curls, who was sitting on the other side of Ariom. It seemed to be her natural hair color, rather than a stigma, since she had a splash of freckles across her face to match. "Hiiii!" the red-haired woman called out, giving Thenio a friendly wave. "I''m here because it seemed like Ariom was doing something fun, and I decided to come check it out." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ariom let out an irritated sigh. "She''s here because I''m planning to offer you a work contract, which has to be done under the supervision of the Enchanter''s Guild because you''re still a minor," he clarified. "And the guild master herself came as a representative because she loves to annoy me whenever she gets a chance." "Like I said, it seemed fun!" Kymia grinned at Thenio. "Vielle is my familiar, by the way. She seems to like you a lot, so I don''t mind lending her to you for a while. But I''ll need her back eventually, all right? We have a performance tonight." "Um...all right...." Thenio glanced down at the wolf, who was now leaning against his leg. It wasn''t like he''d asked for this.... "Next, we have Araela Valin, from the Wizard Association Research Institute, and her apprentice, Sholi Nidom," Grandmaster Sephior went on. "Plus Mala, my familiar. Who has apparently decided to become your new shoulder accessory." Sholi gave a resigned sigh. "Tell me if she annoys you, all right? I''ll throw her in her carry bag." "No! I don''t want to go in the bag!" Mala clung more tightly to Thenio''s arm. "I''m just sitting here. I''m being good!" "It''s okay," Thenio reassured them with a wry smile. "She can sit there if she wants. She''s not bothering me." Grandmaster Sephior patiently waited for them to finish before he continued. "And lastly, we have Saklo Renquis, a coordinator for the Merioc Research Alliance, and his assistant, Alashan Iffea." "And my familiar, Falco," Saklo added, gesturing toward the bronze-colored dragon, who had settled down on the table in front of Thenio but seemed to be busily not looking at him. "So, that''s it for the introductions. Let''s get to the main purpose of this meeting." Grandmaster Sephior''s usual friendly expression grew more serious. "For the past few weeks, Thenio has been undergoing treatment for magic circuit damage, but he''s now recovered enough to move on to a long-term stability training program. Unfortunately, his magic affinity is so rare that there aren''t any established training methods for it, which is why we''ve been reaching out to various experts for opinions on how to proceed. The Kafron Magic Stability Center is ultimately responsible for him, but as a military-run facility, we mainly deal with high-powered magic users and aren''t particularly well equipped to meet Thenio''s specific needs. So we''ve decided to give him and his parents some other options. We''ve carefully vetted everyone who expressed an interest in taking custody of Thenio, to be sure they had the ability to give him a safe environment and adequately oversee his control training. Everyone present¡ªor the organizations they represent¡ªhas successfully passed our application process. So now we''ll give each of you a chance to explain what facilities you have available and the general approach you intend to take for Thenio''s training." He turned to look at the still-smiling Saklo Renquis. "Shall we start with the Merioc Alliance?" "My pleasure." Saklo''s smile widened briefly. "Well, as you may know, the Merioc Research Alliance is a cooperation between a number of commercial organizations, including Kafron''s Alchemist and Merchant Guilds, for the purpose of researching and developing new magic resources. Our headquarters is located in the city of Merioc, and our facilities there include...." Thenio was extremely grateful that Grandmaster Sephior had decided to remove his magic suppression before the meeting started. There was no way he would have stayed awake otherwise. It wasn''t that the discussion was boring, especially since he was aware that his life depended on it. But it was tiring. There was a lot of information to process, since the representatives from the Merioc Alliance and the Wizard Association both did a thorough job of explaining their organizations and detailing the research and training programs that they had planned. They also answered all of the many questions Thenio''s parents asked. Thenio himself simply listened without saying much. During the lengthy course of the meeting, both of the familiars clinging to his shoulders got tired and jumped down. Iggy was now sitting on the table next to Falco. This made him look even smaller than usual, since Falco was more than twice his size. Mala had claimed Thenio''s lap and fallen asleep there, curled up inside her own fluffy tail. Thenio absently stroked her soft green fur as he listened to the conversation going on around him. His parents seemed to have differing opinions about which option was best. His mother favored the Wizard Association, but his father seemed more inclined toward the Merioc Alliance. Thenio wasn''t really sure what the difference between the two was. It sounded to him like both of them meant leaving home and getting shut up inside a research facility that he might or might not ever be able to leave again, depending on whether the training and research produced good results or not. The Stability Center seemed like it would be almost the same, although at least it was closer to home. Maybe Kleyo and Eteon would be able to come visit him once in a while. The only option that really seemed different from the rest was.... "A magic assistant?" Saklo Renquis'' smile faltered for the first time. He stared at Ariom with a look of disbelief. "Wasn''t he just a first-year magic student? And he can''t even use magic right now. I don''t mean any disrespect, to either you or Thenio, but why did it even occur to you to hire him as a magic assistant?" "Because I was already considering hiring an assistant when I met him," Ariom replied evenly. "And I think he would be fine for the job. I don''t particularly need an assistant who can use magic. Enchanting involves a lot of menial tasks that just about anyone can do, as long as they''re conscientious and have a decent knowledge of magic theory. And half of the job would just be helping me take care of Iggy." He gave a meaningful glance at Thenio, who was currently surrounded by familiars. "He looks pretty qualified as a dragonsitter, doesn''t he? Iggy was the one who suggested hiring him in the first place." "Iggy was...." Saklo''s smile finally faded entirely. "You''re doing all of this...because your familiar suggested it?" "What''s wrong with that?" Ariom asked quietly. "Don''t you listen to your familiar when he makes a suggestion?" There was an awkward pause. Saklo looked uncomfortable. Falco was maintaining a graceful pose and determinedly staring at the table as though he hadn''t heard anything, though Thenio could see the tip of his tail twitching slightly. "I don''t think this is really the time and place to discuss familiar-wizard relationships," Kymia interjected, smiling pleasantly. "Iggy wants Thenio to come live with them, and Ariom''s willing to make it happen. Thenio aside, our opinions on that don''t really matter, do they?" "Fair point." Saklo pasted his usual polite smile back on. "We can save that discussion for another time." "Well then, does anyone have any other questions?" Grandmaster Sephior asked, clearly trying to refocus the conversation. Thenio''s parents looked at each other and both shook their heads. "I don''t think so. Everyone has explained things very well." His mother gave a grateful smile. "What about you, Thenio?" Thenio shook his head as well. He still had a lot of questions, actually, but they were mostly things that no one here knew the answers to, so asking them wouldn''t help. And the meeting had already lasted several hours at this point. Thenio was exhausted. He just wanted his parents to hurry up and make a decision already so he could go home and sleep. Unfortunately, his parents had other plans. "The two of us don''t quite seem to agree on what the best option is," Thenio''s father said wryly. "But I think they''re all good options, honestly. I was very impressed by everyone''s presentations." He exchanged another look with his wife and then turned to Thenio. "And it''s not our opinion that matters the most, anyway. We''ll leave it up to you, Thenio. It''s only fair that you should be able to choose whatever you feel most comfortable with." Thenio frowned. They made it sound like they were considering his wishes, but he suspected that they were really just passing off the responsibility for making a decision to him. They probably didn''t care that much where he went, as long as he went somewhere so they could stop worrying about him blowing up the house at any time. He looked over at Grandmaster Sephior. "Which one do you think is the best?" "There isn''t really a best choice," the old doctor told him gently. "As I said, we made sure that everyone here was up to the task of looking after you. At this point, there aren''t any bad options. It''s just a matter of what your priorities are." "My priorities?" Thenio echoed, frustrated at hearing another ambivalent response. "What exactly am I even supposed to be prioritizing?" "He won''t be able to give you a good answer, kid," Kymia said. "He''s not in a position where he''s able to pick sides. Politics and all that. So let me spell it out for you, from the perspective of an interested bystander." She leaned across the table, giving Thenio a playful smirk. "If your highest priority is to stay alive, whatever it takes, then pick the Merioc Alliance. If they invest money in you, they''re going to want to make sure that investment pays off, so they''ll do everything they can to keep you alive long enough for you and your magic to become useful. And being a commercial group, they''re under less public scrutiny than the Wizard Association and Kafron military are. They''ll be able to utilize connections and resources that the others can''t. Or won''t." She winked at the Merioc representatives. "Stuff that''s a bit less savory, if you get my meaning." Saklo cleared his throat, looking a bit annoyed in spite of his smile. But he didn''t contradict the guild master''s words. "Just remember that your relationship with Merioc is solely a business one," Kymia went on, turning back to Thenio. "I''m sure they''ll treat you well enough, but they see you as a commodity, not as a friend. Which means that if they decide it''s impossible to make any profit from you, they won''t hesitate to cut their losses and dump you, since they know the military is obligated to take you back in if they do." Grandmaster Sephior nodded at this, apparently trying to reassure Thenio that he wouldn''t be completely abandoned. "Now, if you''d prefer to maintain a little more human dignity, then choose either the Association or the Stability Center, depending on how far away from your family you''re willing to go. The Association has slightly better resources to draw from, but both organizations are going to help you out regardless of who takes custody of you, so it won''t make a huge difference which one you pick. And finally, we have our dark horse candidate." She hooked her thumb in Ariom''s direction. "This one''s a gamble. On paper, he''s definitely your worst option, since a single wizard can muster far fewer resources than any of these large organizations. But on the other hand, this guy''s a quad-certified wizard and the youngest grandmaster in Kafron. I''ve known him since he was an apprentice, and it honestly wouldn''t surprise me if he manages to find some kind of brilliant, off-the-wall solution to your problem that no one else could possibly come up with. It''s not a guarantee, though. So the main advantage to picking Ariom is that it would allow you to live a somewhat normal life instead of being treated like a patient or a research subject." She looked at Grandmaster Sephior. "Does that about cover it?" "That was...a little more blunt than I would have preferred," he said with a small sigh. "But a good summary, nonetheless. It wouldn''t hurt you to listen to her advice, boy." Thenio also sighed. "Fine." He''d apparently gotten all the help he was going to get on this decision. He sat quietly for a few minutes, trying to think through all the information that had been dumped onto him today. The familiars all watched him. Thenio wasn''t sure how much of the discussion they''d understood, but they at least seemed to realize it was a difficult moment for him. Mala woke up and lifted her head out of her tail fluff, and Falco stopped pretending to ignore him. Iggy looked particularly anxious. He whined softly and rubbed his face on Thenio''s arm. Thenio scratched his ears gently to soothe him. He felt Vielle lick his other hand at the same time. Finally, Thenio took a deep breath. "All right," he said slowly. "I choose...." Chapter 11 - Moving Day Thenio''s bags were all packed and ready to go. He''d never really unpacked his things after moving back home from the academy, so it didn''t take that much work to get ready to move out again. And he wasn''t going very far away, so he really only needed enough to get through the next week or two. He could come back and get the rest of his things later, once he was sure that everything was going to work out at his new home. About an hour before he was scheduled to be picked up, Thenio moved his bags into position by the front door. Then he and his father both sat in the parlor and waited. It was his father''s turn to stay home with him that day. His mother was at the workshop, and Lem and Kleyo were both at school. The two of them didn''t talk much. Thenio''s father was studying and making notes on some kind of enchantment diagram for his work. Thenio had a book open on his lap, but he was spending more time glancing out the window than he was looking at the words on the page. Finally, a few minutes before the promised time, a golem carriage appeared on the street in front of the house. "Is that them?" Thenio abandoned his book and went over to the window. It was a nondescript grey carriage, pulled by a single horse golem that was made from dark, blue-grey metal, without any obvious ornamentation. It was very plain compared to the golem carriages that aristocrats liked to use, which were usually heavily decorated and had multiple golems shaped like exotic animals or magic beasts. But Thenio knew quite a bit about golems because of Kleyo''s interest in them, and he could tell that this was a very high-quality one. Its motion was smooth and natural-looking. Almost like a real horse. It might not look that flashy, but it probably had some very impressive enchanting inscriptions under the surface. It was the kind of golem carriage you would expect a grandmaster enchanter to have. "Let''s go out to meet them," Thenio''s father said as the carriage came to a stop in front of the house. Thenio followed him outside, where they waited silently on the front porch. Thenio found himself fidgeting a little. There was some movement visible through the carriage windows. Then one of the doors on the side opened, and a small, dark shape shot out of it. "Thenio! Hi!" With a rush of leathery wings, the little black dragon hurtled through the air toward him. Fortunately, having experienced this kind of enthusiastic greeting before, Thenio had the presence of mind to quickly hold his arm up, so Iggy landed on that, rather than directly on his head. "We came, Thenio! We came to pick you up and take you home with us!" Iggy''s whole body was wriggling with excitement. His tail was waving so much that it threatened to knock him off balance. "Hi, Iggy...." Thenio couldn''t help laughing at the little dragon''s antics. "I''m glad to see you, too. But calm down a little, will you? You''re going to fall off." "It''s no good. I''ve been telling him to calm down all morning, but it hasn''t helped." Ariom had exited the carriage and was coming toward them, a slightly exasperated look on his face. "You don''t need to worry about him too much, though. If he falls off, he falls off. It won''t hurt him. That''s basically how he learned to fly¡ªby spending the first year of his life constantly falling off of things." Behind him, another man had gotten out of the carriage but was bending down in the open door, as though he were picking up something on the seat. When he straightened up a moment later, Thenio saw a red and gold dragon perched on his arm. That was probably how you were supposed to get out of a carriage with your dragon.... "This is my uncle, Bero Denifor," Ariom said as the two approached. "And his familiar, Humerus. They''re going to be staying with us for a few days to help out with Thenio''s training program." "Pleased to meet you," Bero said with a friendly smile. There was a clear family resemblance between him and Ariom, though Bero was older and had a slightly taller and lankier build. And completely different coloring, with tanned-looking skin and tawny gold hair. His eyes were a vivid leaf green. Probably a life mage. "Do you have your things ready?" Ariom asked Thenio. "We''ll help you load them into the carriage." "They''re just inside here." Thenio''s father opened the door and showed them the luggage waiting in the entryway. "Here, you hold onto the familiars for a minute," Bero said, holding Humerus out toward Thenio. "We''ll carry the bags." Thenio held Iggy in his arms to make sure the little dragon wouldn''t get in the way. Then he turned to the side to allow Humerus to climb onto his shoulder. The red dragon was a bit larger than Iggy, though not as big as Falco, the bronze-colored dragon that Thenio had met at the meeting the other day. Humerus settled down on Thenio''s shoulder and sniffed curiously at his hair. "Thenio''s magic smells really good, huh?" Iggy asked, his tail still waving around energetically. "You think so too, right, Humerus?" "Hmm...." Humerus made a noncommittal sound. "I guess so." It was a much less enthusiastic reaction than any of the other familiars Thenio had met recently. Well, there was no reason that different dragons couldn''t have different tastes in magic. With the two wizards and Thenio''s father working together, they were able to carry all of Thenio''s luggage in a single trip. "Is this everything?" Ariom asked, putting the last bag into the back of the carriage. Thenio nodded. "Everything for now. I thought it would be better to just pack the basics to start with and bring over some other things once I know what I need." "Makes sense," Ariom said, nodding. "It''s not that far of a drive, so we can come back whenever you need to. Oh, and that reminds me." He pulled out a small leatherbound book and handed it to Thenio. "You said you didn''t have a message book of your own. Consider this your hiring bonus. I''ll give it to you now so you and your father can exchange pages before we leave." Thenio''s eyes widened as he took the book. "Is that really okay? These are expensive, aren''t they?" Even his parents didn''t have their own message books. His whole family had to share one. Ariom shrugged. "The materials aren''t that much. Most of the cost is for labor. The spatial enchantments on these things are a bit tricky, and enchanters who can pull them off usually don''t work for cheap. But it''s not like I need to pay to hire myself, so all it really cost me was some time." It sounded almost like bragging, but Ariom was a grandmaster enchanter, after all. He was probably just stating facts. Thenio passed the dragons back to their respective partners and then followed his father back into the house, carrying his brand new message book. The family''s book was kept in a drawer in the study. Thenio''s father pulled it out and opened it. Most of the pages were white, but in the very back, there was a section that looked more like brownish parchment paper. He pulled out one of these darker pages and handed it to Thenio. "I just stick it into mine, right?" Thenio asked, taking the page. He''d seen his parents add contact pages to the book before, but he''d never done it himself. "That''s right. You just need to find a colored thread and put it in there. Are there any other contacts in that book already?" Thenio looked at his book. There was one tab on the side, with the name ''Ariom Denifor'' written on it. "Just one." "There should be colored threads running down the center before and after it. Find one of them and put the new page there." Thenio opened the book to Ariom''s tab. There were a few blank white pages in front of it. Flipping past those, he saw a red thread running down the base of the first one. He stuck the brown sheet in there. When it touched the thread, the whole book glowed briefly. After the glow faded, there was another tab that read ''Lunon and Siora Iterune'' and a few brand new white sheets in front of it. "Good. Now give me one of your contact pages." A minute later, one of the brown pages from the back of Thenio''s book had turned into a tab labeled ''Thenio Iterune'' inside the book his father was holding. "All right. Now you''ll be able to send us updates. I expect Kleyo will want to write to you once in a while, too." Thenio''s father closed the book and placed it back in its drawer. "And Thenio." His expression became serious. "Grandmaster Denifor may have just shrugged it off, but this really was a very generous gift. Make sure you take good care of it. And do your best to work properly, in order to thank him for everything he''s doing for you. Understand?" "I understand." When Thenio got back outside, Ariom was waiting for him next to the open carriage door. Bero and the dragons seemed to already be inside. "All set?" Thenio nodded, and Ariom gestured for him to get in the carriage. He climbed into the rear seat and found himself next to Iggy and Humerus, who were sitting in a kind of padded box that was raised enough to let them look out the windows. Bero was seated on the other side of them. Ariom followed Thenio into the carriage and sat in the driver''s seat in the front. One of the advantages that golem horses had over living ones was that they were guided with a magic tool, rather than using physical reins. This meant they could be controlled from a short distance away, which allowed the driver to sit inside the shelter of the carriage. "Are we going home now?" Iggy asked, standing up with his front paws on the edge of the padded box. "So we can show Thenio his new room? And the dragon room? And the climbing tree?" His tail was still waving wildly, and Thenio saw Humerus avoiding it with an irritated expression. "Well, yes. But we aren''t really in a hurry." Ariom looked back at Thenio. "I know you haven''t been able to leave home much for a while. We''ll have to be a little careful where we take you, to avoid causing any accidents, but...is there anywhere you''d like to stop on our way back?" "Well...." Thenio hesitated. "I guess...if you really don''t mind...can we go to the park for a few minutes? I have a friend there I''d like to visit." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Kamari, the capital city of Kafron, was one of the oldest surviving cities on the continent. It had started out a few millennia earlier as a simple waypoint for trading caravans passing through the Drakesil Mountains, but over time, it eventually evolved into an independent city-state. The city maintained strict neutrality during the Great Magic War, opting to survive by making itself a valuable business partner for the surrounding factions, rather than trying to accumulate power and risk being seen as a threat that needed to be eliminated. Apparently that approach was successful, since the city was never attacked, although the location of the city also helped. It would have lost its value as an international trading hub if it lost its independence, and it was too isolated to be useful as anything else. Allowing it to remain as a buffer between the warring territories that surrounded it had more appeal than conquering it did. Kamari was also lucky enough to be spared from the earliest waves of demon rifts and the massive damage they had caused other cities. By the time the first rift appeared in the area, the city government had already spent years gathering information on demons and preparing their combat wizards to fight them. The invading demons were spotted and killed off before they reached the city, and the rift was barricaded and maintained without much trouble. When word started spreading about the relative safety and stability that Kamari had, compared to the chaos of the surrounding regions, there was a massive influx of people. A few years after the first rifts started appearing, effectively ending the war, the former trade city had turned into a huge refugee camp. One of the reasons Kamari began expanding its influence into the surrounding areas, which eventually led to the establishment of the kingdom of Kafron, was simply that they needed more space and resources in order to deal with all the people they suddenly had on their hands. Despite the city leaders'' best efforts at keeping the refugees organized and meeting their needs, many had escaped the destruction with their lives and not much else. There was terrible poverty, especially in the beginning. Conditions gradually improved, but even several decades later, a large portion of the city was still just a poor shanty town. Disease and crime were major, ongoing issues. In year 76 of the Rift Era, Myshan Fronir became the second king of the young country of Kafron. He was also called Myshan the Orderly because one of the first projects he undertook was to clean up and rebuild the capital city. With the exception of the area that was now the government district, Kamari was essentially scrapped and redesigned from scratch. Because of that, the entire city was now unusually well-laid out and functional. One of the features that Myshan the Orderly had insisted on in the new city design was a large number of small public parks. These were intended to improve the health and well-being of the citizens and to help foster a sense of community by acting as neighborhood gathering places. And it seemed to work pretty well, considering that these parks were still maintained and in use, more than three hundred years later. Thenio had been visiting the local park on a regular basis since he was very young, and he''d always been fond of the place. Of course, that was mostly because Eteon was often there. Thenio had met him soon after he and his parents had moved into their current home, a few months after his fourth birthday. As a small child, he had immediately been attracted to Eteon''s display of animal carvings, but it didn''t take long for him to also become attached to the kind, grandfatherly man who made them. Unlike most people, Eteon had always seemed legitimately happy to have him around. So Thenio had spent a lot of afternoons at the park growing up, especially after he lost Butterfly and things got awkward between him and Lem. "This is Thenio''s park?" As soon as the carriage stopped, Iggy jumped out of his box and put his face up against the window. "We have a park by our house, too! We go there on market days so Ariom can buy stinky magic things." "Alchemy materials," Ariom clarified, in response to Thenio''s questioning look. "Our district has a large wizard population, so there are usually a lot of magic supplies for sale at the weekly market. You can find some good deals if you''re lucky, so I like to go look around when I have the time." "You might think this place is kind of boring, then," Thenio said, feeling a bit awkward. "It''s just a normal flea market." "That''s fine. Iggy can find literally anything fascinating if he''s in the right mood. And since he''s definitely in the right mood today...." Ariom dug around in the bag next to his seat and pulled out a coiled strap. "I think we''d better put your leash on, little guy. You''re too hyped up, and I don''t want you to get into trouble." "Aww...I don''t like the leash...." Iggy pouted, his ears drooping. "And I won''t get into trouble...." "Nice try," Ariom said dryly. "But I''ve heard that too many times before. Usually just before you got into trouble." Iggy seemed to realize it was a lost cause. "Can I ride on Thenio''s shoulder, then?" "If Thenio doesn''t mind." Iggy directed a pitiful stare in Thenio''s direction. Thenio gave a weak laugh. "Sure. It''s fine." The little dragon''s ears immediately perked up, and his tail started waving again. Humerus let out a small snort and rolled his eyes but didn''t say anything. "All right." Ariom handed Thenio the leash. "Clip that onto the front of his harness." Thenio found a small brass ring on the harness and clipped one end of the leash to it. The other end had an adjustable loop, which he put around his left wrist above his suppression band. He held Iggy in one arm while he got out of the carriage and then put the little dragon up on his shoulder. The others also got out of the carriage, and the five of them headed toward the market area of the park together. By the time they reached the edge of the market, Thenio realized that he had seriously miscalculated. He''d just been thinking about visiting Eteon like always. He didn''t even consider the fact that this was just a normal park in a normal, middle-class neighborhood. Not the sort of neighborhood where high-ranking wizards usually lived. Which meant that if you happened to show up there with a dragon riding on your shoulder, it was very, very noticeable. Ariom and Bero didn''t seem to care about the attention, but Thenio felt his face grow warm under all the stares. It didn''t help that Iggy, as usual, was giving friendly waves to people as they passed, although most people seemed too surprised to see a dragon waving at them to even consider waving back. Humerus was also looking around with interest, but he didn''t wave at anyone. Fortunately, it didn''t take them long to find Eteon. He was sitting inside the canopy tent that he used during cooler weather, with his usual assortment of wooden toys and figurines set up on a table at the front. When he spotted Thenio, Eteon raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then he set down the half-carved piece of wood he was holding and gave a welcoming smile. "Thenio! It''s been a long time since I saw you here. I''m glad you''re feeling well enough to start coming out again." "Hi, Thenio''s friend!" Iggy called out, waving. Eteon chuckled and waved back. "Hello, little fellow. You must be Iggy. Thenio told me about you." He glanced at Bero and Humerus. "I don''t remember anything about a red dragon, though? Thenio must have made a couple of new friends since I talked to him last." "Mmm! That''s Uncle Bero and Humerus," Iggy told him, nodding enthusiastically. "They came to help us fix Thenio''s magic! Uncle Bero has a really nice farm with lots of chickens. They''re super fun to chase, you know? And Humerus is my sort-of-cousin. He''s grumpy a lot, but sometimes he plays with me." "This is Ariom Denifor and his uncle, Bero Denifor," Thenio said, trying to get a proper introduction in between Iggy''s chattering. "Ariom is the one who hired me as an assistant, and Bero is here to help figure out my stability training program." Wait...didn''t Iggy just say that Bero had a chicken farm? What did that have to do with magic stability...? Deciding to put that concern aside for now, Thenio continued, "This is my good friend Eteon. I''ve known him since I was little. He''s really good at making things with wood, as you can see." He gestured toward the table full of carvings. "Wow, there are lots of good toys!" Iggy said, looking down at the table. Thenio felt the dragon''s weight shift, as though he were about to jump down, but at the last second he stopped and turned to Ariom. "Can I get down and look? Pleeeease?" "Just look." Ariom told him sternly. "Don''t touch. Some of them look like they''ll break easily." "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy agreed happily. He hopped onto the edge of the table and started inspecting Eteon''s carvings. Thenio watched him carefully, a bit nervous that the dragon''s waving tail was going to get too close to the figurines. "You said you like chickens, didn''t you? Then maybe you''d like this one." Eteon picked up one of the wooden toys and held it out in front of Iggy. It was a chicken carved with outstretched wings and painted in bright colors. It was hanging from a ribbon attached to its back, and a wooden ring dangled from another ribbon underneath it. "Pull on the ring and see what happens." Iggy''s ears perked up with interest. He reached up and hooked his paw on the ring. When he pulled down, the chicken''s wings went up. "Oh! It moved!" The little dragon caught on quickly and began pulling repeatedly on the ring, making the chicken''s wings go up and down. "Its wings are flapping! Thenio, look! The chicken is flying!" He spread out his own wings and started waving them along with the chicken''s. Thenio quickly reached out to pull a few wooden figurines away from the flapping wings and saw Ariom doing the same thing on Iggy''s other side. The two of them shared a commiserating look. Eteon laughed. "It looks like you two are already in sync. Don''t worry so much. I have more carvings than I know what to do with. It doesn''t matter if a few get broken." "Don''t say that," Thenio protested. "You spent a lot of time on these. They''re really nice!" "Hmm. Well, I appreciate that you think so." Eteon''s smile turned a bit wistful for a moment. Then he looked back at Iggy, who had stopped playing with the chicken and was watching them with his ears lowered, looking a little guilty. "It''s true this probably isn''t the best spot to play. If you like this chicken, you can have it. Take it home with you and play with it there, all right?" "Really?" Iggy''s ears shot up eagerly. "You don''t need to do that," Ariom said, looking a bit awkward. "I don''t mind paying for it." "It''s fine." Eteon waved his hand dismissively. "I don''t do this for the money. It''s just a hobby. And Thenio is my dear friend. You''re helping to save his life, aren''t you? Giving your dragon a toy is the very least I can do to show my appreciation." He looked at Humerus with a teasing smile. "Do you want one, too, Grumpy Humerus?" Humerus flattened his ears, obviously annoyed by the name. "I don''t need a toy chicken. We have lots of real chickens at home." "I never said it had to be a chicken." Eteon surveyed the toys on the table. "How about...oh, I know." He bent down and opened the top flap on a large backpack that was sitting on the ground next to his chair. He rummaged around inside for a moment and then pulled out an object wrapped in cloth. "Here, maybe you''ll want this." He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a jointed wooden doll with a smiling, painted face. It had short brown hair and was wearing the kind of brightly colored suit that young boys wore on festival days. It looked remarkably detailed and well-made, but the joints seemed to be a bit loose. The limbs hung limply as Eteon held the doll up for Humerus to see. "Oh, a puppet!" Iggy said, looking at it with interest. "Humerus really likes puppets!" Eteon smiled. "Yes. I thought he might." Thenio blinked. Was he missing something? How would Eteon have known that? And how was a dragon supposed to use a puppet anyways? He glanced at Bero to see his reaction and was surprised to see both uncle and nephew looking at Eteon with nearly identical frowns. "Isn''t that too much?" Bero said slowly. "That looks really high-quality. It must be worth quite a lot." "Not really. Maybe you know that Thenio''s younger brother is interested in golems? I''ve been helping him work on some designs. This was a prototype for a new type of joint. But as you can see, it turned out too loose to work for a golem." He shook the doll a little, making the limbs flop around. "So I don''t really have any use for it. It would work well as a marionette, though, don''t you think? How about it, Humerus?" "It looks...." Humerus looked uncertainly between Bero and Eteon. "Well.... It does look pretty fun...." "Then it''s yours." Eteon handed the doll to Bero with a warm smile. "I told you. You''re going to be taking care of someone very precious to me. These are just a couple of small gifts to show my thanks. That''s all." "I...understand." Bero reached out slowly and took the doll from him. "In that case, thank you. I''m sure Humerus will enjoy it." The two of them faced each other silently for a moment. "I can''t think of any reason why a certified wizard would be selling toys in a place like this," Bero said quietly. "Are you a magician, then?" Thenio''s eyes widened. Eteon, a magician? Surely that wasn''t right. He''d never seen any sign that Eteon could use magic. Well. Unless you counted making uncannily realistic animal carvings.... Eteon gave a small smile. "Does it matter, one way or the other? I''m not doing anything wrong here. Even if I really am using magic without a certification in order to carve wooden chickens, it''s not illegal as long as there isn''t any magic left on them by the time I sell them. And the four of you should be able to confirm that as well as anyone." "And why are you making wooden chickens in the first place?" Ariom asked, still frowning. "Even assuming that you''re a simple woodcarver, your skills are far too good for you to need to make a living doing this kind of thing." "I told you, I''m not doing it for the money." Eteon shrugged. "My wife is away for work most of the time, and I don''t have anyone else at home. Rather than sitting around being bored there, I come here to interact with people. And sometimes nice kids like Thenio and his little brother come by to show me their sketchbooks or talk about golems or watch me carve. I''m here because I enjoy it. That''s all." He gave Bero a playful grin. "You know. The same reason a grandmaster level necromancer is raising chickens." Chapter 12 - Hes Scary, But He Makes Good Puppets "Well, I see your point," Bero said with a wry smile. "A lot of people thought I was completely crazy when I retired from being a doctor in order to start a farm. But I do enjoy my chickens. Almost as much as Iggy does." He chuckled a little. "I have to correct you on one thing, though. I''m just a master necromancer, not a grandmaster." Eteon shook his head. "I was referring to your skill level, not your certification. The only reason you''re not a grandmaster is that you haven''t bothered to take the ranking exam. Am I wrong?" There was a brief silence. "Considering that you know this much about a person you just met, you''re either very perceptive or very well-informed." Ariom''s voice had a note of suspicion in it. "I find both options a little troubling, to be honest." Thenio was looking back and forth between the two sides of the conversation, feeling lost. He didn''t like the way Ariom and Bero were looking at Eteon, but he also had to admit that it was strange that Eteon seemed to know so much about Bero and Humerus. He didn''t really understand why that made Bero think he was a magician, but Eteon hadn''t exactly denied it.... Did that mean it was true? Then why hadn''t he ever said anything, in all the time they''d spent together? Eteon seemed to notice his unease. He turned to Thenio and gave him a gentle smile. "I''m sorry. It looks like I''ve said a little too much. I didn''t mean to upset anyone." "Are you really a magician?" Thenio asked, looking directly into his light blue eyes. Eteon sighed. "I guess you could call me that...yes," he said reluctantly. "I suppose you want to know why I''ve never mentioned it to you?" Thenio nodded. "Well, the short version is that I didn''t want you to get dragged into my problems." Eteon was silent for a moment. "You''ve always loved magic so much. And your parents have always told you that magic skills are the key to a successful future. I won¡¯t say that those sentiments are wrong. Not exactly. It''s just...well...sometimes magic can cause people a lot of trouble. Sometimes...for some people...it''s better to stay away from it. For a long time, I didn''t think you would really understand if I told you that. I was afraid that, if you found out I could use magic, you would be determined to get me to teach you everything I knew. Which would have been a bad idea for both of us." He looked at Thenio with a sorrowful expression. "I guess you''re starting to understand now. The kind of problems magic can cause. Though I wish you didn''t have to learn it in such a painful way...." Thenio lowered his gaze and didn''t say anything. "I think Thenio''s friend has nice magic!" Iggy piped up. He was still sitting on the table, with his front paws wrapped around his new chicken toy. "It''s a dark sort of color, so I can''t smell it very well, but it''s a nice magic smell, you know? Not as good as Thenio''s...but it''s still good, okay?" Eteon smiled and reached out to stroke the little dragon''s head. "Thank you, Iggy. And thank you for being Thenio''s friend. I''m really glad he met you."
Everyone was quiet as they left the park. Iggy seemed to be in a good mood. He was being carried in Thenio''s arms and was humming softly while still holding onto his wooden chicken. The doll was too large for Humerus to carry, so Bero had it in his hand. But Thenio noticed the red and gold dragon glancing down at it occasionally, as though making sure it was still there. It was obvious what both dragons were planning to do once they got back to Ariom''s house. The three humans, on the other hand, were all deep in thought. "I''m sorry." Thenio finally spoke up as they reached the golem carriage. "I didn''t expect things to get weird like that." Ariom paused with his hand on the carriage door and looked back at him. The dragons also looked at him, finally distracted from their new toys. "It''s nothing you need to apologize for," Bero said. "You just wanted to visit your friend and introduce us. There''s nothing wrong with that. If anyone should apologize, it''s me. I''m the one who spoke up and made things awkward." "I really...had no idea. About him being a magician," Thenio said in a small, subdued voice. Bero exchanged a look with Ariom and then put his hand on Thenio''s shoulder. "I understand why you''re upset," he said gently. "But try not to read too much into it. He clearly cares about you a lot. I think he really was just trying to protect you, like he said. It''s actually not that uncommon for people to hide their magic abilities. They do it for all kinds of reasons. My best guess is that he has some kind of rare affinity that people will try to take advantage of if they find out about it." "I think that''s likely," Ariom said, nodding. "Look at how people started flocking around you as soon as they found out about your chaos affinity. If you didn''t have the military looking after you, there''s a good chance that somebody would try to abduct you in order to have a monopoly on your power. There''s still some risk of that, actually. Though most people who know about you are also aware that chaos magic is dangerous to mess with, so I don''t think you need to worry too much." Thinking about that did make it easier to understand Eteon''s reasoning, but it didn''t exactly cheer Thenio up. "Come on, let''s get you to your new home." Bero patted Thenio''s shoulder a couple of times before letting go. "I''m sure this is being a stressful day for you, and you''re still under suppression, besides that. You''re probably tired." He looked at Ariom. "Why don''t I drive the rest of the way? The kid''s magic doesn''t seem to be acting up too much yet, but I''m sure he''s feeling a bit unsettled. I think it would be better for you to ride in the back with him. Just in case." Ariom nodded, and the two of them switched places. Thenio unclipped Iggy''s leash and coiled it back up before handing it to Ariom. Then he deposited the little dragon and his chicken into the padded box and settled into his own seat. Bero also placed the wooden doll into the box along with Humerus, and the two dragons began a thorough inspection of both toys, sniffing every inch of them and pawing at the doll''s clothes. Iggy even licked its hair a little. "Don''t be too rough with them yet," Ariom cautioned them. "I''ll put reinforcement enchantments on them when we get home, so try to keep them intact until then, all right?" Thenio leaned his head back against the seat and watched the dragons, only vaguely aware of where the carriage was going. Bero was right. He really was tired. He was on the verge of dozing off, lulled by the gently swaying carriage, when he saw Iggy suddenly lift his head up, ears alert. "Hey, we''re here!" the little dragon said excitedly. "Thenio, look! This is our house!" Thenio roused himself and looked out the window. They were just pulling up to a large, beautiful stone house with a garden in the front, surrounded by a high wrought iron fence. As the carriage turned into the drive, the gate slid open by itself. After they passed through, he looked behind them and saw it quietly closing again. Clearly a wizard''s house, right from the start.... "Let''s just go to the north entrance," Ariom said. "We''ll give Thenio the grand tour later, after he''s had a chance to rest." Bero nodded. "Got it." He directed the carriage past the garden and up to the front of the house. But rather than going to the front entrance¡ªa large set of double doors under a fancy stone archway¡ªthey turned left and went along the side of the building. When they rounded the corner, Thenio saw a more normal-looking door with planters full of cheerful flowers on either side. The carriage pulled up in front of it and came to a stop. "This is the entrance we usually use," Ariom said. "The front door is mostly for visitors. A lot of my clients are aristocrats, so the parts of the house they see have to be at least a little impractically fancy." "That is why I don''t want to be a grandmaster," Bero added in, opening the carriage door. "People consider it prestigious to be able to hire a grandmaster, so you inevitably attract annoying people just by having the rank." "Well, he''s not wrong about that...." Ariom said wryly, also exiting the carriage. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The three of them unloaded Thenio''s luggage from the back of the carriage and carried it into the house. The door led into an entryway with a set of stairs on one side and what looked like a magic lift on the other. There was a doorway in front of them, and Thenio could see part of a kitchen on the other side of it. "Let''s take the lift," Ariom said, nodding toward that side. "Your bedroom is on the second floor." They all crowded into the lift box, along with the bags. Thenio wasn''t entirely sure why the dragons came along, when they weren''t carrying anything, so it would have been easier and faster for them to just fly up the stairwell. Maybe they just liked the novelty of using the lift. Thenio had always enjoyed using the ones in the academy dormitory. On the second floor, the lift opened onto another room very similar to the one below, except that there was a window in one wall instead of an outside door. The doorway on this floor led to a corridor, and they followed Ariom into it. A short way down the hall, the wall on one side opened onto a large room lined with bookshelves, with a fireplace set into one wall and several comfortable-looking chairs and sofas. "This is the regular library," Ariom said as the group paused for a moment so that Thenio could look around. "There''s another library room in the other wing of the house where we keep magic reference books. You''re welcome to use the books here whenever you want. Just put them back when you''re done with them." Thenio''s bedroom was on the other side of the hallway, just past the entrance to the library. His eyes widened in surprise as he followed Ariom through the door. He''d been expecting something like his bedroom at home, but this was practically a whole apartment. The door opened onto a spacious study room that had a desk, sofa, and several bookshelves, along with a small fireplace. Further in was the actual bedroom, plus a walk-in closet and private bathroom. "You look a little overwhelmed," Bero said with a chuckle, watching Thenio look around the place. "Were you expecting a tiny dormitory room like you had at the academy? It''s pretty normal to give apprentices and live-in assistants rooms like this, you know?" "This is where Toflyn used to live!" Iggy said, jumping around on the bed while Humerus watched him disapprovingly from Bero''s shoulder. "We cleaned it up and fixed all the magic leaks so you could stay here." "Toflyn was my last apprentice," Ariom explained in response to Thenio''s confused expression. "Also my cousin. He finished his apprenticeship and moved out a few months ago." "Won''t you need this room when you get a new apprentice?" Thenio asked uncertainly. Ariom shook his head. "There are several guest rooms on the third floor. I can remodel one of those if I need to. And I''m not planning to take on another apprentice anytime soon." "He''s a bit antisocial, this guy," Bero said, looking at his nephew with a wry smile. "He doesn''t like having apprentices he doesn''t know well, so he pretty much only does it for relatives. It''s a pity. He can be a really good mentor when he feels like it." Ariom scowled at him. "I don''t have to have apprentices if I don''t want to. Don''t nag." His expression softened as he turned back to Thenio. "Anyways, don''t worry about that. You can use this room as long as you need to. Why don''t you take some time to settle in?" He looked at Iggy, who was still hopping up and down on one of the pillows. "Iggy, do you want to stay here with him for a while?" "Mmm!" Iggy stopped jumping and nodded, his tail waving enthusiastically. "Can you calm down and play quietly, so Thenio can rest?" "I can! I''ll be super quiet!" "Right...." Ariom gave the dragon a skeptical look. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Well, he''s been all hyped up and bouncing around for hours now. He''s probably about to reach his limit, too, so I don''t think he''ll bother you too much." He went over to the bed. "Come here, little guy. Let me take your harness off." Iggy obediently trotted over and stood still while Ariom unbuckled the leather harness and slipped it off. "I''ll take your new chicken with me so I can put a reinforcement on it, all right? Do you want to play with Obby for a while instead?" When Iggy nodded, Ariom held his hand against the harness, palm up. With a faint shimmer of magic particles, the black plush chicken appeared in his hand, along with a couple of reddish-brown sticks. "It''s been a while since lunch, so I''ll leave a couple of snack sticks here, too. You eat these and play quietly with Obby while Thenio rests, okay?" "Wait. How did you do that?" Thenio asked, staring at the plush chicken. "He took them out of my pocket!" Iggy said, happily taking the toy and snacks from Ariom''s hand. "Obby rides in my harness pocket when we go outside." "That thing has a space pocket in it? Seriously?" "Just a small one," Ariom said, looking a little puzzled at Thenio''s reaction. "Iggy''s so tiny that a regular pouch would be too bulky for him to carry around, so I installed a space pocket instead." No wonder he hadn''t cared about the cost of a message book.... Space pockets were a level above space compression bags and were considered the ultimate magic storage tools. They were extremely useful and in high demand, but very few enchanters could make them, which meant that they were insanely expensive. Thenio blinked, dumbfounded, at the innocent-looking leather harness in Ariom''s hand. That thing was probably worth more than his family''s entire house. And Ariom let his hyper little dragon wear it around like it was nothing.... That was the moment when Thenio finally realized that he''d just stepped into an entirely different world than the one he''d woken up in that morning.
After putting the carriage and golem away in their storage shed, Ariom returned to the house and found his uncle sitting in the guest room that he was staying in, watching Humerus'' doll walk around on a table. The red dragon was nowhere to be seen. "Oh? Looks like he''s getting the hang of it pretty quickly." Ariom stood next to the table and watched the doll with interest. The doll stopped and looked up at him. "This puppet is really good! It''s like it was made for me. It''s so easy to control, it''s almost creepy." "Creepy, huh? Look who''s talking." Ariom made a face at the wooden puppet that was speaking with Humerus'' voice. Then he turned to his uncle. "So? What do you think about him?" "Which one?" "Let''s start with Eteon. I know you were trying to play things down a bit in order to not upset Thenio too much, but that guy is definitely suspicious. Letting on that he was a magician was obviously deliberate. If he were really afraid of people finding out about his magic, he never would have slipped up like that. That guy has seriously good magic control. He had his power so well hidden that I wouldn''t have noticed anything if he hadn''t let on that he knew about Humerus. I can count on one hand the number of magic users I''ve met who could pull that off." "I agree," Uncle Bero said, nodding thoughtfully. "I think he really was worried about Thenio''s reaction to finding out. But I didn''t get the feeling that he was afraid of us at all. He may or may not have a rare affinity, but I think he''s powerful enough that he doesn''t have to worry about being abducted or exploited. It''s more likely that he just doesn''t want to be bothered." "Then why let us find out at all?" "It''s hard to say for sure, but...it was probably a warning. He knows enough about us to know how much we would be able to infer about him from those small pieces of information. The fact that he''s powerful enough to hide if he wants to. The fact that he deliberately let us know he''s that powerful. And he straight-out told us that he cares about Thenio a lot." "So the message is, ''Take good care of this kid, or else....'' Is that it?" Ariom sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Just what have I gotten myself into...? Do you think I should ask the guild to investigate him?" "Absolutely not." His uncle''s voice was unusually sharp. "Don''t mess with that guy, Ariom. I mean it. He should be friendly enough as long as he thinks we''re trying to help Thenio. But he''s dangerous." Ariom looked down at the wooden doll, which was quietly standing and listening to the conversation. "Is that what you think too, Humerus?" The doll nodded. "His magic smells tasty. But scary. Very scary. Like a big, strong monster. If I met him in the wild, I would stay far away from him. He probably won''t hurt us, but he could, if he wanted to." Ariom frowned. It was different from Iggy''s, but Humerus'' magic sensitivity was also extremely high. And his assessments of people were usually spot on. "Didn''t you say the same thing about Thenio''s magic when I showed you one of his magic crystals?" "Right. It''s kind of the same." The puppet nodded again. "Thenio''s magic smells even tastier than Eteon''s. And a little less scary. Like a small monster. I wouldn''t attack him, but I probably wouldn''t run away, either." "Is there a connection between the two, do you think? I''m pretty sure Eteon doesn''t have a chaos affinity. But did he already know about Thenio''s? Did he get close to him on purpose?" Humerus somehow manipulated the doll''s wooden shoulders into a shrug. "Maybe? I think he really does care about Thenio, though. He''s not trying to hurt him or take advantage of him." "Hmm. I guess all we can do for now is stay a bit cautious of him, then." Ariom looked back at his uncle. "And what about Thenio? What''s your impression of him so far? Apart from the fact that his magic smells tasty," he added, glancing at Humerus'' puppet. "It''s too early to say much." Uncle Bero frowned. "He seems like a good kid. Very sincere. I think he''ll be a good assistant for you, if you can keep his magic under control. Just.... I don''t know. He gives me a weird feeling. I''m not sure how to explain it." He shook his head. "I know you specifically wanted me to take a look at his reaction to ambient magic, but I haven''t seen enough to really have an opinion on that yet. None of the places we went today had enough magic in them. I''ll have to keep watching him a little longer." "Well, that''s fine. I didn''t expect to be able to solve everything in one day." Ariom sighed. "I''m heading to the workroom to put some enchantments on Iggy''s toy." He held up the wooden chicken. "Do you want me to do that one, too, while I''m at it?" He gestured toward the doll. "Just be careful not to ruin it, all right? I really like this thing." The doll lay down on the table and then stopped moving, its body going completely limp as Humerus'' magic left it. Ariom reached out and picked up the doll. As he turned to leave the room, he saw Humerus appear in the doorway. The red and gold dragon was floating in mid-air. "You know how weird that looks, don''t you?" Ariom said, frowning at him. "Try not to let Thenio see you floating like that. We need to make sure he doesn''t get too emotional while his magic is still unstable." He shook the doll a little. "Where were you controlling this thing from?" "The room at the other end of the hall. The one Seyli uses when she stays here," Humerus said happily. "That far away! On my first try! I know I said that guy Eteon is a monster and all, but he really does make good puppets." Chapter 13 - Humerus After Ariom and Bero had left, Thenio let out a sigh and fell backwards onto the bed. It was a nice bed. Very comfortable. Probably very expensive. "Do you want a snack stick, Thenio? I have two. We can both have one!" Thenio looked over to see Iggy nudging one of the brown sticks toward him with his nose. Based on the color, they were probably some kind of dried meat. "That''s okay," Thenio told him with a smile. "I''m not hungry right now. Go ahead and eat them both." The little dragon didn''t need to be persuaded. He happily sat down and started gnawing on the end of one of the sticks. Thenio watched him for a minute before closing his eyes. He really should start unpacking his things. But he just needed a little time to calm down and process everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. The anxiety of packing up and moving to a new place with people he only barely knew.... Discovering that his lifelong friend had been hiding things from him.... Suddenly being surrounded by luxuries he''d only dreamed of and feeling out-of-place and overwhelmed by it all.... It was only mid-afternoon, but he already felt like he''d had a very long day. The suppression bands that were still sapping his energy didn''t help, either. After a few minutes, the sounds of chewing stopped. Thenio could feel movement near him on the bed and then the weight of four little feet landing on his chest. He opened his eyes to see that Iggy had jumped on top of him, carrying Obby in his mouth. He set the chicken down, circled around it a couple of times, and then lay down with his body curled into a little circle around the toy. Thenio reached up and scratched Iggy''s ears. "Are you feeling tired now, too?" "Mmm." Iggy yawned, showing off a mouthful of pointy white teeth. Then he laid his head down and closed his eyes. Thenio stroked the little dragon''s back for a minute or two and then closed his eyes again, too. Maybe it was okay to just stay like this for a while.
When Thenio woke up, the room was lit by the glow of late afternoon sunlight. He blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling for a minute, remembering where he was. Iggy was no longer curled up on his chest, but there was a scratching sound coming from the other side of the bed. When Thenio looked over, he saw the little dragon wrestling with Obby, rolling around and letting out soft growls while he bit at the poor chicken and kicked it with his hind legs. He could see why Ariom was in the habit of putting reinforcement enchantments on all of Iggy''s toys.... Thenio watched for a few minutes, until Iggy flipped himself over so that he was facing in Thenio''s direction. "Oh, hi, Thenio!" The little dragon immediately let go of Obby, his ferocity vanishing completely. "You''re awake!" "Yeah. Sorry, I didn''t mean to fall asleep." Thenio sat up and looked at the pile of luggage on the floor next to the bed. "I should have been unpacking...." "It''s okay." Iggy got up and trotted over to put his front paws up on Thenio''s leg. "Uncle Bero said it''s important to let Thenio rest and get comfy. Because it''s really hard to have scared magic, right? It makes you feel all tired and mixed up inside, right? So we need to help Thenio feel better!" Thenio felt his throat tighten a little. He wasn''t used to people being this considerate of him. "Bero seems to know a lot about magic instability for somebody who runs a chicken farm," he said, trying to divert the topic to something less awkward. "He didn''t always have chickens, you know? He used to work at the place we went for your meeting. That place with lots of life magic." "The Stability Center? Was he a doctor there?" Thenio frowned. "That''s a really good job, isn''t it? Why did he leave?" "I''m not sure? He doesn''t like to talk about it very much. And Ariom doesn''t like to talk about it. But." Iggy''s ears drooped a little. "I think. He was too sad to stay there." Too sad? Thenio opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but then he closed it again. He didn''t need to ask. It was obvious what it meant. And Thenio didn''t want to talk about it, either. "Well, it''s getting late. I really should unpack a few things, at least," he said, glancing at the window and forcing a smile. "Do you want to help me?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy waved his tail happily.
They left the room about an hour later. Thenio still hadn''t gotten much unpacking done¡ªthe process had gotten derailed when he''d taken out his sketchbook and drawing supplies, which had immediately captured Iggy''s attention. But he''d managed to find places for a few of his possessions in between answering the little dragon''s questions and helping him look through the sketchbook. Iggy''s squirrel-like paws were good for climbing and holding onto things, but he had some trouble turning pages. Thenio hardly knew where anything was in the house yet, but Iggy confidently led the way down the hallway with Obby floating along beside him. "This goes into the dragon room," he said as they passed an open doorway with what looked like a large bathroom on the other side. "This end is where I take baths! Dragons have to take lots of baths, you know? To keep our scales from getting ouchy. But it''s okay. I like to play in the water, and Ariom makes fun bath toys. And I''m really good at swimming! I''ll show you later, okay? We can play in the water together!" Thenio simply nodded in agreement, not bothering to interrupt Iggy''s excited chattering. "And this is Ariom''s room," the dragon went on, pausing in front of a door on the opposite side of the hall. "It looks a lot like your room inside. I sleep in here at night sometimes. My normal bed is in the dragon room, but sometimes I feel lonely, you know? So then I sleep in my bed in Ariom''s room. I can sleep in your room sometimes, too, if you want! Sundog and I used to go sleep with Toflyn sometimes. I miss Sundog...." Iggy''s ears drooped sadly. "He''s my cousin, you know? We used to play a lot together. But then he had to leave because Toflyn got a job in another city. Tava and Seyli still come over to play, though. They can''t come all the time, because Seyli has to go to school, you know? She goes to the same school where I met you! But sometimes they come. Tava is my cousin, too. I have lots of cousins! And Seyli is Toflyn''s little sister, so she''s Ariom''s cousin like Toflyn is, okay? Ariom doesn''t have as many cousins as I do, but it''s still kind of a lot? I think?" Thenio nodded again. Though this time it was less because he didn''t want to interrupt and more because he was feeling rather overwhelmed by all the cousins.... Fortunately, they had reached the end of the hallway. Iggy stopped his explanation and bounded out into the open space in front of them. "This is the atrium!" he called behind him. "Thenio, look! This is where my climbing tree is!" They were on a balcony that looked out over a large, glassed-in garden area. Iggy leapt into the air and flew over the balcony railing, heading toward a sprawling oak tree in the center of the atrium. He landed on one of the branches and disappeared into a small tunnel that wound around through the leaves. Looking closer, Thenio noticed several tunnels like that, along with a number of swings, platforms, and cubbyholes. It seemed to be an artificial tree designed specifically for dragons to play on, even though it looked very realistic. "Looks like you''re continuing your tour of the house. Are you feeling a little better?" The balcony was wide enough to have space for several comfortable-looking armchairs and small tables. Bero was seated in one of these chairs, looking through a sheaf of papers. Humerus was beside him, stretched out on one of the chair''s arms. "Yeah, a little." Thenio slowly made his way over while looking around. "This place is huge...." "Ariom did overdo it a bit with this atrium," Bero admitted with a wry smile. "Especially since he mostly designed it as a play area for Iggy. He''s not that good with people, so he might seem cold at times, but he has a major soft spot for that silly little dragon." "He built this whole space just for Iggy?" Thenio was a bit shocked. "It must have cost a fortune...." This was a grandmaster enchanter who could apparently make things like message books and space pockets. He probably wasn''t hurting for money at all. But still...Thenio was pretty sure that most familiars weren''t spoiled to this extent. "Well, it was also because of Toflyn. He studied both enchanting and magic zoology, and he specifically wanted to design enchanted products for magic beasts. That''s what he''s doing now¡ªhe got a job at a workshop in Chasil that specializes in things like that. Anyways...he and Ariom used to get a little carried away sometimes, designing and testing out new products. Their dragons were the beneficiaries of that. Though they made some nice things for my farm, too, so I can''t complain too much." Humerus nodded. "They made me a new carry bag. It''s nice. Much more comfortable than the old one." "They made lots and lots of good toys!" Iggy landed on the balcony railing with a soft clatter. "Like my train! And the sandbox! And my glowing balls! And...oh! Obby, too!" he added as the little stuffed chicken floated up behind him. "You and your toys...." Humerus shook his head. "If Iggy liking toys bothers you so much, does that mean you don''t want this back?" Thenio looked up at the voice and saw Ariom coming from the opposite end of the balcony, holding up Humerus'' wooden doll. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Humerus'' ears perked up, and he jumped off the arm of the chair onto a nearby table to get closer to Ariom. "I never said that! I want my puppet!" Ariom raised an eyebrow at him but handed over the puppet. Humerus sat up and hugged it with his front paws, as though he were afraid Ariom would take it away again. "I have yours, too, Iggy. I made something for it to hang from." Ariom held up a curved metal hanger with a flat base. Iggy''s wooden chicken was dangling from the end of it. "My flying chicken!" Iggy jumped off the railing and ran over to Ariom. "Obby, look! It''s our new chicken friend!" Ariom set the metal stand down on the floor, and Iggy immediately took hold of the wooden ring and started pulling on it, making the chicken''s wings flap up and down. The little dragon waved his own wings, swished his tail, and even stomped his feet along with it, like he was doing some kind of wild dance. Thenio watched Iggy''s exuberant display for a minute and then looked back at Humerus, who was simply inspecting his doll with a happy expression. "Humerus really is a lot calmer than Iggy, isn''t he? I guess dragons have all kinds of different personalities." "Well, they do. And I''d say most dragons are calmer than Iggy," Bero said with a chuckle. "But Humerus isn''t really the best reference for that. Since he''s not an actual dragon." "Wait, what?" Thenio blinked at Bero, bemused, then stared at Humerus. "He''s not?" He certainly looked like a dragon.... "He''s currently living in a dragon''s body, but he''s not a dragon himself. He''s a revenant." "Hmph. Why''d you have to tell him already?" Humerus turned away from the puppet and glared at Bero, flicking his tail grouchily. "I wanted to surprise him by suddenly having my head fall off or something." Ariom gave him a stern look. "I told you before, no pranking Thenio. His magic''s in bad shape right now, and if he gets startled too badly, he might lose control and explode." "Aww...." Humerus'' red scales suddenly all vanished in a wisp of magic particles, and he collapsed into a sulky-looking pile of bones on the table. "That''s no fun." Thenio''s cheek twitched. He probably shouldn''t be that surprised, having just learned what Humerus really was. He knew that revenants were spectral beasts that inhabited dead bodies. But it was still a little shocking to see what looked like a normal, living dragon suddenly turning into lifeless bones. Lifeless, but sulky. Thenio wasn''t sure how he managed that.... "This is serious, Humerus," Ariom scolded him. "If you make Thenio explode, I''m not giving you any gryphon eggs." "What?" The skeletal head suddenly lifted again. "No! You promised me eggs!" "I promised you eggs if you helped. Playing tricks on Thenio and making him lose control isn''t helping." "Keh!" Humerus made an annoyed sound. "Fine." "He eats gryphon eggs?!" That shocked Thenio even more than finding out Humerus was a revenant. Gryphons weren''t quite as expensive as dragons, but that was still way too much to spend on food for a familiar, no matter how much money grandmaster enchanters made. "Pygmy gryphons," Bero corrected. "Not regular ones. Regular gryphon eggs are too high in magic content for him to eat. Revenants can lose their senses and turn violent if they eat too much magic at once, so I have to monitor his diet carefully. But there are some varieties of pygmy gryphons that have been specially bred to produce unfertilized eggs on a regular basis. That makes the magic level significantly lower, and it means they''re cheap enough to buy for an occasional treat. Humerus loves them." "Gryphon eggs are the best!" Now that he was in skeletal form, Humerus'' facial expressions were limited, but a pair of green flames sparkled enthusiastically in his eye sockets. "I keep telling you we should have a flock of pygmy gryphons on the farm. They''d be so much better than those stupid chickens. We could have gryphon eggs all the time!" Bero narrowed his eyes. "If we had gryphon eggs all the time, you would eat gryphon eggs all the time. Which would overload you on magic and make you sick." "I wouldn''t!" Humerus protested. "You would, you greedy bunch of bones," Ariom said, frowning at him. "If anyone let you, you''d keep eating until you went crazy, and Uncle Bero would have to call in a team of combat wizards to help take you down. How embarrassing would that be, huh? To have to call pest control on your very own familiar?" "Bero!" Humerus whined, jumping back to the chair and climbing onto Bero''s lap. "Ariom''s being mean to me again!" "He is. But he''s also right. So who am I supposed to side with here?" Despite his callous words, Bero reached up and rubbed Humerus'' bony head affectionately. Then he glanced at Thenio. "Don''t mind these two. They grew up together, so they''re basically like siblings. They always squabble like this. They don''t really mean it." "Hmph. I''m not sure about that...." Humerus said grumpily. Then he seemed to remember that he''d left his doll behind. He turned to look back at the table. A second later, the doll stirred and got up by itself. It walked across the table, jumped into the air, and floated over to land on Bero''s lap next to Humerus. "Good, it still feels the same," the dragon skeleton said happily. "You did a good job with the enchanting!" He seemed to be pleased enough to forget that he and Ariom were quarreling a moment before. Thenio watched this whole process with a slightly incredulous expression on his face. Having an innocent-looking doll suddenly get up and move around was a little.... At least he could understand now why Humerus would like puppets so much. Revenants were well-known for their skill at puppeteering magic. That was how they manipulated the corpses they lived in. Spectral beasts didn''t have physical bodies, although some could create magic constructs that looked like bodies. Higher-level revenants could do that as well, which was probably how Humerus made himself look like an ordinary dragon. Revenants were generally considered the most intelligent of the known types of spectral beasts, so they were usually the ones wizards chose to make familiar contracts with. But spectral beast familiars of any kind were very rare. Most wizards weren''t keen on the idea of having such a creepy-looking companion. And spectral beasts could be dangerous, so you had to get a special license in order to handle them or form a contract with one. Which more or less required a necromancy certification, since wizards in other fields were rarely sensitive enough to the magic of living creatures to be able to perceive spectral beasts properly when they were in their natural forms. Oh. So that was why Bero and Ariom had realized Eteon could use magic. Because he''d been able to tell that Humerus was a revenant. Which was something that a non-magic user...or even a low-level magic user...shouldn''t be able to do. It looked like Eteon really had been hiding a lot of things.... Bero seemed to notice Thenio''s troubled expression. "I''m sorry we didn''t tell you about Humerus sooner. I just didn''t think it was a good idea to bring it up right when we first met. People usually don''t react well to that.... I know spectral beasts make a lot of people uncomfortable. That''s why Humerus disguises himself as a living dragon when we go out in public. He can keep his skin on for you, if you''d rather not see a skeleton walking around." He patted Humerus'' back. "But you don''t need to be afraid of him. He''s under a strict contract, so he can''t attack anyone without my permission. And he has enough sense to know better in the first place. It''s basically fine for you to just think of him as a weird-looking dragon. He''s lived around real dragons most of his life, so he''s adopted a lot of their behaviors." Humerus didn''t disagree with anything Bero said, but his skeletal face looked a little sad somehow. Thenio felt sure that if he had ears, they would be drooping down right now. It probably wasn''t easy for a spectral beast to live around humans, knowing that so many of them would reject him as soon as they found out what he was. Especially since he was living in a dragon body, and most people liked dragons. Thenio felt a sudden sense of camaraderie toward the strange little creature. "Well, I was surprised, and it will probably take me a little while to get used to having a revenant around. But I don''t really mind the skeleton thing. So he can do whatever is comfortable for him. And I''m not used to being around dragons yet either, so it''s not like I really even know the difference. So...yeah. It''s fine," Thenio ended a bit lamely. Though his embarrassment eased somewhat when he saw Humerus perk back up and wave his bony tail. "You''re a good kid," Bero said with a warm smile. "We always appreciate it when people try to be understanding." He patted Humerus again. "And Humerus is going to return the favor by being considerate and not playing tricks on you. Right, Humerus?" "Oh." Humerus looked between Bero and Thenio. "Um...right." "And when he inevitably forgets that he agreed to that and pranks you anyway...maybe he can at least remember to do something harmless instead of scaring you," Ariom said with a sigh. Then he looked at Thenio. "Revenants love playing tricks on people, but it''s usually not malicious, in spite of what you may have heard. They''re just fascinated by humans and like provoking us to see how we react. It''s their way of learning about the world. Like children." He looked at Humerus with a sort of grudging affection. "Spectral beasts really aren''t that bad once you get used to them. They just take a lot of patience. Well, I could say the same about certain little dragons..." he added, glancing over at Iggy, who was still doing his crazy chicken dance. Thenio followed his gaze and smiled at the sight. Then his eyes widened a little as he realized something. Necromancer. Spectral beasts. Chicken farm. "Wait a minute...." He turned to look at Bero. "If you have a spectral beast license, then when you talk about raising chickens...." Bero chuckled. "I see you figured it out. Yes, it''s a spectral beast farm. And we specialize in dullahan chickens. Though we have real chickens, too, of course. To feed the dullahans." Dullahan chickens. Thenio had never seen one, but he''d read about them. It was actually just a nickname, since they were neither dullahans nor chickens. They were mimics, one of the most dangerous kinds of spectral beasts. All spectral beasts had to consume magic from other sources in order to survive. Some were fairly passive about it and just absorbed whatever magic was present in their environment, but some absorbed magic by eating other creatures. Revenants like Humerus were usually just scavengers and opportunistic hunters. That was one of the reasons they were more likely to accept familiar contracts¡ªthey recognized it as a chance to get a stable food supply. But mimics were aggressive predators. As their name implied, their favorite hunting tactic was to get close to their prey by mimicking its form. This made them very dangerous for any magic beasts or humans who weren''t skilled enough to see through their disguises. But it also created a sort of loophole technique for raising low-level mimics in order to harvest the valuable alchemical materials they could produce. If mimics had a habit of taking on the form of whatever creatures they ate, all you had to do was make sure that you only fed them things that were small and non-threatening. Like chickens. Dullahan chickens were mimics raised using this technique. The ''dullahan'' part of the name came from how materials were usually harvested from them. Mimics formed a magic core in a part of their constructed bodies. This was where the mimic''s real self was located. As long as this core wasn''t harmed, the rest of the body could be damaged or even completely cut off, and the mimic would be fine. Then, over time, it would regrow its fake body, and the process could be repeated. It was like shearing a sheep. There were also ways of influencing where the core was formed in the body, and the standard practice was to keep it in the dullahan chicken''s head. So that''s what Iggy had meant when he talked about Uncle Bero''s ''chickens with removable heads....'' Thenio made a face. "And here I was imagining you retiring to live a quiet life on some peaceful little farm.... But no, you''re raising bloodthirsty monsters...." "I know, right?" Humerus nodded sagely. "Those fowl are really foul." Bero put a hand over his face. "Please don''t start with the chicken jokes, Humerus...." Humerus'' eye flames narrowed. "Bero, we''ve talked about this. As the guy who gave me my name, you have no right to complain about my egg-cellent chicken yolks." "You always have to bring that up...." Bero scowled at him. "Because it''s an im-peck-able point," Humerus said, sniggering. "You can''t argue any feather." "Oh, Humerus is telling jokes!" Iggy finally stopped playing with his wooden chicken and flew up to land on the back of Bero''s chair. "Can you do some more?" Humerus'' eyes flared, and his tail swished with excitement. "Of course! I''m a bone-afide comedi-hen!" "Did I mention they require a lot of patience...?" Ariom said with a sigh. Chapter 14 - Magic Instabilities They left the two familiars¡ªwho were making each other laugh hysterically with increasingly bad jokes¡ªin the atrium and retreated downstairs to the kitchen. "Do you cook at all?" Ariom asked as he led the way down the stairs. "I can make basic things," Thenio said. "I can''t do anything really fancy, though." "Basic is fine. I''m not fussy, and I prepare Iggy''s meals in advance and keep them in storage. I won''t make you cook regularly if you don''t enjoy it, but it will be helpful if you can at least take a turn on days when I''m especially busy. You won''t be doing any cooking for a while, though. The kitchen here has all magic appliances, and I''ll probably have to make some alterations to them to be sure you can use them safely. We need to do some testing to see how you react to different kinds of magic tools." "You need to go through a few weeks of food sensitivity testing, too," Bero added in. "It''s probably better to let Ariom handle all the cooking during that time, so he can monitor what you''re eating as closely as possible. They should have told you about this at the Center. It''s part of the standard procedure for figuring out patient management programs." Thenio nodded. Several doctors had mentioned that he''d have to go through an analysis period to try to identify anything in his surroundings or lifestyle that might be affecting his magic. It normally would have happened as soon as he''d started being treated at the Stability Center, but they''d postponed it because of his magic circuit damage. "I''m not really expecting there to be any problems with everyday things, since there''s no record of them finding anything like that with previous chaos morphs." Bero shrugged. "But it''s also possible that we''ll find some things that are affecting you in very minor ways, that previous researchers might have overlooked. Even little things can add up over time, so it''s worth checking everything we can." "Now that I think about it, there wasn''t anything about spiced food in the files the Association sent over, was there?" Ariom asked. Bero shook his head. "No, but it''s common sense not to let instability patients eat anything with magic in it. Not to mention that most of the other chaos morphs were studied when they were still children, so they shouldn''t have been eating anything like that to begin with. The researchers probably never thought it was necessary to test it." "Really?" Ariom sounded a little skeptical. "If we know he reacts to external sources of magic, it seems natural to me that we should explore that to try to understand the underlying processes that cause it." "That''s because you''re a void sorcerer, Ariom. Most people couldn''t guarantee that they wouldn''t kill the poor kid off by giving him a glass of redflower juice." "Fair point." They had reached the kitchen. Like the rest of the house so far, it was spacious and well-designed, with what looked like high-quality tools and appliances. Thenio was a bit disappointed that he wouldn''t be able to try cooking in it for a while. Ariom pointed to a line of dark tiles that ran across the floor, dividing the kitchen from the dining area next to it. "This is the dragon barrier line. No dragons beyond this point without permission and human supervision. I probably don''t have to tell you which little black dragon inspired that rule. I really don''t ever want to have to clean mashed potatoes out of his scales again...." He sighed and then gestured toward a small, glassed-in room on one side of the kitchen area. "We call that a ''dragon box.'' There are a few of them around the house. They''re safe areas where Iggy¡ªor any other magic beasts who happen to be around¡ªcan play and watch what you''re doing without getting in the way. They''re also insulated to protect whoever''s inside in the event of any magic accidents. And it''s not what they''re designed for, but they should also work to protect you from being destabilized by surrounding magic. Keep that in mind, all right? It could come in handy." Thenio nodded, once again amazed by the lengths Ariom seemed willing to go to for Iggy''s sake. He liked the little dragon and all, but...it wasn''t normal to design your entire house around your familiar''s needs, was it? "Let''s just chat a little in here while Ariom''s working on dinner. Have a seat," Bero said, patting one of the chairs by the table. They both sat down while Ariom went into the kitchen and started getting out pans and cooking utensils. Bero had brought along the sheaf of papers he''d been looking at up on the balcony, and he set them on the table in front of him. Reading upside down, Thenio noticed the Stability Center''s logo on the top sheet, along with his own name. Bero must have been looking through the patient information the Center had passed on to Ariom. "We''re not really going to get into your new training program until tomorrow," Bero said. "And I know Ariom already gave you an overview of what he had planned. But I thought you might still be a little anxious about what exactly is going to happen from now on. Is there anything you want to ask?" Thenio thought for a moment. "Ariom said something about the Wizard Association sending information on chaos morphs. Is that something I''m allowed to look at?" "Of course. You probably have more right to see it than anyone. I can make a copy for you. Just...." Bero paused, then said gently, "You probably want to wait a week or two until you''re feeling more comfortable before you read it. Some parts of it are...a bit depressing." "Oh." Thenio looked down at the table. Like everything else in the house, it was well-made, with an attractive geometric pattern of inlaid woods on the top. The varying shades of brown reminded him of Eteon and his usual basket of wood scraps. Thenio looked away, focusing on a nearby window instead, and tried to think of something else to ask in order to break the awkward silence. "Um...there''s something I''ve been wondering about. About the treatment plan Ariom described at the meeting the other day. He said he wanted to try teaching me elementalist exercises because of the theory that chaos affinities are somehow related to null affinities, and a lot of people with null affinities become elementalists...but I don''t really get how that''s supposed to help. I mean, elementalists just manipulate elements, right? Like moving dirt for construction work and stuff?" "Well...yes and no. It''s true that''s all most elementalists can do, but the field of elementalism itself is capable of a lot more than that. The problem is that so many null affinity wizards have low magic power. Elementalism doesn''t really start to shine until you reach sorcerer level. But most elementalists don''t become sorcerers until late in life, if at all. And by that time, they''re already set in their ways, so not many of them ever develop to their full potential." Bero shook his head. "Well, that''s really a discussion you should have with Ariom, not me. You know he has an elementalist certification, right?" Thenio nodded. "It''s only journeyman rank, but he can still do some impressive things. Void mages actually make pretty decent elementalists. They don''t have the same kind of flexibility that null mages do, of course. But their power level is a lot higher, on average, and they can learn to use most types of magic if they work at it hard enough. Which leads into the real answer to your question: The kind of elementalist exercises Ariom does, as a void mage, are different from the standard type. They should do more to improve your magic control." Thenio frowned. "How, though? What''s the difference between those and the control exercises I was already doing?" He wasn''t going to fall back into the endless loop of being given more and more magic exercises that never produced results, was he? "Hmm. What''s the best way to explain this...?" Bero leaned back in his chair and tapped a finger on the table thoughtfully. "Do you know what the difference is between chronic and acute magic destabilization?" "Chronic destabilization means your magic is always unstable, and acute means it''s only unstable sometimes?" "That''s not wrong, but it''s a pretty superficial definition. They really should have explained this to you at the Center.... Well, I guess you were under pretty heavy suppression up until recently. They probably decided it wasn''t the best time for in-depth medical explanations.... All right, let''s start with how magic circuits work. You should be familiar with this, as an enchanting student. So, you have a flow of magic power, and a channel that it flows through. Like water flowing through a pipe. Right?" "Right. They use that same analogy in enchanting classes." "Okay, then continuing with that thought, you need a proper balance between the capacity of the pipe and the amount of water going through it, correct? Too much water and the pipe can''t handle the pressure. Too little and the water won''t flow properly. And magic works more or less the same way. So then, what we refer to as ''chronic destabilization'' is when a person''s magic circuit doesn''t have the correct balance. That''s why it''s common for children to start having magic control issues once they reach adolescence. Their magic power and magic circuit aren''t developing at exactly the same rate, so the balance gets off one way or the other. Though their overall power levels usually aren''t high enough for it to be a serious problem. Where it does get serious is with high-level sorcerers. That''s the other group that commonly experiences chronic magic destabilization, because it''s easy for their power level to grow beyond their magic circuit''s capacity to contain it." Bero''s expression turned somber. "When it gets bad enough, their own magic power starts literally tearing them apart inside. It''s not a pretty thing to watch. That''s why the military is so concerned with stabilization research. More combat wizards die from chronic destabilization than any other magic profession." Thenio swallowed. Maybe dying in a magic explosion wasn''t quite as bad as he''d thought. At least it would be over with quickly.... "The treatments for chronic destabilization vary from case to case, but they all revolve around restoring the balance between magic power and magic circuit. Exercises, suppression bands, magic circuit alteration...even forming familiar contracts with magic parasites." Bero gave a small laugh. "Well, that last one isn''t something that most people are in a position to do. I''ve heard of several people who''ve done it, but I only know one personally. It worked out pretty well for him, though." "A contract with a magic parasite? Seriously? Who was it?" "General Obarin, the current head of the Magic Corps." Thenio''s eyes widened. "Sunfall? You know him?" In the Kafron military, once combat wizards reached the rank of battlemage, they were given a unique call name, which was usually some kind of reference to their magic abilities or fighting style. Common people often knew them by these nicknames, especially those battlemages whose outstanding achievements in the fight against demons had turned them into national heroes. Thenio had grown up watching other children at the park or school playground pretend to be the likes of ''Sunfall'' or ''Sword Queen'' or ''Jackal'' or ''Hurricane'' in order to fight imaginary battles. He''d never done it with them, though. If they let him join in at all, he''d always had to play the part of a demon.... Bero chuckled at Thenio''s expression. "Sure, I know him. Kalion is an old family friend. The Denifor family has a lot of military ties." He glanced in the direction of the kitchen. "Well. Not so much the younger ones...." He looked back at Thenio. "Kalion is actually one of the reasons you and I are even having this conversation. Ariom probably wouldn''t have gotten approved as your caretaker without his recommendation. From what I heard, most of the doctors at the Stability Center thought handing you over to an independent wizard was too much of a risk. But as the head of the Magic Corps, Kalion also oversees the Center, so they can''t exactly ignore his opinion. Grandmaster Sephior told everyone to keep quiet about his endorsement of Ariom until after you''d decided where to go because he was afraid you and your parents would be too influenced by it. He wanted you to base your decision on more practical reasons. It''s fine to tell you now, though." Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The famous Sunfall had actually been backing Ariom? Thenio couldn''t deny that he probably would have been swayed by that knowledge if he''d found out earlier. His parents definitely would have. His mother in particular would adore the idea of having a connection to one of the most powerful people in the country. It was probably better not to mention it to them. "Well, getting back on topic: If chronic destabilization is caused by a fundamental problem with a person''s magic circuit, then acute destabilization is caused by some kind of external influence. It can be something that affects the person as a whole, like an injury, an illness, or an emotional trauma. Or it can be something that affects the person''s magic directly. Eating something that''s too high in magic content, for example. Or having your magic directly tampered with by another wizard or a magic beast. Exhausting your magic power too frequently can do it, too. Whatever the cause, it''s generally something that''s temporary and can be resolved by removing the source of the problem. Does that make sense?" "I think so." Thenio was quiet for a minute. "But then...what about me? People have been saying I have an acute instability, but if it''s something innate to chaos morphs, then isn''t it a fundamental problem with my magic power?" "The short answer is...it''s both. And neither. Why do you think it''s so hard to figure out how to help you?" Bero sighed. "I wanted to make sure you understand how magic instabilities normally work so that you can properly understand how abnormal yours is. Going back to our water pipe analogy, there doesn''t seem to be a problem with the pipe or with the amount of water. There''s a problem with the water itself. It''s almost like your pipe doesn''t have water in it at all. It has an entirely different type of liquid¡ªa volatile liquid that reacts whenever it encounters water from outside. So technically, it falls under the definition of an acute instability. But it has a chronic aspect in that it''s caused by the innate nature of your magic. And if you think that''s confusing...well, you''re not the only one." Thenio didn''t know what to say to that. He was starting to wish he''d never asked about those stupid elementalism exercises. "So if your magic itself is the problem.... Well, here''s a puzzle for you: I told you earlier that void affinities can become elementalists, right? That they can learn to use almost any type of magic. How do you think they do that?" Thenio frowned. That was a strange thing to say, now that he thought about it. A null affinity meant that someone didn''t have any particular affinity, so they could use all types of magic equally well...or equally poorly, as was too often the case with null mages. Void affinities were different, though. Void magic was unique in that it only affected other magic. Having a void affinity meant a person was able to directly manipulate magic power other than their own, which was why Ariom was able to disperse Thenio''s magic when it built up and started to go out of control. Void mages would be able to make use of other types of magic power if they were already present, but they shouldn''t be able to produce different types on their own. Elementalists didn''t have to be able to produce all types of magic¡ªthere were plenty that specialized in just one or two. But they''d have to be able to produce something besides void magic, which couldn''t directly affect physical elements. So, by that logic, void mages shouldn''t be able to become elementalists. But Bero said they could. That they could even be good at it. So how did they do it? Just carry around a bag full of different types of magic crystals? That seemed terribly unwieldy. And you wouldn''t be able to qualify for an elementalist certification if you relied on tools like that. Thenio looked toward the kitchen, where Ariom, the resident elementalist void mage, was busy chopping vegetables. All the magic tools in the kitchen were presumably designed to operate using void magic. So how did a magic stove use void magic to cook things? Well, that was easy. The enchantment matrix included an attribute conversion formation to change it into fire magic. The efficiency varied, but most types of magic could be converted into most other types, as long as you ran them through the right conversion formation. So if you were a void mage...who could directly manipulate magic power...as well as an enchanter who understood how attribute conversion worked...and you wanted to use different kinds of magic.... "Do they...use magic manipulation on their own magic and convert it into other types?" Thenio asked hesitantly. That sounded like it would take a ridiculous level of magic control, but it should be possible...at least in theory. Bero gave him a wide smile. "Well done! Ariom said you were a good student. You figured it out quickly." "Can they really do that?" In answer, Bero turned toward the kitchen and called out, "Hey, Ariom. Do something to convince this skeptic, will you?" Ariom paused his chopping. "You know we have to be careful using magic around him.... But fine. I can do a little." He set down his knife and held out his hand, palm facing upward. "This is one of Iggy''s favorites." A stream of water rose up from his hand, spiraling in a widening circle. It broke apart into a flock of small birds that flew around the kitchen, tiny water wings flapping and sparkling as they caught the light. After circling the room a few times, they dove down toward the sink, disintegrating as they fell and landing in a splash of water droplets. Thenio blinked and realized that his mouth was hanging open. He closed it quickly but still felt stunned by what he had just seen. That would have been an impressive display of magic control even for a water sorcerer. But had Ariom seriously been converting his magic to a different attribute and manipulating it with that level of control at the same time? The crazy genius.... That was...so unfair.... "Do you believe he can do it now?" Bero asked with a smile. Thenio nodded silently. His throat felt a little tight. "Obviously you''re not a void affinity, so we don''t expect you to be able to do exactly the same thing," Bero went on. "But you should still be able to do some of the same exercises that Ariom does. We''re hoping that, by practicing such a direct and precise method of using magic, you''ll at least gain enough control over your own magic power that you can keep it from running wild. And if we combine that with some customized magic insulation devices...well, maybe we can manage to keep you alive a while longer." Thenio let out a small sigh. Keep him alive, huh? He knew that even that much would be difficult, and he ought to be grateful for whatever he could get. But he still ached a little inside when he thought about those water birds.
Thenio went back to his room after dinner. Iggy had wanted to continue their tour of the house, but Bero talked him into waiting until tomorrow, saying that Thenio had had enough stimulation for one day and needed to rest. "Close your door if you don''t want any dragons joining you during the night," Ariom had warned him as he left the dining room. "If he sees an open door, Iggy will assume it''s fine to wander in whenever he feels like it." Thenio had debated for a while, but in the end, he left both doors leading into his bedroom ajar. He was used to sleeping with his door open a little anyway. It was a habit he''d started when Butterfly was still around, and he''d kept it up because of his little brother. For some reason, when Kleyo was younger, he''d usually chosen Thenio to go to whenever he woke up from a bad dream or needed help with something during the night. Kleyo had grown out of that stage a while ago, but Thenio still found himself opening the door a little before he went to sleep most nights. He changed his clothes but didn''t go to bed right away. Instead, he got out his drawing supplies. There was a bay window with a cushioned window seat on one side of the room, and Thenio settled down there with his pencil and sketchbook. Drawing helped him sort out his thoughts, and he felt like he had plenty that needed sorting tonight. He started by sketching a few of the decorations around the room and then moved on to Ariom''s golem carriage and Iggy''s tree. He was just drawing from memory, so they probably weren''t very accurate, but he didn''t mind that as long as he got the overall impression down. He made a rough attempt at replicating the pattern on the dining room table. Then he started drawing the familiars. Iggy wrestling with Obby and standing up to look out the carriage window and perching on the railing of the atrium balcony. Humerus looking like a normal dragon. Then Humerus as a skeleton, hugging his wooden puppet. Iggy eating out of his bowl at dinner. "Those are nice drawings." Thenio jumped and turned his head toward the unexpected voice. Then his whole body froze. The pencil slipped out of his hand and rolled onto the floor. There was a dragon skeleton floating in midair a short distance away, watching him with fiery green eyes. The two stared at each other for a long moment. "Hehehe! You should see your face right now!" Humerus suddenly burst into laughter. He flopped down and started rolling around, cackling. While still floating in midair. "Humerus!" came an angry voice from the bedroom door. "Don''t bully Thenio!" Thenio looked down to see Iggy run into the room and jump up onto the window seat, where he held his wings out protectively and glared at the floating skeleton. "Bad Humerus! Ariom told you not to scare Thenio! I''ll tell on you!" "All right, all right.... I just had to try it once." Humerus said, still giggling. "But your magic really does flare up when you get startled, doesn''t it? I thought maybe Ariom was making a big deal over nothing." "It''s bad to pick on Thenio! Say you''re sorry and promise not to do it anymore. Or no eggs for you!" Iggy told him sternly. "Okay, fine. I''m sorry. I won''t do it anymore." Humerus finally stopped laughing and floated down to land on the still-frozen Thenio''s shoulder. Thenio''s face twitched. He was relieved the revenant was no longer hanging unnaturally in the air, but having a recently-floating-and-cackling skeleton sitting on his shoulder was a little.... "You''re really good at drawing." Humerus bent down to examine Thenio''s sketchbook more closely, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "Huh? I want to see!" Iggy either decided to forgive Humerus or was distracted from being angry. He abandoned his protective pose and stood up on his hind legs with his front paws on the edge of the sketchbook. "Oh! Thenio was drawing us! That''s me! And Humerus! And Obby!" His tail started waving energetically. Watching the little dragon happily looking over the drawings, Thenio finally relaxed and let out a long sigh. "Come here. You don''t need to look at them upside down." He lifted Iggy onto his lap and repositioned the sketchbook so both familiars could see it. "Aren''t there more before that?" Humerus asked. "Turn the page back! I want to see the rest." Thenio obediently turned the page so they could see the drawings he''d done earlier that evening. "That''s my climbing tree?" Iggy tilted his head. "Oh! And our metal horse!" "It''s a golem," Humerus corrected him. "But it''s a metal horse, too, you know?" Iggy argued. "It''s a metal horse golem, okay? We have lots of golems. I have to call it by the right name to know which one I mean!" Humerus sighed. "Whatever...." He acted annoyed by the younger familiar a lot of the time, but Thenio had noticed that Humerus usually caved in easily whenever Iggy wanted something. He was starting to suspect that the revenant was actually very fond of the little dragon. "I saw these ones before," Iggy said after they''d gone back a few pages in the sketchbook. "I didn''t. I want to see them, too!" "You can look at them later, okay? I want to watch Thenio draw some new pictures!" "Oh." Humerus thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, then. Let''s watch him draw for now." Thenio made a face. Apparently they didn''t think it was necessary to ask his opinion.... Well, he didn''t really mind, though. He looked around. "All right. But I need to find my pencil first. I''m not sure where it went." "I see it!" Humerus said brightly. "It fell on the floor. I''ll get it for you." The pencil floated up off the carpet and drifted over in front of Thenio. "Uh...thanks." Thenio took the pencil, a little reluctantly. He had to admit that Humerus'' magic was handy, but did he have to keep doing the creepy floating thing...? Shaking his head a little, Thenio turned to a blank page in the sketchbook and held his pencil over it. "Is it okay if I draw some animals for you? That''s what I''m best at." "Mmm!" Iggy said happily. "I want to see Thenio draw animals!" "Animals are fine, I guess." Humerus pretended to sound disinterested, but Thenio could feel the skeleton''s bony tail waving against his back. He filled several more sketchbook pages with various animals. Iggy kept up a constant stream of chatter, asking questions about each animal and calling out excitedly whenever he recognized the newest one Thenio was drawing. Humerus mostly watched silently, occasionally asking a question or making a snarky response to something Iggy said. Looking at the two of them, Thenio wondered if this was how Eteon felt whenever he and Kleyo came to the park to sit and watch him carve. It was really...kind of nice. Chapter 15 - A Visit To The Dragons Playground "Thenio, look! This is the sandbox! We can dig in the sand and make castles and tunnels and ponds and rivers, and then the water comes out over there, and then the rivers have water in them! And the toys can go swimming! We can go swimming, too, if we make a big enough pond. But it''s hard to make a pond that big, you know? You have to dig lots and lots! So I mostly just go swimming in the bathtub instead." Thenio''s magic instability therapy had begun in earnest that morning. Bero and Ariom really were serious about examining anything that could possibly be having an influence on his magic, so he''d spent the last several hours answering their questions about everything from the kinds of food he normally ate to his physical training routines to his hobbies and the people he frequently spent time with. They even looked at things like his clothing and art supplies to see if there were any materials in them that could be causing a negative reaction. It was an exhausting process, but they''d done their best to be considerate of his still-suppressed energy levels by giving him frequent breaks in between questioning sessions. "Do you know how to build sandcastles? I can teach you how, okay? I''m good at building sandcastles! Not as good as Ariom...but he cheats by using magic, so that doesn''t count." Thenio was currently having a break until after lunch, so Iggy was finally able to finish showing him around the atrium. He followed along behind the little dragon, doing his best to keep up as Iggy dashed around, chattering excitedly. "This is the flower garden, okay? We have lots of pretty flowers! And the vegetable garden is over there. It grows tasty things. Sometimes I sneak one for a snack while I''m playing...but don''t tell Ariom, okay? It''s a secret. And I helped plant everything! I dug lots and lots of holes for all the seeds to go in!" Most of the atrium was obviously designed to be a dragon play area. But there were several garden patches in the back along the glass wall. Though judging from the less-than-pristine state of the plants growing there, this garden was also intended more for Iggy''s enjoyment than for serious production. And Thenio was fairly sure that Ariom already knew the dragon was getting snacks here. The tiny footprints surrounding the harried-looking pea and tomato plants were pretty much a dead giveaway.... "There''s a greenhouse behind the house, too, you know? There are lots more plants there! But. I''m not allowed to go in there. Except when Ariom takes me to look around. And he makes me wear my leash! He says I might forget that it''s dangerous and that I''m not supposed to touch anything. But I won''t forget, okay? I won''t! I tell him that, but he never listens!" Iggy''s ears flattened, and he flicked his tail irritably. "I don''t like to wear my leash! But. There are lots of pretty magic plants in the greenhouse. I like them a lot! So sometimes I wear the leash anyways so I can go see them. And Humerus isn''t allowed in the greenhouse at all, you know? Not even with a leash! Because he can move things without touching them, right? So Ariom says he''ll sneak magic plants and eat them and make himself sick." That did seem like the sort of thing that Humerus might do. He was surprisingly good natured for a creature that lived inside corpses, but his self-restraint left a little to be desired. The revenant was currently having lunch in Bero''s room. He ate separately from the rest of them. Thenio didn''t exactly know why, but Iggy had said something about Humerus being a ''messy eater.'' Since revenants ate things that were high in magic power, that probably meant there was something about the process that made magic leak out, so it wasn''t safe for Thenio to be nearby. "We have golems that take care of the plants, you know? They give them water and plant food and pull out all the weeds that sneak in and try to bully them. There are golems that clean the house, too! Only they don''t go in your room, okay? Ariom was worried that the golems getting close might scare Thenio''s magic, so he told them not to clean in there anymore. And they only come out at night now. Ariom says that most people tell their cleaning golems to come out at night. But he knows I like the golems, so he let them come out during the day. I like to ride them around while they clean. It''s fun, you know? But. Now they only clean at night.... But it''s okay! Because it''s to keep Thenio''s magic from getting scared, and that''s super important, right? And I can still ride my train around. The train is even better to ride than the golems! Come on, I''ll show you!" Iggy trotted off to yet another part of the atrium. Thenio shook his head helplessly and followed him. He was starting to understand why Ariom had said that half of his work as an assistant was going to be looking after Iggy. Chasing the hyper little dragon around was a job in and of itself. He could also understand why Ariom made Iggy wear a leash so often. Though it was probably better not to say that out loud.... The train was just outside what Iggy called ''the toy closet.'' Thenio thought it looked more like an alcove than a closet, but it did have plenty of toys, which were organized neatly on shelves. Each shelf had a ramp leading up to it¡ªpresumably for easy dragon access. There was a small wooden train station built against the wall to the side of the alcove, with a dragon-sized toy train sitting on a track next to it. Iggy ran to the front of the train and clambered into the open locomotive compartment. Then he hesitated, looking at the empty train cars behind him and then up at Thenio. "The train is too small for Thenio to ride..." he said sadly, ears drooping a little. "It''s okay," Thenio reassured him with a smile. "You can ride it, and I''ll watch you." He turned his head to follow the train track, which seemed to wrap around the walls of the atrium. "It looks like the train goes up to the balcony. Is that right?" "Mmm!" Iggy nodded. "There''s another train station up there, you know? And when you get there, you can turn around and come back down if you want to. Or you can keep going all the way up to the ceiling! Riding around up there is super fun!" "Okay, then why don''t you go ahead and ride around up by the ceiling for a few minutes, so I can see how it works? I''ll go upstairs to the balcony, and you can meet me there on your way back down and show me the other train station. All right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy turned and put his front paws on a large crystal that was set into the front part of the locomotive. The crystal started glowing faintly as the dragon infused magic power into it, and the wheels of the train started turning. "I''m going! Bye, Thenio! I''ll see you upstairs!" He raised one of his paws to wave at Thenio as the train moved away. Thenio smiled and waved back as the train picked up speed and headed off toward the other end of the atrium. Then he slowly headed up the stairs leading to the balcony, turning his head regularly to watch the train''s progress. He wouldn''t tell Iggy this, of course, but he was actually grateful for a chance to take a break from running after the little dragon for a few minutes. His suppression bands were now set to thirty percent, which was an improvement, but physical activity still wore him out far too quickly. Ariom had said the insulation bands he planned to make shouldn''t have these kinds of side effects. Thenio hoped that really turned out to be the case. He felt like a pretty poor excuse for a magic assistant, not even being able to play with his employer''s dragon without getting tired out. He sat down in a chair close to the edge of the balcony, in a position where he could see most of the train tracks that spiraled up the atrium. They were worked neatly into the rest of the decorative metal framework that held up the glass walls, so he hadn''t even noticed they were there before now. Not that he''d really had a chance to look around the atrium properly yet, on account of a certain little dragon taking up most of his attention. The tracks also ran along the front of the balcony railing. When the train reached that section, Iggy lifted one of his front paws to wave vigorously in Thenio''s direction. Thenio waved too, thinking it was a good thing the dragon''s tail was safely tucked away inside the locomotive compartment. It would be a bit dangerous if he were waving it around like he usually did. As the train disappeared on the other side of the balcony, Thenio heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Ariom approaching. "You must be getting a train demonstration." Ariom went to the railing and looked in the direction the train was heading. "I came to call you for lunch. Are the other two still upstairs?" "I think so. I haven''t seen them for a while." There was a slightly awkward pause. "I feel kind of bad about you having to do all the cooking," Thenio added, trying to keep the conversation going. "I don''t mind helping out once we get through all the testing and things. My brothers and I did most of the cooking at home, since my parents are busy with work a lot. And I know I probably won''t really be all that useful to you as a magic assistant, so I should do whatever I can." "Well, I appreciate that. But don''t stress over it. I know you''re technically here as my employee, but remember that the military is also giving me a stipend to cover your expenses. I''m not really losing anything by having you live here, even if all you do is play around with Iggy." Ariom''s eyes were following the train''s progress around the atrium. "He''s really happy to have you here. He''s been pretty lonely since Toflyn and Sundog moved out." Thenio wasn''t quite sure how to respond to that, and another awkward silence descended over them. It occurred to Thenio that this was actually the first time he''d spoken to Ariom alone, without Iggy or Bero around. Bero had made a few passing references to his nephew''s lack of social skills. Thenio hadn''t taken it too seriously at the time, since Ariom didn''t really seem to have any trouble teaching a scribing class or presenting himself during the meeting at the Stability Center. But maybe he was the sort of person who was fine in a professional setting but had a hard time in more casual situations. Thenio wasn''t exactly a social butterfly himself, of course. But if his guess was right, then the solution was pretty obvious, even to him. "Um...I didn''t get a really good look at Iggy''s train," he ventured, breaking the silence. "But it looked like the locomotive is basically a simplified version of a magic car. Is that right?" Was it just his imagination? Or did Ariom''s posture relax slightly when he heard the question? "That''s right." Ariom turned to look at him. "The enchantment matrix converts the magic Iggy infuses into the collector crystal into wind magic, which is then used to generate a propulsion force that turns the wheels. Most full-size magic trains operate on the same basic principle, but they''re designed to run off of magic crystals instead of needing constant input like magic cars do. I opted for a direct input design for Iggy''s train for a couple of reasons. It helps him train his magic control, for one thing." He glanced back at Iggy''s train, which was now circling the top of the atrium. "But more importantly, it''s for safety. If he has to keep touching the crystal to make the train run, that means he has to sit still in his seat instead of climbing around on a moving train and falling off or getting his tail caught in the wheels or who knows what else." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Thenio also looked up at the train. "Is it worth all the effort of building something like that for him when he can just fly up there?" he wondered aloud. "He couldn''t fly yet when we first made it. That was why we came up with the idea, actually. Iggy was jealous of Sundog being able to fly up to the top of the atrium. Toflyn and I decided to make a train so that the two of them could ride around up there together. But they kept using it even after Iggy learned to fly. It''s hard to really enjoy the view up there when you have to keep flapping to stay in the air. Plus, Iggy just likes toys in general. He keeps asking for his own magic car, too, but I''ve been telling him he has to wait until he''s older. The train is fine because it has to stay on its track, but I''m really not keen on the idea of him being free to drive all over the house. He''s good enough at crashing into things as it is." "That does seem like a scary prospect...." Thenio said with a weak laugh, picturing the little dragon zooming around in a tiny magic car. "Do you have a magic car, then, if you know how to build them? I''ve seen them around the city, but I''ve never ridden in one." Magic cars weren''t nearly as popular as golem carriages were. The need for direct magic input meant that only high-level wizards used them. Golems were usually powered by magic crystals, so even people who couldn''t use magic could operate one. They were still expensive, though, so most people relied on public trolleys and trains. "I have one," Ariom said, nodding. "But I don''t use it that often. Usually just when I have to drive outside the city. For shorter trips, golems are easier to use and don''t stand out as much. And I get a really good exchange rate on magic crystals, so I always have plenty." "Exchange rate? What do you mean?" Thenio asked, puzzled. "Oh, I guess you don''t know yet, since you haven''t been aware that you have a rare magic affinity for very long. Plus, your situation is a little...special. Anyways, for people with unusual magic types, there are always workshops that are happy to trade for your magic crystals. Especially for arcane types, since those are more difficult to convert to. I can give them one of my crystals and get ten to twenty crystals of a more common type in exchange. I have standing arrangements with a couple of workshops here in Kamari." Twenty crystals?! In exchange for just one? That was crazy. Thenio had always thought that life magic was the luckiest kind to have. It was the most common of the arcane type affinities, but there was always a high demand for it, so life mages could pretty much earn a living just by selling their magic crystals if they wanted to. But having a void affinity didn''t seem too shabby, either. Of course, people seemed to value Thenio''s magic crystals quite a lot, too. But only as research materials. Their structure was too irregular to make them useful for much of anything else. Thenio sighed a little. One more reason to resent being born with this stupid chaos affinity....
After lunch, Thenio visited Ariom''s workshop for the first time. The house was split into two wings, with the atrium in between them. The north wing was the living area, where the kitchen and bedrooms were located. And the east wing was where Ariom worked. After seeing the rest of the house, Thenio had expected the facilities to be impressive, and he wasn''t disappointed. It was everything he could have expected from a grandmaster enchanter''s private workshop. On the ground floor, there was an elegant entrance hall that led into a reception room, where Ariom welcomed clients. He referred to this as the ''pointlessly fancy'' part of the house, but it was much less gaudy than Thenio''s aunt''s house was. His mother had always been envious of her older sister''s luxuriously decorated home, but Thenio had never been that impressed by it. Ariom''s furniture and decor might not be as flashy, but they were probably more expensive and of higher quality. They were definitely in better taste. Behind the reception area was the magic circuit analysis lab¡ªa large room full of complicated-looking equipment. Thenio recognized a couple of measuring devices that the doctors had used on him during his examinations at the Stability Center, but most of the machinery was completely unfamiliar. "I won''t explain everything to you right now," Ariom said as they looked into the lab from the hallway. "But don''t worry¡ªyou''ll be spending plenty of time in here during the next couple of weeks. I know you already went through a lot of testing at the Stability Center. They gave me a copy of that data. But I''m an enchanter, not a doctor, so the way I analyze magic circuits is a little different. And going through the analysis process yourself will be a good opportunity to learn how it works. I''d probably have you do it for that reason alone, even if we didn''t need the information. But today we''re just going to do a basic visual examination of your magic." Ariom led the way up to the second floor. Thenio was carrying Iggy, who had worn himself out playing tour guide and was now quiet and drowsy-looking. Bero followed along behind them with Humerus sitting on his shoulder. They stopped briefly at the magic reference library so that Thenio could look around it. Then they finally arrived at the workroom. Unlike the rooms on the lower floor, which were clearly designed for visitors to see, this room had a practical, lived-in feeling to it. The walls were covered with racks of enchanting tools and boards with reference charts and enchanting diagrams fastened on them. The desk and long work table had various papers, tools, and raw materials scattered over them¡ªthe evidence of work in progress. There was also a large dragon box set into one wall, equipped with a climbing tower, a basket full of toys, various cushions, and even a small water fountain. This was probably where Ariom and Iggy spent most of their time. "Put Iggy in the dragon box for now," Ariom told Thenio as they entered the room. "He''s obviously ready for his afternoon nap. The hammock in the corner is his favorite spot. Just leave the door open. He can rejoin us whenever he wakes up." Thenio carried Iggy into the small glass room. There was a woven hammock with a pile of blankets on top of it that was attached to the climbing tower about halfway up the wall, positioned so that it had a clear view through the window into the workroom. Thenio set the sleepy little dragon down on it, and he promptly burrowed into the blankets, leaving his long black tail hanging out. Thenio smiled and gave the blanket lump a little pat before going back out to the workroom. "Come sit here." Ariom gestured at a chair next to the worktable. Bero was already sitting in another chair facing it, and Humerus was on the table between them. "We''ll start by having you show us the magic training exercises you''ve been doing." "Weren''t those in my records from the Stability Center?" Thenio asked as he sat down. "Yes, but we want to observe the flow of your magic while you do them," Bero told him. "I haven''t seen you use magic at all yet, and Ariom has only seen a little. Here, let me take your suppression bands off for you. It''s better if we see your magic at full power." Thenio held out his hands and watched while Bero unfastened the leather straps. The suppression bands that the Stability Center had given him had exclusionary magic locks on them. Any magic user who knew the right procedure could unlock them...apart from Thenio himself. The doctors had told him it was standard procedure for younger patients, but it still irritated him a little. He could understand why they might not trust a sixteen-year-old boy who had a history of causing explosions. And it hadn''t really been a problem because he''d never been very far away from another magic user since he¡¯d started wearing them. But...well. It didn''t exactly help him feel more in control of things. He felt the usual burst of energy as the bands came off, and he closed his eyes and did some breathing exercises for a minute or two to calm his magic down. Then he started going through his current training routine. This was much simpler than the training he''d been doing a couple of months ago. It mainly consisted of exercises to regulate the circulation of magic power in his body, plus a little magic orb juggling to practice power emission and manipulation. Thenio did his best to ignore the two wizards and one familiar who were watching him intently. He was pretty used to having people staring at him while he used magic by now, since the doctors at the Stability Center had done the same thing. But having a dragon skeleton with green fire eyes watching him do magic exercises felt a little surreal.... He let out a small exhale of relief as he finished the last exercise without anything going horribly wrong. "That''s everything," he said, glancing between the three of them to see their reactions. "It''s better," Ariom said, nodding. "Your magic flow still isn''t normal, but it''s much more stable than it was when I first saw it. Your magic circuit seems to have mostly healed up." He turned to his uncle. "What do you think?" "It''s...interesting," Bero replied, still looking over Thenio appraisingly. "But you''re right¡ªhis magic circuit looks pretty good. There are still a few residual scars, but he''s young enough that they shouldn''t be permanent. The circuit growth looks quite good...no particular problems with the formation so far...." He noticed Thenio''s curious look and added, "I used to do magic circuit alteration at the Stability Center. Occasionally, people develop stability problems because their magic circuits don''t form properly. It can usually be fixed if it''s caught soon enough, but it''s a long and painful process. So be glad you don''t have to deal with that, at least." He glanced at Ariom. "Let''s take a look at his reaction to ambient magic." "All right." Ariom turned to pick up a short crystal rod from his desk, which he handed to Thenio. "This is just a simple magic torch. You''ve probably used one before." Thenio nodded. These were frequently used in beginning magic training. They lit up when infused with magic. The brightness varied depending on how much power you put in, so you had to keep the flow steady in order to keep the light from flickering. "All right. I just want you to focus on emitting enough power for the light to stay on. I''m going to be deliberately interfering with your magic, so you''ll have a hard time keeping it steady. But that''s fine. Just relax and keep your magic flow going. I promise I won''t let you go out of control." "Um...okay...." Thenio couldn''t help feeling a little nervous at the idea, but he reminded himself of how easily Ariom had kept his magic in check back at the academy and the impressive control he''d shown in making those water birds fly around the kitchen. Everything would be fine. Probably. He took a deep breath and let a small amount of magic flow into the torch, making it glow with a soft white light. Right. Like that. Just keep it nice and stea¡ª. Thenio suddenly felt his magic surge wildly. The torch flared brightly and then went out as the magic wave disappeared as quickly as it had come. He stared at it for a moment, not quite sure what had just happened. Then he looked up at Ariom, who was standing next to him. "See?" Ariom said, patting his shoulder. "It was probably a little startling, but you''re still fine, aren''t you?" Thenio nodded slowly. It wasn''t pleasant, but it was true that nothing really bad had happened. Then he glanced at Bero and was surprised to see a troubled frown on his face. "Just like you said, huh...?" Bero muttered. He turned to Humerus, and the two of them exchanged a long look. Then he looked at Ariom. "Let me see it again. Go more slowly this time." Ariom nodded and looked at Thenio, who grimaced but obediently lit up the torch again. This time, he managed to keep the light steady for about ten seconds before he felt his magic power gradually starting to swell. The light grew brighter until he had to squint to keep looking at it. Then he felt his magic dissipate again, and the light went out. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the spots floating in front of his eyes. "Hmm." Bero tapped the table thoughtfully with his finger. "I see why you and Focilo both wanted me to come take a look at him. This...really is interesting." He seemed to notice Thenio''s concerned look because he gave him a reassuring smile. "The way you react to ambient magic power is quite unusual. I''ll explain why in a minute. First...can I have one more look? Play around a little more this time. I want to see if he does the same thing when you use different types of magic." "Got it." Ariom nodded again. "I thought it was better to be cautious, so I was keeping it simple, but it looks like it''s safe as long as I don''t use too much power." He glanced at Thenio. "Last time, all right?" Thenio sighed and lit the torch again. The process took much longer this time. He felt his magic build up for a few seconds, then it relaxed, and he was able to regain control. Then it swelled up again. Then went down. Then went up.... The light finally flared brightly and went out. Thenio had to do another round of blinking before his vision went back to normal. He really hoped they stuck to their word and didn''t ask for another repeat. When he looked up again, he saw Bero and Humerus exchanging another long stare. Then they both turned to look at him. "Thenio," Bero said in a gentle voice, as though he were speaking to a young child. "I need to ask you something. It might be difficult to answer, but do your best, all right?" "Okay...." Thenio agreed cautiously. What was this about? "You already know I''m a necromancer, right?" Bero went on in the same gentle, patient tone. "And that I run a spectral beast farm? I have a Class D magic beast handling license, and I''ve worked with a lot of species that most people would avoid¡ªeverything from wisps to mimics to chupacabras. My familiar is a revenant who lives in a dragon skeleton and loves corny chicken jokes. So it''s fair to say that I''m comfortable with unusual creatures, right?" "Um...right?" Thenio had no idea where this was going. "Right. That means whatever the answer to this question is, it''s all right. I won¡¯t think any less of you, and you won''t be in any danger, no matter what you say. So please answer honestly." Bero looked directly into Thenio''s eyes. "Are you really human?" Chapter 16 - Sometimes You Just Need a Magic Creature to Cuddle "Huh?" Thenio stared at Bero, bewildered. "What are you talking about? Of course I''m human. What else would I be?" "Well, that''s the question, isn''t it?" Bero said with a small chuckle. "I honestly don''t know. You look human. You act human. Siora Iterune certainly seems to be your mother. I''ve seen your medical records, going clear back through her pregnancy check-ups before you were born. No record of any paternity tests, but I saw you standing next to your father yesterday, and you definitely resemble him. There''s really nothing to suggest that you''re not human. Except...for the small but significant fact that you can absorb magic. I''ve never seen a human do that before." "Wait, what?" Thenio blinked. "Absorb magic? When was I absorbing magic?" "Just now. You didn''t notice? That''s how Ariom was making your magic destabilize. He wasn''t directly manipulating it at all. He was just releasing magic close to you and letting you absorb it. Do you remember how we talked about magic circuits being like water pipes? And how a person''s magic destabilizes if their power level exceeds the capacity of the circuit?" "Yeah...?" "Well, that''s what was happening to you. Ariom released some of his magic, and you absorbed it into your magic circuit, which temporarily pushed you over your capacity and destabilized you. Well, he was deliberately doing it in a way that would cause a more pronounced effect. If it were always that bad, you probably wouldn''t have survived attending the Royal Academy. But that''s part of what''s so strange about it. There are a lot of creatures that absorb magic power in one way or another. But none of them have to worry about potentially killing themselves when they do." He gave a nod in Humerus'' direction. "Revenants have a tendency to be greedy and eat more magic than is good for them if they get the opportunity. But all that happens is that they lose their senses and go on a sort of drunken rampage until they burn off the extra power. Then they''re fine again. All the spectral beasts and magic parasites that I know of are the same. They might have temporary side effects from overeating, but they don''t literally explode." "I guess that rules out the theory that he''s a very high-level revenant that''s capable of inhabiting living bodies?" Ariom said, watching Thenio thoughtfully. "Not that I was really sure about that idea to begin with. His process of absorbing magic doesn''t look very similar to Humerus'' or the chickens''." Bero shook his head. "No. And most magic parasites are the same¡ªthey have to take the magic in and digest it for a while in order to convert it into their own type. They can''t just immediately assimilate it like he''s doing." "Wisps and elementals absorb it directly like that, don''t they? No...but they''re only attuned to one type of magic...and he can take in every type that I''ve tried so far...." Ariom frowned. "I''ve really never seen anything like it before." "You haven''t?" Bero looked slightly surprised. "Oh. I guess you''ve been zealously avoiding anything military-related ever since you were a teenager, so you wouldn''t have seen one since you learned to use magesight." Ariom frowned. "One what?" "A demon, of course. The way he absorbs magic looks just like how a demon does it. Well...apart from the exploding thing." A moment of stunned silence followed this remark, which Bero had said in a surprisingly nonchalant manner, considering the subject matter. "Well, obviously you''re not a demon," he added in response to the horrified look Thenio was giving him. "They''re just mindless eating machines. Even worse than mimics, which is saying something." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You do sometimes hear wild rumors about an intelligent species of demons that''s in contact with the government higher-ups...or the Wizard Association...or some cult or criminal organization.... There are various conspiracy theories floating around. Probably all complete nonsense. But if there''s any truth to it at all, General Obarin would know. And there''s no way he would have let a civilian wizard take custody of you if he thought you might be a demon." "Does he even know Thenio can absorb magic?" Ariom asked. "It wasn''t in the records we got from the Stability Center. And I only told them he was being influenced by ambient magic, since I didn''t see enough back at the academy to be sure." "You really think Focilo Sephior wouldn''t notice something like this?" Bero gave his nephew a skeptical look. "He probably filed a separate report directly to Kalion. I told you Focilo contacted me to make sure I was going to come help you out. He didn''t say it outright, but he definitely implied it was because he wanted me to take a look at Thenio, as someone who''s familiar with spectral beasts. Most of the doctors at the Center probably aren''t aware of it, though. It''s common for them to keep sensitive information like that in separate files, that only the head doctors have access to. It''s a government-run facility, after all. They see plenty of things that they can''t talk about openly." Ariom frowned. "So you''re saying they deliberately withheld information from us? Same as the Association did? How do they expect us to take care of this kid if they won''t tell us everything they know?" "Focilo would have known we would find out about the magic absorption ourselves. They''re probably not really trying to hide anything. I expect they''re just keeping it quiet so that people don''t jump to conclusions about him. You know how most people feel about creatures that eat magic." Bero shot a glance at Humerus. "As for the Association...well, I agree there are some suspicious omissions in the files they sent you. But we don''t know enough to ascribe motivations to it at this point." "And they wonder why people come up with those conspiracy theories...." Ariom muttered with a sour expression. "What information did they leave out?" Thenio asked tentatively, not entirely sure that he even wanted to hear the answer. "Well, there''s nothing about previous chaos morphs absorbing magic, for one thing," Bero said. "And it''s a little hard to believe that none of the Association researchers would have noticed. But the most obvious thing is that there weren''t any detailed magic profile analyses." "That would be things like the blood analysis that Professor Rhimari did when I took you to his lab," Ariom put in. "And there''s no way they don''t have anything like that. Even if the technology wasn''t available for some of the older cases, there should at least be some magic crystal samples. Look at how many of your crystals the Stability Center has been sending around for different people to research. And they should have been able to do a blood analysis for the most recent chaos morph, even if¡ª" He suddenly broke off and looked at Thenio with a slightly apologetic expression. Clearing his throat, he went on in a more subdued voice, "...even if he was only seven years old when he died, so he wasn''t old enough to give them any very good magic samples." Thenio looked down at the magic torch he was still holding in his hands. Seven years old. That was the same age as Kleyo.... "Why don''t we put your suppression bands back on?" Bero suggested gently. "I think we''ve done enough examinations for right now." Thenio nodded without raising his head. He placed the torch on the work table and held out his hands. None of them spoke while Bero put the leather straps back in place on his wrists. The uncomfortable silence lasted for a minute or two. Then it was broken by a small thump coming from the next room. Looking around, Thenio saw a groggy-looking Iggy appear in the doorway of the dragon box, holding one corner of a blanket in his mouth. He came over to them, eyes only half open, dragging the blanket along with him and occasionally stumbling over it. It was just a small blanket¡ªthe kind that had been scattered all over Thenio''s house when Lem and Kleyo were babies. But it was still rather large for such a tiny dragon to carry. Iggy came up beside Thenio''s chair and looked up at him for a moment, blinking sleepily. Then he crouched down and jumped up onto Thenio''s lap. Or...almost onto his lap. The blanket got in the way, causing the dragon to land just below Thenio''s knee and have to grab onto his pant leg and clamber the rest of the way up. Then he started circling around like he was about to settle down, but in the process, he got himself tangled in the blanket he was still resolutely pulling with him. Thenio had to intervene and untangle him, holding the blanket up out of the way until he had finished circling and had curled himself up in a tight ball. Then he wrapped the blanket lightly around the sleepy little dragon, forming a small nest. Iggy laid his head down on one side of it and seemed to fall back asleep almost immediately, the corner of the blanket still clamped between his teeth. Thenio smiled and lightly scratched the dragon''s head in between his tiny horns. Funny little guy. Had he somehow sensed that Thenio was upset? Or was the timing just a coincidence? Bero chuckled. "Leave it to Iggy to lighten the mood. If I didn''t know better, I''d think that was his familiar talent." "Does he have a familiar talent?" Thenio asked, stroking Iggy''s back. A familiar talent was a special ability that familiars sometimes developed as a result of forming a contract. It was usually just an enhancement of one of their natural abilities, but once in a while it was something completely unexpected, such as a gryphon randomly developing the ability to breathe underwater. Ariom nodded. "It''s his high magic sensitivity. All dragons have good magic senses, but Iggy has an exceptional ability to recognize magic patterns. He actually helps me a lot with my work because of how quickly he''s able to understand the flow of magic in an enchantment and spot any problems. It''s a bit uncanny, really." Thenio looked down at the little black dragon curled up on his lap. He didn''t look like he''d be that good at analyzing enchantments. And after chasing him around the atrium that morning, he found it hard to believe Iggy would be able to sit still and focus on anything long enough to analyze it. Of course, the dragon had been quiet and well-behaved during Thenio''s scribing class. So maybe he could do it when he wanted to. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "What about Humerus?" Speaking of familiars being quiet and well-behaved.... The skeleton was still sitting silently on Ariom''s work table. He hadn''t spoken a word during the entire conversation. If it weren''t for the fact that he turned his head or twitched his tail from time to time, he could have passed for an anatomy model. "His talent is a sort of amplification of his instincts as a scavenger," Bero said. "It basically allows him to assess other creatures. How strong they are. What sort of intentions they have toward him. Whether they''re dangerous or not. That kind of thing." He gave Thenio a small smile. "That''s why we''re not worried about you being some kind of dangerous monster, whether you''re really human or not. Because Humerus says you''re all right." "Oh." Thenio looked at Humerus, feeling a bit awkward. "Um...thanks?" He glanced back at Bero. "I really am human, though." "Well, like I said, we don''t really have any reason to doubt that. It''s possible that the magic absorption is simply due to a characteristic of chaos magic that we don''t understand yet. The similarity to demons might be purely coincidental. Or it could be that the opening of the demon rifts is somehow related to the conditions that cause chaos morphs, since we don''t have any record of them existing before the Rift Crisis. Just having a connection to demons doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you''re any less human." Bero nodded toward his nephew. "I''m sure void magic caused a stir when it first appeared, too, since it''s not like any other type of magic. Chaos magic just seems strange to us because we don''t know enough about it yet. Anyways, the important thing isn''t why you absorb magic. It''s that you do absorb it, and it''s dangerous for you. That''s why half of Ariom''s treatment plan revolves around creating a magic insulation device.¡± "According to the records the Association did deign to give us, that sort of thing has actually been tried before, and it wasn''t successful," Ariom said. "But in that case, the treatment was only focused on removing the influence of ambient magic, and that''s not the only thing causing you problems. We''re mainly going to use the magic insulation to buy time for you to train your magic control. It should help a lot if you can at least learn to keep your magic from randomly changing types like it currently does. If it goes well, maybe you can eventually learn to manage without the insulation, too." Bero nodded. "I do think it''s a better plan than relying on magic suppression. The insulation will eventually have some detrimental effects, too. But it''s still better than suppression. Putting someone under long-term heavy suppression is basically a death sentence. Just a slower and less painful way of dying than being killed by your own magic." Bero grimaced a little. "Not that watching someone sleep themselves to death is really any easier. I''ve had to watch far too many people die like that. I really don''t want to have to repeat the experience with you." Thenio bit his lip and stared at the sleeping Iggy. "That''s why you left the Stability Center." It wasn''t a question. The pain in Bero''s voice made it clear. "Mostly...yes." Bero let out a deep sigh. "I really admire people like Grandmaster Sephior, you know? He''s been working at that place for more than a century. I don''t know how many thousands of patients he''s lost in that time. I was only there for twelve years before I couldn''t stand it anymore and had to run off and distract myself by raising fake chickens." He sighed again. "Of course, I only started working at the Center in the first place because my father was a patient there, and I was desperate to help him in any way I could. And by the time he died...my sister-in-law was there, too, so I stayed to help support her. Then my older brother had to go in for a few years because of the shock of losing the two of them so close together. Well...at least he eventually made it out again." Bero gave a bitter smile. "Call me weak or biased or whatever. But watching your own family members go through something like that really does hit harder." The room was silent for a long moment. Thenio hesitantly glanced up at Ariom and discovered that he, too, had been staring fixedly at the little dragon on Thenio''s lap. Thenio looked at Bero and asked in a small voice, "Um...when you talk about your brother and sister-in-law...?" "Ariom''s parents. Yes," Bero said, answering the unfinished question. He was watching his nephew with a tender expression. "But he really doesn''t like to talk about them, so let''s leave the subject here for now, all right?" He looked back at Thenio. "The point is that we both knew what we were signing on for when we decided to help you out. And we have good reason to want your treatment to be successful." He gave a slightly forced but gentle smile. "We''re on your side here, all right?" Thenio nodded. His throat felt a little too tight to speak. And he wasn''t sure what to say anyway. Humerus still didn¡¯t say anything either. But he must have decided that his partner needed a little skeletal comforting, because he got up and jumped off the table onto Bero''s lap, where he curled up in a position similar to Iggy''s. Bero smiled wryly and lifted one hand to stroke his bony head. Seeing that, Thenio considered for a moment, and then he carefully scooped up the blanket-wrapped dragon from his lap and handed the bundle over to Ariom, who gave him a brief look of surprise before taking Iggy and cradling him against his chest with a well-practiced ease. Judging from his expression, Ariom probably needed a dragon to cuddle more than Thenio did right then.
Thenio crouched behind the rubble at the back of the alleyway, trembling with fear and cold. Something in the back of his mind whispered that he shouldn''t really be here. That this was probably just a dream. But the bitter cold of the pavement beneath his feet and the hunger gnawing at his stomach still felt painfully real. One side of his face was throbbing like he''d been slapped. "Ah. There you are," said a gentle voice. "I''ve been looking for you." Thenio raised his head. A man was coming down the alley toward him. The figure was blurred and foggy, so he couldn''t see the man''s face, but something about him was so familiar.... Who was that? He should remember. He should know that man''s name. Why couldn''t he remember...? The man knelt down and reached out a hand to touch Thenio''s face. The pain in his cheek eased, and the cold and hunger seemed to fade away. But even though he felt relieved, Thenio couldn''t stop himself from shying away in fear. "Did you come to take me back?" Back where? He didn''t know, but he felt dread at the very thought. "Do you want to go back?" "No! I''m not going back! They don''t want me there anyway. They hate me! They call me a monster!" Who was he talking about? A monster.... Was he a monster? "All right. If you don''t want to go back, I won''t make you." The man reached out his hand. "Do you want to come with me instead?" Thenio stared at the hand with a mixture of longing and trepidation. "Where?" "To a new home. A nicer place. A place where no one will call you a monster. Where you won''t have to be hungry or cold or afraid." "...you promise?" "I promise." Hesitantly, Thenio reached out and took hold of the offered hand. His own hand looked terribly small in comparison. His hand shouldn''t be that small, should it? That was a child''s hand.... The man grasped Thenio''s small hand and stood up. "Let''s go get you cleaned up and find you something good to eat, all right?" He put his hands under Thenio''s arms and lifted him up out of the rubble. It was so high. Was the man some kind of giant? He was holding Thenio in his arms like he was a child. Thenio sighed, and his small body leaned against the man''s sturdy shoulder. He didn''t understand what was going on, but the strong arms wrapped around him felt safe and warm. It felt like finally coming home after wandering out in the dark for a long time, lost and afraid.... Maybe...maybe he could figure everything out later. Maybe it was okay to just enjoy this moment.... The man started walking, carrying Thenio out of the dark alley he''d been hiding in. "There''s one more thing.... If you don''t want them to find you, you''re going to need a new name. How about ''Thenio''? Do you like that?" What? ''Thenio''? Wasn''t that already his name? What else would his name be? As they left the alley, the scene started to break apart and fade away.... Thenio blinked and found himself standing on a grassy hill overlooking a large forest with a thick layer of mist hanging over it. Oh. He was back here. He turned to the side, and, as expected, the dream beast was standing a few steps away, watching him. "What was that?" Thenio asked it. "What did I see just now?" A memory. The dream beast spoke in the same strange, soundless voice it had used the last time he''d met it in his dreams. "A memory?" Thenio repeated, puzzled. He couldn''t think when something like that might have happened to him. "My memory? Or someone else''s?" It''s hard to say.... The dream beast tilted its head, apparently considering the question. Perhaps it''s some of both. "What happened to that boy? The one hiding in the alley?" The man did what he promised. He took the boy to live in a nice place where there was plenty to eat and no one was cruel to him. They lived together happily there. For a while. "Just for a while? Then what happened?" The creature let out a great sigh that seemed to shake the entire landscape. The mist stirred, and the trees in the forest creaked. Even the stars overhead shuddered. Then the boy died. His magic killed him. Just like all the others.... The world stilled again. There was a long moment of silence. "Am I going to die, too?" Thenio asked, very softly. I don''t know. I''m doing everything I can to stop that. But after all this time...after so many failures.... I don''t know. Neither of them spoke for a long time after that. They simply stood together and stared out at the strange, misty landscape. Finally, Thenio opened his mouth again. "Hey...." He still had a thousand questions to ask, but for some reason only one of them would come out. "...am I really a monster?" Of course not. Stepping closer, the dream beast stretched out one of its huge, feathered wings and draped it around Thenio''s shoulders. You''re a precious, innocent child who''s gotten caught up in a terrible situation. It''s not your fault. You haven''t done anything wrong. Thenio leaned against the dream beast''s shoulder and buried his face in its soft mane. He didn''t entirely believe what it said. This was just a dream, after all. It was probably all just something his own mind had created. He was just trying to reassure himself. But the creature''s embrace felt safe and comforting. The fur and feathers were soft and warm. So maybe it was all right to forget about everything else for a little while. Chapter 17 - The Dragon Princess Thenio released the bowstring and watched as his arrow flew across the training room and hit the target with a satisfying thud. Unfortunately, it hit the outer edge of the large ringed circle, not the center where he''d been aiming. And the target wasn''t even that far away.... But considering he hadn''t been able to hit it at all when he''d started a couple of days ago, it was at least a small improvement. Bero had recommended that Thenio add some kind of sport or martial art to his physical training, to help improve his coordination and mental focus. He''d suggested archery mostly for the convenience, since Ariom practiced it, and Thenio had agreed to try it out for a few weeks. "That looks good," Ariom said, watching from the side. "Don''t worry about the aim being off. That will come with practice. The important thing right now is to get the proper form down, and you''re doing well with that. You seem to have trained your back and shoulder muscles quite a lot already¡ªthat makes things easier." "Oh, that''s because I did acrobatics classes all through general school. It takes a lot of upper body strength, so I got used to doing that kind of training." "Acrobatics, huh...?" Ariom''s expression turned dark at the word. "Just when I was in general school," Thenio added hastily. "I know it''s not that practical. But we had to do some kind of exercise class, and they told us it didn''t really matter which one, so I just picked that one. I did the standard physical training class once I started at the Academy because the specialized ones took up too much time." That was actually the reason his parents gave for telling him to stop, rather than his own motivation. But the result was the same. "What?" Ariom looked surprised. "No, there''s nothing wrong with acrobatics. It''s just...a personal thing." He turned away, looking uncomfortable. "If you enjoyed it and would rather do that instead of archery, I can arrange to get you some equipment. Though it might take some time...." "No, it''s fine! I mean, I did like it.... But you''re already doing so much for me, and I really don''t want to impose on you any more than I have to. And I like archery, too! Well...I guess I''ve only done it for a few days now...so I don''t exactly know yet...but it''s been pretty fun so far...so...um...." Thenio trailed off, fidgeting with the bow in his hands. They both stood there awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other. Ariom cleared his throat. "Well. Let''s talk about it later. Iggy let me know a few minutes ago that Seyli is here. So we''ll end your training here for today." Thenio nodded and started silently gathering up his arrows. When all the equipment was put away, they went upstairs to clean up and change out of their training clothes. Before leaving his room, Thenio paused next to the bed. There were two wooden figurines on the bedside table. A dream beast and a calico cat. He''d felt a little shy about setting them out at first. But Iggy and Humerus had caught him while he was drawing some sketches of the dream beast from memory, and the following barrage of questions had eventually led to him getting Eteon''s carving out to show them. Neither of the two familiars seemed to think there was anything wrong with a sixteen-year-old boy having a figurine that was supposed to keep bad dreams away. And thinking about Iggy''s impressive toy collection and Humerus'' fondness for puppets, Thenio decided that a couple of wooden carvings didn''t really seem so out of place in this house. He sat on the side of the bed and picked up the dream beast. The dream from a couple of nights ago was still lingering in his mind, as was the conversation with Bero and Ariom that seemed to have inspired it. In the end, Bero asking if Thenio was really human seemed to be mostly a rhetorical question. They didn''t seriously think he was anything else, and they didn''t seem to be all that bothered by the fact that he could absorb magic. It was just another aspect of his chaos affinity that needed to be studied and dealt with. And Thenio had always had strange, vivid dreams. This recent one wasn''t really unusual. There was no reason to think it meant anything in particular. It was just...well, he didn''t even know what it was. He just had a vague, unsettled feeling, like he''d forgotten something important. Thenio shook his head and set the figure back down. This wasn''t the time to dwell on all that. Ariom had told him to come to the atrium when he was done cleaning up so that he could meet Ariom''s cousin Seyli and her dragon, Tava. The two of them had apparently been coming to Ariom''s house regularly for the past couple of years so that Tava and Iggy could play together. At first, Ariom had told Seyli to hold off for a few weeks until Thenio had a functional magic insulation device. But after testing Thenio''s reaction to magic of various kinds in different situations, Bero and Ariom had discovered that he seemed to be oddly compatible with life magic. He absorbed it just like the other types, but it took a much larger amount to make his magic power destabilize. They still hadn''t come up with any explanation for this, but since Seyli had a life affinity, like Bero, there didn''t seem to be any problem with her being around Thenio, even if she was still a student and didn''t have perfect control over her magic yet. As he reached the end of the hallway and entered the balcony, Thenio could hear singing coming from down in the atrium. He recognized the melody of a popular children''s song. I had a little gryphon egg. I put it in a hat. I asked him, "My good gryphon, sir, What do you think of that?" I told him he looked handsome. I told him he looked cute. And when he hatched, my gryphon Wore a fancy velvet suit! Thenio had learned this song at school when he was younger. There were a lot of different versions, since children enjoyed making up additional verses where the gryphon did all kinds of silly things. Some versions also swapped out the gryphon for a dragon or a wyvern. I had a little gryphon egg. I put it in a pot. And set it in the kitchen, Where the stove was very hot. He watched me while I mixed, And he watched me while I baked. And when he hatched, my gryphon Went and ate up all the cake! The words were being sung by a sweet female voice, accompanied by a chorus of...what was that? It was a little reminiscent of wolves howling, but it was in perfect harmony with the music. A beautiful, slightly unearthly sound. Thenio crossed the balcony, following the singing. After descending the stairs, he stopped, feeling a bit stunned by the scene in front of him. It could have come straight out of a child''s storybook. A teenage girl was seated on the grass under the oak tree with three dragons sitting around her, and the four of them were singing together. The girl was presumably Seyli Ayerin, Ariom''s cousin, but Thenio might have believed it if someone told him she was a princess. The way she sat was graceful and poised. Her golden brown hair was pulled up in an elegant twist with several curls artistically arranged on top of it. And she was wearing a stylish, light pink dress that had white flowers embroidered around the bottom of the wide skirt. Thenio wished he''d brought his sketchbook with him. This would make a beautiful picture.... He suddenly realized he''d been staring at the girl for far too long and quickly looked away, his face turning slightly red. He had no business getting interested in girls when he didn''t even know if he''d be alive a year from now. Most girls thought he was creepy and avoided him, anyway. Not to mention that a high-class girl like that would probably never look twice at an academy dropout like him. Trying to distract himself from that unhappy train of thought, Thenio focused on the three dragons. One of them was Iggy, of course. There was a green dragon next to him that was the right size and shape to be Humerus with skin on, even though Thenio had never seen him wearing that particular color before. Since everything apart from his bones was just a magic construct, Humerus could make it whatever color he wanted, and he seemed to enjoy changing color randomly just to mess with people. Thenio didn''t really like this, since it reminded him of his own randomly changing magic crystals. But he hadn''t complained since it wasn''t actually hurting anything, and the revenant had otherwise been keeping his promise of not playing pranks. The last dragon was a female and was noticeably bigger than the other two¡ªabout the size of a large housecat. She was a light orchid color with violet on her legs and tail and gold highlights on her back and wings. It was like a reversed sunset. "Oh, here he is," said Bero''s voice. Thenio jumped a little and looked over. There was a patio area at the base of the stairs with a couple of round picnic tables on it. Bero and Ariom were seated at one of them. They weren''t far away from where Thenio was standing, but he''d been so focused on the group under the tree that he hadn''t even seen them. He felt his face grow warm again. They hadn''t noticed him staring at Seyli...had they? They weren''t giving him any murderous looks, so probably not. Bero was actually smiling and waving him over. As Thenio walked toward the table, the last verse of the song ended, and the little group seemed to notice he was there. "Thenio''s here!" Iggy jumped up and flew over to land on Thenio''s shoulder. "Thenio, look! Tava and Seyli came to play with us! We were singing Humerus'' favorite song about gryphon eggs. Did you hear it?" "I never said it was my favorite song. You just started saying that because it mentions my favorite food." Humerus also flew over and landed on the table next to Bero. "And the eggs in the song all hatch into gryphons and do ridiculous things instead of letting themselves get eaten like gryphon eggs should. So what good is that?" He''d still been singing along with them, though.... And he was actually flying with his wings like a proper dragon for once. What brought that on? He usually just floated around like some kind of creepy skeletal balloon. Did Seyli not like seeing his skeleton form or something? The girl in question had gracefully gotten to her feet and was holding out her left arm. "Tava, up." The purple dragon obediently flew up and perched on Seyli''s arm, where she sat quietly, looking like a large purple falcon, while Seyli carried her over to them. Iggy, in the meantime, was still chattering away. "Tava is my cousin, remember? One of my lots of cousins. She''s not a familiar yet, so she can''t talk. But she''s super smart, and she knows lots of words, okay? So she can understand us as long as we don''t say hard things. And Tava is super nice! She plays with me a lot! And she sings with me and takes naps with me and washes my face when I''m sad. And she doesn''t ever pick on me like Humerus does." "I don''t pick on you!" Humerus said with his ears back, apparently unhappy about the unfavorable comparison. "I just tease you." "That''s the same as picking on me," Iggy retorted, also looking grumpy. "It''s not! Teasing is just my way of playing. So I play with you a lot, too, see? I even sing with you! I can''t wash your face or take naps together because I don''t have a real tongue and my bones fall apart when I sleep, so those ones aren''t fair!" The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Humerus, calm down." Bero patted his back soothingly. "Iggy likes you fine. But he''s still a baby, so it''s normal for him to be more attracted to a motherly figure like Tava." "I''m not a baby!" Iggy pouted. "I''m a big, strong dragon!" A big, strong dragon who was only seven inches tall.... "Ah, sorry. My mistake," Bero said, nodding agreeably. "That''s right. You''re a big, strong dragon who''s still growing even bigger and stronger." Iggy huffed a little but seemed satisfied with that response. "And don''t mind Humerus," Bero told Thenio. "Since Tava is still a natural dragon, she doesn''t really understand the concept of revenants, and she gets spooked by Humerus if he doesn''t look and act like a living dragon. He understands that and goes along with it, but it puts him in a bad mood." "Hmph." Humerus looked away disdainfully. But he didn''t seem to object to the fact that Bero was still stroking his back. Bero sighed. "Anyways. The introductions got a little derailed there. Thenio, this is Seyli Ayerin. She''s technically my cousin''s daughter, but her father and I are almost like brothers, so she''s always called me her uncle. Seyli, this is Thenio Iterune. Ariom''s new assistant." "I''m very pleased to meet you." Seyli smiled and held out her hand in a formal greeting. Now that she was closer, Thenio could see that she had beautiful aqua-colored eyes. He put his hand lightly under hers and bowed his head a little. "The pleasure is mine." It was the first time in his life that he felt grateful for all the etiquette drills his mother had put him through every time they went to Aunt Suliya''s house. "I guess Iggy already introduced her, but this is Tava," Seyli said, lowering her hand and turning to her dragon. "Can you say hello?" The purple dragon made a chirping noise and swished her tail a little. "Nice to meet you, Tava," Thenio said, smiling. Then he looked uncertainly at Seyli. "Um...sorry, but this is the first time I''ve met a dragon who isn''t a familiar. Does she really understand what we''re saying?" "Well, not entirely." Seyli lightly stroked Tava''s chest with her finger. "In human terms, she''s about at the level of a two or three year old. She has a hard time with complicated sentence structures or abstract concepts, but if you ask her something like whether she wants to play in the sandbox, or if she wants fish or chicken for dinner, she''ll understand and be able to respond. And dragons are very sensitive to things like a person''s emotional state and tone of voice. She can figure out a lot of what you''re trying to communicate just based on that." "She usually seems to understand what Iggy says," Ariom put in. "So you should be fine as long as you talk to her on about that level. You don''t really need to treat her much differently than you do him." "She doesn''t get any of my jokes, though..." Humerus muttered sulkily. Bero patted his back again. "That''s because your jokes are all corny puns, you silly skeleton. A dragon''s brain literally isn''t built for processing things like that. It''s actually pretty amazing that she understands as much as she does. Just wait a few more years until she becomes a familiar. Then you can tell her all the jokes you want. I''m sure she''ll love them." "Right!" Iggy said, nodding. "Humerus tells good jokes!" Humerus'' ears perked up a bit at that. Iggy''s opinion seemed to mean quite a lot to him. Though it was a little hard to tell exactly how much of his sulking was genuine in the first place and how much was just an act. If there was one thing Thenio had learned about revenants in the past few days, it was that you couldn''t expect their thought processes to follow human logic at all. "Are you planning to wait until you graduate from the academy to form a familiar contract?" Thenio asked, thinking it was better to divert the subject away from Humerus'' grievances. "That''s right. I''m in my third year now, and I''m studying magic beast healing, which is a five year program. So it will be about two more years." Seyli moved closer to the table and held her arm above the surface so that Tava could hop off. "Tava''s already an adult, and I''m probably going to reach sorcerer level sometime within the next year, so we could do it sooner. But pretty much everyone I''ve asked has recommended waiting so that I don''t have to worry about school while we''re adjusting to the contract." Having to decide whether to wait or form a contract early because you already owned a mature dragon and were close to sorcerer level while you were still in school.... What nice problems to have. "I guess being interested in magic beasts is a family thing?" Thenio asked, glancing at Bero and trying to push aside his feelings of jealousy. Bero chuckled a little. "Well, pretty much. The Ayerin branch of the family runs a dragon hatchery. That''s how Seyli managed to get her own dragon at such a young age." He nodded in Tava''s direction. Thenio felt another surge of envy as he looked at the purple dragon. Really. Being born as a life affinity with higher than average magic power into a family that would give you a free dragon? What kind of crazy luck did this girl have? "I know that look." Seyli scowled a little as she sat down at the table next to Bero. "It''s true I had the opportunity to get a dragon because of my family, but they didn''t just give her to me for free, you know? My grandmother has always said that people don''t properly appreciate their familiars if they don''t have to work for them. I helped out at the hatchery all through general school. I still do when I go home during term breaks." She patted Tava. "You wouldn''t believe how many litter pans I had to empty in order to get this little girl...." Thenio, who was in the process of sitting down on Bero''s other side, paused and blinked at that, a bit startled by the idea of this elegant princess cleaning out dragon litter boxes. "Iggy came from the Ayerin Hatchery, too," Ariom said. "I did pay for him, but the price was lower than usual because I sometimes help them out with enchanting work. Well, it was also because Iggy was...in a special situation, let''s say. It''s a long story. But that''s what he means when he says he has a lot of cousins. He''s talking about other dragons who come from the same hatchery. Well, they all have common ancestry, so it''s technically not wrong." "Humerus, too? I remember Iggy called him his ''sort-of-cousin''. Does that mean he...I mean his...oh...um...his...bones...?" Thenio flushed. He had realized partway through that he was asking a very insensitive question, but he couldn''t quite figure out how to salvage it. "That''s right," Bero said, seemingly unperturbed. "The dragon whose body Humerus is living in came from there. He was born with some physical defects¡ªthey turn up every once in a while no matter how careful you are with breeding. The staff at the hatchery did their best to save him, but he just had too many health problems. So he only lived a few years. That''s why Humerus is on the small side¡ªhis body isn''t quite fully developed." He stroked Humerus'' back. "I had helped out with some skeletal reconstruction work while the dragon was still alive, so my magic signature was literally written into his bones. That made them an ideal vessel to use when I decided to contract with a revenant." "Oh." Thenio didn''t know what else to say. Bero spoke casually, but he and Humerus had a slight air of tension around them that suggested there was more to the story. Thenio didn''t dare to ask any more questions, though. There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well, it''s getting late, and everyone''s probably getting hungry." Ariom stood up. "I had better go work on lunch." "Do you want any help?" Seyli asked, looking a little relieved at the change of subject. Ariom shook his head. "No, that''s fine. I have things mostly prepared already. I just have to set them out." Iggy jumped down from Thenio''s shoulder onto the table and ran over to Ariom. "Since Tava and Seyli are here, can''t we go visit Mr. Kraken for lunch? Thenio and Uncle Bero and Humerus haven''t met him yet!" "Sorry, little guy," Ariom said, rubbing Iggy''s head. "We can''t go out to restaurants right now because of Thenio, remember? We''ll take everyone there another time." He looked at Bero. "There''s a restaurant called The Kraken''s Kitchen that opened up a few months ago over by the lake. As you might guess from the name, they''re very friendly to magic beasts. Iggy loves it, so we''ve been going there quite a lot lately." "Their spicy fish balls are super tasty!" the little black dragon chimed in. "They even have a menu specialized for magic eaters, so I think Humerus would like it, too." Ariom glanced at Thenio. "But, like I said, it''s not an option right now. Taking Thenio to a restaurant that serves all kinds of spiced foods and is usually full of wizards and magic beasts is just begging for an accident to happen. We''ll go once we get his magic insulation figured out." Thenio looked down at the table. "I''m sorry.... I guess you can''t even go without me, can you?" The doctors at the Stability Center had been quite firm about him needing to have an adult magic user nearby at all times to be sure he could get medical help quickly if...no, when...his magic exploded again. "Don''t be silly," Bero said, reaching over to pat Thenio on the shoulder. "It''s not something you need to apologize for. We''ll just go another time. It''s fine." "Why don''t we eat out here on the patio?" Ariom suggested. "It''s not going out, but it''s still a change of pace." He patted Iggy''s back. "And if you want fish, we have some fire trout in the icebox. You and Tava can have that for lunch, all right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy''s tail started waving. Tava gave a chirp of affirmation and waved her tail as well. Apparently she was also fond of fish. "That sounds nice," Seyli said with a smile. Bero nodded in agreement. But Thenio bit his lip. "I...I could eat up in my room, if you want," he offered in a small voice. He glanced at Bero. "Didn''t you say that you don''t get to see Seyli that often? It would be better if you could have a nice visit without me here making everyone uncomfortable...wouldn''t it?" An odd silence greeted these words. Looking around anxiously, Thenio saw that everyone was staring at him with confused expressions. "What are you talking about? Why would you make us uncomfortable?" Seyli tilted her head to one side, just like Iggy did when he was puzzling over something. It was seriously cute. Thenio was briefly dazzled, but he shook his head to regain his focus. "You don''t need to hide it. I already know that most other people don''t like being around me. They say I''m creepy or I give them a bad feeling. The other kids in school always avoided me, and the teachers never really liked me either. Even my family¡ª" He broke off and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways, I get it. I make people uncomfortable. So I can understand if you want me to leave for a while." Seyli blinked at him. "No, really. I don''t know what you''re talking about. ''Creepy''? ''Bad feeling''? I don''t feel anything like that." She looked between Ariom and Bero. "Do you?" Ariom shook his head, frowning a little. "No. And there wasn''t any mention of that in his medical files. If most people feel that way, you''d think at least one doctor would have made a note of it." "Thenio doesn''t feel bad!" Iggy said, trotting back over and standing up with his front paws on Thenio''s arm, which was resting on the table. "He feels super comfy!" Bero and Humerus were looking at each other silently, as they often did when some kind of problem came up. Thenio had finally figured out that they were probably having a telepathic conversation through their familiar bond when they did this. After a long moment, they both turned and looked at Thenio. "You said ''most people'' feel uncomfortable around you," Bero said gently. "Does that mean there are some exceptions?" "A couple. My brother Kleyo. And Eteon." Thenio looked down at Iggy, who was still standing on his arm and looking up at him with a concerned expression. "And magic beasts, I guess, if that counts." "It does," Bero said slowly, also looking at Iggy. "That counts for quite a lot, I think." He turned to Tava, who was watching them curiously. "Speaking of which, Tava hasn''t shown much of a reaction, but that could just be because Seyli has trained her so well." "Tava," Ariom said, causing the purple dragon to turn her head and look at him. He pointed at Thenio. "This is Thenio. Do you like Thenio?" Tava made a humming sound and then chirped several times, while nodding her head and waving her tail. "Well, there you go. That''s a pretty enthusiastic ''yes''. So it''s not just a familiar thing." He looked at Thenio. "Did any of the staff at the Stability Center act like they were uncomfortable while you were there?" "A few did." "Who? Do you remember?" Thenio fidgeted a little in his seat. "A few of the apprentices. And one of the receptionists seemed especially anxious whenever I came in." "What about the doctors?" "Not that I noticed. But I just figured they were professional enough not to show it." Ariom glanced at Bero. "Did Focilo say anything about this when you talked to him?" "He said Thenio was a very pleasant young man," Bero said with a wry smile. "Very intelligent and polite. Which is pretty much how I would describe him, too. So there are a couple more exceptions to add to your list." He and Ariom exchanged a meaningful look. "So is this another crazy chaos magic thing?" Ariom asked, grimacing a little. Bero nodded. "Probably." "I don''t remember anything like that in the Association records.... Well, I guess we already know they''re not completely reliable." "It''s possible they didn''t even notice this one. We probably wouldn''t have, if he hadn''t specifically brought it up. We''ll need to do some tests to be sure, but based on what he said, it probably only affects people with lower magic power. Below sorcerer level, maybe? And the Association researchers would have been at least low-rank sorcerers. Same with the doctors at the Stability Center. Of course, that doesn''t explain why Seyli isn''t affected.... But maybe the threshold is different for life mages." Bero gave Seyli a teasing smile. "And we probably shouldn''t expect her to react like other humans. I mean, she''s basically half dragon, right? Her magic beast side is probably canceling out the effect." "Very funny," Seyli said drily. Then her expression became concerned as she looked back at Thenio. "But what, are you saying his magic is actually repelling people? I know you said it attracted magic beasts, and these three certainly seem to like him." She gestured at the familiars. "But it has the opposite effect on humans?" "Humans with low magic power levels," Bero corrected. Then he sighed. "And yes, that''s what it sounds like." "That''s...." Seyli stared at Thenio, her blue eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and sympathy. "That''s really awful...." Thenio bit his lip and lowered his head. His gaze fell on the arm Iggy was standing on, and he realized he was clenching his fist so hard the knuckles had turned white. So that''s what it had been? All this time...? It always came back to that, didn''t it? Everything wrong in his life seemed to stem from that stupid chaos magic. That stupid, awful, horrible magic.... Thenio''s dark thoughts were interrupted by a whimpering sound. For a second, he thought it was Iggy, but when he looked up, he saw Tava trotting over to him. She put her front paws up on his shoulder and started licking his cheek. Oh. So this is what Iggy was talking about when he said Tava washed his face when he was sad. Chapter 18 - Silent Eggs "Let''s make the river go around the castle! There was a castle like that in one of Seyli''s books. It had a river around it so that the people inside could go swimming!" "That''s called a moat," Humerus said in an exasperated tone. "It''s not for swimming. It''s to help keep enemies out. You''re supposed to have crocodiles and stuff in there to eat people who try to go across." "Oh." Iggy tilted his head and considered their construction-in-progress for a moment. Then he brightened again. "I know! We''ll make the moat-river extra big, and then I can hide in the water, and Humerus can make the soldiers go across, and I''ll jump out and eat them all!" He bounded over and started digging furiously in front of the sandcastle they''d been building. "Come help me dig, Tava!" Thenio sat on a bench next to the large sandbox and watched the three of them digging and building. Their architectural skills were a little questionable, but they seemed to be having fun. He had his sketchbook open on his lap, and he would occasionally lift his pencil and make a quick sketch of their antics. Iggy''s head poking out of the castle doorway. Tava digging Iggy free after he''d gotten himself stuck in the half-finished moat. Humerus puppeting a small troop of toy soldiers to make an ill-fated attack on the castle that ended in the jaws of Iggy the moat monster. But Thenio spent most of his time just sitting and watching. The discovery that his chaos magic was probably the cause of all his social problems had upset him enough that Bero had decided to increase his magic suppression rate for the rest of the day. It wasn''t high enough to completely knock him out, but it was enough that he didn''t feel like doing much. Ariom had told him they wouldn''t try to do any more testing or training today, so he was here keeping an eye on the dragons while Ariom was doing something or other in his workshop and Bero was helping Seyli with one of her school assignments. Well, maybe it was more accurate to say that the dragons were keeping an eye on him. They seemed to be taking turns coming over to check on him while they played. Iggy and Humerus did it under the guise of wanting to look at Thenio''s newest drawing or to ask his opinion on whatever they were building in the sandbox. Tava was more straightforward. Seyli hadn''t been kidding when she said that the purple dragon was sensitive to people''s emotions. Every time Thenio started dwelling on dark thoughts and getting worked up again, she would almost immediately pause whatever she was doing and run over, whimpering and rubbing her head against his arm or trying to lick his face. She also looked at his sketchbook and sniffed it curiously, but he wasn''t sure whether she understood what the drawings were or not. Sometime during round two of the Battle of the Sandcastle, Seyli came over to them. Tava was monitoring the mock battle and occasionally stepping in when Iggy or Humerus tried to do something she thought was too reckless. When she saw Seyli approaching, she chirped happily and trotted over to meet her. "Hi there, sunshine." Seyli bent down to rub her dragon''s head affectionately. "Are you having fun?" "Mmm!" Tava hummed and chirped in affirmation, waving her tail. "Good." Seyli patted her back. "You can keep playing. I''m going to stay here and talk to Thenio for a while." Tava chirped again and then turned to head back to the sandbox. Seyli straightened up and watched her go. Then she came over behind the bench where Thenio was sitting. "Is it okay if I watch you draw for a few minutes?" "Uh...sure. I don''t mind." That wasn''t exactly true. Having a pretty girl watching over his shoulder while he sketched made him extremely nervous...or at least as nervous as he could get with the suppression bands making him tired and fuzzy-headed. But it was hard to think of a reason to turn her away when Humerus had been here watching him just a few minutes ago. Thenio lifted his pencil and did his best to focus on his partially completed drawing¡ªa scene showing Tava and Iggy working together to make castle repairs after the first battle. "You draw really well," Seyli said after watching quietly for a few minutes. "And you''re so fast! You must have put in a lot of practice. I used to try drawing dragons a lot when I was younger, but I''d usually start playing with the dragons who were acting as my models partway through and end up never finishing the drawing." She laughed. "Well, I guess that just means I was more interested in dragons than I was in art. So I''m impressed that you seem to be good with both." Thenio stared fixedly at the tip of his pencil, feeling embarrassed but happy at her praise. "I''ve mostly just done a lot of drawing because it helps me relax and think. Capturing something on paper...it feels sort of like putting a bug in a jar so that you can look at it. It makes difficult things seem less overwhelming. It''s funny...I didn''t even want to learn to draw at first. I wanted to learn to carve wooden animals like my friend Eteon does. But I was only four years old, and my parents really weren''t keen on the idea of letting me use a knife. So Eteon said he''d teach me to draw instead. He told me that if I used drawing to learn about animals and how their bodies were shaped, I would be able to learn to carve a lot faster when I was older. And...well. I tried it and ended up liking it." "Eteon is the one who made Humerus'' new puppet, right? He seems to be really skilled, so it''s no wonder you were inspired by him." Seyli smiled playfully. "So what about woodcarving? Did your parents ever decide you were old enough to use a knife?" Thenio let out a small laugh. "Well, yeah. I''ve done a little. I''m not very good at it, though. By the time I started, my parents were pushing me to spend as much time as possible studying magic, so I couldn''t practice that much. My mom wasn''t crazy about me getting wood shavings all over my room, either, so I mostly just did carving when I went to visit Eteon." He frowned a little at that thought. All the times his parents had scolded him or told him he couldn''t do something...how much of that was because of the influence of his chaos magic? He couldn''t stop wondering about it. About how his life might be different now if he''d just been born with a normal magic affinity.... "Hey," Seyli said after a minute, breaking the silence. "Do you know why Tava understands people so well?" "Huh?" Thenio blinked, surprised by the question. "Isn''t it just that you''ve trained her well?" "That''s part of it. But a lot of it is due to the fact that she''s hand-reared. Her parents abandoned her egg, so she was hatched in an incubator. I was ten, and it was the first time my grandmother let me take care of an egg and hatchling by myself." Seyli gave Thenio a slightly sad smile. "It''s not that uncommon, you know? Dragons are naturally very sensitive to magic. That''s normally an advantage, but it causes problems once in a while. If a baby dragon''s magic is too different from its parents'', the parents sometimes stop recognizing the egg as theirs and won''t take care of it. That''s what happened to Tava. She''s a genetic throwback. You see the darker shade of purple on her feet?" Thenio nodded. "Her whole body was supposed to be that color. Our hatchery raises flare-type dragons. We have three breeds. There are Azure and Sunset Flares, which are old, established breeds. But our specialty is Violet Flares, which are a newer breed that my grandmother developed based on the first two. Tava is a purebred Violet Flare, but her coloring and magic are a throwback to her Sunset Flare heritage. She has a light primary and fire secondary. Violets should be the other way around. They''re deliberately bred to enhance their fire magic. So from a breeding standpoint, she''s pretty much a total failure." Thenio looked at Tava, who was currently brushing sand off of Iggy''s face with one of her wings. It was hard to think that a sweet, beautiful dragon like her would be considered a failure. "Iggy was kind of the same, actually," Seyli went on, coming around to the front of the bench and sitting down. "Iggy was?" Thenio raised his eyebrows. "Oh. Now that you mention it, he''s not a flare-type, is he? Does your hatchery raise void-type dragons, too?" Seyli shook her head. "That''s the thing. There aren''t any void-type dragon breeds. Iggy is a morph. Have you ever heard of silent eggs?" "Uh...no. I don''t actually know that much about dragons. Iggy is the first one I met." "Well, you mostly wouldn''t hear about them unless you''re a breeder. It''s something that happens occasionally with high-magic dragon breeds. Purebred eggs are usually pretty consistent in color and texture, but once in a while a breeding pair will produce an egg that looks completely different. Violet Flare eggs are smooth and white with violet and gold marbling. But Iggy''s egg was black with a rough surface. Ariom still has the shell in a display case in his room. Anyways, these differently colored eggs are what we call ''silent eggs.'' Because they usually don''t hatch. They''re not dead. If you look at them with magesight or a scanning device, you can see the baby dragon developing inside. But at some point, the development stops, and the baby dies soon after. There were some records of people getting silent eggs to hatch successfully before the Great War, but the technique was lost, so no one was able to do it for a long time. Iggy is the first silent egg to hatch in centuries. At least here in Kafron. It''s hard to know for sure about other countries." "Seriously?" So the genius grandmaster wizard really did have an extra special familiar.... "How?" "It''s a special type of familiar contract ceremony that''s performed while the dragon is still in the egg. We knew it was something like that, but Ariom is the one who finally managed to piece together enough information from the old records to get it to work. He can explain the details better than I can. But the important point is that, in the process, Iggy took on Ariom''s magic affinity. And since there aren''t any naturally-occurring void-type dragons, most dragons see him as a foreign creature and don''t want to have anything to do with him. Familiar dragons can get over it if you explain to them what he is. But Tava is the only natural dragon who treats him normally. That''s partly because I''ve put in a lot of effort to socialize her with different types of magic beasts. But I also think she understands, at least on some level, that he''s been rejected just like she was, and she feels a connection to him because of that." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Thenio didn''t say anything. He had finally realized why Seyli had brought this subject up. There was a brief silence, while they sat and watched the dragons playing. "Actually...Ariom knows a thing or two about rejection himself," Seyli said slowly. "That''s why he was willing to put in the work to figure out how to hatch a silent egg. He was reluctant at first, even though my grandmother offered to give him the baby dragon if he could help it hatch successfully. He said he had too many other projects to work on. But he changed his mind when he heard that Iggy''s parents had kicked his egg out of the nest and refused to take care of it." She turned and looked at Thenio. "Did you know that Uncle Bero and Aunt Tilia are the ones who raised Ariom?" "Really? No. I know they''re really close, and Bero told me that Ariom''s parents were both in-patients at the Stability Center when he was a child, so I figured they must have taken care of him then. But Bero said Ariom''s father was still alive, so...." Seyli nodded. "He is. But...." She hesitated. "Well, understand that all this happened before I was born. And I''ve only met Ariom''s father a few times, so I don''t know him very well. But from what my parents have told me....he''s not really a bad person, but when his wife died, he just...lost it. He lashed out at everyone and everything. But especially at Ariom.... Oh, I don''t mean literally," she added hastily, seeing Thenio''s expression. "He''s never physically hurt Ariom. I understand he''s said some pretty harsh things...but mostly he just doesn''t want to be involved with him. My father thinks it''s because Ariom reminds him too much of his wife." Thenio grimaced. "No wonder Ariom doesn''t like to talk about his parents...." "That''s part of why I''m telling you this¡ªso you know why it''s a sensitive subject for him. But also...." Seyli paused, apparently choosing her words. "I was just...thinking about how it must feel. To find out that your own magic had been sabotaging you all this time. That it was actually making people dislike you. It just seemed...really lonely." She looked down at her hands. "So I thought maybe it would help a little to know that someone else has been through something kind of similar. That''s all." Thenio opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. He blinked a few times, trying to ease the slight sting in his eyes. "Thanks," he finally managed to get out, in a slightly hoarse voice. While they were talking, several battles had taken place in the sandbox. The castle was now in rough shape, and Iggy was looking tired. He crawled out of the moat with a toy soldier in his mouth, dropped it into the hole that had been designated as the castle dungeon along with the rest of the defeated troops, and then sprawled on top of the remains of a ruined tower, panting. Seyli stood up and went to the edge of the sandbox. "Iggy, honey, I think maybe you''ve had enough playing in the sand for right now. Why don''t you clean up, and then we''ll go to the library to read some stories. Okay?" Iggy nodded, still panting. Then he slowly got to his feet and stumbled over to the side of the sandbox, accompanied by a concerned-looking Tava. At the edge of the sand, he shook himself to get rid of some of the wet sand that was caked into his scales. Then he went to a metal box that was sitting on the ground nearby. It was large enough for Tava to fit in easily, and there was a hanging flap in one side. Iggy pushed the flap open with his nose and went in. A minute later, when he came back out, he was clean and dry and free of sand. "Good boy." Seyli picked up the tired little dragon and cradled him in her arms. "Your turn, Tava." Tava chirped and obediently went in. While she was inside, Thenio saw Humerus give the cleaning box a furtive look. Then his body shimmered a little bit, and all the sand and water on him fell off onto the ground. He floated up out of the sandbox, managing to make it over to the bench and land on Thenio''s shoulder just before Tava came back out. "Do you want to come read stories with us, Thenio?" Seyli asked, giving him a dazzling smile. Thenio couldn''t help smiling in response. "Sure."
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the library. Iggy fell asleep after a couple of stories¡ªwhich Thenio suspected had been Seyli''s plan to begin with¡ªand he and Tava took a nap while curled up together on one of the sofas, while Humerus looked through some of Iggy''s picture books and Thenio and Seyli talked. Since Thenio was feeling pretty tired himself, he let Seyli do most of the talking, while he asked questions here and there. Their main topic of conversation was magic beasts. As you might expect from a girl who had grown up in a dragon hatchery, had an uncle with a spectral beast farm, and was studying to become a veterinarian, Seyli knew a lot about magic creatures. With dragons in particular, she was practically a walking encyclopedia. Thenio''s experience with magic beasts was mostly limited to looking at pictures, so he was interested in hearing what some of them were like in real life. Overall, his first meeting with Seyli went better than he had expected, Thenio thought as he held Iggy up so that he could wave goodbye to Seyli and Tava as they left. He''d been pretty nervous about it, considering his poor track record of interacting with girls. After dinner, Ariom carted Iggy off to give him a bath. Humerus, despite proclaiming loudly that revenants didn''t need to take baths, somehow ended up going with them. Thenio headed to his room, planning to go to sleep early. "Thenio, wait a minute." He turned to see Bero coming down the hall toward him, carrying a thick book in one hand. "First of all, I wanted to say I''m sorry," Bero said when he got closer, giving Thenio an apologetic smile. "I completely forgot to warn you about Seyli''s princess mask. I could tell that she surprised you, but you handled it well. You must have had some formal etiquette training." "''Princess mask''? What do you mean?" Thenio asked, puzzled. Bero chuckled a little. "That''s what we call it when she dresses up and uses fancy manners like that. She acts that way when she''s nervous." "She was nervous? Really?" Thenio found it a little hard to believe that Seyli''s poise and elegance were actually a sign of anxiety. "She was meeting Ariom''s new assistant for the first time, wasn''t she? She doesn''t show it much now, but Seyli was extremely shy when she was younger. She only really relaxed and opened up around animals and magic beasts. But all the children in her family are taught high-class manners and dress, since most of the hatchery''s customers are aristocrats. Seyli latched onto that as a way to cope with uncomfortable social situations. But she seemed to like you, so she should act more normally in the future." "Oh." Not only was she nervous to meet him, but...she liked him? This wasn''t some kind of joke, was it...? Thenio''s incredulity must have shown on his face because Bero smiled sadly. "You''re a likable person, you know? Living all this time with your magic having a negative effect on the people around you must have given you a pretty warped self-image." He glanced toward the doorway into Iggy''s bathroom. "I really hope Ariom''s insulation device can make a difference. You deserve better." Thenio looked away. He had no idea how to respond to that.... "I also have something to give you." Bero held out the book he was carrying. Thenio took it, grateful for the change in subject. "What''s this?" "A copy of the files that Ariom got from the Association. Logs of their research on chaos affinities. You don''t have to look at them now...better not to, actually. You''ve already had enough shocking information for one day. But whenever you feel ready...well, there they are." Thenio stared down at the book in his hands with a complicated expression. He suddenly thought back to his dream the other night, about the boy hiding in the alleyway who the dream beast said was later killed by his own magic. He wasn''t going to read something about that boy in here...was he? No...of course not. That was just a dream. But he already knew there would be stories about similar boys. Who died in similar ways.... "Hey, Thenio," Bero said suddenly, his tone a bit brighter than it had been a minute before. "What''s something fun you''d like to do with magic?" Thenio blinked and looked up. "What?" "Let''s just assume for a minute that everything''s going to work out. Our treatment plan will be successful, and you''ll eventually be able to completely control your magic. We''ve talked before about how chaos magic seems to have the potential to be really amazing, right? So just assume that someday you''re going to be an amazing wizard who can use any kind of magic he wants to. What would you do then? Is there anything you think would be fun to try out, if you had that sort of ability?" "Anything...fun?" Thenio was a little taken aback by the question. He''d spent most of his life being told that magic study should be serious and practical. It wasn''t for playing around and having fun. That was something that other magic users got to do. Ones that were smarter and more talented than he was. Ones that didn''t fail their entrance exams or get kicked out of magic school. Ones that didn''t have stupid, unstable, dangerous magic affinities. There were aspects of magic he enjoyed, of course. Like working out enchantment designs or learning about magic beasts. But actually having fun using magic...? "Um...can it be anything at all? Even something really silly and impractical?" Bero gave him an encouraging smile. "Even better if it''s silly and impractical." "Then..." Thenio began, looking back down at the book he was holding and fidgeting with the cover a little. "Well...when I was little...my dad took me to a magic circus one time. And...um...they had magic acrobats there. I thought...I thought that looked really fun...." He glanced up tentatively as he finished, wondering if Bero was going to laugh at him. "Magic acrobatics, huh?" To his surprise, Bero nodded, looking thoughtful. "That''s a good choice. I know someone who does that kind of thing, actually." He gave Thenio a playful grin. "He''s a bit of a grouch, but maybe I can con him into giving you some lessons sometime." His expression grew a little more serious. "All right, magic acrobatics. Try to focus on that. Believe that it''s really going to happen someday. It doesn''t matter how silly it feels. What matters is that you have something to look forward to. I know you''ve been having a rough couple of months, and the bad news about your magic affinity seems to just keep getting worse. So you need something to hang onto, even if it''s just a silly dream. All right?" Thenio nodded, biting his lip. He could see Bero''s point, but...it felt pretty hollow to talk about dreams for the future when he was holding a book filled with the records of his dead predecessors. After Bero left, Thenio went into his room and leaned back against the door with a sigh. He simply stood there for a few minutes, holding the heavy book in his arms and staring absently at the ceiling. Then he walked across the room, opened one of the drawers in his desk, and shoved the book into the back of it. Then he closed the drawer and went to bed. Bero was probably right. It was better to hold onto dreams a little longer. Chapter 19 - The Assistants First Job "All right, we''re done." Ariom lifted the cover off the scanning device and reached in to undo the straps fastening Thenio''s leg to the padded table inside. As soon as he was free, Thenio sat up and started massaging his calf muscles. In order to do a detailed scan of his magic circuit, the machine was set up to stimulate the circuit with tiny pulses of magic power. It didn''t exactly hurt, but it gave him an uncomfortable, twitchy sensation that made it difficult to hold still during the procedure. That was why the part being scanned had to be strapped down. "How many more do we have left?" Thenio asked, wriggling his leg around to try to make the feeling go away a little faster. Ariom glanced at a checklist that was sitting on the small table next to the scanning machine. "Just your arms. I think we''ll split those into two sessions¡ªfront and back. So it will take a couple more days. There''s no need to rush things." He had told Thenio that he normally did magic circuit analyses for his clients in a single day with just short breaks in between sessions, but they''d been spacing Thenio''s scans out over several days to avoid giving him too much magic stimulation at once. He appreciated that, but at the same time, he was starting to wish they could just get it all over with already.... "We''ll leave it here for today," Ariom said, checking the clock on the lab room wall. "Mideis will be here in about an hour. We should get ready." "Oh. Right." Thenio slid off the examination table. "I''ll go change." He was currently wearing thin clothing that was specifically designed to not interfere with the magic scans. It wasn''t really appropriate for receiving guests. Ariom nodded. "Meet me in the kitchen when you''re done. I''ll help you set up the refreshment cart." Today was Thenio''s first time acting as Ariom''s assistant during a client meeting. It wasn''t really a hard job. All he had to do was help serve the refreshments and then keep an eye on Iggy while Ariom spoke with their visitor. In theory, he was also supposed to be available in case Ariom needed him to do any miscellaneous tasks during the meeting, like taking notes or fetching something from the library or workroom. But since he wasn''t very familiar with things yet, he was mostly just observing for today. They had done a practice session yesterday, with Bero and Humerus pretending to be guests. And Ariom had said that their prospective client¡ªInspector Mideis Jidarin¡ªwas an acquaintance of his and would be understanding if Thenio made any mistakes. But he was still an inspector for the Kafron Royal Guard, and Thenio couldn''t help feeling nervous about interacting with him, even if it was just a matter of giving a polite greeting and handing out snacks. Iggy, who had been napping in the dragon box outside the lab room, stuck his head out as Thenio went by. "Is Thenio''s test all done?" he asked, blinking sleepily. "Yeah, it is." Thenio bent down and picked up the little dragon. "We need to get ready for company now. I''m going upstairs to change clothes. Do you want to come with me?" "Okay." Iggy yawned, showing off his teeth, and then laid his head on Thenio''s shoulder. He always seemed to have a hard time waking up from his afternoon naps. Thenio carried the dragon up to his bedroom and put him down on the window seat with a snack stick and a brightly colored patchwork ball to help him finish waking up. Iggy and Humerus had gotten in the habit of spending an hour or two in Thenio''s room in the evenings while he read to them or drew in his sketchbook, and almost before he realized it, there were a couple of dragon-sized cushions lying around and a small stash of toys and snacks in a box on one of the shelves. By the time Thenio had changed, Iggy was alert enough to ride on his shoulder as they went downstairs. Thenio dropped him off at the kitchen dragon box, and he trotted over to the climbing tower on one side and jumped up to sit on one of the platforms. The tower was next to a window that looked into the kitchen, so Iggy could sit and watch the food preparations without getting in the way. Ariom had already gotten out the snack cart and was just finishing bringing things out of the pantry. "Go ahead and set everything up on the cart," he told Thenio. "Like I showed you yesterday." Thenio nodded and began arranging things. He stacked the little decorative biscuits into neat rows on a platter and poured the seasoned fruit juice into a pitcher that was enchanted to keep it warm. Ariom had said that it was common for wizards to serve magic spiced drinks to visiting clients, mostly as a way to show off. But he never did, since his enchantment tailoring work required analyzing a client''s magic, and consuming spiced food beforehand would disrupt the process. This was convenient, since Bero had declared such foods completely off-limits for Thenio for the time being. Bero and Humerus were currently out visiting one of Bero''s old friends from when he had worked in Kamari as a doctor. He''d said that as long as he was hanging out in the capital for a while, he might as well take the opportunity to do some things he never had time for during his normal visits. Thenio was a little concerned about Bero taking so much time away from his farm. He and Humerus had already been staying with them for more than a week. But when he''d asked about it, Bero had casually dismissed his worries, saying that it was a good chance for his lazy apprentices to have to get along without him. And his daughter was also a master-rank necromancer and spectral beast expert, apparently. She helped run the farm and was in charge whenever Bero wasn''t around. "How do you know a Royal Guard inspector, anyway?" Thenio asked as he arranged some small fish pastries in a warming basket. These were snacks for familiars. He could see Iggy eyeing them with great interest from the other side of the window. "Have you worked for the Royal Guard before?" Ariom, who was standing on the side supervising Thenio''s work, nodded. "They''ve hired me as a consultant a few times. Mideis handles cases involving Pre-War artifacts. Smuggling, forgeries, theft...that kind of thing. But I originally met him through a Pre-War Era research group at the Royal Academy. I attend most of their meetings, and Mideis shows up occasionally when he has the time." "Is that what this job is about? Something to do with artifacts?" "No, it''s...." Ariom paused. "Actually, I''m not sure. Something to do with analyzing enchantments, but I don''t know the details. That''s what Mideis is coming here to talk about. I just know it''s part of an investigation that the Royal Guard and Magic Corps are working on together." He scowled. "I really don''t want to have anything to do with something that the military is involved in, but I promised I''d at least listen to their request. It was part of a deal I made with that con artist who calls himself a general in order to get approved to be your guardian." "Huh?" Thenio froze in the middle of placing a set of porcelain cups on the snack cart. "You''re doing this...because of me?" "Well...basically, yes." Ariom looked away, his expression uncomfortable. "It''s not really a big deal. General Obarin did me a favor by recommending me to the Stability Center, so I''m doing him a favor in return. And it''s just listening to their proposal. He said I didn''t have to take on the job if I don''t want to." Thenio swallowed and looked down at the cups he was holding, not sure what to say. There was a moment of awkward silence. Ariom cleared his throat. "Well, it looks like you''ve pretty much got it. I''m going to go check the reception room. Just bring the cart there when you''re done. Come on, Iggy. You can help light the fire." He left the kitchen, pausing briefly to collect Iggy from the dragon box, and retreated in the direction of the reception room. Thenio watched them go, feeling a little bemused. Maybe this was the real reason Bero had started going out to visit friends. He knew his nephew and the new assistant needed to learn how to talk to each other without him around.... Thenio shook his head and finished putting the rest of the tableware onto the cart. Then he checked everything over to make sure it looked right before pushing the cart out into the hall and toward the other wing of the house. Despite feeling a little anxious about the upcoming meeting, Thenio was glad to finally have a real job to do, even a small one like this. He hadn''t felt like much of a magic assistant so far. The reception room was basically just a larger and more formal version of the parlor at Thenio''s house. It had a high ceiling with a wrought iron chandelier hanging in the middle of it, equipped with enchanted candles that used light magic, rather than fire, so they never burned down. Tall, arched windows looked out onto the garden. And one wall had a stately stone mantle and a large fireplace, with two sofas and a table arranged in front of it. When Thenio entered the room, Ariom and Iggy were next to the fireplace. Ariom seemed to have just finished arranging a pile of logs and kindling on the grate. "All right, little guy," he said, straightening up. "Go ahead." "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy went eagerly up to the hearth, where he paused, took a deep breath, and then spit out a shower of orange sparks onto the waiting kindling. He repeated the process a couple of times and then peered intently into the fireplace, his tail twitching. There was a moment of silence. "I did it!" Iggy crowed suddenly, hopping up and down with excitement. "The fire''s going! I did it!" He turned his head and noticed Thenio watching. "Thenio, look! I started the fire!" "Well done." Thenio smiled at him. "That''s really impressive." Iggy puffed out his chest and waved his tail at the praise. Trying not to laugh, Thenio moved the cart to its designated spot on the side of the room and went over to admire the dragon''s handiwork. The kindling was already ablaze, and the flames were quickly spreading onto the larger pieces of wood. More quickly than they should have, really. The logs were probably treated with some kind of alchemical solution that made them burn more easily. "How does he use fire magic like that?" Thenio asked, looking at Ariom. "Does he know how to convert his magic like you do?" This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Ariom shook his head. "His control isn''t good enough for that yet. But he''s naturally able to produce a small amount of fire magic. Probably because he was originally supposed to have a flare affinity." The three of them stood and watched the fire for a few minutes. Then a chime sounded from the entrance hall. "That must be Mideis," Ariom said, sliding the fireplace screen in front of the burning logs. "Let''s go out to meet him." They went to the entrance hall, with Ariom leading the way and Thenio following behind him and carrying Iggy. When they reached the front door, Ariom touched a panel set into the wall on one side of it. An image appeared on the panel of a solemn-looking black golem carriage with the crest of the Royal Guard painted on the side. There seemed to be two men sitting inside. Ariom frowned a little when he saw that, but he still activated the control to open the gate. "I guess he brought an assistant or something?" Thenio asked uncertainly. "Something like that." Ariom opened the door and stepped outside. The carriage was coming up the driveway toward them. They watched silently while it pulled around and parked near the steps leading up to the front door. The two men got out, and one of them reached back in to pick something up. When he turned around, Thenio could see a smallish, dark-colored magic beast in his arms. But what really caught Thenio''s attention was the creature that jumped out of the carriage right after that and followed along beside the two men as they walked to the door. It was an enormous shaggy hound dog. It looked like its head would come up to Thenio''s chest, and its coat was mottled red and black, like clotted blood. As they drew nearer, it met Thenio''s gaze and stared back at him with an oddly mournful expression, its eerie, pale yellow eyes peering out through a shroud of long fur. It was probably some kind of storm hound. Thenio had seen pictures of them in books. But he hadn''t realized they were quite that big...or that creepy-looking.... The man next to the hound seemed to notice Thenio''s unease. "Don''t mind Kino here," he said, reaching out to pat the dog''s back. His voice was soft and rather gravelly. "He looks fierce, but he''s very gentle...to anyone who isn''t a criminal." The man bore an odd resemblance to his dog, with a long mop of grizzled black hair that framed a similar brooding expression. Ariom was looking at him with a faint scowl. "You didn''t tell me you were bringing the vice-captain with you." "I didn''t know!" the other man protested, giving his companion a sideways look. "He just showed up in my office as I was getting ready to leave and announced he was coming with me." This man was tall and slender, with a bookish air about him. The magic beast he was carrying resembled a cat, but it was very long and thin and had unusually large ears. Its dark brown fur was short and glossy, like satin. Its eyes were a light orange with vertical pupils, and it, too, was staring at Thenio. "I''m sorry for the imposition," the man Ariom had called the vice-captain said, still with the same quiet, rough voice. "I''m the supervisor for this case. General Obarin said there was a good chance you wouldn''t take the job. But we do need help, so I thought it was only fitting that I come ask you myself." He glanced at his dog. "If Kino''s size is a problem, he can wait outside." Ariom gave a small sigh. "No, it''s fine. But both of you need to agree not to use any magic while you''re here." He gave a nod in Thenio''s direction. "My assistant is very sensitive to ambient magic power. I spoke to Mideis about this already." "The chaos morph." The vice-captain''s gaze moved to Thenio, and he nodded. "I''ve heard about him. I understand. We''ll be careful." He patted Kino again, and the dog also nodded to show he understood. "All right, then. I guess I should make introductions." Ariom looked back at Thenio and Iggy. "You''ve met Iggy before. This is Thenio Iterune, my new magic assistant. Thenio, this is Mideis Jidarin, Royal Guard Inspector, and his familiar, Amisi. She''s a taua, a species that''s native to the Pabas Islands. They''re quite rare, so you might not have heard of them before. And this is Garem Ranior, Royal Guard Vice-Captain and head of the Demon Crimes Division, and his familiar, Kino. Kino is a Bloodwind, a breed of storm hound that''s specialized in tracking." Demon Crimes? Thenio''s eyebrows went up a little when he heard those words. Did that mean this case involved demons? Why would they need an enchanter for that? "Why don''t we go inside? Then we''ll explain everything." Mideis said pleasantly. Thenio started a little at hearing a response to his unasked question, but he calmed down when he remembered that these two were detectives and were probably used to paying close attention to people''s facial expressions. Mideis had probably noticed his puzzled look and guessed what he was wondering about. Ariom led the group inside. When their guests were seated on one of the sofas in the reception room, Thenio put Iggy down on the other sofa and began serving the refreshments, while Ariom excused himself briefly to go get something for Kino. They hadn''t anticipated feeding such a large familiar when they were getting the snacks ready. Thenio felt a little uneasy about Ariom leaving him alone with the guests, even if it was just for a few minutes. And it didn''t make him feel any better when he realized they could probably tell he was nervous. He did his best to focus on serving the food in the way Ariom and Bero had taught him. It had helped that he''d seen the maids at Aunt Suliya''s house do the same thing quite a few times before, so he was already familiar with the overall process. First he pulled the cart over next to the sofa and placed the platters of biscuits and little cakes on the table within easy reach. Then he placed two cups on saucers and poured the warm fruit juice into them before handing them to Mideis and Garem. "Thank you." Mideis gave him an encouraging smile as he took his juice. "You''re new at this, aren''t you? You''re doing fine. There''s no need to be nervous. We''re not the kind of fussy nobles who get offended over every little thing. Just think of this as a rehearsal for the real thing, all right?" "Ah...thank you. I appreciate that." Thenio was still slightly unnerved by how well Mideis seemed to be able to read his expressions, but the reassurance helped him relax a little. He also felt more comfortable once he''d finished serving the humans and moved on to the familiars. "We have meat pies and cut fruit," he told Amisi, putting a small wooden tray on the sofa for her to use as a table. "Do you want some of both? Or just one of them?" "Both." She was still staring at him unblinkingly. "And I''ll have the chicken broth to drink, please." "Huh?" He hadn''t even said anything about drinks yet.... "Oh, you must have smelled it. All right. Just a minute." Thenio put a few fish and beef pastries and some fruit chunks on a plate and poured some warm chicken broth into a bowl. Then he set the plate and bowl on Amisi''s tray. "There you go. Let me know if you want more of anything, all right? We have plenty." While he was serving up Amisi''s food, Ariom came back into the room, carrying a tray with a full-sized meat pie, a plate of sliced fruit, and a large bowl of chicken broth. "Here. Is this all right?" he asked, setting the tray down in front of Kino, who was sitting on the floor next to the sofa. The dog nodded silently and started eating the pie in a surprisingly dainty manner, considering his large size and untidy appearance. Thenio watched him for a moment, impressed, and then turned to Iggy. "What would you like to eat, Iggy?" "Fish pie!" Iggy said, waving his tail enthusiastically. "And fruit juice!" "Iggy...ask politely, please," Ariom chided him gently as he went to sit on the sofa next to the little dragon. "Oh." Iggy''s ears drooped a little. "Um...can I have fish pie and fruit juice? Please?" "Very good." Ariom patted his back, which made his ears perk up a little. Thenio gave Iggy a tray with a plate of fish pies and a bowl of fruit juice. Then he poured a cup of juice for Ariom and another one for himself. Finally, he was able to sit down on Iggy''s other side and let out a small sigh of relief. He was still supposed to watch to see if anyone''s drink needed refilling and to give the familiars more snacks if they asked for them, but otherwise his job was basically finished now. When he looked up, he saw Mideis give him another encouraging smile and a small nod. Really. That guy was amazingly perceptive. "It''s been a while since I''ve seen you in person," Mideis said, turning to look at Ariom. "The last research meeting I went to was...what? Four months ago?" He sighed. "Work''s been busy lately.... Has anything interesting come up in the last few meetings?" Ariom shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Things keep trickling in from that excavation project in Eskya, but there haven''t been any major discoveries so far. Just more tiny pieces that we hope will add up to something eventually. I didn''t attend the last meeting, though. I probably won''t make it to the next one, either." He glanced over at Thenio. "I''ve been a little busy lately myself." Thenio looked down and fidgeted a little with the cup in his hands. "Well, that''s fine, isn''t it?" Mideis said with a smile. "I think saving someone''s life is far more important than analyzing some old rubble. Those artifacts have been sitting around for the past four hundred years. They can sit a little longer if they need to." "I''m not sure if it''s more or less convincing when someone who spends all his time analyzing Pre-War artifacts says something like that..." Garem said drily, swirling the juice around in his cup. "Hey, I set the artifacts aside when I need to," Mideis protested. "Aren''t I working on a case that doesn''t involve artifacts right now?" "Well, they''re not technically artifacts...but...." Garem paused, glancing at Ariom. "Maybe you should just go ahead and explain everything." "Ah. Right." Mideis held up his hand. There was a shimmer in the air above it, and a stack of papers appeared. "These are¡ª" He suddenly broke off and looked at Thenio with alarm. "Oh, I''m sorry. I forgot. Is using enough magic to activate the space pocket a problem for him?" Ariom shook his head. "That much is fine. I was mostly worried about Kino''s wind magic. He can put out quite a lot of power when he''s smelling a new place." "True. But still, I''m sorry. I should be more careful...." Mideis cleared his throat, looking awkward. "Well, as I was starting to say, these are diagrams of the enchantments we want you to help us analyze. Partial diagrams, at least. We haven''t been able to get complete ones yet because...well. Take a look. You''ll understand." He handed the papers across the table to Ariom, who took the stack and started flipping through them. After he got a few pages in, he stopped, and Thenio could see his eyes widen in surprise. "Is this...flesh enchantments? But why are they...?" Ariom continued turning the pages, his expression growing darker the more he saw. "What is it?" Iggy was distracted from his fish pies and looked up at Ariom curiously. "Is there something wrong with those pictures?" Without waiting for a response, the little dragon jumped up onto Ariom''s shoulder and craned his neck to look at the papers. "Oh," he said after a pause. "They''re pictures to go onto people? But how come there are so many pieces missing?" "Are you really sure you want him to look at those...?" Mideis asked, looking a little taken aback. Ariom glanced up at him. "He''s a dragon, not a human child. If he''d been born in a wild flock, he''d already be hunting and eating small animals by now. He won''t be traumatized by something like this." He looked back down at the paper in his hand. "Well. These are just diagrams, after all. I probably won''t show him the actual pictures...assuming you have any." "We do." Garem said quietly. "And as you''ve guessed, they''re not pretty." Ariom reached up to pat Iggy. "You remember how you were worrying about Thenio''s magic getting scared and turning him into fireworks?" "I do!" Iggy put his ears back, looking concerned. "But that won''t happen to Thenio, right? We''ll stop it, right?" "Right." Ariom stroked the little dragon''s back soothingly. "But that''s what happened to the people these diagrams came from. They turned into fireworks." An uncomfortable silence followed these words. "Oh," Iggy said. He looked back down at the papers Ariom was holding. "I don''t think people make good fireworks." "No. I don''t think they do either," Ariom agreed. He looked back at Mideis. "Where did these come from? Who exactly is going around inscribing explosive enchantment matrices onto people? And why?" "That''s what we want to find out," Garem said. His voice sounded even rougher than usual. "Especially why." "We don''t know exactly who, either," Mideis added. "But we do have a general idea." He looked between Ariom and Thenio. "How much do you know about the Order of the Ravener?" Chapter 20 - The Order of the Ravener The Order of...what? Thenio didn''t remember ever hearing that name before. Ariom was frowning. "So it''s something to do with those fanatics? General Obarin mentioned the Order when he told me about this job, but from what he said, I was expecting something like ritual formations. Not...." He looked down at the papers he was holding. "...this." "There are plenty of ritual formations that need analyzing, too," Garem said. "And we''d be happy to have your help with those. But if there''s one case where we could seriously use a grandmaster enchanter with a void affinity, it''s this one." "You''re trying to recruit me because of my affinity?" Ariom looked a little surprised by that. "Why? So I don''t get killed in one of these explosions? But you should have safety gear for that, right?" "We do. And not getting killed is obviously important," Mideis said drily. "But what we''re really hoping is that you''ll be able to stop the explosion in the first place so that we can get a decent look at the entire enchantment matrix." "You mean the explosion isn''t the main function?" Ariom asked, raising his eyebrows a little. Mideis shook his head. "No. It just looks that way because that''s the only part of the inscription that''s left after...well...after the people ''turned into fireworks,'' as you put it. The explosion seems to be a built-in security feature to prevent anyone from seeing the main part of the enchantment. It''s set to go off when the person wearing the enchantment dies or when the inscription is scanned. That''s why we''re having such a hard time with the analysis." "I see.... Well, that''s still disturbing, but it''s not quite as psychotic as I was originally thinking." Ariom looked down at the diagrams for a moment. Then he suddenly raised his head and looked at Thenio. "You don''t have to stay and listen to this if you don''t want to. I wasn''t expecting this discussion to revolve around magic explosions. I can understand why it might be a bit...upsetting for you." "Ah...well...." Thenio fidgeted a little, not sure how to respond. It was true that it wasn''t a very comfortable topic. But this was also his first day of real assistant work, and he didn''t like the idea of bailing out partway through just because the subject matter was a little difficult. "Why don''t you stay while we give Ariom a general overview of the situation?" Mideis suggested with an understanding smile. "Then maybe you can take the familiars out to the atrium for a bit while we go over a few of the less pleasant details." "Oh...okay." It felt a little like admitting defeat, but considering how important it was for Thenio to keep his emotions under control right now, he knew it was probably better if he didn''t hear exactly what happened when someone ''turned into fireworks.'' "All right, then," Mideis said, nodding. "Well, let''s go back to the original question: Do you know anything about the Order of the Ravener? It''s fine if you don''t¡ªit''s not really public knowledge." Thenio shook his head. "No. I''ve never heard of it. But a ''ravener'' is something that eats a lot, right? Then...." He glanced at Garem. "Does it have something to do with demons?" "That''s right. Very good." Mideis said approvingly. "It''s a group of people who have...shall we say...an unhealthy preoccupation with demons." "There''s no need to put it that nicely," Garem growled. "They''re a bunch of lunatics, is what they are. Obsessed with power. And willing to steal and murder and mutilate themselves in order to get more of it." "Well. Yes." Mideis gave Thenio an apologetic look. "The vice-captain has had to deal with them a lot, and as you can tell, he has some pretty hard feelings toward them. And for good reason, too¡ªthey''re mixed up in a lot of nasty business. They''re a very secretive bunch, so there''s still a lot we don''t know about the group, but it seems to have first been organized a few decades after the Rift Crisis. Those were chaotic times, and people did a lot of crazy things, just trying to survive and cope with the trauma of it all. Even now, it''s common for people who have survived demon attacks to get a little obsessed with the idea of researching demons or trying to become combat wizards so they can take revenge. The Order is sort of an extreme version of that. They want to gain control over the demons in order to turn their own power against them." "Or so they claim," Garem put in. "And they might have really meant it in the beginning. Maybe a few still do. But most of the people associated with the group now are only in it for their own gain. Greedy scumbags. They''ve got connections with all sorts of criminal organizations. Bribery, extortion, theft, smuggling, poaching, human trafficking.... You name it, they''ve done it. And are still doing it, most likely. No matter how many of them we crush, they just keep turning up. Like cockroaches." Thenio was starting to understand why Garem had such a gloomy expression all the time.... Mideis nodded. "Like he says, the group has spread pretty widely in the criminal underground. But a lot of the smaller gangs working under them don''t even know that they''re affiliated with the Order. They''re quite strict about controlling who has access to information. And even within the main group, there''s a rigid hierarchy, with only the most elite members having full access to the group''s knowledge and resources. This flesh enchantment we''re trying to analyze is something that started showing up among the higher-ranking members a couple of years ago. It seems to be some kind of experiment that they''re performing, since there are small variations in the enchantment from person to person. But we don''t know what the end goal of the experiment is, since we haven''t been able to see a complete inscription yet." "We know where a few more of these enchanted members are, but we''re just keeping tabs on them for now. Too dangerous to go after them without all the preparations in place. They''ve already cost us one good researcher, with several more seriously injured. Suicidal maniacs...." Garem''s expression was extremely bitter. "So what exactly is your plan?" Ariom asked, frowning. "Let''s say I decide to help you out. How am I supposed to get access to these walking explosives while they''re still intact?" "That''s one of the reasons we''re working together with the Magic Corps on this," Garem explained. "Whenever we decide we''re ready to go catch one of these guys, they''ve agreed to lend us some firepower to make the job easier." "Or...lend us some icepower, more like." Mideis chuckled a little. "They''ve got a really good ice mage they''re willing to let us use. She''s a sixth rank sorceress with excellent magic control. We think her stasis magic will be able to temporarily prevent the explosion formation from triggering. But she can only keep it up for so long. That''s why we need to have an enchanter who''s capable of deactivating the formation ready and waiting before we go catch our research subject." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "You seriously think that will work? Can she really use stasis magic at that level?" "We won''t know until we try," Garem said simply. "But probably. She''s good. One of the best ice mages in the world." Ariom still looked a bit skeptical, but he didn''t say any more. Instead, he picked up his cup of fruit juice and took a slow sip. There was a moment of silence. "Iggy, why don''t you finish your fish pie?" Ariom said finally, reaching up to give the dragon a light pat. "Then you and Thenio can take Amisi and Kino out to the atrium to play for a while, all right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy jumped down from Ariom''s shoulder and started happily munching on his snacks again.
Thenio sat on a bench in the atrium and watched while Iggy and Kino played together. They were ''playing bird,'' as Iggy called it. Which meant that Kino was using his wind magic to make a toy bird fly around while Iggy chased after it. They were making sure to stay some distance away from where Thenio was sitting. This was partly to prevent Kino''s magic from causing him problems. But it was also to avoid accidental collisions whenever Iggy lost control and went spinning through the air or crash landed on the ground. He was doing quite a lot of both. Thenio couldn''t help worrying about him, but he wasn''t interfering, since the little dragon didn''t seem to be hurt and was obviously having a good time. He heard a soft thump and turned to see that Amisi had just jumped up onto the other end of the bench. She padded confidently over to Thenio and climbed onto his lap. "Oh, hi. Did you get tired of looking at the flowers?" Amisi nodded. She''d been prowling around the garden patches, sniffing at the different plants. But apparently she''d had enough of that for now and decided to take a break. Thenio waited for her to settle down and then started gently stroking her velvety brown fur. Amisi made a happy expression and closed her eyes. She even started purring when he began rubbing her neck and around her shoulder blades. "You''re really good at that," she said after a few minutes, her voice a bit distorted by the purrs. Thenio smiled a little. "Well, I used to have a cat. So I''ve had some practice." She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Used to?" "Yeah...well...." Thenio looked away. "My parents decided we couldn''t keep her anymore. So they gave her away." "And you were sad about that?" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Yeah, I was." Thenio shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn''t really anything to be sad about, though. I went to visit her at her new home a few times, and she seemed really happy there. They gave her fancy toys and a climbing tower and a nice little house to sleep in and everything. She never got things like that when she lived with us. Just my little brother chasing her around and pulling on her tail. So it really was for the best." "Just because it was good for her doesn''t mean it was good for you." Amisi was still staring up at him with her unblinking orange eyes. "Why shouldn''t you be sad about losing a pet you loved?" "Because bad things happen when I get sad!" Thenio said, a little more sharply than he''d intended. "I lose control of my magic. And then people get hurt!" His magic was acting up a little bit now, and Thenio took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself down. "I wasn''t happy about her leaving," he went on in a steadier voice. "But I was glad she got to live in a nicer place, with people who cared about her. And I''m especially glad that she was never around to get hurt whenever my magic exploded." "So do you think you deserved to lose her? Did you deserve to be hurt? Because you hurt someone else?" "I¡ª" Thenio broke off, unsettled by the question. Why was she asking that? No one else had ever asked him that before. "I don''t know," he said finally. "Maybe I did." Amisi simply looked at him for a long moment. Then she blinked and lowered her head. "You know that doesn''t make sense. You don''t deserve to be punished for something you had no control over." Thenio looked away, across the atrium, where Iggy was flitting through the branches of the oak tree in pursuit of his toy bird. "Does it matter if it makes sense?" "Maybe not." The taua laid her head down on Thenio''s knee. "People''s feelings rarely make sense. But just knowing they don''t make sense can make a difference, you know?" Thenio didn''t say anything. He just lifted his hand and started gently scratching Amisi''s large ears.
Ariom waited until Thenio and the familiars were out of the reception room. Then he turned to Garem. "You said you had actual images of those enchanted Order members...or what was left of them.... Do you have copies with you?" Garem nodded and looked at Mideis, who pulled another set of papers out of his space pocket and handed them over. Ariom looked down at the first one and grimaced. "Sending Thenio out with the familiars was a good idea. It''s definitely better if he doesn''t see these...." The room fell silent as Ariom worked his way through the stack of papers, examining the images and comparing them against the diagrams and notes. Finally, he looked up. "I can see some traces of the rest of the enchantment, but it''s a little difficult to make sense of them without knowing what the main function of the matrix was. Do you really not have any ideas about it?" "Well...I wouldn''t say we don''t have any...." Mideis looked at Garem, as though asking how much to reveal. Garem sighed. "It''s like I said earlier. The Order is all about gaining power. Everything they do revolves around that idea. So we can assume that this does, too. We just don''t know exactly how. But...well, they say their goal is to harness the power of demons, right? And what''s the main advantage that demons have over humans?" "The fact that they can increase their power by absorbing the magic of other creatures?" "Exactly." Mideis nodded. "That''s the Order''s ultimate goal. I mean, it''s in their name, isn''t it? ''Ravener.'' One who devours. They''re trying to find a way for humans to consume magic power like demons do. So we suspect these enchantments have something to do with that." Ariom''s cheek twitched, and his eyes widened slightly as he looked back down at the papers spread in front of him. "Consuming magic power...like demons, huh...?" Mideis frowned. "What? Does that mean something to you?" Ariom hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "No, not really." He scowled at Mideis. "And stay out of my head, you nosy psychic." "I wasn''t in your head!" Mideis glared back at him. "We both know that you''re perfectly capable of blocking my magic if you want to. But I''ve participated in enough interrogations to notice when someone''s expression changes like yours did just now. Right when I mentioned humans consuming magic power." "That...." Ariom looked away. "It just reminded me of something. It shouldn''t be connected to this case at all. It''s just...an odd coincidence." "Hmm." Mideis narrowed his eyes, his expression skeptical. "Well, fine. You know better than to lie to us, so if you say it''s not related...." "It''s not," Ariom repeated firmly. "And since we brought up your magic...." He glanced in the direction of the atrium. "Thenio''s out of earshot, isn''t he?" "Changing the subject, huh...?" Mideis sighed. "Yes, he is. He''s currently sitting on a bench in the atrium, and Amisi is on his lap getting her ears scratched. She says Thenio is an excellent ear scratcher." "Iggy thinks so, too," Ariom said drily. "But were you able to learn anything about him apart from the fact that he''s good at scratching ears?" "Not as much as I expected. Chaos morphs can use different types of magic, can''t they? Sort of like null affinities? Can he use mental magic as well? He was doing a pretty good job of blocking my probes. Even Amisi can''t pick up very much from him." Ariom''s brow furrowed. "Really? I''m not aware that he can use mental magic.... I mean, even most null mages can''t, and there was nothing about that in any of the chaos magic research material I''ve looked through." He tapped a finger on his knee thoughtfully. "And Thenio hasn''t mentioned that he has that kind of ability.... Is it possible for him to be using mental magic without being aware of it?" "It''s possible, yes. It''s actually pretty common for children with mental affinities to use magic without realizing it, especially something as basic as blocking a telepathic probe. We weren''t being aggressive about it, so it wouldn''t have taken much skill to block." Mideis shook his head. "It would be strange if he could do it without you noticing, though. I mean, you could tell that Amisi and I were using magic on him, right?" "Yes, I could. And I appreciate your help with that, by the way. I can''t use mental magic, so I couldn''t test it on him by myself." "What kind of test were you doing?" Garem asked. "Mideis told me you''d asked him to try using magic on the boy while we were here, but he didn''t really explain why." "Just to test Thenio''s reaction to it," Ariom said. "I mentioned that he was sensitive to ambient magic, didn''t I? Too much causes his magic to destabilize. But not all types of magic seem to affect him to the same extent. We''ve discovered that he tolerates life magic unusually well, for example. And...." He frowned again. "It looks like mental magic is the same. Mideis and Amisi were using quite a lot¡ªmore than enough to cause Thenio problems if it had been any other magic type. But it didn''t seem to bother him. I really wasn''t expecting that." He looked back at Mideis. "So what did you manage to pick up from him?" "Just a few surface thoughts and emotions. He was nervous about serving the refreshments. He likes magic beasts. He''s worried about messing up and disappointing you." Mideis shrugged. "He seems like a good kid, basically. Just...I don''t know. There''s something a little strange about him. I can''t quite put my finger on what it is." "What about Amisi?" "She said pretty much the same thing. Except...." Mideis paused, looking thoughtful. "She said he felt...sad. Not that he''s sad right now. It''s like...he''s been steeped in sadness. It''s become a part of him." He shook his head a little. "Well, it''s not the first time she''s said that about someone. But it''s rare for someone so young to have gone through enough hardship to get that way. She said it''s like there''s a huge shadow hanging over him. But she''s not sure if it''s a shadow that he''s casting or one that''s being cast onto him." He gave Ariom an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know that probably doesn''t help much. The way she describes things can be a little hard to understand." "It''s all right. Iggy''s kind of the same way." Ariom was silent for a moment, fiddling with the stack of papers that were on the couch next to him. Then he looked at Garem. "Have you and Kino noticed anything in particular?" Garem was silent for a moment, probably communicating with his familiar. "Kino says he''s jealous," he said finally. "He likes playing with Iggy and all, but Amisi is curled up on Thenio''s lap getting petted, and Kino thinks it looks really nice. He wishes Thenio would pet him, too." They both stared at him. Garem shrugged. "Basically, Kino really likes him." "Seriously? Kino?" Mideis looked shocked. "Kino the Aloof is saying he wants to sit on someone''s lap and get petted? That kid is more unusual than I thought...." "He just seems to have that effect on magic beasts," Ariom said. "I have yet to see one that didn''t immediately like him. My uncle''s revenant felt a little intimidated by Thenio''s chaos magic at first, but even he had warmed up to him within a day or so." "That''s...interesting." Garem rubbed his chin. "Maybe I should look into chaos magic a little myself." "Well, if you get any research data from the Association, let me take a look at it, will you? I''d like to know if they''re willing to give a Royal Guard vice-captain any of the information that they inexplicably left out of what they sent me," Ariom said with a sour expression. Garem raised an eyebrow. "The Association is hiding things about chaos magic, huh? Well, it''s not that surprising. They might be the only organization in the world that''s even more secretive than the Order of the Ravener. Though at least they''re not running an international criminal ring...probably." He made a face. "Well, getting back to the topic at hand¡ªwhat are your thoughts on the analysis job?" Ariom didn''t answer right away. He crossed his arms and stared down at the stack of diagram papers, a slight frown on his face. "Give me a few days to study these more thoroughly," he said after a long pause. "I''ll decide whether I''m willing to do the in-person analysis after that." "Fair enough." Mideis gave a wry smile. "That''s actually better than I was expecting. I was half sure you were going to turn us down right away." "If it makes any difference..." Garem said slowly. "...General Obarin said to tell you that if you accept this job, he''ll make sure that a certain firestorm mage isn''t involved with it at all." Ariom stiffened, and a dark expression briefly crossed his face. "I''ll keep that in mind."
Mideis and Garem didn''t speak much as they loaded their familiars back into the carriage, said goodbye to Ariom and his housemates, and started back out onto the road. They were about halfway back to the Guard headquarters when Mideis finally spoke up. "What do you think? Is there any chance he''ll actually do it?" Garem nodded. "I think there''s a pretty high chance, actually." "Really?" Mideis was startled by that response. He thought for a moment. "Does it have anything to do with his reaction to hearing about humans absorbing magic? That thing he didn''t want to tell us about?" "Exactly. Whatever he was thinking about right then, it''s something important to him. The expression on his face...that was the look of a hunting hound catching a scent. And now that he''s caught it, he won''t let go of it easily. Stubborn fellow." Garem''s face broke into an uncharacteristic grin that made him look years younger. "They''d both have fits if they heard me say it, but Ariom really is just like his father." Chapter 21 - Thaumaturgy Thenio sat in an examination room at the Stability Center, going through the new magic control exercises that Ariom had taught him. He was feeling slightly nervous, since he had a rather large audience. Ariom and Bero were both there, as were Grandmaster Sephior and two of his apprentices: Chanea and Lerian. Chanea was a petite young woman with curly brown hair. And Lerian was a tall and muscular young man who looked more like a combat wizard than a healer, though Thenio knew he was actually very gentle and soft-spoken. He had met both apprentices during his previous appointments. Iggy and Humerus were sitting together on a chair on the side of the room, under Bero''s watchful eye. The Center had a waiting area specifically designed for familiars, and the two of them would normally have stayed there during the appointment. But they had both said they wanted to see what Thenio''s examinations were like, so Bero had negotiated with the staff to let them in, on the condition that they sit quietly and watch from the side. "I see...." Grandmaster Sephior nodded thoughtfully as Thenio finished the last exercise. "Yes, I think this approach has some potential." He glanced back at his apprentices, who were standing behind his chair and watching Thenio with slightly puzzled expressions. "Do you two understand what Ariom is trying to accomplish by giving him these exercises? Since you haven''t learned to use magesight yet, you might not have been able to see it." The two apprentices exchanged looks. "They just looked like regular control exercises to me," Lerian said apologetically. "Though I guess they''re pretty advanced for someone his age?" Chanea nodded. "Yes, those animal shapes looked really good. I don''t think I could make shapes that complex just using raw magic power." The exercises that Thenio had shown them were more advanced versions of the magic orb exercises that all beginning magic users did. But they were a little different from the ones he''d been taught at the academy. There, the focus had been on producing additional magic orbs and juggling groups of them around in complex patterns. Ariom''s exercises involved forming a single orb and then distorting it in various ways, like changing the shape or color. Thenio especially enjoyed trying to make different animals and magic beasts, although his creations still looked pathetically blobby and misshapen compared to the ones Ariom could make. "Advanced, yes." Grandmaster Sephior chuckled a little. "I would normally say they''re too advanced for him. Those are beginning sorcery exercises." Chanea raised her eyebrows a little. "Oh, now that you mention it, they are, aren''t they?" Then she frowned. "Is that really going to help anything, at his power level? I mean, I guess every little bit helps, but...." "Yes, every little bit does help," Ariom said, giving the apprentice an annoyed look. He''d been in a bad mood ever since they''d left the house a couple of hours ago. "It''s a common misconception that precise magic control is only useful at high power levels." "Now, now, Ariom...." Grandmaster Sephior gave him a gentle smile. "I know you''re not happy to be here, but please don''t take it out on my poor apprentice. She doesn''t know your family history, and thaumaturgy isn''t exactly a common practice these days. You can''t really blame her for not immediately thinking of it." "Thaumaturgy?" Chanea blinked in confusion. "I''ve heard the name, but I don''t really know what it is." She looked at Lerian. "Do you?" Lerian frowned. "Isn''t it an older style of enchanting? One that fell out of use after the Great War?" "You''re about half right. It does have a lot in common with enchanting. And the war did cause a huge drop in the number of people who could use it. But calling it an old style of enchanting isn''t exactly right." Grandmaster Sephior turned back to Ariom. "Well. Maybe we should let the expert explain." Ariom scowled. "Is this why you brought your apprentices with you? To try and make me give them a lesson on thaumaturgy?" "Well...yes. You could say that." Grandmaster Sephior gave him a sunny, wrinkled smile. "Don''t you want more people to learn about your family traditions? And these two are studying to be magic circuit doctors. It''s possible they''ll be able to use this knowledge to help people in the future." "Don''t try to guilt-trip me. We don''t even know if it''s going to help Thenio yet...." Ariom sighed. "But fine. Thaumaturgy is a method of using magic that''s based on the same principles as enchanting but uses direct power manipulation rather than depending on a physical medium." The two apprentices looked at him blankly. Ariom sighed again. Then he stood up and went over to the chair where the familiars were sitting. "Iggy, can I borrow Obby for a minute? I need him to help me explain this." "Okay." Iggy sat up on his haunches and held his front paws out. With a shimmer of magic particles, the plush chicken appeared in them. "Obby, Ariom needs you to help him, okay?" Ariom took the chicken and rubbed Iggy''s head. "Thanks." He turned back to the two apprentices and held Obby up for them to see. "This is an enchanted toy. It has a number of different inscriptions on it. When magic is channeled into these inscriptions, they produce various effects. Like changing the color." The chicken glowed faintly as Ariom infused some of his magic power into it. When the glow faded, Obby''s normally black body had turned a bright shade of green. "An inscription is a physical medium that''s used to manipulate magic power. But if you understand how it works, and if your magic control is good enough, you can produce the same effect without needing an inscription. Here, let me see that pen." "Huh?" Lerian looked down at the pen he''d been using to take notes for Grandmaster Sephior during Thenio''s physical exam. It was an ordinary-looking brown fountain pen. "Oh. All right." He held the pen out to Ariom, who took it. "Now, this pen doesn''t have any enchantments inscribed on it. So all that will happen if you infuse magic power into it is that it will get hot and eventually explode. But if I manipulate the magic correctly...." He held the pen up and touched it with his fingertip. The pen glowed the same way Obby had and turned the same shade of bright green. "I can still create the same color-changing effect." He touched the pen again and returned it to its original color. Then he handed it back to Lerian, who took it and stared at it, looking half impressed and half perplexed. "Wow...." Chanea was also staring at the pen. "Can you reproduce any enchantment like that?" "In theory, yes. But in practice, it''s limited by the complexity of the enchantment and the amount of power I can put out. So it''s not like it can replace enchanting altogether." "It still looks really useful, though. Why don''t more people use it?" Ariom shrugged. "Mostly because it''s extremely difficult to learn. People generally have to start training when they''re very young. It''s almost impossible to develop that kind of precise control once your magic power level gets too high. And it can take up to a decade of regular practice before you really start to see results. So it wasn''t widespread, even before the war. And since then, magic tools have become much more readily available because of the higher percentage of non-magic users in the population, so most people just rely on those. Thaumaturgy has mainly been preserved by families that have void affinities running in them. The effort involved is more worthwhile for void mages, since we''re pretty limited in what we can do without using special techniques like this." "A decade of training...." Chanea made a face. "Yeah, I can understand why most people would pass on that. Did you learn it because of your family, then?" "Yes," Ariom said shortly, his expression darkening a little. He turned away from her to give the still-green Obby back to Iggy. "I still remember Ariom as a little boy, doing magic exercises and practicing archery together with his mother." Grandmaster Sephior smiled fondly. "Such a cute kid. It''s rare for us to have children born here in the Center, so we were all quite attached to him." There was a brief silence. "His mother...was an in-patient here?" Chanea asked tentatively. "Yes, that''s right." Grandmaster Sephior didn''t say any more, but his smile had turned a little sad. "Oh," Chanea said in a subdued voice. "I see...." Ariom acted as though he hadn''t heard them, but he was spending a little longer than necessary stroking Iggy''s head. Bero was watching him with a complicated expression. Grandmaster Sephior cleared his throat. "Well, getting back to the topic at hand...Thenio is probably starting a bit too late to become a proper thaumaturgist, but Ariom thinks that practicing the techniques might allow him to gain enough control over his magic power to prevent future explosions. His magic stability does seem slightly better when he''s doing the new exercises. So I think it''s worth pursuing. He needs an alternative to traditional exercises anyway, since they place too much emphasis on increasing magic power levels...which is the last thing he needs right now." "It''s an interesting idea," Lerian said, nodding thoughtfully. "I wouldn''t have thought of using shaping exercises with raw magic power in order to train control, just because you always hear that you don''t need them until you hit sorcerer level and start doing physical manifestations. Maybe I should stop by the library later and see if I can find any books on thaumaturgy. I''d like to learn more about how it works." Chanea also nodded. "Good, good." Grandmaster Sephior looked pleased with that response. "We''ll discuss this more after you two have done some studying. Working with Thenio and Ariom is a rare learning opportunity in many ways, so try to make the most of it." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, we''re almost done here. There''s just one more thing I need to discuss with Thenio. But it''s a bit...personal. So you two can go ahead and leave early." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He waited until they had exited the room. Then he turned to Ariom, who had returned to his seat next to Thenio. "All right, then. Let''s move on to the most sensitive subject, shall we? I assume you''ve been testing Thenio''s magic absorption. What have you found out so far?" Ariom frowned. "So you did know about that. You could have said something." "We''re treating it as classified information. I couldn''t discuss it with you before you became Thenio''s official guardian, and since then...well, it was hard to get a chance to talk to you privately, with so many people hanging around, trying to find a way to take advantage of the poor boy. Unprincipled scavengers...." For a moment, Grandmaster Sephior''s expression grew uncharacteristically harsh. Then he seemed to realize something and looked over at Humerus. "Sorry. No offense intended toward proper scavengers." He sighed. "Well. I knew you and Bero would pick up on it right away, so I didn''t put as much effort into informing you as I would have otherwise." "Um...is it really that important to keep it a secret?" Thenio asked hesitantly. "Is being able to absorb magic such a terrible thing?" Grandmaster Sephior shook his head. "Not terrible. But potentially quite dangerous for you, if the wrong people find out. Some would want to study and try to duplicate that ability, without caring whether you were hurt in the process or not. And the fact that your magic absorption bears even a passing resemblance to a demon''s would be enough to make some people want you dead without any further questions. That played a large part in who we selected as potential caretakers for you¡ªwe wanted to be sure you didn''t go to someone who was prejudiced against magic eaters." He chuckled a little. "Since Ariom grew up on a spectral beast farm, we were pretty sure that wouldn''t be a problem with him." "I suppose you had a demon expert examine him at some point?" Bero asked. "Yes, of course." Grandmaster Sephior nodded. "The head of the Demon Poison Center came over and looked at him the first day he was here. He said he thought it was possible that there''s some kind of connection between chaos magic and demons, since there are some notable similarities. But he''s quite sure that Thenio isn''t a demon." Thenio frowned a little. He could understand that they might not have mentioned the demon expert at the time, since he''d been heavily sedated and probably wouldn''t have even understood what it meant. And he also knew that everyone was being careful about what they told him because of his recent bad reactions to upsetting information. Ariom had said as much when he apologized for not letting Thenio know ahead of time that Mideis and Amisi had mental affinities and were testing out his reaction to their magic when they visited the other day. Apparently Ariom and Bero were worried that knowing would make Thenio too nervous and affect the results of the test by stirring up his magic prematurely. And Ariom had already told him that he was planning to find a mental mage to help out with the magic absorption testing, so it wasn''t completely unexpected. But still.... It felt like everyone was keeping secrets from him, and he didn''t like it. He sat quietly while Ariom and Bero told Grandmaster Sephior about their analysis of his magic absorption, looking down and fidgeting a little with the new leather bands he was wearing on his wrists. These were the prototype insulation bands that Ariom had completed just the day before. They didn''t filter out very much magic, so he was still wearing his suppression bands as a precaution. But Ariom had said he would work on increasing the filtration rate once he made sure the insulation bands were comfortable for Thenio to wear and didn''t aggravate his magic instability. "So he''s more tolerant of life magic and mental magic, is he? Interesting combination...." Grandmaster Sephior leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Right offhand I can''t think what the connection might be, but I''ll research it a bit and discuss it with some of the other doctors to see if we can come up with anything. We can talk more about it at your next appointment." He looked at Thenio with a gentle smile. "I know it must be frustrating for you, boy. We keep finding more questions than answers. But you''re making progress, even if it''s slow, so try not to get impatient. We''ll sort this out. One day at a time, remember. One day at a time."
"We got through that a little faster than I thought we would," Ariom said as they left the Stability Center. "We still have some time before your family is expecting us to be there. Do you want to go straight to your house anyway? Or should we stop somewhere else first? We could go by the park to see if your friend Eteon is there, if you want." "Well...." Thenio hesitated. "I think it''s better not to show up too early. My mother is probably in a last-minute cleaning frenzy right now. Interacting with high-ranking wizards always makes her nervous. She''ll get really flustered if we come befores she expects us to." "I see." Ariom nodded. "Well, should we try the park, then?" "I want to go to the park!" Iggy piped up. "I want to go see Thenio''s friend and look at his animal toys again!" Humerus nodded in agreement. "I wouldn''t mind going, either," Bero said. "I''ve been thinking that I''d like to buy some of Eteon''s carvings to take back home for everyone. Sayomi will definitely complain if I spend this much time in the capital and don''t bring back any presents for her." He gave a wry chuckle. "Really, that girl. She''s all grown up and married, but she still acts like a child sometimes." "That''s because you spoil her too much," Ariom said, rolling his eyes. Bero raised an eyebrow at him. "I don''t want to hear that from a guy who remodeled his entire house and started making a mountain of enchanted toys as soon as he got a baby dragon. If you ever have children of your own, Ariom, I guarantee you''ll spoil them a lot more than I''ve ever spoiled the four of you." Ariom made a face but didn''t argue the point. "Um...we can''t be sure that Eteon will even be there," Thenio said uncertainly. "Some days he''s busy with other things." "That''s fine." Bero gave him a reassuring smile. "If he''s not there, Iggy and Humerus will still enjoy being able to run around the park for a little while. It''s a good way to kill some time, either way." Since they were all in agreement, Ariom steered the carriage in the direction of the park. When they got out and started walking toward the market area, the familiars attracted even more attention than they had the last time, since it was late enough in the afternoon for children to be out of school. It was a sunny, warm day, and quite a few children were playing in the park. Some of them pointed and called out when they saw Iggy and Humerus, obviously excited to see real, live dragons. Well...one real, live dragon and one dead dragon being puppeted by a real, live revenant. But they didn''t need to know that. Iggy was as excited to see the children as they were to see him, and he happily swished his tail and waved his paws at all of them. Several of the children, encouraged by this, started trailing after them, and by the time they found the spot where Eteon had his blanket spread out under a tree, they''d formed a small parade. Bero looked back and gave a weak laugh. "I guess we''d better do something about this...." He turned to Ariom. "Why don''t I take these two to go play with the kids for a bit? Pick out some things for your aunt and cousins for me, will you? You should know what they would like." "Ah...okay." Ariom looked a little hesitant, but he obviously decided that picking out gifts was a better option than dealing with the gaggle of children. He nodded and handed over Iggy''s leash. "Oh." Iggy looked back and forth between Eteon and the children with a conflicted expression. "I want to play...but I want to see Thenio''s friend, too...." "We can do both," Bero reassured him, lifting the little dragon from Ariom''s shoulder. "We''ll go play for a few minutes and then come see Thenio''s friend afterward. All right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy waved his tail enthusiastically, apparently satisfied by that compromise. Thenio and Ariom stood for a minute and watched the three of them heading toward the group of children. Ariom had a rather uncomfortable expression. "Are you not good with kids?" Thenio asked him curiously. "Well...no. Not especially," Ariom admitted. He glanced sideways at Thenio. "What about you?" Thenio gave a bitter laugh. "I don''t mind them. But they don''t like me, remember? My brother Kleyo is pretty much the only little kid who''s willing to be around me." His brow furrowed. "Well, my other brother was okay with me when he was really small, but...not so much anymore...." "That.... Right. I''m sorry. Since none of us feel uncomfortable around you, I wasn''t really thinking about.... I''m sorry." "It''s okay." Thenio looked at the ground. "I mean...I guess...it''s kind of nice that you can forget like that, so...it''s fine." They both stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Well." Ariom cleared his throat. "We''re supposed to be picking out wooden carvings." Thenio nodded silently and followed Ariom over to where Eteon was waiting for them. He gave them a welcoming smile as they approached. "It looks like your familiars are quite popular," he said with a chuckle. Thenio looked back to where Bero was kneeling down in front of the children, who were taking turns petting Iggy and Humerus. He was a little surprised that Humerus was being so cooperative. But then, he had been around while Bero and his wife raised Ariom and his three cousins, so he must have quite a lot of experience dealing with children by now. "Are you visiting your family today?" Eteon went on. Thenio nodded. "Yeah. I had a doctor''s appointment, and we were planning to go to my house afterward, but we had some extra time, so we decided to stop by for a few minutes." "I''m glad." Eteon smiled warmly and patted the blanket next to him. "Come sit down and tell me how your first couple of weeks as a magic assistant have been." "My uncle wants to buy some of your carvings to take home as souvenirs," Ariom said as Thenio went to sit next to Eteon. "But...well, he got a little sidetracked. Is it alright if I look through and pick some things out for him?" "Of course. I can make something for you, too, if you don''t see what you want there." "Hmm." Ariom thought for a minute, looking over the carvings spread out on the blanket. "My cousin would probably really like a cockatrice. But that''s a little complicated, isn''t it? And we only have about an hour, so maybe there''s not enough time for you to make one of those...." "It depends." Eteon grinned mischievously. "I can do it if I cheat. But you have to promise not to tell on me." "Cheat? What...? Oh." Ariom blinked. "I guess that''s fine? Like you said before, it''s not illegal as long as there isn''t any magic left by the time you sell it." He glanced at Thenio. "It''ll be a problem for Thenio if you use too much power, though." "Don''t worry. It only takes a tiny amount. It shouldn''t be enough to bother him." Eteon set down the half-finished carving he''d been working on and started looking through his basket of wood scraps. "What variety of cockatrice do you want?" "You can even do different varieties?" Ariom raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "A female Northern Crested, then." "Got it. I can do that." "Does your cousin have a cockatrice familiar?" Thenio asked curiously. Cockatrices weren''t common as familiars, since they weren''t very intelligent creatures and tended to have bad temperaments. But they were pretty, so he liked drawing them. "Well...yes and no. Alula isn''t technically a cockatrice. She just lives in one." "Huh?" Thenio was momentarily confused. Then he looked over to where a longsuffering Humerus was dangling precariously from the arms of a small girl. "Oh. A revenant?" Ariom nodded. "A revenant." He also glanced in Humerus'' direction. "Speaking of which, we''d better get her something. She''s going to be horribly jealous of Humerus'' new puppet otherwise...." "There are some jointed dolls over there." Eteon pointed to one side of the blanket. "The joints might be a little tight for a marionette, but I can adjust them." Ariom started looking at the dolls while Eteon selected a large, dark-colored block of wood from his basket and held it up to examine it from different angles. "This one should do," he said, nodding. He picked up his knife and then paused and turned to Thenio with a gentle smile. "So, tell me what you''ve been up to these past couple of weeks." Chapter 22 - A Rather Unusual Woodcarver While Thenio and Eteon talked, Ariom mostly stayed silent, looking through the wooden figurines. He also glanced from time to time at the carving that Eteon was working on, which was rapidly taking on the shape of a cockatrice with outstretched wings. He was obviously using some kind of magic in the process, because the ordinary-looking knife was cutting through the wood like it was custard. Ariom hated to admit it, but he couldn''t tell exactly what Eteon was doing. Logically, he had to be coating the knife with magic power somehow, but it was so finely controlled that it wasn''t visible, even using magesight. Ariom had worked hard on his magic control since he was a child, and he was normally confident in his abilities, but this left him feeling a bit chagrined. Eteon''s skill at carving was also phenomenal. Even working quickly and not using any kind of reference, the shape of the cockatrice looked perfect, with an amazing level of detail in the face and feathers. Was Eteon actually a member of the Forest Clan, disguised as a human? Ket''qe was the only place Ariom had ever seen woodworking skills on this level before. But...no, probably not. That would take some serious illusion magic, and he couldn''t detect any. Plus, Thenio had said he''d known Eteon for more than a decade, and Forest People rarely left Ket''qe for more than a year or two at a time. A wood or metal affinity, maybe? Those types tended to be associated with sculpting. Or crystal? Pure crystal mages were very rare and in high demand, so that could explain why Eteon didn''t want to reveal his magic abilities. Well. Whatever he was, he was extremely skilled. It was no wonder Thenio was so good at drawing and engraving, if he''d grown up hanging around this guy. Ariom looked over at the boy in question, who was currently telling Eteon about meeting Seyli and Tava. "She really knows a lot about magic beasts. Especially dragons. She said she''d bring some of her anatomy textbooks the next time they come over so I can study them to help with drawing." "She sounds like a nice girl." Eteon glanced at Ariom and then gave a knowing smile. "Is she cute?" "Huh?" Thenio looked startled. He shot a worried look at Ariom, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. "That...well...um...I guess?" Ariom raised an eyebrow. Just who did that kid think he was fooling? The look on his face when he saw Seyli for the first time had been painfully obvious. Thenio was spared from further embarrassment by the arrival of Uncle Bero and the familiars. It seemed they''d finally managed to detach themselves from the group of children. "Hi, Thenio''s friend!" Iggy called out, jumping down from Uncle Bero''s arms and bounding over to the edge of the blanket. "What are you making?" Eteon paused his work on the partially finished carving and held it up for the little dragon to see. Iggy tilted his head. "A cockatrice? Humerus, Uncle Bero, look! It looks like Alula when she''s wearing feathers!" "Oh? It really does." Uncle Bero moved closer to look at the carving. Then he frowned. "Were you already working on that before we came?" Ariom shook his head. "I asked him to make it. He just works crazy fast." Uncle Bero raised his eyebrows. "Really? That''s impressive...." Eteon chuckled a little and lowered the cockatrice to start carving again. "Not that impressive. I''ve been doing this for a long time¡ªthat''s all. I was pretty terrible at it when I first started." "He used to live in Ket''qe," Thenio added in. "He learned how to carve wood from a friend there." Oh, so there was a connection to the Forest People. Interesting.... Uncle Bero sat down and joined Ariom in picking out figurines. Humerus went over and started looking at the jointed dolls. And Iggy jumped up onto Thenio''s shoulder so he could watch Eteon carve. "So what else have you been up to?" Eteon smiled playfully at Thenio. "Besides making friends with cute girls who know a lot about dragons." Thenio scowled a little, obviously not happy that Eteon had brought that subject up again. "Well, I finally got to do some real magic assistant work a couple of days ago. Though it wasn''t anything very hard. Just serving refreshments when some people came to talk to Ariom about maybe hiring him for a job." "Well, you need to start somewhere. What kind of job was it?" Thenio opened his mouth to speak but then paused. He glanced uncertainly in Ariom''s direction, as though asking how much he was allowed to say. Ariom hesitated briefly. It wasn''t something they could discuss freely, of course. But it shouldn''t hurt to mention information that was already publicly available. "I can''t give you details, but it''s a job for the Royal Guard," he said finally. "They want help analyzing some enchantments. It''s part of an investigation involving the Order of the Ravener." As soon as he said the name, Eteon''s knife stopped moving, and a dark shadow passed over his face. Ariom felt a chill run down his spine. At the same time, Iggy suddenly pricked up his ears, looking alert. But the one who reacted most was Humerus. He let out a whimper and flattened himself against the blanket, head lowered submissively. Eteon turned to look at the cowering revenant. "Ah. Sorry, Humerus," he said with a small, apologetic smile. "I lost my composure for a second there. But you don''t need to worry. I wouldn''t hurt one of Thenio''s friends." His smile faded. "It''s just...I really...really don''t like the Order of the Ravener...." Everyone was silent for a moment. Humerus had relaxed his posture slightly, but he was still crouched down, looking up at Eteon with an anxious expression. Iggy was also watching him closely. Ariom and his uncle exchanged glances. Judging from the grim look on his face, Uncle Bero had also felt that frightening aura just now. The only one who seemed unaffected was Thenio. He was looking around at the rest of them with a confused expression. His magic power was only slightly unsettled. Had Eteon managed to direct that sudden wave of magic away from him? In that split second? Scary guy. Ariom glanced back at Eteon. "Does that mean you''ve had some kind of run-in with the Order before?" "Yes...you could say that." Eteon stared down at the nearly finished cockatrice for a moment. Then he slowly started carving again. "So if there''s anything I can do to help your investigation, feel free to ask." Ariom looked at him for a moment. Then, on impulse, he asked, "Well, then...can you tell me how to break a charged magic trap formation while it''s under stasis magic, without setting it off?" Eteon paused his carving once again and tilted his head thoughtfully. There was a long silence. Just when Ariom was starting to feel ridiculous for asking a woodcarver for help with an enchanting problem, Eteon lifted his knife and held it out in front of him. "It''s hard to give you a specific recommendation without seeing the enchantment," he said slowly. "But you might find this technique helpful. Watch closely." Ariom blinked and then activated his magesight and stared at the knife. He saw Eteon release several tendrils of magic power that wove together in an intricate pattern along the very edge of the knife blade. Ariom frowned, trying to understand what he was seeing. It was only after Eteon had repeated the process several more times that his eyes finally widened in comprehension. "That''s...an inversion of stasis magic?" "Very good." Eteon nodded. "That''s what you need, isn''t it? A way to cut through the stasis magic without undoing large sections of it? Using a medium like this knife allows you to concentrate the effect on a single line, which will give you better power efficiency and keep you from having to disturb too much of the trap formation at once. Well, you might need to experiment and adapt it a little." He gestured at the wooden cockatrice. "I use a variation of this technique to help me carve wood more quickly. But you need to be careful with it. It will basically disintegrate whatever it touches, so you could easily slice a finger off if you''re not paying attention." Ariom frowned. "Where did you get that particular formation? I''ve seen physical disruption magic before, but never anything quite like that." "I used to travel around a lot. I''ve picked up a lot of odd techniques from different places." "And you''re seriously using that kind of advanced magic just to carve wooden animals?" Ariom asked, feeling stunned at the very thought. "Only when I''m in a hurry," Eteon said with a shrug. "I do it without magic most of the time. You get lazy if you take shortcuts too often." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "You really are a monster...." Eteon smiled pleasantly. "I''ll take that as a compliment."
As soon as the carriage came into view of Thenio''s house, the front door opened and an excited Kleyo ran out. He stopped at the end of the front walk, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet while he waited for the carriage to come to a halt. Thenio could see him staring intently at the horse golem. When Thenio stepped out of the carriage, Kleyo rushed over and hugged him tightly around the waist. "Hey there, buddy," Thenio said, smiling and ruffling his hair. "Have you been good while I was gone?" "Yeah! I''ve been studying really hard and helping Lem with the cooking!" Kleyo said, beaming up at him. Then he let go and turned to Ariom, who had just exited the carriage. "Hey, it''s okay if I look at the golem, right?" Before Ariom could answer, Kleyo ran to the horse golem and started circling around it, examining it from all angles. "Thenio told me you had a really nice golem carriage. He sent me a drawing of it. And he was right! This horse is really, really good! Did you make it? It uses Adarin-style socket joints, right? The movement is really smooth and quiet...you must have good lubricant. Maybe something like kocea root oil? Or powdered jaskalt? The action looks really good. What''s the tendon material? The skeleton is probably Eskyan steel, right? I''ve read that''s the best for carriage golems, since it has high impact resistance, and it''s not a problem if it''s heavy. What kind of magic crystals...?" Ariom stood in the open door of the carriage with his mouth slightly open, seemingly frozen by the unending barrage of questions. Thenio gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry. He gets like that when he''s excited about something. And he really likes golems." There was the sound of flapping wings, and Iggy landed on Thenio''s shoulder. "That''s Thenio''s little brother?" "Yeah, that''s my youngest brother, Kleyo." "Kleyo?" Iggy tilted his head, watching while Kleyo crouched down to examine the golem''s feet. Then he raised his nose and sniffed the air. "He smells kind of like Thenio. His magic is different, but it''s a little bit the same." "Is it?" Thenio frowned. "He has a wood affinity, though, doesn''t he?" Although neither of his brothers had shown any signs of unusual magic instability, the Royal Academy had tested both of them, just in case they also turned out to have rare affinities. Kleyo actually did turn out to be a little unusual, though not to the same extent as Thenio. The basic test had shown he had a metal affinity, but a blood analysis had shown a faint life tertiary in addition to the earth primary and crystal secondary, which meant it was actually a wood affinity. This was a little odd, since there hadn''t been any kind of crystal or life mages in their family, at least not in the past several generations. But Kleyo was thrilled, since wood was a fairly rare affinity that was especially desirable for golem-making. Lem had refused to do a blood analysis for some reason. But he took the basic test several times and consistently tested as a clay affinity each time. Since their parents'' affinities were clay and earth, this was a perfectly normal result, so the academy wizards gave up trying to persuade him to do any further testing. "There''s more to a person''s magic than just their affinity." Bero had just come around the carriage, with Humerus perched on his arm. "It''s normal for siblings to have some similarities in their magic signatures, even if they have different affinities. That''s probably what Iggy is picking up on." He turned to Ariom. "Why don''t you stay here and chat about golems for a bit? We''ll go inside." Ariom turned to look at him with a slightly panicked expression. Bero sighed. "Just pretend you''re talking to Iggy." He glanced over to where Kleyo was still happily examining the golem and chattering about his findings to no one in particular. "It looks like they have similar personalities." Thenio nodded in agreement. There was definitely a resemblance there. "That''s...." Ariom made an uncomfortable expression and then looked at Iggy. "What about Iggy and Humerus? Do you two want to stay out, too?" "I want to see Thenio''s room!" Iggy said, swishing his tail. "Thenio told us that he has a lot more drawings in his room here that we can look at!" "Right. I want to see Thenio''s drawings, too," Humerus chimed in, nodding. "Oh." That obviously wasn''t the answer Ariom was hoping for. He glanced uncertainly back at Kleyo and sighed. "Well...fine." Thenio gave him a sympathetic smile and then went over to his brother, who was now kneeling on the ground examining the underside of the horse golem. "Kleyo, come here for a minute." Kleyo looked at him curiously and then obediently crawled out and came over to where Thenio was standing. When he got closer, he noticed the little black dragon sitting on his brother''s shoulder, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, that''s Iggy! He looks just like the drawing you sent!" "Hi, Thenio''s little brother!" Iggy waved at him. "Do you like our metal horse?" "Yeah! It''s really good!" Maybe it was because he''d been spending so much time around dragons lately, but Thenio felt like he could almost see a tail waving enthusiastically behind his brother. "Hey, Kleyo, this is Ariom." Thenio gestured in Ariom''s direction. "I need to go inside to pack up some of my things, but he''s going to stay and tell you about his golem. Can you bring him inside when you''re done? And remember to be polite to him, okay?" Kleyo gave Ariom a broad smile. "Okay!" They left the reluctant Ariom and enthusiastic Kleyo together and walked over to the house, where Thenio''s parents were waiting for them at the front door. "Good to see you again," Thenio''s father said, smiling at Bero. "This is my wife, Siora." "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I''m Bero Denifor, Ariom''s uncle. And this is my familiar, Humerus." Thenio hadn''t mentioned the fact that Humerus was a revenant in any of the messages he''d sent to his family over the past couple of weeks, and after some discussion, they''d decided not to bring it up during today''s visit, either. Thenio knew his parents weren''t that fond of animals or magic beasts in general, and he was pretty sure that his mother would feel seriously uncomfortable if she knew there was a spectral beast in the house. He could already see her fidgeting a little with nervousness just from speaking to Bero. "Why don''t we go inside and chat for a bit while Thenio is packing up the things he wants to take back to Ariom''s house?" Bero said with a pleasant smile. "I''d like to tell you a little about what we''ve learned over the past couple of weeks." They went inside. In the entryway, Bero stopped and handed Humerus over to Thenio before following his parents into the parlor. Thenio carried both familiars up to his bedroom, taking a bit of a scenic route to let them look around the house. "What''s that room?" Iggy asked, looking curiously at a closed door on the second floor as they went past. Thenio paused. "Oh, that''s Lem''s room. My other brother. He''s probably working on his homework. Let''s not disturb him. He should know we''re here, so he''ll come out if he wants to visit." Which he most likely wouldn''t. But Thenio didn''t say that out loud. "How come your room is up in the attic when everyone else''s is downstairs?" Humerus asked as they reached the top of the stairs, looking around with a discontented expression. The landing had bare white walls and a plain wood floor, an obvious contrast to the heavily decorated rooms below. "Well...I used to have a room on the second floor. But it got damaged in one of my magic explosions. My parents had me move up here while we were waiting to get it repaired. We were using this as a magic practice room at the time, so it already had some reinforcement enchantments. And then...well. Somehow I just never ended up moving back downstairs again. But it''s kind of cozy up here, so I didn''t really mind." Humerus didn''t look entirely convinced by those words, but he didn''t pursue the subject any further. Thenio''s bedroom was the same as he''d left it, aside from a few of his books being scattered around. That was probably due to Kleyo coming up here to read. In addition to Thenio''s old sketchbooks, Kleyo liked looking through his magic textbooks. Thenio had given him permission to come use whatever books he wanted as long as he put them back and didn''t make a mess. It looked like he''d...mostly listened. Well. He was only seven years old, after all. "You can go ahead and look around," he told the familiars as he let them down onto the bed. "Just try not to damage anything, okay? I''m not Ariom, so most of my things don''t have reinforcement charms on them. Humerus, it''s fine to move things around with your magic while we''re in this room. Kleyo''s usually the only member of my family who comes up here, so he''s the only one who might see. And I don''t think you being a revenant will bother him at all. He''ll probably just try to get you to go to his room and make all his dolls move around." He went to the bookshelf and pointed at a row of books with dates handwritten on the spines. "These are my old sketchbooks. You can look at any of them you want." The two familiars started happily exploring the room while Thenio opened up his closet and began going through his clothes. Now that he knew he had plenty of storage space in his new living place, he didn''t have to be as selective in his packing as he''d been the first time around, so he was planning to take most of his things with him this time. When he turned around with an armful of clothing, he was a little surprised to see Iggy and Humerus both sitting on his desk looking up at the large sheet of paper that was hanging on the wall over it. It was a chart that Thenio had made when he was studying for the Royal Academy entrance exam. It had a number of basic magic formations drawn on it. In order to make them easier to memorize, he''d created stylized versions in different animal shapes. "Did Thenio draw these pictures?" Iggy asked when he noticed Thenio watching them. "Yeah, I did. Oh...are you wondering why the formations have mistakes in them?" Thenio smiled awkwardly, remembering what Ariom had said about Iggy''s ability to analyze enchantments. "I just made those to help me learn the different formation types. That''s why they''re in animal shapes. Remembering which animal goes with which formation type helps me remember how they''re constructed. They''re not supposed to actually function, so I cheated in a few places to make them look better." "No, they''re good! They''re really good pictures!" Iggy said, waving his tail. "When we go home, we should paint pictures together, okay? I''ll tell Ariom to give you some magic paints. I''m really good at painting with magic paints, you know? I''ll show you how! Thenio will be good at using magic paints, too!" "He can''t use magic paints," Humerus said. "Not the kind you use, anyway. They emit magic. He can''t be around things that emit magic, remember?" "Oh." Iggy''s ears drooped sadly. "Uh...what exactly do you mean by ''magic paints?''''" Thenio asked uncertainly. There were a lot of different inks and paints you could use for enchanting, but he didn''t know of any that emitted magic. Inscriptions needed to conduct magic, not emit it. "He means elemental paints," Humerus explained. "You use them for special kinds of enchantments." He looked at Iggy. "Well, actually what he uses are fake elemental paints. Real ones are kind of dangerous. But Iggy really likes them, so Ariom made him a special kind that have a lot less magic, so they''re safer to use. Probably not safe for you, though." Elemental paints? Thenio had heard the term before, but he didn''t know much about them. There were actually a lot of different enchanting styles. But the Royal Academy only taught standard enchanting, so that was mostly what Thenio had studied. "Iggy might be onto something, though," Humerus said thoughtfully, turning back to the chart on the wall. "Have you ever thought about learning aesthetic enchanting?" Chapter 23 - Suspicions "Did you make this golem?" "Not exactly. I just designed the enchantment matrix for it. A golem workshop in Merioc hired me to do it, and they gave me this golem carriage as part of the payment." "In Merioc? Was it the Delmao Workshop?" "Yes, that''s right. You''re familiar with them?" "Yes! They''re famous for making really good golem carriages, right? I heard they even make carriages for the royal family!" Spending time with Kleyo wasn''t as bad as Ariom had expected it to be. In spite of being so young, the boy actually knew a lot about golems, and when Ariom started explaining things, Kleyo finally managed to calm down and focus. "Is the golem built for riding? Or just pulling?" "It can do both. Improving the riding function was actually the main job the Delmao Workshop hired me for. It''s a little hard to find enchanters who have experience riding real horses. But I grew up on a farm, and we had a few around." Ariom was surprised to discover that his uncle''s advice actually did help. Thinking of Kleyo as a human version of Iggy made interacting with him a lot easier. Their ages were even similar, if you adjusted for the different growth rates of humans and dragons. "How come you don''t have a lot of fancy decorations on your carriage? Did it not come with any? Are they too expensive to add on?" "No, I asked for a simple design when they made the carriage for me. I don''t like things that stand out too much. Why¡ªdo you like fancy golem carriages?" "It depends." Kleyo tilted his head thoughtfully. "Some of the fancy carriages that I''ve seen around the city have really interesting golems, so I like those. But Aunt Suliya''s golem carriage just has a lot of shiny things on the outside. The golems aren''t very good. She never lets me look at them, so I''m not sure how they''re made, but they don''t look right when they move." "Is your Aunt Suliya the one who married into a noble house?" Ariom had done a little digging into Thenio''s family background, trying to understand his situation better. It had turned out that his mother''s older sister was married to the third son of a baron. Not very high on the social scale, all things considered. But it explained why Thenio already had some knowledge of formal etiquette. And maybe why he seemed more anxious about things like money and social status than a sixteen-year-old boy really ought to be.... Kleyo nodded. "Right. So she has lots of money and can buy a lot of fancy things. Mom and Dad think having a lot of money is really important." He scowled. "But I don''t like Aunt Suliya. She''s mean to Thenio. She thinks he''s stupid because he couldn''t get into the academy the first time he took the test. But she''s wrong! Thenio is really smart, and he studies really hard!" Seeing the boy''s indignant expression, Ariom reached out without thinking and patted Kleyo''s head, the same way he would pat Iggy when he was upset about something. "Yeah...I know. He''s been doing really well with all the training exercises I''ve given him." Ariom suddenly realized what he was doing. He quickly withdrew his hand and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ah...well....speaking of Thenio...maybe we should go in and see how he''s doing with his packing. Can you show me the way to his room?" "Okay!" Kleyo gave a wide smile and reached out to take hold of Ariom''s hand. Ariom froze momentarily but then allowed himself to be pulled toward the house. They went in the front door and through the entryway, passing a closed door that probably led into a living room or parlor. Ariom could hear his uncle''s voice coming faintly from inside, though he couldn''t make out what was being said. But he knew that Uncle Bero had been planning to explain to Thenio''s parents that his magic seemed to have a negative effect on people with lower levels of magic power. What else he explained to them...would depend on how they reacted to that information. They had discussed it with Thenio and agreed that it was probably better not to go into detail about his demon-like magic absorption, considering his already-strained relationship with his parents. They reached a flight of stairs heading up to the second floor, and Kleyo let go of Ariom''s hand and went up ahead of him. The boy paused on the last step, his head turned toward something Ariom couldn''t see. "Hi, Lem! What are you doing?" Ariom reached the top of the stairs just in time to catch a glimpse of a thin, dark-haired boy standing in the hallway. Their eyes met very briefly before the boy disappeared into a nearby room, closing the door behind him with a soft thud. "Oh." Kleyo looked at the closed door, tilting his head a little to one side. "I guess he doesn''t want to talk right now." "Was that your other brother?" Kleyo nodded. "That''s Lem. He''s mostly nice, but he''s a little bit strange. He doesn''t like people very much." He went over to where Lem had been standing a moment before. "He was looking at something on the floor here. But I don''t see anything?" Ariom went over to him and looked down at the floor where Kleyo had indicated. Even using magesight, there didn''t seem to be anything unusual about that spot on the carpet. "No, I don''t see anything either." Kleyo shrugged. "Just Lem being weird, I guess. Come on. Thenio''s room is upstairs." They went up another flight of stairs and came out onto an undecorated attic landing with several doors leading off of it. One of these was open, and Ariom could hear Iggy''s voice coming from inside. "Wow, look! Thenio drew a bunch of caw-caw birds!" Ariom followed Kleyo through the door and into a bedroom with a slanted ceiling. There was a window in the opposite wall, and Iggy and Humerus were sitting in an armchair in front of it, looking at a book together. Thenio was sitting on the floor sorting through more books that he was pulling off a nearby bookshelf. There were already a few books and a small pile of folded clothes stacked neatly on the bed, apparently waiting to be packed up. "The dragons like Thenio''s sketchbooks, too?" Kleyo asked, his expression brightening as he noticed what the familiars were doing. "Thenio draws really well, huh? I like to come look through his old drawing books." He went over to where the familiars were sitting. "Yeah! Thenio makes good pictures! I really like these caw-caw birds!" Iggy said, waving his tail happily. "They''re called crows, not ''caw-caw birds,''" Humerus told him, ears back in mock annoyance. "But they say, ''caw-caw.'' So they''re caw-caw birds!" Iggy said, undeterred. Then he turned back to Kleyo. "Do you want to come look, too? Humerus can turn the pages for us!" "He has hands. He doesn''t need me to turn pages for him," Humerus retorted. "Those are the crows that live in the park." Kleyo leaned over the book. "Thenio really likes drawing birds, so there are lots of pictures of them." "Why don''t you two let Kleyo sit down?" Thenio suggested. "Then he can hold the book, and the three of you can look at it together. Like we do at the other house." He turned to Ariom. "You can sit in the desk chair, if you want. Sorry...I haven''t quite finished getting stuff ready yet." "It''s fine. Uncle Bero is still talking to your parents, anyway." Ariom pulled the desk chair out and sat down, then watched while Kleyo and the two familiars rearranged themselves. Humerus jumped up to perch on the back of the armchair and then looked over at Ariom. "Hey, look at that chart on the wall. Then convince Thenio that he ought to learn aesthetic enchanting. He won''t listen to me." "What?" Ariom blinked and then turned around to look at the wall behind him. Hanging over the desk was a large sheet of paper with magic formations painted on it. He recognized them as the basic formations that academy students were required to learn, though they were stylized and formed into the shapes of different animals. He glanced at Thenio. "Did you make this?" "Well...yeah." Thenio sounded a little embarrassed. "And it''s not that I''m not listening to Humerus. It''s just...well, aesthetic enchanting doesn''t have that great a reputation, right? Isn''t it really hard to find work if you specialize in that?" "Well, it depends. Top level aesthetic enchanters get plenty of work. But it''s true that it''s a difficult field to break into." ''Aesthetic enchanting'' was the official term used by the Wizard Association, though it was often called ''artistic'' or ''decorative'' enchanting in casual speech. Normal enchantments were often designed to be completely invisible to the naked eye. They were usually inconspicuous, at least. But aesthetic enchanting was the complete opposite. In that style, inscriptions were deliberately designed to be openly visible. They were made from colorful materials and stylized into beautiful patterns, like the animals on Thenio''s chart. "The real problem with most aesthetic enchanters is that they come at it from the wrong direction," Ariom went on. "Most of them go into aesthetic enchanting because they want to be artists." Thenio looked confused. "Isn''t that the whole point?" "No. Well...maybe it''s the right goal, but it''s the wrong method. Tell me, what do you think is the most important thing to have in order to succeed as an aesthetic enchanter?" "Isn''t it artistic skill?" Ariom shook his head and pointed at the chart on the wall. "You have plenty of artistic skill, don''t you? But you wouldn''t be able to sell inscriptions like those. Do you know why?" Thenio fidgeted awkwardly. "Well...most of them aren''t functional. I knew that when I was drawing them, but I couldn''t get them to look right if I made sure each formation was technically correct, and it was just a study tool, not a working enchantment, so...." "Exactly. You prioritized form over function. That''s the mistake that most aesthetic enchanters make. Their inscriptions look pretty, but they don''t function as well as they should. That''s why it''s hard for them to find work. But the best aesthetic enchanters all come at it from the opposite direction: They prioritize function over form. Make it work. Then make it look nice." Thenio''s expression was a bit skeptical. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ariom sighed. "Magic theory. That''s the most important thing for becoming a good aesthetic enchanter. Or any enchanter, really. But with the regular style you can get by if you just memorize all the standard formations." He gestured toward the chart again. "But that''s what got you into trouble with these, isn''t it? You couldn''t make the standard formations fit the designs you wanted to make. But what if you didn''t have to depend on those formations? What if you knew enough to design a completely different-looking formation that would still have the same effect? Then you could adapt it to whatever shape you wanted to make." "That''s possible?" Thenio''s eyes widened. "Of course. It''s part of the master-rank certification exam. It''s one of the reasons so many enchanters stall out at artisan rank. That and the magic power requirement." There were occasionally people who couldn''t advance to master rank because they never reached sorcerer level. There was only so much a person could do to overcome their natural limits, after all. Thenio probably understood that as well as anyone. Low power levels were the reason his parents had never gotten their wizard certifications. Though Thenio and Kleyo didn''t seem to have that problem. Ariom wasn''t sure about their brother Lem¡ªhe hadn''t had enough time to look at his magic circuit during that brief encounter in the hallway. "I think Humerus is right. Studying aesthetic enchanting would be a good idea for you, if you''re willing to spend a lot of time studying enchanting theory and techniques. It will help with your thaumaturgy practice, and it''s a type of enchanting that you can do without actually using much magic, so your control problems shouldn''t be an issue. You''ll be a bit limited in the kinds of materials you can use, of course, since you''ll have to avoid anything that emits magic.... But it wouldn''t be impossible to work around that." Ariom shrugged. "Well. That''s only if you want to, of course. It''s not an area I specialize in, so it''s not like you''ll need to study it for your assistant work. But if you think it sounds fun, I can help you get started." "If I think it...sounds fun?" Thenio looked a bit perplexed by that idea. "Sure. You already have a job, don''t you? So what does it matter if aesthetic enchanting will get you work or not? If you think you''ll enjoy it, go ahead and try it out. If not, then don''t. You don''t need to decide everything based on career potential, you know?" Thenio blinked. "Oh." He stared blankly at Ariom for a moment, then looked down at the book in his hand. "I guess you''re right. I''ll...I''ll think about it."
Later that evening, Bero and Humerus arrived at a house in the middle of the military''s residential district. The house was nice, but not ostentatious. The man who lived there had practical tastes. And he didn''t spend a lot of time at home, anyway. As the carriage pulled up to the front of the house, the door opened, and General Kalion Obarin appeared. There was a creature that resembled a black and gold monkey perched on his shoulder. An imp. "Bero. Humerus. Good to see you both." Kalion gave them a welcoming smile. "Come on in." The imp stared at them with a grumpy expression as they approached. After the door had closed behind them, he sniffed loudly. "You better have brought snacks." Bero took out a small wicker picnic basket from his space pocket. "Ember pears and a bottle of mistralic. There''s enough for you and Humerus to share." "Yes! Score!" The imp''s expression brightened immediately. He jumped off Kalion''s shoulder, spreading out a pair of leathery black wings. He swooped down onto the basket and pulled it from Bero''s hands, then pivoted and flew off down the corridor with it swinging beneath him. "Tamon!" Humerus shouted angrily, flying after him. "Come back here! Half of those are mine, you greedy monkey!" "I''m not a monkey! I''m an imp, you ignorant skeleton!" Tamon shouted back. "I''m not a skeleton, stupid monkey! I just live in one!" The two of them zoomed around a corner and out of sight, though the sounds of them arguing still echoed through the house. Bero chuckled. "Nothing like watching magic eaters fighting over food." Kalion raised an eyebrow at him. "You have a weird sense of humor, Bero. Though I guess you''d have to, to put up with all those monsters you live with...." "My monsters aren''t half as scary as yours are." "Well...fair point." The two of them headed to Kalion''s study. Bero had visited the house many times and already knew the way there. "Have a seat." Kalion gestured toward a couple of armchairs that were arranged in front of a fireplace set into one wall of the study. There was a table in between them with an assortment of snacks set out on it. The fireplace was empty, but Kalion flicked his hand toward it, and a cheery fire flared up. Bero looked down at the snack table. "Ah, that reminds me. I brought you something." He pulled a bottle out of his space pocket and held it up with a grin. "De-spiced redflower juice. I brought a few bottles, so you can keep some for later." "Seriously?" Kalion raised his eyebrows. "You must have caught Ariom in a good mood." "Well, he was pretty grateful that you were willing to vouch for him with Thenio." "I didn''t do much." Kalion smiled wistfully. "Honestly, I was just happy he was willing to rely on me for once. Ornery kid. I think of him as being practically my own grandson, but he hardly even talks to me...." "Yeah...well." Bero sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. "He believes in holding grudges. Even though he knows you had good intentions...." He shook his head and fell silent for a moment. "But if you want him to rely on you more, you''ll be happy to know he has a favor to ask. That''s part of why he was willing to fix the redflower juice for you." Kalion sat down in the opposite chair. "A favor?" "Well, it''s actually for Thenio. Apparently he took acrobatics classes when he was in general school. Ariom wants him to be able to continue with it, but he doesn''t know what kind of equipment he needs or anything. He''s never had any interest in acrobatics himself. Since...well, you know." "I know." Kalion sighed. "All right. I''ll find someone at the training center who can help out. A lot of combat wizards train in acrobatics, so it shouldn''t be hard to arrange." "Thanks." Bero pulled over a couple of glasses that were sitting on the table, uncorked the bottle of redflower juice, and started pouring it into them. "Thenio''s a good kid, and he''s been through some hard stuff. I''m glad he''s getting a chance to do some things he enjoys." "Ariom must like him quite a lot, if he''s willing to allow acrobatics equipment in his house for Thenio''s sake," Kalion said, accepting the glass of juice that Bero passed him. "That''s only half of it. He''s also started teaching Thenio archery." "Really?" Kalion''s eyes widened. "That''s surprising." "Isn''t it? I was the one who suggested it, but Ariom went along with it. I couldn''t have imagined him doing that a few years ago. Couldn''t have imagined him willingly getting involved with someone like Thenio in the first place. Having a familiar really has changed him. I''m seriously grateful to that funny little dragon." "Iggy does seem to have had a good influence. I just wish I could convince him not to be afraid of Tamon.... He gets along fine with Humerus, doesn''t he?" "That''s because he''s known Humerus since he was a hatchling. Parasites have a different feel to them than spectrals do. Iggy''s just not used to it. He''d be fine if he and Tamon spent more time together." "Too bad that''s not likely to happen." Kalion made a face. "I can''t see Ariom being willing to come visit that often. Not unless taking care of Thenio has an even greater effect on him than taking care of Iggy has." "Well, who knows? Though I admit the chances aren''t high...." Bero took a sip of his juice. "Still, that kid definitely has some unusual effects on people. You read my report?" "I did. He''s quite an interesting fellow. I''d like to meet him, but Focilo recommended that I wait until Ariom has his magic insulation device all figured out." Kalion sighed. "My magic control isn''t what it used to be.... It''s not really safe for him to be around me for now." "I''d be interested to know what Tamon thinks of him, considering how other magic beasts have been reacting. Ah...and that reminds me...." Bero''s expression turned serious. "I think the mythics are interested in Thenio." Kalion paused with his glass raised halfway to his mouth. "The mythics are? What makes you think that?" "A couple of things. First of all, there were some pretty noticeable gaps in the information on chaos affinities that the Association sent Ariom. He contacted the archives about it, and they said they''d sent everything that was available at his clearance level. Meaning that there''s something about chaos magic that the Association doesn''t want just anyone to be able to look into." "That doesn''t necessarily mean the mythics were involved." "Aren''t they basically running that place?" "Well...probably. They''re not exactly open about their actions, so it''s hard to say how much influence they''re exerting. But they definitely have a presence there, so it''s true they could control what gets released from the archives if they wanted to." "I wouldn''t be so suspicious if that were the only thing. When we first picked Thenio up, he asked to stop and visit a friend before we went back to Ariom''s house. It turned out to be an old guy named Eteon who was selling wooden carvings in the park. Apparently they''ve known each other for years." "And?" "And it turned out he isn''t a normal guy. He''s a magician, and I don''t know what kind of magic he uses, but he has some serious skills. Humerus called him a ''big, strong monster.'' It''s pretty ridiculous to think that a mythic beast would be hanging out in a park selling wooden carvings. But he might be one of their agents. I think he''s been keeping an eye on Thenio." "Hmm...." Kalion was silent for a moment, staring down at his redflower juice. "Assuming you''re right, why do you think they''re interested in him?" "No idea. Something to do with his chaos magic, I guess? But I can''t think what. It seems to have some pretty amazing potential, but that''s mostly in its ability to change into other magic types, like a null affinity does. So I''m not sure why they couldn''t just find a good null mage to do whatever it is they want." Bero leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "After seeing how magic beasts react to him, I even wondered a little if Thenio could possibly be some type of mythic beast himself. But...that doesn''t make sense, no matter how I think about it. It''s not like he''s the only chaos morph that''s ever lived, and they can''t all be mythic beasts, can they? All the medical evidence I''ve seen points to him being a normal human. And his magic isn''t nearly powerful enough...at least not at the moment. Besides...a mythic beast that can''t control its own magic? That seems ludicrous. Aren''t they pretty much the incarnation of magic itself?" "Well, we don''t really know enough about mythic beasts to be sure..." Kalion said slowly. "But based on what we do know, it seems pretty unlikely. And it''s not like magic beasts are only attracted to mythics. Most of them are pretty fond of life mages." "True. They don''t react as strongly to me as they do to Thenio, but it shows that human magic can produce the same kind of effect." Kalion tapped the side of his juice glass, looking thoughtful. "If I had to guess.... It''s possible that there''s some connection between chaos magic and the demon rifts. We don''t have any record of chaos morphs appearing until after the Rift Crisis, correct? And if there''s one thing I do know about mythic beasts, it''s that they seriously hate demons¡­. I''ve heard rumors that they''re trying to find a way to close the rifts back up." "I''ve heard those rumors, too...." Bero smiled a little. "Doesn''t that mean they''re trying to put you out of a job?" Kalion didn''t smile in response. "I''d be happy to lose my job if it meant never having to see another city destroyed by demons," he said quietly. "I think most combat wizards would feel the same way." They both fell silent. "I''m in contact with one of the mythics'' agents," Kalion said after a long pause. "I''ll mention this to him. I doubt I''ll learn anything in return, but we can at least make sure that this Eteon fellow is safe. Mythic beasts are generally friendly toward humans, so if he is their agent, he shouldn''t be hostile. Just don''t do anything to interfere with him. Make sure Ariom knows that as well." "I know. I haven''t mentioned my suspicions about the mythics'' involvement to him yet, but I warned him about messing with Eteon. I think he''ll be careful." "Good." There was another moment of silence. "So what was Riomel''s excuse for not being here tonight?" Bero asked, reaching for Kalion''s empty glass in order to refill it. "He''s on assignment in Yolan. He probably won''t be back until next week." "That rat. Always coming up with reasons to neglect his younger brother...." Kalion laughed weakly. "Well, I did give him the assignment myself. I didn''t know you''d be staying in the capital then...." "Fine. You''re both rats." Bero took a long swallow of his redflower juice then looked at his glass with a trace of dissatisfaction. Kalion couldn''t have magic spiced foods, and Bero wanted to drink the same thing to show solidarity. But the de-spiced version really wasn''t the same.... "Well, I''ll probably be around more than usual for the next few months, at least. I''m heading home in a couple of days, but I told Ariom I''d come back soon to check on Thenio''s progress." "Let me know what your schedule is. We''ll get Riomel here next time, even if I have to tie him up and put suppression bands on him." Kalion smiled and held his glass up. "Deal?" Bero grinned. He lifted his own glass and clinked it against Kalion''s. "Deal." Chapter 24 - Dragons in the Kitchen Warm sunlight filtered through the trees, filling the forest with spots of light that danced around whenever the wind rustled the leaves overhead. A rocky stream was running nearby, and a little further away, there was a clearing where a small herd of unicorns could be seen, grazing peacefully. Their coats caught the sunlight, shining various shades of white, cream, and gold. A few more unicorns were lying down in the shade where Thenio was sitting, including a dark gold one that was lying next to him, letting him lean against its side and stroke its soft mane. This was obviously a dream. Unicorns lived almost exclusively in the Ket''qe forest. They didn''t like humans in general, and it was very rare for a unicorn to become a familiar and leave the forest. Quite a few wizards tried to win them over, since they were one of only a few life affinity magic beasts in the world. But only very exceptional life mages were able to form a contract with one. Thenio wasn''t a life mage. He''d never been to Ket''qe. And he''d never seen a real unicorn. But even if it was just a dream, it was a very pleasant one, and he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could. He wasn''t alone with the unicorns. A man was sitting close by with his back against a tree. He had a light-colored piece of wood in his hand, and he was carefully shaping it with a knife. For some reason, Thenio couldn''t see the man''s face, but he felt very comfortable in his presence, as though it were someone he cared about very much and had known for a long time. Thenio watched as the man whittled down the wooden block until it began to resemble a four-legged animal. But as he was carving out a space between its front legs, there was a sudden cracking sound, and the carving split into two pieces. "Not again...." The man sounded exasperated. Thenio stared down at the piece that had fallen on the ground. "Oh. It broke." "I''m sorry, Thenio. I guess I still need more practice...." Thenio felt disappointed about the carving, but he still gave the man an encouraging smile. "It''s okay! You can just try again! Remember what Brel says whenever your carvings don¡¯t come out right?" He waved his hand toward the surrounding trees. "¡¯We have a whole forest here. There''s lots more wood, so you can always try again.¡¯" The man gave a small laugh. "Well...you''re right. I''ll try again. I''ll keep trying until I get good enough at wood carving to make you anything you want. I promise." He reached down and picked up the fallen piece of wood. "But I also promised I''d make you a unicorn today, and it''s starting to get late. So I guess I''m going to have to cheat this time." He held both of the wood pieces in his cupped hands. They started to glow faintly, and the wood seemed to melt together and then reshape itself. When it hardened again, it was in the form of a beautiful prancing unicorn. "Here you go." The man placed the figurine in Thenio''s hands, which looked oddly small and childlike when he held them out to take it. Then he tousled Thenio''s hair affectionately. "I''m sorry. I''ll do it right next time." "It''s fine." Thenio gave him a broad smile. "I like the ones you cheat on, too. Thanks, Dad!" Huh? That man wasn''t his father...why had he called him that? Thenio didn''t know. Just...it felt right somehow.... His face still wasn''t visible, but Thenio was sure that the man was giving him a gentle, happy smile.
When Bero returned from visiting Kalion, it was late, and the house was quiet. Iggy and Thenio seemed to both be asleep. But there was a light coming from Ariom''s workroom. Bero paused in the open doorway. Ariom was seated at his desk, and Bero could see the side of his face, glaring up at something on the wall in front of him. Bero couldn''t help smiling a little. He knew that expression. He''d seen it regularly ever since Ariom was a baby. It looked like he was unhappy about something, but it really just meant he was trying to figure out a problem. Bero tapped on the door and then entered the room. Ariom looked over at him. "Oh, you''re back." "Yeah." Bero walked over and pulled out one of the chairs next to the worktable so he could sit down. "Are you still staring at those charts?" Ariom had several charts hung up on the wall over his desk. To most people, they would have looked like a confusing mess of lines that formed a vaguely human shape. But Bero could easily recognize them as the results of a magic circuit scan. He''d seen hundreds of these scan results during the years he''d worked at the Stability Center. He''d never seen any quite like Thenio''s, though. When a person''s magic circuit was scanned, the lines showing their magic pathways often formed patterns that looked random or tangled, but the lines themselves would generally be clean and clear. But the lines on Thenio''s charts were...fuzzy. They looked like they were covered in fur or tiny spines. "I just can''t figure them out." Ariom looked back at the charts. "There''s no way his magic pathways are actually shaped like that. It has to have something to do with how the magic power from the scanning device reflects off his magic circuit. But I have no idea what the exact mechanism is." "It should be related to how his magic keeps changing types, shouldn''t it?" "Presumably, yes. But I can''t figure out how that works, either. I''ve tried to come up with a magic formation to replicate it, but nothing I''ve made so far has quite the same effect." "Hmm." Bero looked at the charts thoughtfully. "What did Iggy say about them?" "He seems to have some sense of what''s going on, but he can''t explain it well enough for me to be able to understand. He says Thenio''s magic is ''making sparks'' or that it''s ''kind of broken.'' Well, that''s sort of the impression I get when I look at it, too¡ªlike his magic is fragmented and not flowing properly. But I still have no idea what''s causing it." Ariom sounded frustrated. Bero reached out and gave his nephew an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Hey, it''s only been a couple of weeks. If it were an easy problem, someone else would have solved it already. You''ll get there. You just need to keep at it." "Yes, I''ll get there," Ariom said bitterly. "But will I get there fast enough?" "You''re doing your best, Ariom. And you''re making progress. That''s all anyone can ask of you." Bero sighed. "''Just do the best you can. One day at a time.'' That''s what Focilo always says, right? Guilt for the past and fear for the future will only hinder the actions of the present." "That guy and his philosophizing.... It''s probably a good thing I wasn''t born with a life affinity. I would have made a lousy doctor." Bero laughed. "Yeah, I think you would have." Ariom scowled at him. "Isn''t that where you''re supposed to disagree and reassure me...? Well, whatever." He glanced around the room. "Where''s Humerus, by the way?" "I put him in bed as soon as we got back. He was already tired from wearing skin all afternoon, and then he messed around over at Kalion''s and completely wore himself out. He and Tamon were playing their usual games¡ªpretending to fight over food and then going out to the garden to have fun and eat together where no one would see. We found them passed out on the veranda. I had to gather up Humerus'' bones and bring him home in his carry bag." Bero chuckled. "Typical visit to Kalion''s house, in other words." Two familiars falling asleep together might seem like a small thing, but anyone who knew much about revenants would understand how significant it actually was. Revenants lost control of their vessels when they slept, and when they woke up, they had to take a few minutes to reestablish their puppetry magic before they could move again. They were very vulnerable to attacks during this period, so they never fell asleep when they were alone with someone they didn''t completely trust. They might love to argue and tease each other, but Humerus and Tamon were actually very close friends. "Kalion said to thank you for the redflower juice," Bero went on. "It''s one of his favorites, but he has a hard time finding anyone who can remove the magic without ruining the taste. So he appreciated it." "That...well, I mean, I was asking him for a favor, so...." Ariom trailed off, clearly embarrassed. "Speaking of that, he said he''d arrange for someone from the training center to contact you about Thenio''s acrobatics training. It might be difficult to find an instructor who has good enough magic control to safely work with him and is available on a regular basis. But they can at least evaluate his current skills and send someone to check on him once in a while to see if he needs any help. They''ll provide equipment for him, too, though Kalion said the Magic Corps'' gear all has enchantments on it, so you''ll need to check it when it comes to make sure it''s safe for Thenio to use." Ariom sighed. "I never thought I''d be setting up an acrobatics training center in my house.... But." His expression softened a little. "It sounded like Thenio really liked his acrobatics classes. If it makes his training more enjoyable.... Well. I guess just having acrobatics equipment around isn''t really going to hurt anything." Bero smiled. Look at this kid. He was finally growing up a little.... They were both silent for a minute. "So, can you tell me now?" Ariom asked quietly. "Tell you what?" "What Thenio''s parents said. I could see you were upset about something when you finished talking to them." "Ah. That." Bero''s expression darkened a little. He was quiet for a moment, sorting out his thoughts. "I know you won''t like what I''m about to say, so let me preface it by saying that I don''t think Thenio''s parents are particularly bad people. A little too caught up in their own ambitions, yes. Maybe even a little on the selfish side. But not malicious in any way. They do seem to care about their children and are trying to do what they think is best for them. It''s just...." "Just?" Bero sighed. "When I told them about Thenio''s magic seeming to cause other people to feel an aversion to him, they seemed...relieved." Ariom blinked. "Relieved? Why would they be relieved to know something like that is happening to their son?" "Because it means it isn''t their fault." "What isn''t?" "That they''ve never felt like Thenio really was their son." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ariom''s eyes widened. "What? They said that?" Bero nodded slowly. "Yes. They did. I was doing my best to be understanding and sympathetic toward their situation, and apparently it was enough to get them to trust me a bit. Because after I told them about the effects of Thenio''s magic, they opened up and told me how uncomfortable he''d always made them feel. His mother said she''d felt that way from the time he was born. At first she thought it was just that she was new to being a mother, so the whole experience was unfamiliar, but after Thenio''s brother was born, she realized it was something about Thenio himself. She said that apart from the magic explosions, he''s never really misbehaved or caused them any trouble, but a part of her was still convinced that he''s some kind of monster hiding in a human form. She''s always felt a little guilty about that, so she was relieved to hear that his chaos magic was the cause of it." Ariom frowned. "But...when he was a baby, he shouldn''t have been producing enough magic power to have any effect. So why would she have felt that way back then?" "That''s the question, isn''t it? I thought it was better not to correct her assumption, but I did wonder about it." Bero glanced toward the door into the workshop. "They asked me not to tell Thenio about any of this, by the way. And I think it¡¯s better that we don¡¯t." "Yes...I think so, too...." They both fell silent again. "So what do we do about it?" Ariom asked quietly. "Didn''t Humerus call Thenio a monster, too? Do you think he actually is one, despite all the medical evidence saying he''s human?" Bero shrugged. "Does it really matter if he is? Humerus, Tamon, Alula.... Some people would say that they''re all monsters. Do monsters deserve to be hated, even if they never hurt anyone? Humerus might call Thenio a monster, but he still likes him a lot." "I know. I didn''t mean it like that. I just meant...." Ariom paused, looking conflicted. "Well. I''m not confident that I even know how to take care of a human boy." He glanced back at the charts on the wall. "How am I supposed to know what to do for him when we don''t know for sure what he is?" "Just keep doing what you''re doing now. Be kind to him. Do your best to figure out his chaos magic and keep him alive. That''s all he really needs from you. And it''s not like you''re on your own, you know? I don''t think you can depend on Thenio''s parents for too much, but Eteon seems willing to help you out. Kalion and Focilo are, too. And you know you can always come to me and your Aunt Tilia whenever you need anything." "Yeah...I know." Bero gave his nephew a gentle smile and patted his shoulder again. "You''ll be fine, Ariom. You''ve already trained a few excellent apprentices, and you''re doing a good job raising Iggy. You''re better at this parenting thing than you think you are. Have a little confidence in yourself."
Thenio was finally allowed to use Ariom''s kitchen for the first time the day before Bero and Humerus were scheduled to go back to their farm. It was also Seyli''s day off from school, and she and Tava spent most of the day at Ariom''s house. Ariom had already tested the magic tools in the kitchen and adjusted them as needed to make sure they were safe for Thenio to use. But Thenio still needed to learn how to use everything, since Ariom''s kitchen had fancier magic tools than the ones he was used to using back at home. So the two of them made lunch together to give Thenio a chance to practice under Ariom''s supervision. Thenio was happy to finally be able to cook again. But the practice session ended up attracting more spectators than he''d expected, which made things a little uncomfortable. "Is this really that interesting to watch?" he asked skeptically, pausing in the middle of cutting up a carrot to put in the salad and looking up at the row of faces watching him through the dragon box window. All three dragons were lined up along the platform on the other side of the glass, which was enchanted to allow sound to pass through easily, so he knew they''d be able to hear him. "Mmm!" Iggy nodded. "I like to watch people cook. I like to help, too! But Ariom doesn''t let me help anymore." His ears drooped. "He got really mad when I fell into the mashed potatoes that one time.... But it wasn''t really my fault, you know? The pot was super slippery!" "It was your fault," Ariom said, frowning at him. "How many times did I tell you not to lean over the edge of the pot? And it wasn''t just the mashed potatoes. There was also that time you got into the raspberry jam and tracked little sticky red footprints all over the carpet. Or that time you knocked a box of eggs off the counter, and they broke all over the floor. And how about when you were a hatchling and you kept sneaking up behind me and attacking my feet, so I''d get startled and drop things?" "That''s not fair!" Iggy protested. "I was just a baby then, so I didn''t know it was bad, okay? Now I''m a big, strong dragon, so I won''t do it anymore!" Ariom raised an eyebrow at him. "Somehow I''m not convinced...." He sighed. "Well, if Thenio wants to let you help, that''s up to him. Not right now, though. He''s still learning how to use the kitchen tools." Iggy immediately turned back to Thenio with a hopeful expression. Put on the spot, Thenio could only let out a weak laugh. "I think I can manage the oven fine, since it''s pretty similar to the one my family has. So maybe after lunch we can all bake something together." He glanced at Ariom. "As long as you don''t mind us using up some ingredients." "If you''re brave enough to try baking with Iggy, you can use all the ingredients you want." "All right, then." Thenio looked back at the dragons. "How about we make cookies together?" "Mmm! Yeah! Okay!" Iggy started hopping up and down excitedly. "I want to help make cookies!" Humerus gave him a disapproving look and then sniffed. "Well...I guess you''ll probably need some help keeping this silly dragon under control, so I''ll join in if you want me to." His tone was unenthusiastic, but as usual, his waving tail gave him away. "How about you, Tava?" Thenio asked, turning to the purple dragon. "Krr?" She let out a questioning trill. "Tava, do you want to bake a cake later?" Seyli asked from the dining room. She''d been sitting at the table, chatting with Bero and working on one of her school assignments. "Mmm!" Tava nodded, waving her tail. "She doesn''t know too many cooking words," Seyli explained, giving Thenio an apologetic smile. "But getting a group together to bake cakes is a popular pastime in our dormitory, so she understands what that means. It''s close enough to cookies to give her the general idea." As Bero had predicted, Seyli was a bit more casual today. She was still wearing a fashionable dress, but her hair was pulled back in a simple half ponytail, tied with a ribbon, and she had been speaking to Thenio in a more relaxed manner. Though this change actually made Thenio feel more nervous around her, since a more casual manner somehow made her seem even cuter. "Is it all right if I help you with the baking? Keeping an eye on all three of them by yourself will probably be a little much," Seyli added with a laugh. "Oh. Um...sure. If you want to," Thenio agreed awkwardly. He could feel his cheeks growing a little warm and hastily turned back to his vegetable chopping so she wouldn''t notice. After everyone had eaten and the dishes were cleared away, the five of them assembled in the kitchen. Iggy bounced happily across the line of dark tiles that marked the edge of the kitchen, clearly pleased to be allowed to enter what was usually forbidden territory. Seyli took charge of washing the dragons'' paws while Thenio got out all the ingredients they would need for the cookies. Bero was upstairs packing, and Ariom had gone up to his workroom. Seyli was familiar with the kitchen and all the tools in it, so she would be able to help Thenio if he had any trouble with them. "We''re going to put jam in the cookies?" Iggy asked, tilting his head to look curiously at the jar Thenio had just set on the counter next to the tins of flour and sugar. "That''s right," Thenio replied with a smile. "Ariom talking about raspberry jam earlier made me think of this recipe. It''s one that my brother Kleyo really likes to make." He set a large mixing bowl on the counter near the freshly washed dragons, who were all sitting in a row. Then, consulting the recipe book that he''d brought over from his house the other day, he measured out some butter and sugar. "Okay, the first thing we need to do is mix these two together really well." He handed a wooden spoon to Iggy. "All of you can take a turn stirring, all right?" The dragons happily passed the bowl and spoon around, taking turns creaming the butter and sugar together. Iggy had a little trouble, being too small to push the spoon with much force. But what he lacked in strength, he made up for in enthusiasm. Thenio had to hold onto the bowl to keep the little dragon from knocking it off the counter. Humerus stirred surprisingly well. Thenio suspected that he was only holding onto the spoon for show and was actually moving it with his puppetry magic. But it got the job done, so there was no reason to complain. Tava seemed a little confused about the whole process, but she watched the other two carefully and managed to mimic their movements fairly well when her turn came. The dragons continued working together to stir in eggs, vanilla, and salt. But by the time Thenio began adding flour and the dough became stiffer, Iggy was starting to look tired, so Seyli volunteered to take over and finished mixing up the dough while Thenio got the baking sheets ready. Then the two of them worked together to roll the dough into little balls and put them on the sheets¡ªsomething that was a bit beyond the capabilities of dragon paws. Thenio thought Humerus probably could have managed it with magic, but he was afraid that Iggy might get jealous if the revenant was allowed to help more than he was. "All right," Thenio said when the first baking sheet was covered with three neat rows of cookie dough balls. "This is the fun part." The dragons'' ears perked up. "What I need you three to do now is to press the middle of each dough ball down with your paw. Like this." Thenio demonstrated by pressing his thumb into the center of one of the balls. "We want to make a hollow place in the middle of the dough. Sort of like when you dig out ponds in the sandbox. But instead of water, we''ll be filling them up with jam." He pointed to the jar of jam that was still sitting on the counter. "We''re making jam ponds?" Iggy asked, his tail twitching with interest. "Right. Little tiny jam ponds. But they''ll be shaped like your pawprints." Thenio looked at the three of them. Iggy looked eager, but slightly confused, and Tava looked completely blank. She clearly didn''t understand the concept of pawprint-shaped jam ponds. Well, it was a little strange.... "Um...Humerus, why don''t you go first?" Thenio pushed the cookie sheet over to the revenant, who seemed to understand what was going on the best. As he''d hoped, Humerus reached out his left front paw and pressed it neatly into the middle of one of the dough balls. "Good, just like that," Thenio said, nodding. "Now do the rest of that row." Once they''d seen Humerus do some, the other two quickly caught on and took turns pressing their own paws into the cookie dough. Iggy''s prints turned out rather crooked, but that was sort of charming in its own way. When all three rows were done, the dragons watched with interest while Thenio added a dab of jam to each pawprint. Seyli, meanwhile, was getting the next sheet of dough balls ready. They were making quite a large batch, both to keep the dragons entertained for longer and to let Seyli and Bero take some cookies back home with them. A short time later, Thenio pulled the first sheet of cookies out of the oven. They''d turned a light golden brown color, and the jam had melted to fill in the pawprint shapes. Seyli laughed when she saw them. "I see why Ariom''s story about Iggy getting into the jam made you think of this. Sticky red pawprints, huh? At least they''re not on the carpet this time." Iggy put his ears back and gave her an annoyed look. But he soon turned his attention back to the cookies that Thenio was moving over to a cooling rack. "Those are the cookies we made together! They''re all finished! Can we eat some?" "You can," Thenio told him. "But wait a few minutes. They''re still really hot." "It should be fine, actually," Seyli said. "Iggy and Tava can both use fire magic, remember? They don''t have a problem with eating hot foods." "Huh? Oh." Thenio blinked. "They won''t get burned? You''re sure?" "I''m sure." Seyli gave him an understanding smile. "I know, it seems wrong to us, since we''re not fire mages. But I''ve seen Iggy eat food straight out of the oven before, and he was fine. And Tava is a proper flare dragon¡ªshe could climb in the oven and eat the cookies while they''re still baking if she wanted to." "Oh. Well...okay...." Thenio was still a little hesitant, but he pulled out two small plates and put a few cookies on each one, then placed the plates in front of Iggy and Tava. Iggy immediately scooped up a cookie and started munching on it happily, sitting up on his haunches like a squirrel eating a nut. Tava spent a moment sniffing at her cookies before delicately taking a bite out of one. But even though her eating habits were more reserved than Iggy''s, her waving tail seemed to indicate that she was still enjoying the snack. "Sorry, Humerus," Thenio said, reaching out to stroke the revenant''s head in apology. "I''d make some spiced ones for you if I could work with magic ingredients." "It''s okay. They''re still fun to make, even if I can''t eat any." He said that, but Thenio saw him shoot a few envious glances toward the other two.... "Would it bother you to share the recipe?" Seyli asked. "If you give Uncle Bero a copy, Aunt Tilia could use it to make a spiced version after they get back home. She''s a really good cook." "Oh, sure." Thenio nodded. "That''s not a problem." Humerus'' ears perked up, and his tail waved a little. Seyli smiled when she saw that. Then she picked up a cookie from the cooling rack, blew on it a few times, and took a bite. "Oh, these are good," she said after chewing thoughtfully for a moment. "Lunch was, too." She gave Thenio a warm smile. "You''re a pretty good cook yourself." Thenio was suddenly very glad he''d volunteered for the dragon baking session. Chapter 25 - Iggys Secret A few days later, Thenio was sitting at the desk in his room, studying a book on enchanting theory. This was one of several books that Ariom had assigned him to read¡ªan academic treatise written by a well-known magic researcher more than a century before. It was interesting, but it was much denser reading than the watered down magic theory textbooks he was used to. He had to progress through it slowly, making notes and writing down anything he didn''t understand and needed to look up in a reference book or ask Ariom about later. He reached the end of a passage and paused to stretch and look around the room. When he turned to his right, he saw Iggy lying on the back of the sofa. He was holding Obby in front of him and resting his head on the chicken''s back while he stared listlessly out the window. Thenio frowned slightly. Iggy had been feeling a bit down ever since Bero and Humerus had left. Thenio had been making an extra effort to pay attention to the little dragon the past few days, but he still clearly missed having another familiar around. Humerus might enjoy arguing and teasing, but he''d spent a lot of time playing with Iggy and teaching him various things. It didn''t help that Ariom had been extremely busy lately. In addition to working on improvements to Thenio''s insulation bands, he''d been researching the Order of the Ravener and studying the enchantments the Royal Guard had shown him, as well as doing some kind of remodeling work on an unused room down in the basement. It had apparently been a magic practice room that Ariom''s apprentices had used in the past. Thenio wasn''t sure exactly what the purpose of the remodeling was. Ariom hadn''t told him, and he currently wasn''t allowed in the area because there was too much magic power floating around. "Iggy, I''m almost done. I just have a couple more pages to read. Then we can play for a while, all right?" Iggy glanced in his direction. "Mmm. Okay." He didn''t sound enthusiastic, but his tail waved a little. He probably just wasn''t thrilled about the wait and would perk up once it was actually time to play. Thenio gave him an apologetic smile and then turned back to his book. He couldn''t help feeling a little frustrated that he wasn''t more useful to Ariom as an assistant. Studying and looking after Iggy were the only things Ariom had asked him to do so far that week, not counting his regular physical and magic training, which was all for Thenio''s benefit anyway. He had also volunteered to take over the cooking, but Ariom had said he didn''t want Thenio to get too overwhelmed, and in the end they''d settled for just alternating meals. Thenio knew there was no reason for him to feel guilty. Ariom was the one who had offered to hire him, and he had written up the terms of their employment contract himself. If he was willing to pay someone to just read books and play with his dragon, what reason did Thenio have to complain? But...still.... A grandmaster wizard could surely have his pick of magic assistants. How long would he be willing to put up with a teenage boy who hadn''t even made it past his first year of magic school? What if Iggy got tired of him? What if Ariom decided to take on a new apprentice? What if¡ª? Thenio shook himself, interrupting his own thoughts. No. He should be focusing on what he could do right now. Worrying about the future wouldn''t help anything. Especially not if he got too upset and made his magic explode.... He let out a sigh and refocused his attention on his studying. A little while later, he finally reached the end of the chapter. He jotted down a few last notes, then set his pen down and pushed his chair away from the desk. "Thenio''s done studying?" Iggy asked, lifting his head and perking up his ears. "Yeah, I''m all done." Thenio stood up and stretched his arms up above his head. "What do you want to do now?" "I want to look at Seyli''s dragon book!" Iggy said eagerly, jumping to his feet. "Oh. Sorry, Obby. I didn''t mean to drop you...." The chicken had been knocked off the back of the sofa by Iggy''s sudden movement, but he only fell a short distance before coming to a stop in midair and then floating up to hover over Iggy''s head. Thenio knew that the dragon must have activated Obby''s ''float'' and ''follow'' functions. Ariom had recently let him look at the enchantment diagram he''d used when he made Obby, and it was absolutely ridiculous how many magic formations he''d managed to pack into that matrix. It was easily one of the most impressive pieces of enchanting Thenio had ever seen. And it was on a plush chicken.... Thenio shook his head and went to get a book from one of the bookshelves next to the fireplace. Seyli had lent him two books about dragons the last time she''d come over. One was a very technical book on dragon anatomy. Thenio found the text in that one hard to understand, since he didn''t have any kind of medical background. But it had a lot of useful diagrams. He was already pretty familiar with dragon bones, thanks to Humerus. But copying images from the book was teaching him a lot about how a dragon''s musculature worked, and he had already seen some improvements in his drawings as a result. The book Iggy wanted was the other one, though. This was an illustrated encyclopedia of dragon breeds. Iggy was fascinated by all the different types of dragons in it, and the two of them had been reading through it together. It wasn''t as complicated as the anatomy book, but it was still a bit too difficult for Iggy to read by himself. And he enjoyed having someone read to him, no matter what kind of book it was. Thenio was also enjoying learning more about dragons. He''d known there were different kinds, but he''d had no idea just how many breeds there were. The Azure, Sunset, and Violet Flares that Seyli''s family bred were all in there. There were also others like the cute little Golden Zephyrs, which looked similar to Iggy but with shiny gold scales and bright blue eyes. Then there were the elegant Frostfeathers, which resembled living ice sculptures, and the bulky Bronzehearts, whose skin was covered in tough plates instead of scales. Iggy liked the Inferno dragons, which had black scales over bright red-orange skin. And Thenio was rather fond of the fluffy Storm dragons that had feathered wings and branching, deer-like horns. They reminded him a little of the dream beast. Today they read the section about sea dragons. These were actually a whole different species, but they had enough in common with dragons that the two were often lumped together. As the name implied, sea dragons lived in the ocean. There were several different varieties, but they all had long, snake-like bodies and short legs with webbed feet. They didn''t have wings, but most of them had fins on their backs and tails. "Tropical breeds of sea dragons typically live in colonies of between fifty and a hundred members. They build nests in undersea rock formations or coral reefs, which provide shelter for the eggs and hatchlings." "What are coral reefs?" Iggy asked curiously. "They''re....well, it''s a little hard to explain." Thenio paused for a moment, wondering how much detail he should go into. "Corals are things in the ocean that look kind of like plants. They''re not really plants, but...well, they''re sort of shaped like that. And a reef is a whole bunch of corals all living together. Kind of like trees living in a forest. I think there was a picture somewhere...." He flipped a couple of pages forward and found a drawing of a coral bed with several black and yellow sea dragons swimming around it. "Those bumpy things are corals?" Iggy tilted his head, looking at the picture with interest. "Oh! And there''s a sea dragon egg!" He pressed his nose up against a part of the picture that showed sand and plant debris gathered into a nest in a hollow in the coral, with a single black egg partially visible inside it. "Thenio, look! It looks like my egg!" "Does it?" Thenio leaned forward to look around Iggy''s head at the egg in the drawing. "Oh, I remember Seyli saying something about that. ''Black with a rough surface,'' wasn''t it?" "Mmm!" Iggy looked up, his tail waving excitedly. "Thenio hasn''t seen my egg yet, right? Let''s go look at it now!" Without waiting for a response, he jumped off the sofa, where they''d been sitting to look at the encyclopedia, and ran toward the door, with Obby trailing along behind him. "Hey, Iggy! Wait!" Thenio hurriedly put the book down and chased after the little dragon. Iggy was waiting for him out in the hallway, tail still waving vigorously. When Thenio caught up to him, he turned and trotted purposefully down the hall. "Come on! My egg is in the glass thing in Ariom''s room. I''ll show you!" "Um...that''s.... I''m not sure if Ariom would want me going into his room without asking him first...." "It''s okay! Ariom is in his room right now. So we can ask him when we get there!" "Huh?" Thenio blinked in surprise. "How do you know? Didn''t he go to the workroom earlier?" Iggy paused and looked back at him, Obby bobbing around over his head. "Because I feel him being in there." "Oh. Is that because of your familiar contract?" "It''s because Ariom is Ariom. I can always feel where he is." Iggy tilted his head, looking puzzled by the question. "Ah...okay...." Remembering what Seyli had told him about silent eggs and how Ariom had managed to help Iggy hatch, Thenio realized why the little dragon was confused. He probably didn''t remember ever not being in a familiar contract, so asking him about its effects was a bit like asking a fish how it had learned to swim. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When they reached Ariom''s room, the door was half open, and Iggy went in without hesitation while Thenio hung back awkwardly. "Ariom, hi! I brought Thenio to come see my egg, okay?" "Hmm? Oh. All right." Hearing Ariom''s voice coming from inside and apparently consenting to the visit, Thenio cautiously opened the door a little further and stepped into the room. The layout of Ariom''s room was similar to Thenio''s, but it had a much more lived-in appearance. The bookshelves were full of books and other items on display. There were more decorations hanging on the walls. And in the spot where Thenio''s room had a desk, Ariom''s had a large display cabinet with a glass front. It also had several empty wooden shelves running along the front side. Thenio thought that was a little odd until he saw Iggy flying up to land on one of the shelves and realized they were actually platforms for the little dragon to sit on while he looked at the contents of the cabinet. Ariom was sitting on the sofa, and he turned halfway around to look at them as they came in. "Iggy''s things are on the middle and lower shelves in the cabinet," he told Thenio, pointing to where Iggy had just landed. "His eggshell is right in the center there." "Are you done with work for the day?" Thenio asked as he crossed the room. Ariom shook his head. "Just taking a short break. I was working on that stuff for the Royal Guard, and I can only stand to look at pictures of mutilated corpses for so long at a time...." He glanced at a clock sitting on the mantle. "I''m also expecting a delivery in a few minutes. I''ll have more work to do once it gets here." "We''re getting a package? Is it things to go in the storeroom?" Iggy asked. The third floor of the east wing of the house was a large storage area for magic materials. Thenio hadn''t actually seen it yet, since there were a lot of things that emitted magic power in there, so it was off limits for the time being. But he''d seen the locked door just outside the workroom and the heavy security features that were installed on the magic lift at the east end of the house. Knowing that something as valuable as Iggy''s space pocket was simply hung up on a rack in the dragon room when it wasn''t in use, Thenio didn''t even dare to think about what kinds of treasures Ariom might deem worthy of keeping under lock and key. "No, we don''t have another materials order coming until next week," Ariom said. "This is some equipment to go down in the basement. You can help me check it for magic leaks later." "Okay!" Iggy waved his tail, apparently happy at the prospect of helping Ariom with his work. Then he turned back to the display cabinet. "Thenio, look! This is the shell from my egg, okay? The egg I came out of when I was a tiny baby!" Thenio looked in through the glass. There seemed to be a lighting enchantment built into the case, and the soft white glow clearly lit up a small platform covered in silver velvet. On this platform was an eggshell about the size of a duck egg that was broken into two large pieces, with a few fragments lying around it. The shell was completely black, with a rough texture on the outside, reminiscent of lava rock. Wait...lava rock? As he looked at the eggshell, something clicked in Thenio''s mind. He glanced over at Ariom. "Hey...does ''Iggy'' come from ''igneous,'' by any chance?" "Wow! You guessed it!" Iggy started hopping up and down excitedly. "Thenio is super smart! He guessed my real name!" "Your real name is Igneous? Seriously?" Thenio stared at the excited dragon. It was true that his color matched, but giving such a cute and rambunctious little creature such a serious-sounding name was kind of.... Ariom cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "Well...yes. It''s pretty much what you''re thinking. His egg was like that. And he''s a purebred Violet Flare, so at first I assumed he was going to have a fire primary. So ''Igneous'' seemed like the obvious thing to name him. I didn''t realize the familiar contract formation I used on his egg would end up turning him into a void morph. And once he got a little older and I realized what his personality was like...well. ''Iggy'' seemed like a better fit for normal use. He still likes the name ''Igneous,'' though, so that''s how he''s registered with the Magic Beast Office." "Hey, what about Obby?" Iggy scooped up the toy chicken, which had been sitting on the shelf next to him and held him up in front of Thenio. "Can you guess Obby''s name, too?" "Um...." Thenio stared at the chicken, his thoughts scrambling around for an answer. Iggy...Obby...black chicken...black dragon...black egg...lava rock...Igneous...fire...lava...Obby.... "...Obsidian?" "Yay! You did it!" Iggy''s tail was waving wildly, thumping against the glass of the display cabinet. "Did you hear, Obby? Thenio guessed your name, too! He''s super, super smart!" Unfortunately, the enthusiastic tail waving combined with standing up on his hind legs holding Obby was a little too much for Iggy to handle. He wobbled and lost his balance, toppling over the edge of the wooden platform. Thenio hurriedly reached out and caught him before he fell. "I''m glad you''re happy, but calm down a little...." Thenio set the little dragon back on the platform. "Um...why don''t you show me the other things?" He glanced back inside the display case. "Those are lifemimics, aren''t they? Is that you when you were a hatchling?" To one side of the black eggshell was a small figurine of what looked like a newly hatched baby Iggy, his bright orange eyes looking upwards with a happy expression. It was highly realistic and detailed, so Thenio guessed that it must have been made with lifemimicry, a magic technique that produced a replica of a physical object or creature. He had heard that a lot of wizards liked to make lifemimics of their familiars as babies. Ariom obviously did. Looking along the cabinet shelf, Thenio saw that most of it was filled with figures of Iggy in various poses and stages of growth. "Mmm!" Iggy nodded. "That''s me! It''s me when I was a tiny little baby!" He had been tiny. If the figurine was true to size, newborn Iggy would have been less than four inches from nose to tail tip. He could have curled up and slept in the palm of Thenio''s hand with room to spare. "You''ve really grown a lot, haven''t you?" "Mmm! I have!" Iggy puffed out his chest. "I''m a big, strong dragon now!" Actually...Iggy was still unusually small for his age. Thenio had suspected that was the case from the beginning, but now that he''d read halfway through a dragon encyclopedia, which included average measurements for each breed, he was sure of it. Not that being small was a bad thing, since with magic beasts, a smaller physical body tended to correspond to higher magic power. But Thenio knew better than to mention it to the ''big, strong dragon.'' "And look down here!" Iggy said, jumping down to the lower shelf. "This is where I keep my special treasures! Thenio is my friend, so I''ll let you look at them, okay?" Thenio bent down to look. The bottom shelf contained an odd assortment of things. There was a glass bowl filled with colorful marbles, and a wooden tray with small rocks spread out on it. There was also an arrangement of various feathers and another of dried seed pods. Along the back of the cabinet was a cloth-covered board with pressed leaves fastened to it and several picture frames that held what looked like finger paintings, though when Thenio looked closer, he saw the marks of tiny paws, rather than human fingerprints. Having two younger brothers, Thenio understood right away what this strange collection was and how he ought to react to it. "Wow, these are really nice treasures. Did you collect all these?" "I did!" Iggy said proudly, waving his tail. "I found them out in the garden...and at the park...and at Uncle Bero''s farm...and when we went to visit the school...and all kinds of places! I''m good at finding treasures, huh?" Thenio smiled. "Yeah, you really are. What about those paintings? Did you make those?" "Mmm! I did!" The little dragon puffed out his chest even further. "Those are fireworks that I painted with magic paints! They''re good, huh? I told you I was good at painting with magic paints, right?" "Yeah, you did. And they are good. You''re a really good painter." Iggy looked extremely happy with the praise. His tail was waving hard enough that Thenio was worried he might knock himself off the cabinet again. "The picture frames have magic insulation built in, and the magic paints that Iggy uses aren''t high in magic power, so you don''t have to worry about them affecting you." Thenio looked up to see that Ariom had come over to join them. He bent down and pointed to one of Iggy''s paintings. "The style of painting that Iggy does is based on what''s called ''elemental enchanting.'' It''s a blend of enchanting and alchemy, really. Rather than relying on formation shape to control the magic effects, it uses the interactions between paints that are each charged with a different type of magic power. It can be very powerful, but it''s difficult to learn, and the paints can be very dangerous if you don''t handle them properly. Well, since they emit magic, they''d be dangerous for you no matter how you handled them...." "Oh, Humerus said something about Iggy really liking elemental paints," Thenio said, nodding. "But he said you made a special version that was safer." "That''s right." Ariom gave a wry smile. "Iggy caught me working with some real elemental paints once and was absolutely smitten with them. Well, I can understand that. With the way they emit magic, they''re quite beautiful when you look at them with magesight. It''s similar for dragons with their high magic sensitivity. But I couldn''t just let him play around with the real thing. So I worked on it for a while and eventually made a version that was less powerful and more stable, so they¡¯re safe for him to practice with." "Mmm! Ariom makes good magic paints!" Iggy said brightly. Then his ears drooped a little. "The real ones are still prettier, though...." Ariom reached out to pat him. "If you keep practicing, maybe you''ll be able to use the real ones when you''re older." He turned back to Thenio. "He''s actually pretty good at the elemental painting style already. His magic sensitivity and intuition give him a natural understanding of how the different magic types will interact. It''s just that dragon paws aren''t really built for things like painting, so he has some trouble getting the design just right. He''s gradually improving, though, so he''ll probably be able to control the paint well enough eventually." He patted the little dragon again and then straightened up. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he suddenly frowned and looked back at the painting. "Interaction between different magic types, huh...?" he muttered. "What?" Thenio asked, puzzled. "Oh. Nothing, really." Ariom shook his head and turned away from the display case again. "Talking about elemental paints just made me think of something I was working on earlier. It gave me an idea for a way to approach the problem that I haven''t tried yet." Something he was working on? Was that the enchantments from the Royal Guard? What sort of idea would the elemental paints have given him for that? Curious, Thenio was about to ask Ariom more about it, but just then a chime sounded, indicating that someone was at the front gate. "Oh, that must be our delivery," Ariom said, glancing out the window. "Why don''t you two come down with me? The guy I''m expecting mentioned that he was bringing his familiar with him. You can show her around the atrium while we''re setting things up downstairs." He held out his arm so that Iggy could climb up onto his shoulder. Then they left the room with Thenio following along behind them, wondering what kind of magic creature he was going to be dealing with this time. Chapter 26 - Lending a Hand When they reached the entrance hall, Ariom checked the panel on the wall and then opened the front gate. Thenio looked over his shoulder at the image on the panel and was surprised to see that their visitor hadn''t arrived in a carriage but was riding on.... Thenio''s eyes widened. "Is that a real gryphon? Not a golem?" "Yes, that''s his familiar. He checked with me ahead of time to make sure it was all right to bring her." Ariom glanced back at him. "Haven''t you ever seen a parrot gryphon before?" Thenio shook his head. "Only raptors. And I''ve only seen those from a distance a few times. The only ones I''ve seen up close are gryphon-shaped golems." Parrot gryphons came from more tropical climates. They weren''t native to Kafron, so they were much less common than the raptor breeds. But they looked flashy, so they were a popular model for carriage golems. When Ariom opened the front door, the gryphon was trotting up the driveway toward them. "Wow! A big, huge cat-bird with pretty feathers!" Iggy said excitedly, waving his tail. Since Humerus wasn''t there, no one bothered to correct his choice of words. And it was a pretty accurate description. The gryphon was huge. Parrot gryphons were smaller than raptor gryphons on average, but the creature in front of them was still at least as big as Ariom''s horse golem. And her head, shoulders, and chest were covered in beautiful iridescent blue and turquoise feathers that faded into light yellow fur with large black and brown spots. There was an enormous pair of turquoise and black wings on her back, and she had a black, hooked beak and inquisitive gold eyes. The gryphon came to a halt in front of the steps leading up to the front door, and the man riding her jumped off with an easy, graceful motion. He was on the small side but looked very athletic. His skin was golden brown, and he had untidy white hair and bright blue eyes. That coloring, together with the fact that he had a gryphon familiar, probably meant that he was a wind or storm mage. "Jasel Yaron?" Ariom asked. "That''s right," the man answered with a smile. "You must be Ariom." Ariom frowned slightly, perhaps due to Jasel addressing him so casually. It was normal to refer to grandmaster wizards using their title if you weren''t closely acquainted, as a sign of respect. But he didn''t comment on it. "Yes. Thank you for coming." Ariom gestured in Thenio''s direction. "This is my assistant, Thenio Iterune. And my familiar, Iggy." He reached up to pat the little dragon, who was still riding on his shoulder. "Good to meet you." Jasel was still smiling, but Thenio noticed that the man gave him a long, appraising look. Then he reached out and patted the gryphon''s neck. "This is Casturi. I appreciate you letting her come. A lot of people feel uncomfortable having a gryphon around, so I have to leave her at the aviary a lot of the time." Thenio felt a bit sorry for the gryphon, but he could also empathize with the people who felt uncomfortable around her. He''d known gryphons were big, but seeing pictures and measurements in a book wasn''t at all the same as seeing the real thing right in front of him. And that beak looked awfully sharp.... Ariom, however, didn''t seem to be bothered by the gryphon''s size and fierce appearance. "It''s no problem. I run a private enchanting workshop here, so being able to accommodate large familiars is a matter of course. She can wait in the atrium with Thenio while we''re checking over the equipment. He''s very good with magic beasts." Thenio shot Ariom a slightly panicked look. Magic beasts seemed to like his magic, but that didn''t make him some kind of expert with them. And this wasn''t a pygmy gryphon they were talking about here.... Jasel seemed to notice Thenio''s unease and gave him an encouraging smile. "Do you have any experience with gryphons?" Thenio shook his head. "Well, you don''t need to be nervous. I know gryphons have a reputation for being aggressive, but not all of them are like that. Casturi is a real sweetheart. And she''s a retired circus gryphon, so she''s very good at interacting with people and other magic beasts. As long as you don''t try to hurt her, the only thing she''ll do to cause trouble is getting into everything." Jasel laughed and patted Casturi again. "Parrot gryphons are notoriously curious. But you can just smack her on the beak if she gets too nosy." "Don''t tell him to smack me!" Casturi protested, flattening her tufted ears. "I understand words, you know?" "Do you? Sometimes I wonder...." Jasel said in a teasing tone. "I do!" she huffed, glaring at him. "You got along fine with Kino the other day," Ariom said, ignoring the bickering pair and looking at Thenio. "A gryphon isn''t too different from a storm hound." Maybe not if you were just looking at their magic power. But Casturi was about four times Kino''s size.... Ariom glanced at Iggy. "What do you want to do, Iggy? Do you want to stay with Thenio and Casturi?" "Mmm! I want to play with the cat-bird!" Iggy said eagerly. He didn''t seem to be intimidated by Casturi''s size either. "Never pass up a chance to play with birds, do you, little guy...?" Ariom shook his head. Then he turned and started back toward the door. "Well, come inside." They had to open both of the double front doors for Casturi to fit through. Thenio had assumed that the main entrances to the house and atrium were extra large just to look impressive, but if Ariom was in the habit of entertaining wizards who had familiars as big as gryphons, having a large entrance suddenly seemed much more practical. "Did Jasel tell you about not using magic around Thenio?" Ariom asked Casturi as they walked. "I know it''s inconvenient, but he''s very sensitive, so even a little magic can cause problems." Casturi nodded. "He told me. I''ll be careful." "Good. Thank you." Ariom turned to Thenio. "I cut up some fruit earlier. It''s in a bowl in the kitchen. Bring that out for the familiars to snack on. You can get more from the ice box if it''s not enough¡ªwe have plenty. And we''ll just be downstairs if you need anything." "All right." Truth be told, Thenio was still a little nervous about being left alone with Casturi, regardless of what Jasel said about how nice she was. Logically, he knew that it was almost unheard of for a familiar to attack anyone without being provoked or ordered to by their partner. And actually, Casturi probably wasn''t any more dangerous than the other familiars he''d interacted with recently. They''d all been careful not to use magic around him, so he wasn''t sure exactly how powerful they were. But he knew that even a tiny, half-grown dragon like Iggy would easily best him in a magic fight. Still. It was easier to walk among giants when they didn''t look like giants.... How were you supposed to interact with gryphons, anyway? He wished Ariom had told him about this visit ahead of time so he could have read up on the subject. Was it okay to just treat her like a giant cat? A lot of the books he''d read talked about gryphons as being very cat-like. But the bird half had to have some influence, too, right? Did she like to play with string? Would she get mad if he tried to scratch her chin? Despite having these thoughts running through his head, he obediently took Iggy from Ariom and then went to open the doors into the atrium for Casturi. As he watched her walk through, it occurred to him that the dream beast was even bigger than she was, and he hadn''t been afraid of it. Well...that was just a dream, though. It made sense for huge creatures to be scarier in real life. "Oh, that''s a nice tree," Casturi said, stopping to look up at the oak tree. "That''s my climbing tree!" Iggy told her. "Ariom and Toflyn made it for me! It''s good, huh?" Casturi nodded. "Very good. A little on the small side.... But dragons are small, too, I guess." She turned to look at Thenio. "Is it reinforced?" Oh, right. Gryphons liked to climb trees, didn''t they? Most wild ones lived in forests or jungles where particularly large species of trees grew. Thenio remembered reading about that. "Yes. Ariom puts reinforcement enchantments on basically everything. And he makes really strong ones, so I think it would be fine for you to climb the tree if you want to, as long as you stay down on the larger branches." He looked down at Iggy, who he was still carrying in his arms. "Is it all right if she climbs your tree?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Mmm! It''s okay!" Iggy wriggled out of Thenio''s hold, jumped into the air, and flew off toward the tree. "Come on, cat-bird! Let''s go climb together!" Thenio gave an awkward laugh and looked over at Casturi. She hadn''t actually said she wanted to climb the tree, so he hoped she wasn''t annoyed by them making that assumption. But Casturi was already trotting happily after Iggy. When she reached the tree, she stood on her back legs and reached up to sharpen her claws on the trunk. Then she paused and inspected the area where she''d been scratching, as though checking for any damage. Apparently satisfied by whatever she did or didn''t find, she crouched down and then jumped up onto one of the lower branches. Again, she paused and looked around, examining the tree and watching the excited Iggy dashing through the tunnels overhead, before she stepped over to another branch and started slowly climbing higher. Since they seemed to both be occupied for a few minutes, Thenio decided to go to the kitchen to get the fruit that Ariom had mentioned. "I''m going to go get your snacks," he called over to the familiars. "I''ll be right back, okay?" Iggy appeared from a cluster of leaves and ran out to the end of an overhanging branch. "Mmm! Okay!" he called back, waving his tail around wildly. Then he turned and scampered back into the leaves. Crazy little dragon.... Shaking his head, Thenio left the atrium and went to the kitchen. When he got there, he discovered an enormous metal bowl on the counter, piled high with fruit, including peeled oranges, melon slices, peach halves, cored apples and pears, and a small mountain of assorted berries. He stood and stared at the huge pile, feeling a bit stunned by the sheer amount. It seemed excessive at first glance, but considering Casturi''s size, she probably needed a lot of food. After thinking for a moment, Thenio went and got out the refreshment cart and carefully loaded the heavy bowl onto it. He also added a few cleaning cloths. He wasn''t sure about Casturi, but he knew Iggy was probably going to be a sticky mess by the time he was done snacking on the fruit. Then he pushed the cart out into the hallway. When he got back to the atrium, he was greeted by Iggy flying toward him. The little dragon stopped and hovered a short distance away, and Thenio could see a worried expression on his face. "Thenio, come quick! The cat-bird needs help!" "Huh? What happened?" "The cat-bird got stuck! Up in the tree! Come look!" Without waiting for a reply, Iggy turned and flew back toward the tree. Thenio abandoned the cart and hurried after him. When he reached the base of the tree, he looked up.... ...and burst out laughing. "Don''t laugh at me!" a grumpy voice called from above him. "Come and help!" "Sorry...I''m sorry..." Thenio said, struggling to control his laughter. "It''s just...it looks really funny from down here...." Casturi was about halfway up the tree. She had apparently tried to squeeze through a gap between two branches but hadn''t quite made it all the way. Her front paws were resting on a lower branch, but her hindquarters were stuck in the gap and were hanging up above her head. Maybe she really was just like a big housecat.... "Wait a minute. I''ll climb up and help you get out." Thenio grabbed onto one of the lower branches and pulled himself up. The tree was designed so that it was actually quite easy to climb. He''d done it a few times before while he was playing with Iggy. He made his way up to a branch that was just underneath Casturi. "It looks like you''re kind of wedged in there. But I think you could get out fine if you could just lift your back end up a little," he told the gryphon, leaning to one side to look more closely at the place where she was caught. "I''m going to go behind you and try to give you a boost up, all right?" The branch he needed to get to was a little too far away to just step over. Thenio crouched down on the branch he was currently standing on, gauged the distance carefully, and then jumped across, landing neatly on the other side. "Cat-bird, look! Thenio is really good at climbing trees, huh?" Iggy was perched on a branch up above them, watching Thenio''s rescue efforts with great interest. His tail was swinging enthusiastically below him. "That doesn''t help me feel any better..." Casturi said, glaring at Iggy with flattened ears. "Calm down," Thenio told her in a soothing voice. "It''s all right. We''ll get you out of there." He moved closer to her, trying to find a stable position to push her up from. Her long, thick tail was hanging down and twitching temptingly right in front of him, but he knew better than to try to touch it. "All right, I''m going to put my hands under your left foot. Then, when I tell you, push up with that leg. I don''t think I''m strong enough to lift you very far, but if you can just get up a few inches, I think you''ll be able to hook the claws on your right foot onto the tree and pull yourself up the rest of the way. Got it?" Casturi nodded. "Got it." Thenio put both his hands under her large, furry paw and then braced himself. "All right. Go!" He felt the gryphon pushing against his hands and did his best to hold her up. After a few seconds of straining against the heavy weight, he heard a scratching sound and felt the relief of the weight being lifted off him. He looked up to see that Casturi''s back claws had finally caught hold of the branch underneath her, and she was sliding through the gap and down onto the branch in front. "Yay, you did it!" Iggy cheered, hopping up and down on his branch. "The cat-bird is free!" Casturi gave herself a little shake. Then she apparently decided she''d had enough of the climbing tree, because she jumped down to a lower branch, heading for the ground. Thenio followed behind her, moving a little more slowly. The gryphon was sitting on the grass under the tree licking her tail by the time he reached the lowest branches. Thenio swung himself down and landed next to her. "Are you okay? You''re not hurt anywhere?" "I''m fine," Casturi said sulkily, turning away from him and starting to preen her feathers. She was clearly embarrassed. "Hey, don''t feel bad." Thenio reached up to stroke her back. "That kind of thing happens to everyone sometimes." "Right! It does!" Iggy jumped down onto the branch Thenio had just left and nodded sagely. "That''s why I''m not allowed to play hide and seek unless Ariom is close by, you know? So he can come and rescue me if I get stuck someplace. It''s normal to get stuck, okay?" Thenio raised an eyebrow at him. No, he''d played hide and seek with Iggy a couple of times, and the little dragon''s ability to get himself stuck in strange places definitely wasn''t normal.... He gave Casturi a pat. "Why don''t you come have some snacks? Ariom got a lot of nice fruit ready for you. Eating something will probably help you feel better." The gryphon reluctantly paused her grooming session and followed him over to the patio. Iggy flew down and landed on Casturi''s back as they walked. "Oh, the cat-bird is nice to sit on!" he said happily. "She''s all soft and fluffy!" "Iggy, you should ask for permission before you land on someone like that," Thenio scolded him gently. "Casturi might not like it." "Oh." The dragon''s ears drooped a little. "Um...is it okay if I sit on you, cat-bird?" The gryphon turned her head back to look at him for a moment. Then she faced forward again. "I guess it''s fine. Just don''t pull any of my feathers out." Iggy''s ears perked back up. "I won''t! The cat-bird''s feathers are pretty and comfy, so I won''t hurt them, okay?" "Good." Casturi nodded. Then her ears also perked up as she spotted the bowl of fruit on the cart. "Oh. Looks tasty." Thenio spread the fruit out on one of the patio tables for them. Iggy jumped down and perched on the edge of the table, picking up pieces of fruit with his paws and munching on them in his squirrel-like way. Casturi picked up the fruit in her beak with surprising dexterity, although she had a strange habit of occasionally dropping a piece on the ground before she ate it. Thenio wasn''t that hungry, and he didn''t want to take snacks away from the familiars, but Iggy seemed concerned that he wasn''t eating anything, so he sat down at the table and nibbled on a peach half to be sociable. "Jasel said you used to be in a circus," he said to Casturi, who seemed to be in a much better mood now that she had something to distract her from her earlier embarrassment. "Did you like it there?" The gryphon tilted her head thoughtfully. "It was okay. It was better after they let Jasel form a familiar contract with me. Before that...I didn''t really understand what the circus was all about. It was just a job. If I did my tricks during the show, the trainers were happy, and they gave me treats. I didn''t really care about anything else. But after I became a familiar, I started to understand why all those people came to watch us. All the irritating noise they made turned into words I could understand. And I finally realized that my tricks could make people laugh or feel awed. They could make people happy. I enjoyed performing a lot more after that." "Wow...that sounds kind of amazing...." Thenio hadn''t really thought much about how a magic beast''s perspective on the world would change when they became a familiar. The only familiars he''d spent much time with so far were Iggy and Humerus. Iggy hadn''t experienced anything like that because he''d already been a familiar when he hatched. And Humerus didn''t like to talk about what his life had been like before he formed a contract. When Thenio had asked Bero about it, all he''d said was that it was tough being a wild revenant and that most of them were happy to escape that life when they got the chance. "What about Jasel?" he asked. "Did he work for the circus, too?" Casturi nodded. "Right. He was one of the magic acrobats I performed with." Thenio''s eyes widened. "A magic acrobat? Really?" He couldn''t help feeling a sharp stab of envy.... Casturi cocked her head, looking at him curiously. "You didn''t know that? But you know he''s an acrobatics trainer for the Magic Corps now, don''t you? Isn''t it obvious he would be a magic acrobat, then?" "What? No, I didn''t know that...." The gryphon blinked at him, looking confused. "That''s why we''re here, though? Jasel is supposed to be giving you acrobatics lessons. They''re down installing your new training equipment right now." Thenio stared at her, his mouth hanging open. The partially eaten peach slipped out of his hand and rolled onto the ground. "Oh." Casturi looked down at it, then back up at Thenio. "Do you still want that? I can clean it up for you if you don''t." Chapter 27 - An Exchange With Sunfall Thenio stood inside the newly remodeled practice room, staring ahead of him in utter disbelief. He''d been half convinced that Casturi was playing some kind of cruel joke when she''d said that she and Jasel were there to deliver training equipment for him. And when she told him that they were done setting up and Jasel wanted him to come test it out, he was fairly sure that he was about to look like an idiot for showing up downstairs in his training clothes only to discover that there wasn''t any acrobatics equipment in sight. But it was true. It was really there. Foam mats and blocks. A balance beam. Hanging rings. Metal bars of various heights. Ariom had even dug out a large space in the floor in order to install a trampoline. He''d dug out a lot more than that, actually. The whole floor of the room was at least ten feet lower than Thenio remembered, and there was now a staircase leading down from a small viewing platform by the entrance. Thenio probably would have spent the next hour gaping at the scene if he hadn''t been distracted by the conversation going on next to him. "If you were planning to surprise him you really should have told us," Jasel said, frowning at Ariom. "Casturi had no idea she wasn''t supposed to say anything." Ariom wasn''t meeting his gaze. "I wasn''t really trying to keep it a secret. I just...hadn''t mentioned it to him yet." "You hadn''t mentioned it?" Jasel looked incredulous. "What are you saying? In order to make this happen, you had to ask the general for help, coordinate with me, and reconstruct half your basement. And you''re telling me that somehow, with all of that, you didn''t bother to tell your assistant what you were doing? Even though he''s the one you were doing it for?" "I told him a couple of weeks ago that I''d help him get some acrobatics equipment," Ariom said defensively. "It''s just that the topic hasn''t come up again since then." "Hasn''t come up...?" Jasel echoed. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence while he gave Ariom a long, evaluating stare. "No. I don''t buy that. It''s not just that it didn''t come up. It''s that you were too embarrassed and didn''t know how to say it, so you''ve been avoiding the subject. And Thenio here is too polite and soft-spoken and didn''t think it was his place to ask too many questions about what you were doing. Isn''t that how it really went?" "What are you talking about?" Ariom looked affronted. "Why are you assuming something like that? How would you know?" Jasel pointed at his own chest. "You''re looking at the guy who taught Emberhawk how to fly. I know because you''re acting just like your father. This is exactly the sort of thing that Riomel would do." Ariom glowered at him. Jasel raised an eyebrow. "What? You''re mad about that? Yeah, I know. You hate hearing your father''s name. The general told me I shouldn''t mention him. But you know what? I''m a military trainer. I don''t go easy on my students. When you''re teaching something as dangerous as aerial combat, going easy means your students won''t learn what they need to know, which means that someone''s going to get hurt. So I''m sorry, but I''m not in the habit of coddling people. You''re a grown man, Ariom. You''re a grandmaster enchanter." He pointed at Thenio. "And most of all, you have someone''s life depending on you. It''s about time you learned to stop running away from things you don''t like." "You¡ª" Ariom''s expression twisted. His face, which usually had a pale, greyish tint to it, was suddenly a normal skin tone, which Thenio realized must mean he was flushing in anger. "But I didn''t come here to lecture you about your poor social skills," Jasel went on, cutting off Ariom''s response. He turned and walked over to Thenio. "Come on. Come get warmed up. I want to see you do some exercises so I can check your form." Thenio hesitated, glancing uncertainly at the fuming Ariom. Would he get even angrier if Thenio did what Jasel said? Would Jasel get angry if he didn''t? Was he going to lose his chance to get acrobatics training because the two of them were fighting? "Don''t worry about him," Jasel said, reaching over to pat Thenio on the back. His voice was much gentler than it had been a minute ago. "He''s just playing hedgehog. Getting angry because he doesn''t know how else to react. He''ll be fine if we just leave him alone and let him calm down." Thenio wasn''t entirely convinced, but he finally decided to follow Jasel over to the edge of the largest floor mat. He wished the familiars had come down with him.... After eating his fill of fruit and having Thenio clean the sticky juice off his face and paws, Iggy had snuggled into the soft feathers on Casturi''s back and fallen asleep. Thenio had offered to move him, but Casturi seemed happy to lie down on the grass under the tree and take a nap together. It was a pleasant scene. Enough so that Thenio had made a detour on his way back from putting the snack things away to go get his sketchbook so he could make a few drawings of the dozing pair. But the atmosphere would probably be less tense if they were here. Ariom was always easier to talk to when Iggy was around. The little dragon seemed to have a sort of softening effect on him. "This equipment is a little different from what we use over at the military training centers, since we''re mostly dealing with wind magic users there," Jasel said as they walked, apparently following his own advice of ignoring Ariom. "I had to put in a custom order with our supplier for you. I went over to your former school to see what their acrobatics classes and facilities are like and then tried to get something similar to what you''re already familiar with. I also brought over a couple of toys that we used to use for training beginning acrobats back at the circus Casturi and I worked for. We''ll get to those another day, though, after you''ve brushed up on the basics. Ariom put them in storage for now." "That''s...you really didn''t need to go to that much trouble...." Jasel shrugged. "The general asked me to take care of your acrobatics training. So I''m taking care of it. Making sure you have the best equipment for your needs is part of my job as a trainer. I''d do the same for any of my students." "Yeah...but...." Thenio fidgeted uncomfortably. "I mean, I appreciate it. I really do. It''s just...is it really worth it?" He looked around the room. All that equipment would be expensive even if it wasn''t enchanted. And if it was.... Thenio felt a chill when he thought about what the total cost might have been. "I get that the military takes responsibility for kids with potentially dangerous magic, and they''re helping me out because of that. But I''m not even training to become a combat wizard or anything. I''ve only ever done acrobatics for fun. Is it really okay for the military to spend this much on training equipment for me...?" "Oh, they didn''t pay for it," Jasel said easily. "The military pays my salary, of course, so they''re technically paying for your lessons. But General Obarin is the one that paid for all the equipment." Thenio''s eyes went wide. "What? General Obarin did.... Are you serious? Why would he...?" It had been shocking enough to learn that Sunfall, the famous battlemage-turned-general, had ties to the Denifor family and had helped Ariom get approved to be his caretaker. But a national hero like that was actually buying equipment for a nobody like him? "Ah, that reminds me. There was a letter I was supposed to deliver to you along with everything else." An envelope appeared in Jasel''s hand, and he handed it to Thenio. "There you go." Dazedly, Thenio took the envelope and looked at it. It was addressed to him. He stood blinking at it for a moment. Then he broke open the seal and pulled out the letter inside.
Thenio, Let me begin by apologizing for greeting you for the first time via a letter, rather than in person. Much as I would enjoy meeting you, I''m afraid it will have to wait until you''re less vulnerable to outside magic, since my own struggles with magic instability have made it difficult for me to keep my magic power under strict control. But I''ve been keeping up on your progress through the reports I''ve received from the Stability Center, as well as hearing a little about you from Bero and Ariom. I understand things have been very difficult for you, and I''m sure you''re still feeling a great deal of uncertainty about your future. As I mentioned, about twenty years ago I developed a severe case of magic instability myself. I would have died from it if I hadn''t been lucky enough to form a contract with a familiar who''s able to help me keep my magic power in check. And I''ve watched far too many friends and colleagues go through similar things. I know as well as anyone how out-of-control and helpless magic instability can make you feel. How it seems like your own body has turned against you. The frustration of not being able to do the things you want to do. And the fear of not knowing whether your situation will ever improve. That''s why I wanted to do what I could to help you continue your acrobatics training. It''s important to have activities you enjoy. Something to work toward and look forward to. Something that gives you a reason to hold on for one more day. If acrobatics can be those things for you, even to a small extent, then I think it''s well worth the investment. Bero told me you seem to be uncomfortable receiving expensive gifts. If it makes you feel any better, you can think of this as a selfish action by an old man who''s tired of seeing instability patients give in to despair and wants to avoid the unpleasant experience of seeing it one more time. I hope you enjoy the equipment. I look forward to seeing the results of your training someday. Fight well. Kalion Obarin
Thenio simply stared at the letter for a long time, unable to say anything. "Why...?" His voice broke. He swallowed and looked up at Jasel, feeling lost. "I don''t understand. Why is everyone being so kind to me? I know they think my magic might be valuable someday, but...right now I''m basically useless. More than useless...I''m dangerous. And I''m probably not even going to live that much longer.... So why...?" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Jasel''s brow furrowed at the question, and he regarded Thenio for a long moment before he answered. "Because that''s what people in the Magic Corps do," he said finally. "It''s what people like the general do. You might not be aware of this, but a lot of the children the military takes in are in pretty rough shape when we get them. They come to us because they''ve had trouble learning to control their magic power, so most of them have had accidents of some kind, where they hurt themselves or others. That often leads to them being rejected by the people around them. I think you know a little bit about that kind of thing." Thenio''s face contorted, but he didn''t say anything. "For kids like that, their trainer is also their adoptive parent. That''s why the people in the Magic Corps are such a close-knit group, much more so than the other military branches are." Jasel nodded in Ariom''s direction. "To the general, Ariom is like his adopted grandson. Because he and Ariom''s actual grandfather trained together under his great-grandfather. And then the general went on to train both of Ariom''s parents. So he basically considers the Denifor family to be his family." "What, really?" Thenio remembered Bero saying that General Obarin was a family friend, but he''d had no idea they were that close. Especially since Ariom seemed to have such a serious aversion to anything related to the military. "Really. And now Ariom has taken you in. So doesn''t that make you part of the family, too?" Thenio blinked. "Does it?" "Well, I think the general thinks so, at least. And, incidentally, I also trained Ariom''s father later on. So that makes me...what? His adoptive great uncle?" Jasel chuckled a little. "That''s one of the reasons I got this assignment. Besides the fact that I have more experience with non-magic acrobatics than most of the other trainers do." Oh. Was that why Jasel had been acting so casually toward Ariom, even though they''d just met? Because he felt like they already had a connection? "And speaking of Ariom''s father..." Jasel went on. "You''re worried that you''re not useful enough to be worth investing in? You should have seen what Riomel was like when I first met him. It was at the start of his rehabilitation period, after he''d been in the Stability Center for a while. The guy was an absolute basket case. He''d lose his temper and start attacking people at the slightest provocation. And he was already a fifth rank sorcerer at the time, so even with suppression bands on, his attacks were no joke. There were plenty of people who thought he was a lost cause and ought to just be locked up somewhere for the rest of his life." A fifth rank sorcerer? And Ariom was only third rank. No wonder Jasel wasn''t intimidated by him getting angry.... "But he must have gotten better, right? Isn''t he on the first squad of the Central Division?" Thenio had heard the name ''Emberhawk'' before, although he hadn''t known that he was Ariom''s father until today. He seemed to prefer staying out of public view, so he wasn''t one of the more popular battlemages. All Thenio really knew was that he was a firestorm mage who specialized in aerial combat. But being on the first squad meant he was one of the top battlemages in the country, just one tier below the demon hunters. Jasel nodded. "Much better. He''s still pretty touchy, but he''s nowhere near how he used to be. Now he''s more like...." He glanced in Ariom''s direction. "Well, he''s a lot like Ariom. But worse." He laughed. "If Ariom is a hedgehog, then Riomel is a full-on porcupine. But both of them are pretty soft underneath the spines. Anyways, the point is, even somebody like him came out of his slump and eventually turned into an excellent battlemage. So don''t give up on yourself so easily." Thenio looked down at the floor, not sure how to respond to that. Jasel reached out and lightly tousled his hair. "Well now, let''s see what you''ve got. Show me what kind of exercises you''ve been doing recently."
Ariom watched in silence while Thenio went through a series of exercises under Jasel''s supervision. They started with a stretching routine and then moved on to some simple acrobatics moves, like handstands, cartwheels, and flips. After that, Thenio started trying out the different pieces of equipment. At this point, his lack of recent practice started to show. But with a little time and some corrections from Jasel, his movements gradually became smoother and more confident. Ariom frowned as he watched Thenio swinging on one of the metal bars. If he was being honest, he really wasn''t comfortable having an entire acrobatics center in his house. He didn''t like the idea of watching Thenio train like this every day from now on. And he especially wasn''t happy about having Jasel come here to give lessons on a regular basis. He hated the military. He hated acrobatics. He didn''t like any of this. But.... Looking closely at Thenio''s face, Ariom let out a small sigh. The kid was clearly having fun. He''d been hesitant at first, but now that he was starting to get into it and relax, he was looking happier than Ariom had ever seen him before. They finished up with the bar, and Jasel said something to Thenio, gesturing toward the trampoline. Even from across the large room, Ariom could see Thenio''s eyes light up. So that one was his favorite, huh...? The boy went eagerly over to the trampoline and leapt lightly onto it. He bounced around a little, probably testing out the feel of it. Then he moved to the center and started jumping in place, slowly getting higher and higher. In spite of himself, Ariom started walking over to watch more closely. Something had changed about the atmosphere around Thenio. He''d obviously been enjoying the exercises he''d done before. But there was something...different about this. Thenio seemed to have decided his jumps were high enough because he started doing different moves in midair. First a simple backflip. Then a somersault. Then he started to twist and spin in various directions, sometimes tucking his arms and legs in and sometimes stretching them out. The motions were remarkably graceful¡ªeven more than his earlier moves on the bars and balance beam had been. And he somehow managed to land precisely in the center of the trampoline each time he came down. Jasel was simply watching quietly, not giving any advice or corrections like he''d been doing earlier. After a while, he let out a small sigh and called out, "Hey, that''s enough for now. I know you''re having fun, but don''t overdo it." Thenio shot him a reluctant look but obediently came to a stop. He was breathing heavily and looked rather flushed and sweaty, but he was still smiling as he got off the trampoline. "Well done." Jasel gave him a nod of approval. "You must have practiced trampoline work a lot in the past, to still be able to do it this well. I think we''ll end it here for today. I know your body''s not in great shape right now, so it''s better not to push too hard. Why don''t you go clean up and change clothes? Then we''ll talk about your training schedule." Thenio nodded and started toward the training room entrance. Then he saw Ariom standing there and paused. "Um...Ariom...I...." "I know," Ariom said quietly. "I saw the look on your face when you were jumping just now.... You don''t need to say anything." He sighed and looked away. "Remember to write a thank you letter to General Obarin later, all right? Maybe include a drawing or something. He likes little things like that." "Ah.... All right. I will." Thenio resumed walking but paused again after a few steps. "And...thank you..." he added quietly, his voice slightly hoarse. Ariom didn''t respond. He heard Thenio''s footsteps move past him and fade away as he left the room. There was a long pause. Ariom finally looked up and discovered, to his annoyance, that Jasel was watching him. "Well? What do you think?" Jasel glanced back toward the empty trampoline and let out a long sigh. "I think it''s a crying shame he doesn''t have a wind affinity. That kid was born to fly...." Then he looked back at Ariom and grinned. "And I think you''re making some progress, even if you''re still a bit rough around the edges. At least you don''t throw fireballs at me when I make you angry." Ariom scoffed. "What good would that do? You''re a wind mage. You''d just blow off a fireball. If I wanted to throw something at you, boulders would clearly be the better choice."
A few days later, Kalion returned to his office after attending a meeting and discovered a large, sealed envelope lying on his desk. That was strange. His secretary usually opened his mail for him and went through it to sort out all the useless drivel that the nobles were always sending. Curious, Kalion picked the envelope up and looked at it. Seeing the sender''s name, he understood how it had made it to him unopened. ''Ariom Denifor.'' That was even stranger. Ariom never sent him anything. He wouldn''t even send reports on Thenio directly, insisting on submitting them through Focilo instead. Ornery kid. Kalion sat down at the desk and pulled a letter knife out of one of the drawers. He carefully slit the envelope open and pulled out the contents: a folder made of stiff paperboard, and a smaller envelope with ''General Kalion Obarin'' written on it in a handwriting that wasn''t Ariom''s but was similarly tidy and elegant. The envelope wasn''t sealed, and Kalion opened it to find a folded sheet of stationery inside. He unfolded the paper and smiled a little when he realized what it was. A thank you letter from Thenio, for the training equipment that Kalion had arranged to have sent over. The handwritten message was quite formal and stiff-sounding, but...well. The boy was only sixteen, after all. And he wasn''t from a noble family. He probably didn''t have much practice writing things like this. There was one rather intriguing line, however:
I''m including a small token of gratitude. It''s not at all adequate to show my thanks, but Ariom thought you would enjoy it.
Was that what was in the folder? Kalion set the letter down and opened the paperboard. His eyes widened a little when he saw what was in between the stiff layers. Then he broke into a broad smile. "Hey, Tamon!" he called over his shoulder. "Come out and take a look at this. I think you''ll like it." There was a rustling sound from one of the cubbyholes built into the elaborate climbing tower that covered the back wall of the office. A moment later, a grumpy-looking imp face poked out of the opening. Tamon blinked sleepily at Kalion for a moment and then climbed out and spread his wings to glide over and land on his shoulder. "What do you want?" he asked irritably. "I was sleeping.... Oh." He had obviously just caught sight of what Kalion was holding. "That''s Humerus...and Iggy?" Inside the folder was a sheet of thick paper with an ink and watercolor painting on it that showed a dragon skeleton with glowing green eyes and a tiny black dragon with orange eyes, building a sandcastle together. It was quite well done. The technique might be a little rough compared to the professional artwork that hung around the Magic Corps headquarters, but Thenio had done a good job capturing the lively, innocent feeling of the two familiars at play. Tamon stared at the painting for a long moment. Then he sniffed loudly and looked away, sticking his little pug nose in the air disdainfully. "It''s deficient in many ways, but...it''s a gift, so it''s not like we can just throw it out. There happens to be a bare spot on the wall next to my tower, so I''ll let you hang it there if you need someplace to put it." Kalion chuckled and patted Tamon''s back. "I understand. We''ll put it there." He reached out and tapped on a small bell sitting on his desk. A moment later, the office door opened, and Nelias, Kalion''s secretary, entered the room. "The chaos magic boy sent me a gift," Kalion told him, sliding the folder with the painting in it across the desk. "Will you arrange to get that framed for me? Tamon really likes it and wants to put it on the wall next to his tower." "That''s not what I said!" the imp protested. "Stop interpreting things however you want!" Nelias, who was well-acquainted with Tamon''s antics, sensibly ignored him and picked up the painting. "Oh, I see," he said, looking down at it and nodding. "It''s a picture of his best friend, so it''s no wonder he likes it." "He''s not my best friend! Humerus is my rival. He''s a sneaky, conniving little skeleton who''s always trying to steal my food!" "Yes, yes. We know." Kalion lifted the imp down onto his lap and rubbed his head to shush him. Then he turned back to Nelias. "Thenio seems to have quite the artistic streak. Bero said he spends a lot of his spare time drawing magic beasts. He seems to like them almost as much as they like him." "He does seem to be an interesting boy." "Yes...he does." Kalion looked thoughtfully down at Thenio''s letter, still stroking Tamon. "That boy might grow up to do some amazing things one day. If we can keep him alive long enough, that is...." Chapter 28 - The Magic Beast Registrar On Seyli''s next day off, Ariom and Thenio drove the golem carriage over to the academy to pick her up. Ariom had just completed an updated version of Thenio''s insulation bands that filtered out more external magic power, and he wanted to test them out by taking Thenio to a few places that had higher levels of ambient magic. Going onto the main part of the academy grounds was still a bit much, especially since Thenio hadn''t entirely worked through his bitter feelings about the place. So they met Seyli and Tava at a parking area on the edge of the campus that was designed for picking up and dropping off students. It was actually Thenio''s first time being there, since he''d always used the public trolley to travel between the academy and his house in the past. To allow more time for the testing process, they arrived about ten minutes before they were scheduled to meet Seyli and stood outside the carriage to wait. Ariom was keeping a close watch on Thenio''s magic power. Thenio was holding Iggy and trying not to feel nervous about being back at the academy for the first time since his inglorious exit with the magic stabilization team a couple of months earlier. And Iggy was supposed to help watch Thenio but was mostly getting distracted by the people going by instead. Thenio couldn''t help watching them, too. There were students who had the day off and were going out with friends, chatting happily about their plans. And others who were getting picked up by a family member, probably going home for the day. A few were getting dropped off¡ªthey''d probably gone somewhere the day before and didn''t have to be back for classes until the afternoon. The lively scene made him feel...oddly lonely. "Do you miss being a student here?" Ariom asked quietly. Thenio started a little. He''d forgotten that Ariom was watching him. "I...I''m not sure...." Did he miss it? If he thought back to his time at the academy, he hadn''t actually enjoyed it that much. And with easy access to a grandmaster wizard and his extensive library, he was probably learning just as much about magic as he would have if he''d stayed in school. Maybe more. It was just.... "I don''t think I miss it," he said finally, watching as several boys around his age joked and laughed together as they headed toward a nearby snack shop. "It''s more like...I can''t help feeling a little resentful...that I was never able to be a normal academy student in the first place." Ariom followed his gaze, looking at the boys in the distance. "There''s already been a lot of research done on magic dampening devices," he said after a long pause. "There''s much more demand for those than there is for insulation devices, since most high level sorcerers use them to keep their magic from leaking out and affecting their surroundings. Once we get your insulation bands figured out, it shouldn''t be too hard to add a dampening layer to them. It might lessen the effects of your magic power a little bit." Thenio looked over at him. Ariom was still turned away, and his expression was a little uncomfortable. "I like that idea," Thenio said with a small smile. "Thanks." After getting scolded by Jasel the other day, Ariom actually did seem to be making more of an effort to talk to him. It was still awkward whenever they talked about anything not related to magic or dragons. But Ariom was actually quite thoughtful in his own, strange way. "Oh! I see Tava and Seyli!" Iggy said a minute later. Following the little dragon''s gaze, Thenio could make out the familiar figure of a blonde girl with an orchid-colored dragon riding on her left shoulder, walking in their direction from the other side of the parking area. Ariom also looked over and held one arm up to wave at the pair. Seyli waved back, letting him know she''d seen him. Iggy started squirming out of Thenio''s arms, clearly wanting to go and meet them. But Thenio quickly caught hold of his harness. "Not yet. Wait until they get closer. There are too many people around, and they''ll be really surprised if a dragon suddenly flies across the parking area. It might cause an accident." "Oh." Iggy''s expression was a little sulky, but he stopped trying to get free. When Seyli was a short distance away, she said something to Tava and reached up to pat her. The purple dragon jumped off her shoulder, glided to the ground, and trotted toward them, letting out a few happy-sounding chirps. Iggy chirped back, and Thenio put him down and let him run over to her. The two dragons sniffed at each other for a moment and then lightly butted their heads together a few times, both tails waving excitedly. Thenio had seen them do this same little ritual the last time Seyli and Tava had come to Ariom''s house. Seyli said it was how dragons from the same flock greeted each other. Tava finished her greeting by licking Iggy''s face affectionately. Then she came over to Thenio and Ariom, looking up and chirping at them as well. "Hi there." Thenio smiled and bent down to stroke her head. "We''re glad to see you, too." He started scratching her ears, and Tava closed her eyes and waved her tail happily. She was wearing a leather harness similar to Iggy''s but stained a lighter color and tooled with a floral pattern. Seyli was wearing a matching leather shoulder perch¡ªa pauldron-like pad that was designed for a familiar to sit on. "How''s the insulation test going?" Seyli asked, stopping to bend down and scoop up Iggy. "Not bad." Ariom gave Thenio another appraising look. "He''s still absorbing a little magic, but it''s not nearly as bad as it was. I don''t think our shopping trip will be a problem as long as we don''t stay out for too long. And we still need to avoid places with higher magic concentrations, of course." He glanced back at Seyli. "Do you have anywhere in particular that you want to go?" She shook her head. "Not really. I can get most of the things I need from the academy store. I just want to let Tava have a change of scenery. She gets pretty bored staying at the academy all the time." "Do you take her to classes with you?" Thenio asked, straightening up and opening the carriage door so that Tava could jump inside. "Some of them. Since I''m in the magic zoology department, quite a few students already have pre-familiars that they brought with them when they came to the academy. And the professors are usually okay with them attending classes with us as long as they aren''t disruptive." Seyli walked forward and leaned into the carriage to put Iggy in his padded box next to Tava. "The dormitory we''re staying in has daycare facilities for magic beasts, too. So she stays there sometimes. She doesn''t like it that much, though. It''s mostly natural magic beasts there, so they have to keep them under pretty tight control to prevent any fights breaking out. So they stay in individual pens most of the time. Safe, but boring. I only leave her there when I have to." Thenio wasn''t sure how to respond to that. On one hand, he could sympathize with the problem of trying to take care of a dragon while attending school, especially now that he had a little bit of experience looking after Iggy. On the other hand, when he''d been an academy student, he''d felt obliged to pick the cheapest dorm room he could find, so as not to rack up more sponsorship debt. It was a cramped space with only a bed, a desk, and a tiny closet squeezed into it. He suspected that Tava''s daycare pen was actually more luxurious.... After they''d all gotten into the carriage, Ariom started up the golem and steered it out of the parking area. "I want to stop by the government district first," he said. "Since it''s not that far from here. I need to register Thenio as a handler for Iggy." "Oh, right." Seyli nodded. "They''re really strict about that here in Kamari, so it''s better to get it taken care of as soon as you can." She glanced at Thenio. "Should I register him for Tava, too?" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Ariom also glanced back at Thenio. "If you want. I think it''s better not to let him take her anywhere by himself, but it''s probably fine if she and Iggy are together." Thenio shifted uncomfortably. "That...um...." He looked in Seyli''s direction but didn''t meet her gaze. "It''s all right if you don''t want to. I know Tava is really precious to you, and we haven''t known each other for very long, so.... Well, I can understand why you might not trust me to take care of her." "What?" Seyli sounded surprised. "No, no...you''re getting it backwards. We''re worried about you, not about her." Thenio blinked. "Huh?" "Thenio...what was the result of your last magic power test?" Ariom asked. "My last test? It was 346, wasn''t it?" What was Ariom asking that for? He''d been the one performing the test. They''d done it in his magic analysis lab just a couple of days ago. "Right. 346. A bit below average for a first year at the Royal Academy. Though that''s actually to your benefit, of course. If it were higher than average, your magic explosions probably would have killed you already." Thenio frowned. He understood what Ariom was saying, but he didn''t really like having it pointed out so bluntly.... "All right, then," Ariom continued. "Seyli? When was Tava''s last power test? "About six weeks ago. Dad gives her a checkup whenever we go home for class breaks." "And her power level?" Seyli gave Thenio a slightly apologetic look. "2154." Thenio stared at her. 2154?! That was the equivalent of a second rank sorcerer.... He looked down at the innocent-looking purple dragon, who looked back at him with a curious expression. She was obviously aware that they were talking about her but didn''t understand exactly what they were saying. "You get it now?" Ariom asked. "She might not have the best breed conformation, but she''s still a purebred Violet Flare. They''re a high magic breed. If Tava decided to attack you, she could burn you to a crisp and make your magic explode before you even knew what was happening. Of course, she''s a sweet girl, and Seyli has trained her well, so it''s very unlikely that she''ll do that, but...." "But she''s still a natural dragon," Seyli finished for him, her expression serious. She didn''t seem at all offended by the suggestion that her dragon might attack someone. "No matter how smart they are or how well they''re trained, natural dragons will still fall back on their instincts if they''re very frightened or angry. And remember that she only knows she shouldn''t use magic around you because I''ve told her not to, not because she actually understands your condition. If you took her out for a walk and something attacked you along the way, she''d probably use magic to protect you. It wouldn''t even occur to her that it might hurt more than help." "Oh." Thenio didn''t know what else to say to that. Seyli gave him an understanding smile. "Well, like Ariom said, the chances of something like that happening are really low. So it''s not like you need to be afraid of her. She likes you a lot, so she wouldn''t hurt you on purpose." While they were talking, the carriage had traveled from the academy to the adjoining government district. They pulled up in front of a building with a sign reading ''Magic Beast Registrar'' on the front. Ariom parked the carriage and then pulled Iggy''s leash out of his bag and handed it to Thenio. "Here. Put this on him, will you?" Iggy pouted. "Do I have to wear it...?" "Yes, you do," Ariom replied evenly. "There''s a sign by the door that says so. ''Please keep all magic beasts caged or tethered inside the building.'' That means you have to wear a leash." "Tava has to wear her leash, too, see?" Seyli said, clipping a leash onto Tava''s harness. "So be a good boy and put yours on. We need to do this so that Thenio will be able to take the two of you for walks without getting in trouble." Iggy perked up a little at the mention of walks and allowed Thenio to attach the leash to the ring on his harness. Thenio was beginning to suspect that the little dragon disliked the idea of a leash much more than the actual thing. It didn''t seem to bother him that much once it was on and Iggy stopped thinking about it. With the magic beasts properly tethered, they left the carriage and went into the building. The entrance was large, presumably to accommodate creatures like gryphons. Inside, there was a spacious lobby with a stone floor and a high ceiling. There were a couple of long counters against the far wall. One of them was already occupied by a woman with two little rain bears on leashes, but the other one was empty, so they went to it. The bears both turned and stared at Thenio as he came closer. He grimaced a little and looked nervously at the woman next to them, hoping she wouldn''t notice. She glanced briefly in their direction and then down at the bears, but it didn''t look like she thought there was anything strange going on. She probably just thought they were interested in the dragons. Rain bears looked like light grey or blue bear cubs with short, fluffy tails. They were cute and docile, so they were popular as pets, but their magic power was quite low. Those two most likely weren''t familiars, so they wouldn''t be able to tell their owner that they were actually staring at the teenage boy who just came in, rather than the two dragons with him. Relieved, Thenio turned his attention to the counter in front of them. There was a middle-aged woman standing behind it, giving them a pleasant smile. "Welcome," she said as they came up to the counter. "How can I help you?" Ariom nodded at Thenio. "We want to register this boy as a handler for these two dragons." "All right. I''ll just need to verify your identification first. Please place your badge here." Ariom pulled out his certification badge and held it against the crystal slab she was pointing to. Her eyebrows went up very slightly at the sight of the grandmaster sigil, but she maintained her professional attitude and didn''t comment on it. The crystal glowed faintly. The woman looked at a display on her side of the counter and tapped on it in a few places before nodding. "Very good. Now I need to scan your dragon''s identification mark." Ariom lifted Iggy off his shoulder and put him down on the counter. "Such a handsome little fellow," the woman said with what appeared to be a genuine smile. Well, it would make sense for someone who worked at a place like this to like magic beasts. She pulled a small magic scanning device out from under the counter and held it out for Iggy to look at. "I''m just going to scan your shoulder with this, all right? Hold still for me for a minute." Iggy watched with interest while she ran the scanner over his right shoulder. When magic beasts were registered with the Magic Beast Office, they had a small magic formation inscribed onto their skin, which served the same function as an identification badge. The placement naturally varied depending on the species of magic beast, but the right shoulder was the most common. You could also get identification marks for regular, non-magic animals, but it wasn''t required by law like it was for magic beasts. After a moment, the woman checked a small display on the scanner and then nodded again. "All right. That checks out." She turned to Thenio. "Now I''ll need you to put your badge on the slab, please." Thenio took out his own badge. He was currently using one that had been issued by the enchanting guild when he''d gotten his magic assistant''s license. The license had been much easier to get than he''d expected it to be. He normally would have had to take written and practical competency tests, but they''d both been waived. The written one was because he was a student at the Royal Academy, so they could assume he was at least at the level of passing the entrance examination. And he was given a special exemption on the practical skills test due to his unusual magic affinity. Thenio wasn''t sure, but he guessed that the guildmaster had pulled a few strings for Ariom''s sake, since she seemed to like him. And she''d attended the meeting at the hospital, so Thenio knew she was aware of his situation. The crystal slab glowed faintly, indicating that the badge and Thenio''s unique magic signature matched up. The woman tapped on her display again and then looked up with a smile. "All right. That''s one done." She looked at Seyli. "Now let''s do yours, dear." Seyli and Tava came forward and repeated the process. When they were finished, the woman nodded yet again and smiled at Thenio. "All right, then. Thenio Iterune is now a registered handler for Ariom Denifor''s dragon, Igneous, and Seyli Ayerin''s dragon, Tava." She rummaged under the counter for a moment and then pulled out a thin booklet, which she handed to Thenio. "Since this is your first time being registered as a magic beast handler, I''ll give you this. It''s an explanation of the rules that handlers are required to follow. Kafron takes magic beast safety very seriously, and the consequences for violating the rules can be quite severe, so please read them carefully. If you have any questions, you''re welcome to come ask for clarifications at any time. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?" Ariom shook his head. "No, that''s all for now. Thank you." The woman with the rain bears had already left, and no other magic beasts appeared on their way out of the office, so Thenio didn''t have to worry about explaining the strange nature of his magic to anyone for the time being. He hoped Ariom''s idea of a magic dampener really worked out. He liked magic beasts and all, but their unusual attraction to him really was a bit awkward.... Chapter 29 - Books and Legends After leaving the registrar''s office, they went to one of Kamari''s market districts. There were a number of these scattered throughout the city, but they were roughly divided into three types: wizard, non-wizard, and mixed. As the names implied, the main difference was how many magic products were sold in the area. The wizard districts were also where most expensive luxury stores were located, since the people who shopped there were more likely to be able to afford their products. Thenio had grown up mostly shopping in a non-wizard market district, though his family had occasionally gone to a mixed one to buy magic tools and supplies. His parents also went to one of the higher-class wizard districts from time to time¡ªusually just before they were planning to visit Aunt Suliya''s house so that Thenio''s mother had something to talk about when her sister started not-so-subtly bragging about one of her recent shopping trips. Today, they were going to a mixed district, since it would have about the right level of ambient magic for their insulation testing. "There''s a bookstore near here that I wanted to visit," Ariom said as they were climbing out of the carriage. "But otherwise I don''t need anything in particular, so let''s just browse around the stores for a while. Thenio, your first month''s salary isn''t scheduled to be transferred into your guild account for a few more days, but I can give you an advance if there''s something you want to buy." "Uh...no, I think I''m all right," Thenio said, feeling awkward. "I have a little bit of money with me, and there isn''t anything I really need, so...." He still wasn''t entirely comfortable with the idea of getting a salary at all, since he knew he wasn''t really doing enough to earn one. All he''d done so far was play around with Iggy and provide some chaos magic crystals. And in return, he was getting a nice place to stay with food and other necessities supplied for him, world class wizards researching and treating his magic problems, his very own message book, excellent training facilities and equipment, and regular lessons on magic, archery, and acrobatics. Getting paid on top of all that just seemed excessive. He knew Ariom could easily afford it, but still.... Ariom shrugged. "All right. You can let me know if you change your mind." They left the parking area and walked along one of the wooden sidewalks that ran through the district, pausing to look at stalls or in shop windows whenever one of them saw something interesting. Which was quite often, since Iggy was present. The little dragon wanted to look at almost everything. The walk to the bookstore, which would normally have only taken five minutes or so, took them almost an hour because they could only move a few feet before Iggy spotted a stall selling shiny jewelry...or a row of brightly colored bottles in an alchemist''s shop window...or a funny-looking statue in front of a store selling home decor...or whatever else happened to attract his attention.... The rest of them didn''t really mind letting the little dragon look around, although it made for quite a lot of going back and forth across the sidewalk for Thenio, who was the one carrying him. But Seyli and Tava were also enjoying the window shopping. Tava seemed to be interested in a lot of the same things that Iggy was. Thenio remembered reading in the dragon encyclopedia that most dragons were attracted to shiny, colorful objects. Ariom seemed content to simply follow slowly along behind them, keeping watch on Thenio''s magic power. He didn''t intervene until they went past a pet shop just before reaching the bookstore. Or rather...didn''t go past the pet shop.... There was a large cage full of small, brightly colored birds in the store window, and Iggy was immediately riveted by them. He pressed his face against the glass and watched them intently, thrashing his tail with excitement and occasionally letting out soft chattering noises. After about ten minutes of that, when even Tava had lost interest in the birds and was starting to look bored, Ariom finally stepped in to take Iggy''s leash from Thenio and drag the little dragon away. "But why can''t we buy some birds?" Iggy was arguing as they walked toward the bookstore. "They can live in the climbing tree and be my friends! We can play together!" "Birds are a lot of work to take care of, little guy." "I''ll take care of them!" Iggy said eagerly. "I''ll share my food with them. And take baths with them. And show them how to play in the sandbox. And share my toys with them...." "Those are tropical birds, Iggy. They take even more work than normal birds," Seyli put in gently, obviously trying to help Ariom out. "Their bodies aren''t built for living in places where it gets cold like Kamari does, so they need special cages that are just the right temperature or else they''ll get sick. And they''re too small to play with you. Birds that size have really fragile bones, so they can get hurt very easily. You don''t want them to get sick or hurt, right?" "Oh...." Iggy''s head and ears drooped pitifully. Tava tilted her head and let out a soft whimper, watching him with concern. Seyli reached up and patted her. "He''s okay, sweetheart. He''s just sad right now." "I''m sorry, little guy," Ariom said, rubbing Iggy''s head comfortingly. "We''ll buy you some new books instead, all right? You really like reading Seyli''s dragon book with Thenio, don''t you? I''m going to buy you some books about magic beasts like that one, so the two of you will be able to read them together." "Oh." Iggy''s expression brightened a little. "So we''ll have our very own dragon book?" "Right. We''ll get a copy of the same one, if they have it here." "They probably do," Seyli said. "That encyclopedia series is pretty popular. They''re a little pricey, but it was a joint project by the Association and the Merioc Research Alliance, so the quality is really good. We have a full set at home. The team that did the dragon encyclopedia gave it to Grandma as thanks for letting them come to the hatchery to do research on our breeds." She let out a small laugh. "But Mom and Dad eventually had to buy me my own copy of the dragon volume because I kept looking at it so much." They reached the front of the bookstore. Similar to the registrar office, there was a sign on the entrance that read, ''No animals or large magic beasts in the store. Small magic beasts must be restrained. Owners will be responsible to pay for any damages.'' Thenio hadn''t seen very many magic beasts during their time at the market district, but there had been a few around. And apparently the bookstore had enough coming to visit that they felt a need to set some restrictions on the ones that were allowed to enter. It was quite a large store, so it made sense that it would attract a wide range of customers, including wizards who brought magic beasts along. Ariom seemed familiar with the place, so that was one grandmaster with a dragon, for starters. "Welcome." A waiting sales clerk greeted them with a friendly smile as they entered the store. "Can I help you find anything?" "I''m looking for some academic books on demons," Ariom told her. "Do you have anything like that?" "Yes, we should. Though some of the books on that topic will be certification restricted." Oh, it was a store affiliated with the Wizard Association. That must be why Ariom had chosen to come here. Affiliated stores were able to sell products that other stores couldn''t, although they had to follow certain rules, such as only selling to wizards who had the proper certification rank. Ariom nodded. "That''s fine. I was expecting as much." "Then if you''ll just wait a moment, I''ll call over one of our employees who works in that area of the store." While the woman went to find the appropriate person, Ariom turned to Seyli. "You know where the magic beast section is, don''t you?" "Yes." "All right. Then why don''t the four of you head over there?" He handed Iggy back over to Thenio. "If you two help me pick out a few books for Iggy, I''ll buy you each a book in exchange. Deal?" "Deal!" Seyli said, giving him a brilliant smile. She beckoned to Thenio. "Come on. I''ll show you where to go." "And Thenio..." Ariom added as they started walking. Thenio paused and looked back at him. "Don''t worry about the cost. Just pick out something you want." "Ah...okay...." Was it that obvious he''d been thinking about looking for something inexpensive? Ariom hadn''t been lying when he said he couldn''t use mental magic, had he...? A little embarrassed, Thenio followed quietly after Seyli. Iggy, who was riding on his shoulder, seemed to have recovered from his disappointment about not getting any pet birds and was looking around at the bookshelves they were passing with interest. Thenio could feel the little dragon''s tail waving slowly against his back. After they''d gone far enough for Ariom to be out of earshot, Seyli stopped. "Hey." Thenio also stopped and looked at her questioningly. She turned and gave him a gentle smile. "I know it makes you a little uncomfortable when Ariom gives you things like that. Uncle Bero told me you''d been brought up to be very conscious of how much things cost. And it''s not like there''s anything wrong with that, but....well. You know Ariom isn''t very good at expressing himself, right?" "Well...yeah, I''d noticed." "So this is one of the ways he feels comfortable interacting with people. By buying or making them things. He does the same thing with me and other members of our family. Even Iggy...." Seyli gave a wry smile. "Especially Iggy. It''s not good to try to take advantage of him, obviously. But as long as he keeps it within reason...try to go along with it, okay?" "Oh." Thenio considered that for a moment. Maybe it was a little like the way he''d always used cooking and other household chores. It was a way to connect with his family, even if they didn''t really want to be around him.... And he had to admit that he''d feel bad if someone didn''t want to eat something he cooked for them. He nodded. "I guess I can kind of understand that." She gave him the same brilliant smile she''d given Ariom earlier. It made her blue-green eyes light up in a way that Thenio found quite distracting. When they reached the shelves of books on magic beasts, Seyli skimmed over them and quickly found a large section of matching encyclopedia volumes. She pulled out one that Thenio recognized. "That looks like Seyli''s book!" Iggy said. "That''s right. You''re going to get your very own copy, so you and Thenio can spend lots of time learning about dragons together." Seyli looked over the other books. "Ariom doesn''t have any books from this series, does he?" The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "I don''t think so," Thenio said, shaking his head. "I don''t remember seeing any, and I specifically looked for books about magic beasts. He mostly has really dense academic books on stuff like analyzing magic beasts'' magic circuits and constructing familiar contract magic formations. I guess he got those when he was researching how to hatch Iggy''s egg? The only other things I could find were a few books on raising dragons and some of Iggy''s picture books." Seyli laughed. "Academic treatises and picture books. And all for Iggy''s sake. That sounds about right." She pulled three more books off the shelf. "Let''s get the first three volumes, then. They''re a broad overview of different kinds of magic beasts, divided into land, water, and air. That will be a good place to start. Are there any kinds of magic beasts you want to learn about, Iggy?" "Gryphons!" Iggy said eagerly, tail swishing. "I want to read about my new cat-bird friend!" "Oh? You met a gryphon this week?" Thenio nodded. "Yes. A parrot gryphon named Casturi. Iggy really liked her." "Mmm! She has pretty, soft feathers, and she let me take a nap in them! And we had snacks together...and climbed my tree together.... Oh! And the cat-bird got stuck! Thenio had to rescue her!" "Got stuck?" Seyli looked surprised. Thenio laughed a little. "Yeah, in the tree. She tried to go through a gap between two branches, and her hindquarters got caught. It looked really funny. I had to climb up and try to lift her up." "You had to...lift her up?" Seyli repeated, her expression strange. "Right. Well, not very far. I''m not strong enough to lift a whole gryphon, obviously. I just pushed her back end up enough for her to get her claws hooked onto the branch so she could push herself the rest of the way out." "No...I mean...." Seyli was still looking perplexed. "Were you close by when she got stuck?" "Huh? No. I was in the kitchen getting snacks for her and Iggy." "Then why didn''t she just use magic to lift herself out? Gryphons can all use wind magic. I could understand her not using any if you were there, but if you were in another room...." "That...oh." Thenio blinked. Now that he thought about it, that was strange. "Um...Ariom had warned her not to use magic not long before that. Maybe she didn''t realize it was okay if I wasn''t close to her?" He felt a little bad for Casturi if that really was the case. She''d gotten her pride injured for nothing.... "She must have a really gentle personality for a gryphon, then. Most of them are pretty vain, and they hate anything that makes them look bad. So in a situation like that, they''d probably use magic and try to get themselves unstuck before anyone noticed, even if they weren''t sure if it was really all right or not." "Well, she did seem pretty nice. She and her contract partner used to work for a magic circus, so I think she''s had a lot of experience being around children. She''s probably extra patient because of that." "Mmm! She''s a good cat-bird!" Iggy chimed in. Seyli smiled at him. "Good. I''m glad you made a nice friend." She pulled out another book and added it to the stack she was forming on a nearby shelf. "We''ll get the volume on gryphons and hippogryphs, then. That''s another one of my favorites, actually. It has a lot of nice pictures. And then...let''s see...didn''t you tell me last week that you''d made friends with a storm hound, too? Then how about a book on canine-type magic beasts?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy said happily, waving his tail. "I like the wind-dog, too. He''s really good at playing bird!" "All right. Well, I think six books is enough to last you for a while," Seyli said, looking over the volumes she''d selected. Then she turned to Thenio and gave him a wink. "Now Thenio and I need to pick ours. Though I think I already know which one I want. As long as they still have a copy here." She went over to a nearby bookshelf that was labeled Magic Beast Veterinary Studies and looked around for a minute before reaching up to pull a thick book from the top shelf. She held it up so that Thenio could read the title: Herbal Medicine and Nutrition for Dragons. "This one!" Seyli said happily. "I saw this the last time I was here and wanted to get it, but I didn''t have enough money. Reference books like this are really expensive, you know?" Thenio raised an eyebrow at her. "Weren''t you saying something earlier about not taking advantage of Ariom...?" "Yeah...well." Seyli stuck out her tongue. "But he basically uses me as his official dragon consultant, now that Toflyn isn''t around, so isn''t it fair for him to buy me a reference book on dragons once in a while? He actually has asked me to research stuff like this before, like when he was designing Iggy''s atrium and wanted to know what plants were safe to put in there." "Well...I can''t really argue with that...." Thenio glanced at the stack of magic beast encyclopedias. If it was something that helped Iggy at all, he knew Ariom probably wouldn''t care about the cost. "So what are you going to pick?" Seyli pointed at the bookshelf she''d taken the herbal book from. "If you''re interested in more anatomy books, they''re in this section. I can help you find a good one." "Actually...." Thenio hesitated. He had thought of something he wanted to look for, but he wasn''t sure exactly what kind of book it would be in...or if he could even find it at all. "Do you know anything about the magic beasts that live in the Ket''qe Forest?" Seyli raised her eyebrows. "In Ket''qe? I know a little. We don''t focus on those species much in the magic beast healing program at the academy, since most of them don''t like to leave the forest, so it''s not very likely you''ll run across any in a normal practice. But I''ve read some about them. And my family went to visit Ket''qe once, though I was pretty young at the time." "Then...have you ever heard of dream beasts?" "Dream beasts?" Seyli repeated, frowning a little. "I don''t think so. Is it a species that lives in the Ket''qe Forest?" "Well...I''m not sure, actually. I''m not even sure if they''re real creatures at all. They might just be a fairy tale, like krakens." "Mr. Kraken is real!" Iggy piped up. "We go to his restaurant to visit him and eat spicy fish balls!" "Yes, we know, Iggy," Seyli said patiently. "But ''Mr. Kraken'' is just his name. He''s an octopus, not an actual kraken." "Oh." Iggy tilted his head, as though puzzling over this revelation. "But the lady who brings the fish balls told me he was a teeny, tiny kraken...." "Well, if a kraken is a giant octopus, then maybe it''s okay to call a normal octopus a tiny kraken?" Thenio said with a shrug. "An octopus is a normal animal, though," Seyli pointed out. "And krakens are magic beasts. Supposedly. As far as we know, they don''t actually exist, so...." "Mr. Kraken does have magic!" Iggy insisted. "I see him having magic when we go to his restaurant!" Seyli blinked. "He does? That''s strange. I''m pretty sure he''s just a common spotted octopus...." She tilted her head thoughtfully, just like Iggy had. "Maybe there''s some kind of enchantment on his tank? Ariom would know. I''ll have to remember to ask him." She shook her head a little and looked back at Thenio. "Anyways. We got a little sidetracked. Where did you hear about dream beasts?" "From my friend, Eteon. The one who does animal carvings. I told you about him, didn''t I? Just after I had to leave the academy, he came to visit me at home and gave me a carving of a magic beast that he called a dream beast. They''re supposed to be able to go into people''s dreams. He said he''d heard stories about them when he lived in Ket''qe." "What do they look like?" "Like a really big deer, but with just one horn. Sort of like a unicorn horn, but curved, with a couple of extra prongs on it. And it has a mane and wings, so it also looks a little like a hippogryph. The body and wings are a dark indigo color with some white markings, and the mane is white, and¡ª" ...and it''s really soft and warm. Thenio stopped himself from saying that thought out loud just in time. He already felt a little awkward talking about dream beasts at all, and admitting that he''d even dreamed about one would be terribly embarrassing.... "...and it has a long tail, with some feathers on it," he finished lamely. "I know that wing-deer!" Iggy said brightly. "That''s the one that sits on the table by Thenio''s bed, next to the little spotty cat!" "Um...yeah.... That one." Thenio felt his cheeks turn slightly warm. He hadn''t really wanted to tell Seyli that he kept Eteon''s carvings next to his bed.... Seyli didn''t seem bothered by that childish detail, however. She was holding the herbal book against her chest and tapping her fingers thoughtfully on the cover. "Hmm.... I really don''t think that''s a species that lives in the Ket''qe Forest. I''m sure I''d remember if I''d read about something like that. And going into people''s dreams.... That would have to be some kind of mental magic, wouldn''t it? There aren''t very many magic beasts that can use mental magic, and they''re all pretty well-documented...." She shrugged. "So as far as I know, it''s not a real species. And the Forest People do have a lot of legends and fairy tales. So we should probably look for a book that has a collection of those kinds of stories. Let''s see if we can find one of the store clerks and ask where the folklore section is. Do you mind carrying Iggy''s books?" Thenio scooped up the stack of books and followed after Seyli as she started off in search of a store employee. "So you think it''s just a fairy tale, too, huh...? I mean, I know it has to be. It''s just...." He gave an awkward laugh. "Well, it just...sounds nice, doesn''t it? A magical creature that can fly through dreams...." He knew the dream beast wasn''t real. He''d never expected it to be. But why did he feel so disappointed...? Seyli paused and looked back at him. "I''m pretty sure it''s not a real magic beast. And I think it''s most likely that it''s just a fairy tale, but....if it is real.... Well, I think it''s possible if it''s actually a mythic beast, rather than a magic beast. We hardly know anything about mythic beasts, after all. But we do know that they can do all kinds of crazy things that don''t fit into the magic system we''re used to. So I could believe that there might be a mythic beast that can fly through dreams." Thenio''s eyes widened. A mythic beast? Was that really possible...? But as they resumed walking, his hopeful expression turned into a frown. No...that had to be wrong. Mythic beasts were absurdly powerful creatures. Strong enough that they could overpower high ranking wizards like Ariom or General Obarin as easily as squashing a bug. And they were well-known for being aloof and rarely interacting with humans. There was no way a mythic beast would be interested in a useless nobody like him.... They soon found one of the bookstore clerks¡ªan older man with a kind face who was tidying one of the bookshelves. He took one look at the heavy books they were carrying and quickly fetched them a shopping basket with a weight reduction enchantment on it. Then he led them over to the folklore section. "Collections of stories from the Ket''qe Forest are quite popular, so we have several options. Did you want something along the lines of a children''s storybook? Or more of an academic documentation?" "Uh...the academic one, probably," Thenio said uncertainly. "I''m looking for a legend that doesn''t seem to be very well-known. At least not here in Kafron. So I don''t think I''ll find it in a children''s book." "I see." The clerk nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, I would recommend this one." He pulled a large, thick book from the shelf. The title was A Record of the Legends and Tales of the Forest People. "This one''s quite old, so it''s not the easiest to read, but it''s a classic resource for the study of Ket''qe folklore. It was written by a human researcher who lived with the Forest People for many years, studying their culture and documenting everything he learned. Most of the other books we have available were at least partially based on his work. So if the story you''re looking for isn''t in this book, it probably won''t be in any of the others, either." Thenio took the heavy book from him, doing his best to not look at the price. After they''d thanked the clerk for his help, they went back to the front of the store, where there was a small lounge area where people could sit and look at books. They all sat down to wait for Ariom. Seyli flipped through her herbal book, and Thenio started reading the gryphon encyclopedia to the dragons in a soft voice, with Iggy still perched on his shoulder and Tava sitting on his lap. Thenio wasn''t sure how much she actually understood, but she seemed to like looking at the pictures, at least. Ariom came about fifteen minutes later. He wasn''t carrying any books, but if he''d gone to a separate area that had certification restricted books, they''d probably asked him to pay for them there before he came back into the main part of the store. He must have put them in his space pocket, then. Ariom looked over the books in their basket and nodded with approval at the magic beast encyclopedias. Then he raised his eyebrows a little as he looked at Thenio''s choice. "The Forest People, huh...? Are you interested in them because of Eteon?" "Well, yeah. He told me about an interesting story not long ago that he heard when he lived in Ket''qe, and I''ve been wanting to learn more about it." "It''s quite a fascinating place. I go there occasionally. I know a good bowyer there, and I buy a lot of my archery equipment from him. Maybe you''ll be able to come with me the next time I go." "I''d like that," Thenio said, though the smile he gave Ariom was rather forced. If he knew that Ket''qe Forest was high in ambient magic power, then Ariom would have to know as well. Which meant they both knew that trip would probably never happen.... "Well, let''s go check out," Ariom said, picking up the shopping basket and starting toward the cashier''s counter next to the entrance. They paid for the books, and Ariom made the stack disappear into his space pocket. Then they made another slow trip back to the parking area, though they made sure to avoid the pet shop this time. After Iggy and Tava had finally had enough of looking at shiny things, they all got back into the carriage and headed toward the enchanter''s guild headquarters¡ªthe last place on their itinerary for the day. Origin Story 1 - The Art of Bathing a Dragon "In the Westport Dragon Encyclopedia, it states that, while wild dragons often have violent temperaments, the domestic breeds are much calmer and more sociable. Pygmy dragons, in particular, are known for their docile and intelligent natures." Alfred paused to look down at the small black dragon that was chasing a bar of soap across the wet bathroom floor. "Did you hear that, Iggy? You''re a pygmy dragon. You''re supposed to be docile and intelligent." He gestured around the bathroom at the tipped over shelves, the scattered bottles and towels, and the soapy water covering the floor. "Does this look like something that a docile and intelligent dragon would do?" Iggy completely ignored him, still focused on the soap. He pounced on it, but it slipped out of his paws and shot under one of the fallen shelves. Alfred sighed and picked up one of the wet towels lying on the floor. He used a little water manipulation magic to dry it out. Then he slowly approached Iggy, who was intent on pawing under the shelf to get the soap and didn''t notice. Alfred tossed the towel over him and scooped him up, quickly wrapping the towel around the soapy little dragon to prevent him from slipping away again. Iggy squawked in protest and tried to wriggle free, but Alfred managed to hold on and carry him to the next room. This was Iggy''s playroom, and most of the space was occupied by a large tree-like structure made up of a network of towers and tunnels and filled with various places to perch or hide. Alfred set his squirming bundle down on the nearest platform. Iggy emerged, looking grumpy. He made an angry chattering sound as Alfred held him still long enough to finish toweling him off. As soon as he was released, the little dragon darted into the tree, disappearing inside a small cave in the very center. Well...mostly disappearing. "Always the tail...." Alfred shook his head at the slender black tail that was hanging out of the cave entrance and twitching with irritation. He left Iggy alone to sulk for a bit and went back to the bathroom to clean up the mess. And to improve the room''s dragon-proofing. The wicker shelves Iggy had knocked over already had water resistance, fire resistance, and structural reinforcement charms engraved on them. But obviously an adhesive charm sticking them down to the floor was also in order. With everything dried off and put back in place, Alfred stood in front of the tub, frowning at the small pile of black scales he''d collected during his cleaning. Only eight of them. A few weeks ago, he''d been getting twenty or thirty scales each time he gave Iggy a bath. This was the real issue at hand. Though they looked similar to those of reptiles, a dragon''s scales were structured more like feathers. They were shed individually. Wild dragons had annual molting periods, but since no one wanted their very expensive pets to have scraggly-looking scales for a month every year, domestic dragons had been bred to lose fewer scales at a time. This meant they shed a more or less constant amount year-round, which most dragon owners preferred. Unfortunately, this breeding process also introduced a small genetic defect. Old scales sometimes didn''t detach from the skin properly, which blocked the new scales growing in underneath. This irritated the skin and could lead to bleeding and infections in severe cases. It wasn''t hard to deal with this for adult dragons, since they only lost a few scales per day. But baby dragons like Iggy, who were constantly growing, lost dozens of them, which put them at a much higher risk for developing skin issues. The problem could be avoided with proper care, though, which was a fairly simple process. Soak the skin in water to soften it, then gently massage it to pull out the loose scales. In short, baby dragons needed regular baths. Nothing too difficult about that. Until your baby dragon starts refusing to take baths.... Contrary to Alfred''s earlier snark, Iggy was actually very well-behaved most of the time. He was just under six months old¡ªthe dragon equivalent of a toddler¡ªso naturally he caused a bit of trouble here and there. But this was the first real behavioral problem that he''d shown. Alfred had hoped it would be a short-lived phase, but it was just getting worse. It had been more than two weeks since Iggy had had a proper bath, and the past few days, Alfred had started to notice him rubbing himself against the furniture and rolling around on the floor¡ªsigns that his skin was itchy. Something needed to be done before his condition got worse. Alfred had tried simply being more firm with Iggy when the little dragon started to fuss and try to get away from him. The result was Iggy throwing a tantrum and demolishing the bathroom. Not exactly an improvement.... Alfred sighed as he moved his gaze from the scales in his hand to the entrance of Iggy''s cave. The black tail was still hanging out, but it was limp and motionless now. He guessed that Iggy had worn himself out rampaging around the bathroom and had fallen asleep as soon as he got into a comfortable place and held still for a few minutes. "A comfortable place, huh?" Alfred muttered to himself. "Well, it''s worth a try, at least."
Fire-type dragons were basically invulnerable to heat. If you knew the right spells and had the right equipment, it was technically possible to generate enough heat to harm even a fire dragon, but considering that they could happily swim in molten iron, you had to seriously work at it if you wanted to burn them. Even knowing that, Alfred felt a bit strange heating bath water until it was boiling. He usually kept the water at a temperature comfortable for humans so that he didn''t have to wear protective equipment when he bathed Iggy. The dragon had never seemed to mind, but maybe he would be happier if the water temperature were higher. Iggy was on the floor playing with a rubber ball, but he looked up with interest when he heard the water start to bubble. After a moment, he abandoned his toy and leapt toward the edge of the tub, flapping his wings wildly. His flying ability was only slightly better than the average chicken''s, and the tub was low enough that he could reach it just by jumping anyway, but he rarely passed up an opportunity to use his wings. That was how all the shelves had gotten knocked over the day before. Alfred heated the water to a rolling boil and then pulled on a pair of long gloves inscribed with heat resistance charms. He usually wore a ring with a basic fire protection charm, since Iggy occasionally spit out sparks when he got excited, but it wasn''t quite adequate for sticking his arms in a tub of boiling water. Iggy was still perched on the edge of the tub, fascinated by the churning water. After watching it for a minute, he reached a paw down and tentatively patted the water''s surface. This apparently reassured him, because more vigorous splashing followed. He seemed to be trying to catch the bubbles. Alfred picked up the ball Iggy had been playing with before and dropped it into the tub, where it bobbed around in the rolling water. Iggy''s eyes widened, and he wiggled with excitement for a moment before leaping into the tub after the ball. Alfred raised a hand just in time to shield his face from the splash of hot water. But then he smiled at the sight of Iggy swimming around the tub, chasing his ball. He could swim much better than he could fly, ironically enough. He seemed to be enjoying the hot water, which made Alfred feel hopeful about the success of this bathing strategy. His optimism was short-lived, unfortunately. After about ten minutes, Iggy seemed to be getting bored of playing in the water. Alfred caught him when he started climbing out of the bathtub. "Hold on, little guy. We''re not done yet." "Krr?" Iggy made a questioning noise. Maybe he was wondering if Alfred would do something else new and interesting. "Can you just hold still for a few minutes?" Alfred held Iggy in the water with one hand and reached for a soft-bristled scrub brush with the other. "The water feels nice, doesn''t it? Just enjoy it a little longer and let me brush your scales, will you? Please...?" He started brushing the dragon''s back with gentle strokes. Given the choice, it would have been better to let Iggy soak in the water a bit longer before trying to work on his scales. But he''d take what he could get. ...which didn''t turn out to be very much. Iggy tolerated the brushing for approximately a minute and a half before he started squirming and making low-pitched whines. Alfred frowned, but he kept his hold on the little dragon and worked determinedly. "Seriously, Iggy. I''m trying to help you here, you know? Your skin''s been bothering you, hasn''t it? This will help it feel better. Just give me a few more minutes, and then we''ll go play some more, all right?" His words had no apparent effect on the little dragon, who lunged forward, trying to grab onto the edge of the tub. Alfred had to drop the brush to hold onto him with both hands. Iggy made his angry chattering sound again and stretched his wings up in the air. Realizing what he was about to do, Alfred let go and jumped back just in time to avoid the large spray of boiling hot water that Iggy sent up when he smacked his wings down hard against the water''s surface. As soon as he was free, the dragon scrabbled out of the bathtub and dashed out of the room, pausing just long enough to shake the water off his body and all over the floor.
Alfred spent most of the next morning in his workshop. The situation with Iggy was definitely frustrating for him, but Alfred was a certified wizard, and wizards were nothing if not tenacious. Otherwise, they would never be able to complete the rigorous training that the magic society required of them. He had analyzed the earlier failures and developed a strategy for his next attempt. "Sixteen years of studying charms and enchantments." Alfred held up a bright blue object, inspecting the results of his work. "I was at the top of my class at the academy in that subject, you know? And here I am making enchanted bath toys. Do you have any idea how spoiled you are, little guy?" Realizing Alfred was addressing him, Iggy looked up from the stuffed gryphon he was wrestling with and let out a hopeful chirp. He was in his ''playpen,'' a glassed-off area on one side of the workshop, where he could stay close but safely out of the way while Alfred was working. He was usually content to play by himself if needed, but he was always eager for Alfred to finish work and let him out. Naturally, the reason Iggy was able to entertain himself so well was that his play areas were full of well-designed, dragon-proofed toys. Despite Alfred pretending to put on airs, he was no stranger to making dragon toys. It was good practice, actually. He could engrave fire resistance charms in his sleep by now. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The toy he had just finished was shaped like a sea serpent, with a long body made up of foam balls joined with strips of fabric. It was engraved with all the usual dragon-proofing charms, but it also had a special feature that Alfred had designed in the hopes of holding Iggy''s attention a little longer than the impromptu bath toy from the day before had been able to. After a break for lunch and some play time with Iggy, Alfred carried the little dragon and his new toy upstairs to embark on the latest bathing attempt. Iggy was in a good mood, chirping and waving his tail lightly. Though he would run off to hide in his cave to sulk when he was upset, he generally didn''t hold grudges. Alfred just hoped he could find a solution to the bath problem before the recurring conflicts put too much strain on their relationship. The water wasn''t boiling today, just in case Iggy decided to repeat his splash attack. As a result, the dragon wasn''t very interested in the bath preparations. His attention was focused on the sea serpent toy, which he studied from different angles and nudged curiously while Alfred was getting the water ready. It was different from his other toys, and he didn''t quite seem to know what to do with it. "This is a special toy," Alfred told him, picking up the sea serpent. "I need to charge it up first. Hang on a minute." There was a small yellow crystal embedded in the serpent''s head. Alfred placed his finger on it, and the crystal slowly began to glow as he channeled magic power into it. "That should do it." He placed the serpent into the water. "And...go!" As Alfred triggered the magic formation, a shimmering golden pattern lit up across the length of the toy, and it slid out of his hands and across the surface of the water, its body weaving back and forth in an S pattern. Iggy''s eyes nearly popped out when he saw the toy moving on its own. He perched tensely on the edge of the bathtub, thrashing his tail from side to side. As the sea serpent swam close to him, he started making a high-pitched chattering noise, causing tiny sparks to fly from his mouth and nose. He was so intent on watching the serpent''s every move that he accidentally leaned too far forward, lost his balance, and tumbled into the water with a surprised squawk and a large splash. Alfred winced at the sight, but the little dragon surfaced a moment later, apparently unhurt, and swam excitedly after his toy. A very wet game of tag ensued, with Iggy splashing so much water out of the tub that Alfred had to use a water manipulation spell every few minutes to put it back in. He was extremely glad he had decided against using boiling water this time around. Half an hour later, Iggy showed no signs of wanting to give up the chase, even though he was obviously getting tired. His movements were noticeably slower, and he started stopping occasionally to pant for air. "Come here, little guy," Alfred called, beckoning to the tired little dragon. "Let''s take a break for a few minutes, okay? You can keep playing after you catch your breath." Iggy, who was still swimming doggedly after the sea serpent, didn''t even seem to hear him. He seemed equally oblivious to the fact that he couldn''t keep up with the toy''s speed at all anymore. Alfred sighed. "Iggy," he said a bit more loudly. "Come." Though dragons couldn''t speak human languages, they could learn to understand them to some extent. Since Iggy was just a baby, he hadn''t learned very many words yet. But he knew perfectly well what ''come'' meant, and he would normally come obediently when Alfred called him. But that was when he wasn''t obsessed with chasing an enchanted bath toy. Alfred frowned a little at this complete lack of response. "Iggy, come on. You really need to rest a little." He reached down and caught hold of the struggling dragon. That finally got Iggy''s attention, but not in a good way. He turned his head and hissed angrily, sending a spray of sparks toward Alfred. It didn''t hurt, but he was so startled by this aggressive behavior that he loosened his grip, allowing Iggy to wriggle free and resume his single-minded pursuit of the sea serpent. "Seriously, little guy?" Alfred watched him incredulously. "You can''t stand to sit still for five minutes to let me brush your loose scales out, but you can focus on a toy until you collapse from exhaustion? Just what goes on in that little dragon head of yours?" Shaking his own head, Alfred stretched out a hand toward the sea serpent and sent out a small flash of magic to deactivate the enchantment. The serpent immediately stopped moving and drifted to the side of the tub, where it came to a halt, bobbing a little in the water currents. This allowed Iggy to finally catch up to it. He paused and stared at the unmoving toy. He turned and looked at Alfred. He looked back at the toy. Then he grabbed the sea serpent in his mouth and started shaking it vigorously, while slapping his wings against the water and whining loudly. A baby dragon-style temper tantrum. "Iggy...." Alfred could feel his head starting to hurt as he finally realized what was going on. The little dragon had been so excited about his new toy that he didn''t want to stop playing with it, even when he was tired out. He''d pushed himself into a frenzy in order to work up the energy to keep going. "Maybe this is why there aren''t more enchanted dragon toys in the world. I should have stopped him earlier...." Grimacing, Alfred caught hold of Iggy again and lifted him out of the tub. Distracted by trying to squirm out of Alfred''s hands, Iggy lost his grip on the sea serpent, which flew out of his mouth and landed on the floor. It wasn''t very far away, and Iggy should have been able to see clearly where it was, but the exhausted baby dragon was beyond reason at this point and clearly thought his precious toy had disappeared. He let out a shrill howl and turned into a wild mess of flailing limbs and flying sparks. Alfred received several wing slaps to the face and then felt a stinging pain on his left arm. He let go of the hysterical dragon, who stayed airborne for a few seconds due to his frantically flapping wings, before landing on the floor in an awkward heap. Alfred watched him long enough to make sure he hadn''t hurt himself. Then he looked down at his arm, where several long claw marks were oozing blood. They weren''t very deep, but they looked serious enough that he decided to take care of the injury before going after Iggy. Fortunately, there was a cupboard full of medical supplies just a few steps away. He rinsed his arm off in the sink, magically chilling the water to help stop the bleeding. Then he covered the wound with herbal salve and bandaged it. Some salves made from magical herbs could heal wounds almost instantly, but they were very expensive. This was a cheaper, diluted version that worked more slowly, though it should still be able to heal his arm completely by tomorrow. Alfred didn''t see where Iggy had gone, but while he treated his injury, he listened for crashes, howls, or other signs that Iggy had gotten himself into more trouble. But the room had been surprisingly quiet for the past few minutes. He finally heard something as he was securing the end of the bandage on his forearm. But it wasn''t the kind of sound he had expected to hear. A soft whimpering came from near his feet, and he looked down to see an anxious-looking black dragon staring up at him. Iggy had the blue sea serpent in his mouth, and at first Alfred thought he was asking for it to start moving again. But Iggy dropped the toy at his feet and backed away a few steps, his body lowered in a submissive posture. Alfred''s expression softened. He picked up the serpent and set it on the counter next to the sink. Then he knelt on the floor in front of Iggy. The dragon raised his head a little to look at Alfred''s bandaged arm. He stretched out his neck and nuzzled the bandage tentatively before whimpering again. "I know." Alfred reached over with his other hand and gently stroked the little dragon''s head. "I know you didn''t mean to. It''s okay. They''re just scratches." Seeing Iggy still look worried, Alfred picked him up and placed him on his lap. Iggy gave another small whimper and buried his face in Alfred''s shirt. They stayed there for a while, with Alfred still stroking Iggy''s neck and back comfortingly. After a few minutes, when the dragon still hadn''t moved, he quietly used a float charm to bring Iggy''s brush over from the bathtub and smoothly switched from petting to lightly brushing his scales. For the first time in weeks, Iggy didn''t protest and stayed quiet for an entire scale removal session. Though it was hard to tell how much of that was because he was feeling remorseful and how much was simply because he was worn out. He was fast asleep by the time Alfred finished brushing him. This was probably fortunate, since Alfred had to brush very gently and slowly so as not to further damage the dragon''s already irritated skin. Iggy''s wild behavior earlier had forcibly pulled out a number of scales, leaving traces of blood here and there. Alfred reopened the jar of salve he had used on his arm and carefully massaged some into the worst-looking areas on Iggy''s body. "You were so excited about your new toy that you got upset when you got tired and realized you''d have to stop playing," he murmured quietly to the sleeping dragon. "Getting upset made you even more tired. More tired meant more upset. A downward spiral. Were the baths the same? You probably started fussing about being brushed because it was boring to hold still for so long. Hyper little guy.... But getting brushed less made your skin start to bother you, which made brushing even more unpleasant. Less brushing, more irritation. More irritation, less brushing. No wonder things kept getting worse...." Alfred sighed, running a finger lightly down Iggy''s back. "So how do we get you out of the spiral, my crazy little dragon?" He looked at Iggy thoughtfully for a moment and then turned his head to look at the blue sea serpent lying on the counter. He had attached a small ruffle to its head in imitation of the fins on a real sea serpent. The ruffle had a single black scale caught on it. "Maybe making this thing wasn''t such a bad idea after all...."
The next afternoon found Alfred and Iggy in the bathroom yet again. Iggy was still acting rather subdued, although he had cheered up a little after seeing Alfred remove the bandage from his completely healed arm that morning. When the water was ready, Alfred went to the supply cupboard and pulled out two items that he''d left there the evening before. Iggy''s ears perked up in spite of himself when he saw them, but then he tilted his head, looking puzzled. One of the objects was the blue sea serpent toy from the day before. The second one, which was the source of Iggy''s puzzlement, was a bright green sea serpent, made with the same design as the blue one, except that its entire body was covered with bristles, as though it had been stuck full of porcupine quills. "I know it looks ridiculous," Alfred said, noticing Iggy staring at the green serpent. "But as long as it works, it''s fine. Since when do bath toys have to be dignified? It''s not time for the green one yet, though. Play with this one for a while first." He charged the blue serpent with magic and placed it in the water. Iggy watched it start swimming around the tub, his body wriggling a little with excitement. Then he hesitated, glancing up at Alfred. "Go ahead." Alfred gave the dragon a pat of encouragement. "I made it for you to play with. Just try not to go crazy again today, all right?" Understanding that he had Alfred''s permission, Iggy gave a happy chirp and dove into the water. Alfred watched him chase the sea serpent for a while, occasionally moving the spilled water back into the tub. After twenty minutes or so, he quietly sent a supply of magic into the green serpent''s crystal and let it slide into the water. Unlike the first one, which was designed to move by itself, this serpent had to be manually controlled. Alfred moved his hand as though pulling on invisible puppet strings, causing the green serpent to swim slowly up behind Iggy, who had just caught the blue serpent and was happily chewing on its head. The little dragon didn''t notice the second toy until it brushed against one of his wings. He gave a small squawk of surprise and turned his head to see what had touched him. Alfred didn''t want to startle him too much, so he waited until Iggy had examined the green serpent, nudging and sniffing at it curiously, before he moved it again, making it slither up Iggy''s wing and onto his back. "Krr?" The dragon let out a questioning trill and craned his head around, trying to see what the serpent was doing. Alfred twined it around his body, with Iggy twisting himself to follow it, to the point that he accidentally flipped himself over and went under the water for a moment. When he surfaced, he let out a short, excited chatter and a few sparks before lunging at the green serpent. He caught it in his mouth and kicked furiously at it with his claws. The very wet game of tag now became a very wet wrestling match, with the bristly sea serpent wriggling all over Iggy, who responded by attacking it fiercely, while making excited squawks and growls. If Alfred hadn''t put extra reinforcement charms on the poor toy, it would have been torn to shreds within minutes. As it was, Iggy was the one who gave out first. He let go of the serpent and floated, panting heavily, with his wings outstretched so he could stay afloat without having to swim. Alfred pulled the tired dragon out of the water and wrapped him in a towel. Iggy had probably realized that he would have more opportunities to play with his new toys, because he didn''t get upset over having to stop today. He let Alfred dry him off and then climbed up his arm and rested his head on Alfred''s shoulder, apparently still tired. "Well done, little guy," Alfred said, stroking Iggy''s back. He smiled as he looked down at the bathtub, where the green sea serpent was floating motionless in the water. The bristles along its body were full of small black scales. "We''ll call that good enough." Chapter 30 - Random Acts of...Recklessness? "The rest of you don''t need to go in with me," Ariom said as he parked the carriage near the enchanter''s guild building. "I need to pick something up from the guild archives, and it''s not a good idea for Thenio to go in there. That place positively reeks of protective magic. And since you two aren''t guild certified wizards, they''ll just make you stay in the waiting room anyway. So you might as well wait out here. It shouldn''t take that long." He pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to Seyli. "Here. The dragons are probably getting hungry, so why don''t the four of you go get something from the food stalls over there." They were currently in the guild district, where most of Kamari''s guild branch offices were located. It was also sometimes called the guild park because in between the buildings were beautifully landscaped areas with walking paths, picnic tables, and small plazas where food vendors could set up their stalls. Thenio''s family had come here for lunch occasionally in the past when his parents had needed to renew their assistant''s licenses. He''d also come here with his parents and Ariom a few weeks ago to get his own license and to process his employment contract. But his magic suppression rate had still been fairly high at the time, and his parents had been rather nervous about the whole thing, so they''d just completed all the paperwork and left without taking any time to enjoy the scenery. They all got out of the carriage, and then Ariom headed toward the enchanter''s guild building while Thenio and Seyli took the dragons over to the nearest group of food stalls. It was late morning now, and the lunch rush hadn''t started yet. Some of the stalls were still setting up for the day, and there were only a few other customers there. "What do you want to eat, Iggy?" Seyli asked as they entered the plaza and started walking past the stalls. "Do you see anything that looks good?" "Um...um...." Iggy was craning his neck in all directions, seemingly trying to look at everything at once. He also stuck his little black nose in the air, sniffing furiously. After a minute, he turned his head to the left. "There''s a nice smell coming from over there!" "Over there?" Seyli turned to look in that direction. "Oh, are you talking about that chicken stand?" "Mmm! It smells like tasty chicken!" Iggy said, waving his tail enthusiastically. There was a stall set up on the other side of the plaza, where a middle-aged woman was tending a rotisserie grill with a number of roasting chickens lined up on it. When they got closer, Thenio could also see a younger woman cutting up vegetables at a counter in the back. The two looked enough alike that they were probably mother and daughter. "Welcome!" the older woman greeted them with a friendly smile. "What can I get you? The chicken needs just a few more minutes to cook, but it''s best when it''s fresh off the grill, so I promise it will be worth the wait." "Let''s see...." Seyli consulted the menu that was posted on one side of the stall. "What do you put in your chicken salad?" "Shredded chicken, cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, and chopped seasonal vegetables. We normally put a tangy honey sauce on it, but we can hold the sauce and add extra chicken, if you want to order it for your little ones." Seyli looked between the two dragons. "Iggy? Tava? Do you want chicken salad?" "Mmm!" they replied in unison, both tails swishing happily. "All right. We''ll get a large salad, and they can share. Then...I guess I''ll have one of the chicken flatbread wraps." Seyli turned to Thenio. "What about you? We can still look around the other stalls, too, if you don''t want anything here." "No, this is fine. Um...I''ll have a flatbread wrap, too." They waited a few minutes while the two women prepared their order. They had obviously been doing this for a long time, and Thenio watched their well-practiced actions with interest. Iggy also seemed to enjoy watching the cooking process, especially when the older woman pulled out a pair of metal claws that she used to shred up the meat of one of the freshly cooked chickens. "Thenio, look! We could do that at home! You can cook a chicken, and I''ll tear it up with my claws!" he said excitedly. "I think doing a whole chicken that way might be a bit much..." Thenio told him, glancing dubiously at the tiny claws that Iggy was brandishing. "Let''s try it out on a smaller piece first, all right?" "Mmm! Okay!" The little dragon didn''t seem at all discouraged by Thenio''s doubts about his chicken-shredding abilities. When their food was ready, Seyli paid for it with some coins that she took out of the pouch Ariom had given her. Then they carried everything over to a picnic table some distance away from the plaza. Seyli reached up to unclip Tava''s leash and then held out her arm to let the purple dragon climb down onto the table. "Since there isn''t anyone else over here, it should be fine to take their leashes off for a while," she told Thenio. "I know you haven''t interacted with magic beasts much until recently, so you''re probably not aware of this, but things like leashes and harnesses are really more for other people than they are for the magic beasts themselves." She looked at Iggy with a wry smile. "Well...maybe younger magic beasts need a little help restraining themselves sometimes.... But it''s mostly to let other people know that someone''s looking after them properly. Magic beasts are protected by law, of course, but there will always be idiots who want to cause trouble for one reason or another." "Ah...right. I''ve heard about things like familiar baiting," Thenio said, nodding. "I''ll try to be careful." Since wizards tended to be well-off, there would occasionally be con artists who tried to provoke a familiar into attacking them and then demanded compensation. Well. That mostly happened with familiars that were known to have more aggressive temperaments, like gryphons or fellwolves. It wasn''t likely that anyone would go after an adorable little dragon like Iggy. Thenio set the salad bowl he was carrying down on the table and then reached up to take off Iggy''s leash. As soon as he was free, the little dragon jumped down onto the table next to Tava and started sniffing eagerly at the chicken salad. "Can we eat it now?" "Yes, go ahead." Seyli laughed as the two dragons immediately began attacking the salad with great enthusiasm, getting bits of chicken and lettuce on their faces. Then she sat down on the bench next to the table. "Come sit down," she told Thenio, smiling and patting the bench. He sat down a short distance away from her, feeling a little awkward. He wasn''t sitting too close, was he? He didn''t want to make Seyli feel uncomfortable. But she''d been the one who told him to sit next to her in the first place. She''d tell him if he was too close...right...? And wouldn''t it look unfriendly if he moved further away now? How close were you supposed to sit to a girl that you''d only known for a few weeks but were sort of friends with? He didn''t remember anything about this in the etiquette rules his mother had taught him. Formal etiquette didn''t really cover things like exactly where you were supposed to sit on a picnic bench in the guild park when there were dragons chomping down chicken salad on the table in front of you.... "Here. Here''s yours." Seyli interrupted Thenio''s frenetic thoughts by handing over the flatbread wrap she''d been carrying for him. "Oh." Thenio took it. "Thanks." He stared at the wrap for a moment and then quietly started eating. Iggy''s nose hadn''t been wrong. The chicken was delicious. It was tender and juicy, and the seasoning accented the flavor of the meat without overpowering it. Thenio wondered if he''d be able to replicate it. He didn''t remember seeing any kind of rotisserie cooking tool in the kitchen at Ariom''s house, but seeing how much Iggy was enjoying the chicken, it wouldn''t be too surprising if one showed up in the near future.... By the time they had emptied out the paper bowl the salad had come in, both dragons were a bit of a mess. Iggy had even gotten a piece of mushroom stuck on one of his horns somehow. But the two of them took turns licking the bits of food off each other''s faces, and Seyli took a cleaning cloth out of Iggy''s space pocket to finish wiping them down with. Thenio gathered up the salad bowl and the paper napkins that the flatbread wraps had been served in. "I''ll go get rid of these." There were some trash bins on the edge of the picnic area. He walked over to them and tossed the things in. Then he paused for a moment, looking up at a nearby tree. Several crows were perched on an overhanging branch, looking back at him with curious expressions. One of them let out a short caw, almost like a greeting, which made Thenio smile. Those crows would make a nice picture. He did his best to capture the scene in his memory so that he could make a drawing of it later. "It''s getting away! Catch it!" A sudden shout from nearby made Thenio start a little and look over. Something small and white streaked across the ground in front of him, with three boys running after it. They looked around Lem''s age¡ªmaybe eleven or twelve. And the white shape? It was an obviously frightened cat. Thenio frowned. He really didn''t like the look of this.... The cat bolted across the grass and disappeared into an alleyway between two nearby buildings, with the boys trailing after it. "Hey, it went in one of those boxes!" the boy in front called out, pointing toward the alley and glancing back at his companions. "We can trap it in there!" "Good," the boy at the rear replied, panting. "That stupid cat! It thinks it can just bite my hand like that? I''m going to burn all its fur off when I get hold of it!" Thenio''s frown deepened, and he started following after the running boys. When he reached the entrance to the alleyway, the boys were surrounding a pile of wooden crates next to a large door in one of the buildings that looked like it was probably a delivery entrance. One of the boys was kneeling on the ground, peering into one of the bottom crates. "Can you see it?" one of the other boys asked. "Yeah...." The kneeling boy''s face screwed up in frustration. "But it''s clear at the back. I don''t think I can reach it. We need to find a stick or something...." "Hey!" Thenio said loudly, causing all three boys to turn their heads in his direction. "What are you trying to do to that cat?" Two of the boys looked nervous at his question. But the third¡ªthe one who had been threatening to burn the cat''s fur off¡ªsimply crossed his arms and scowled at Thenio. "What''s it to you, huh?" he retorted. "Is it your cat?" "No," Thenio said evenly, walking closer to them. "But I don''t think it''s yours, either. And I happen to like cats, so I''m not going to just stand by and watch you harass one." The boy sneered. "Yeah? But I count one of you and three of us. So what are you going to do about it? Huh?" They glared at each other for a long moment. Thenio obviously knew he was outnumbered, but he wasn''t terribly worried. He was several years older and had always taken his physical training seriously, so he was quite a lot bigger than the other boys were. And two of them clearly weren''t eager for a confrontation. The negative affect his magic had on the people around him did have the advantage of making bullies like these want to leave him alone. So there was a good chance they were just bluffing and would back off if he asserted himself. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He was just forgetting one important point.... He''d grown up in a non-wizard neighborhood. So he''d never encountered a bully who knew how to fight using magic before.... "You get in my way, and I''ll burn you and the stupid cat!" The boy pointed his finger threateningly at Thenio. A spurt of magic fire appeared, wrapping around his outstretched arm. By normal standards, it wasn''t really that impressive. The boy''s magic power level probably wasn''t any higher than Thenio''s was, and his magic fire was about as threatening as the sparks Iggy used to light fireplace kindling. But even that much was enough to be dangerous if there happened to be a chaos morph nearby. Thenio took a step back before he could stop himself, although he realized immediately that it was a serious mistake. The expressions on all three of the boys'' faces changed, and even the two who had previously acted timid were suddenly wearing derisive grins. They''d smelled blood. "Haha! You''re scared of that? Here you were talking big, but you''re really just a magicless loser, aren''t you?" The fire user took a large step closer, his face twisted with perverse delight. Thenio frowned. Under different circumstances, he might have given this kid a talking to about not looking down on people who couldn''t use magic. But right now it was more important to get out of this situation before his own magic went out of control. He still had his insulation bands on, but they were designed to protect him from ambient magic, not direct contact with magic power. There was a limit to how much they could absorb. He glanced toward the wooden crates, feeling conflicted. He didn''t want to abandon the poor cat, especially since the boys would probably be even more cruel to it now that he''d gotten them riled up. But an explosion in this narrow space would be bad for everyone here, cat included. Maybe the best thing to do would be to hurry back to where Seyli and the dragons were and try to convince them to help. Tava and Iggy wouldn''t be afraid of that magic flame in the slightest. Reluctantly, Thenio started backing away from the trio of boys. "Ha! You''re running away now? Idiot. Why''d you come after us and mouth off if you''re just a weakling who''s scared of magic?" The boy with the fire magic looked over at the other two. "Hey, don''t let him get away! This pathetic loser needs to pay the price for messing with us!" Thenio tried to run, but a ball of fire magic hit the ground just ahead of him, making him dodge to one side. That slowed him down and gave the other boys a chance to catch up to him. Another well-aimed fireball pushed him over toward the wall on one side of the alley, and the three of them rushed to surround him and hold him there. Thenio gritted his teeth and looked around, trying to stay calm and assess the situation. There was a wall behind him and one boy on either side to prevent him from escaping. The boy with the fire affinity was in front of him, wearing a smug look on his face. He was clearly the leader of the group¡ªprobably because he had the best magic ability. Thenio hated to admit it, but the boy did have some decent skills. He might not be putting out that much power, but he was an annoyingly good shot. And the three of them were strangely well-coordinated, which made Thenio strongly suspect that he wasn''t the first person they''d trapped like this. At least they''d moved a little further away from the crates where the cat was hiding. It would probably be safe from magic explosions now.... "Hey, where''s all that confidence you had earlier?" the fire magic boy said with a sneer. "You came in here all ready to boss us around, didn''t you? So why aren''t you bossing us now, you cowardly loser?" "I wasn''t trying to boss you around." Thenio did his best to keep his voice calm. "I was just trying to stop you from torturing a cat. I don''t care what you do as long as you''re not hurting anyone." "Yeah? And what if we want to hurt someone? That stupid cat bit me. It hurt me. So I think I deserve to hurt it back if I want to. What are you going to do about that, loser?" Thenio was tempted to ask what the boy had done in the first place to make the cat bite him, but he held back. Instead, his mind raced through options for how to handle this mess. Trying to fight was practically guaranteed to result in a magic explosion. Relying on Ariom''s name...probably wouldn''t work. He didn''t have an easy way to prove that he really was under the care of a grandmaster wizard, and he doubted they''d just take his word for it. Shouting for help...might work. But if nobody was close enough to hear or willing to come, it might only serve to egg the little psychos on. Trying to appease them and beg for mercy...would definitely just egg them on.... "Look, if you want to beat me up, go ahead," he said finally. "Just don''t use magic. It''s too dangerous." All three of them burst into laughter. "Listen to this guy," the boy on the right said, still sniggering. "Such a scaredy-cat. ''Magic is too dangerous.'' If magic is so scary, what are you even doing in the guild district, idiot?" "He''s probably some kind of country bumpkin who just came to the capital for the first time," the boy on the left chimed in. "I bet he thinks magic is scary because he''s never even seen a proper wizard before." "Right! That must be why he loves animals so much. Because he was born in a barn and grew up in a pigpen!" "Sorry to disappoint you, but I''ve actually lived in Kamari my whole life..." Thenio said dryly. "And I''m not saying that magic is dangerous in general. I''m saying it''s dangerous to use magic around me. Dangerous for me and for the three of you." "What kind of nonsense is that? Why would it be dangerous for us?" the fire magic user scoffed. He was scoffing, but he wasn''t attacking. Good. Thenio wasn''t under any illusions that he''d actually be able to reason with them. But there was a small chance that they''d listen to his warning, just out of self-interest. And trying to convince them would help accomplish his real goal: stalling for time in the hopes that Seyli or Ariom would come looking for him soon. It was kind of a pathetic tactic. But it was the best he could do at the moment. "Because I have a chaos affinity. It''s a rare affinity that''s really unstable. Getting exposed to too much external magic power makes my magic go out of control. I got kicked out of the Royal Magic Academy a couple of months ago because my magic kept exploding during classes. Here, look." Thenio held up his hands so they could see the leather straps on his wrists. "These are magic insulation and suppression bands. I have to wear them all the time to help keep my magic stable. But the insulation part is still experimental, and it can''t block that much magic yet. So if you keep using magic around me, you''ll eventually overload it, and my magic will explode." He looked around at the three of them, doing his best to appear sincere. "The four of us could all get serious magic burns. And magic burns hurt. A lot. Believe me, I''ve gotten loads of them." The boys looked at each other. "Do you think he''s telling the truth?" the boy on the left asked hesitantly. The fire magic boy frowned. "Of course not!" He looked back at Thenio. "My dad''s an executive for the enchanter''s guild. He knows everything about magic. And I''ve never heard him say anything about chaos affinities. You just made that up, you rotten liar." "Like I said, chaos affinities are really rare," Thenio repeated patiently. "There have only been about half a dozen since the Great War. So not many people know about them. I''m not saying that your father doesn''t know," he added quickly as the boy''s face twisted in anger. "If he''s a guild executive, he probably does know. But he probably thought it wasn''t important enough to mention to you. There haven''t been any other chaos morphs for about sixty years, and nobody knew that I was one until a couple of months ago. There wouldn''t be much point in telling you about chaos affinities if there aren''t any around, right?" The boy hesitated for a moment, but then he scowled again. "I don''t believe you! If chaos affinities were real, my dad would definitely tell me!" Thenio suppressed a sigh. "It''s on my guild identification badge. I can show¡ª" "We don''t need to see it," the fire affinity boy said loudly, cutting him off. He gave Thenio a sadistic grin. "You said chaos morphs explode when you use a lot of magic around them, right? Then there''s an easy way to check." He held out his arms. A second magic flame appeared, so that both arms were covered. "Wait...I told you...stop!" Thenio raised his hands and sent out his own magic power to form an unsteady shield that blocked the burst of flames that the boy shot at him. It was enough to keep the magic from burning him directly, but as the fire surrounded him, he heard a popping sound coming from first one wrist and then the other. His insulation enchantments had just broken. Within seconds, Thenio felt his magic power start to swell and distort. The magic power he was using to shield himself shuddered, and the heat around him increased as some of the flames started leaking through. He glanced around desperately, looking for anything he could use to stop the attack. The two boys on either side of him were watching with uncertain expressions, and the boy on the left was backing away slightly. Were they unnerved enough that he could get past one of them if he tried to run? If the boy he ran at tackled him, he''d get hurt more seriously if Thenio''s magic exploded, but...well. It wasn''t like he hadn''t warned them. And he was going to lose control any moment now. He was out of time to worry about the consequences. He was just about to make a break for it, when suddenly.... What looked like a cloud of dark grey smoke billowed down from above. As it hit him, Thenio felt it sweep away all the rampaging magic inside of him. There was a flapping sound, and he felt a familiar set of tiny paws land on his shoulder. "Don''t bully Thenio, you big meanie-faces!" Iggy shouted, glaring around at the boys and lashing his tail angrily. "Don''t you know sending magic at him will make him go boom and get hurt?!" The little dragon opened his mouth wide and breathed out another cloud of grey smoke in the direction of the fire magic boy, causing the flames on his arms to vanish. As the smoke cleared, there was a loud growl coming from Thenio''s left. Tava was standing a short distance away, snarling at the three boys. The usually sweet and gentle orchid-colored dragon looked surprisingly ferocious, with her ears back and her teeth bared. She had her wings held up in a threatening pose, and most of her scales were sticking out, making her look a bit like a large purple pinecone. Her tail, like Iggy''s, was whipping around angrily. The three boys all froze, staring at Tava with their eyes wide. "Dragons?" the fire magic boy said, looking shocked. "Oy! This loser is with some real wizards. Let''s get out of here!" Completely abandoning his earlier tough demeanor, he turned and ran down the alley, away from Tava. His two companions followed closely behind him. As they disappeared from view, Seyli appeared at the other end of the alley, panting a little as though she''d been running hard. She paused for a few seconds, looking from the backs of the fleeing boys to her puffed up and growling dragon. Then she hurried over to where Thenio was standing. "Thenio! Are you all right? What happened?" "I...yeah. I''m okay." Thenio let out a long breath and sagged against the wall behind him. "The dragons got here in time, so...I''m okay." He reached up and gave Iggy a grateful pat. ¡°Thanks, Iggy. Tava. You two just saved me a trip to the hospital. And some minor magic burns, at the very least....¡± "What happened?" Seyli repeated, crouching down to stroke Tava, who had come over to them. Her wings and ears were back in their normal position, but her scales were still sticking out a little, and she was glancing around warily. "What were you fighting with those boys about?" "I''ll show you." Thenio was still feeling a little shaky, but he''d caught his breath and calmed down some now. "Here, take Iggy for a minute." He lifted the little dragon off his shoulder and handed him over to Seyli. Then he went over to the stack of crates and got down on his hands and knees to peer into the one the boys had been looking at earlier. Sure enough, he could make out the huddled shape of a light-colored cat in one of the back corners. Thenio lowered himself to his stomach in order to stretch his arm as far as possible into the box. The cat growled a little as he reached out to it, but he held his hand in front of it and waited patiently. After a moment, the cat stopped growling and sniffed his fingers cautiously. He reached a little further and lightly brushed the cat''s cheek with his fingertip. It flinched back at first, but then it relaxed a little as he gently stroked the side of its face. "It''s all right," he said softly. "You''re safe now. The guys that were trying to hurt you are gone. I''m here to help you, okay?" It seemed to be spooked but not particularly afraid of him. It probably wasn''t a stray, then. Thenio slowly moved his hand up to the top of the cat''s head and started lightly scratching around the base of its ears. The cat seemed to enjoy that, and it relaxed a little more. With a mental apology to it, Thenio moved his hand a little further back and then quickly gripped the scruff of the cat''s neck. It made a small squeak of protest and squirmed a little, but he was able to flip it onto its side and slide it carefully out of the crate. As it came out into the light, the cat glared at him and thumped its tail against the ground. Thenio stroked its head soothingly with his other hand. "Hey, calm down. I''m sorry, but I needed to get you out of there. Everything''s okay. I''m not going to hurt you." This was definitely somebody''s lost pet. Thenio had thought it was white at first, but now that he could see it clearly, it was actually a pale cream color with light brown on its face and paws and rows of light brown spots covering its body. That wasn''t a pattern that you typically saw on stray cats. The coat was also soft and smooth, albeit a bit dirty, which indicated the cat had been well cared for until recently. Thenio carefully raised himself into a sitting position and pulled the cat onto his lap. Then he looked over at Seyli. She and the dragons were all staring at the cat with rather surprised expressions. "Hey, you''re studying to be a veterinarian, right? Do you know anything about cats?" Chapter 31 - Reflecting on Past Mistakes It turned out that Iggy''s space pocket contained a small emergency medical kit. It was designed for dragons, of course, but most of what was in it was also usable on cats. And despite Seyli repeating several times that she was only a student and wasn''t qualified to do a real examination, she seemed very familiar with the magic tools in the kit and how to use them to check the cat for injuries or signs of illness. As far as she could tell, he was perfectly healthy apart from a few small scratches, which she treated with healing salve. But he was also extremely hungry. With Iggy''s permission, Seyli took a few snack sticks from the space pocket, and Thenio broke them into pieces for the cat to eat. He had to put them down one or two at a time to keep the ravenous feline from eating too fast and making himself sick. Since the cat was close to the same size as Tava, Seyli took off her harness and put it on him, along with the leash, so that they could let him move around a little without worrying about him running off. The cat didn''t seem to mind. Maybe his owner had leash trained him. Since the dragons made the cat nervous when they got too close to him, the two of them were exploring the alley together, poking around in corners and sniffing at random things. But they''d only been at it for a few minutes when they both perked their ears up and turned toward the entrance to the alleyway. A familiar-looking white and brown wolf appeared at the end of the alley, sniffing at the ground as though she''d been following a scent trail. It was Vielle, the Enchanter''s Guild master''s familiar. When she saw them, she raised her head and wagged her tail. "I found them!" she called to someone behind her. "They''re back here!" She started to run toward Thenio and Seyli, who were sitting on a couple of wooden crates that they''d taken down from the stack the cat had been hiding in. But the cat didn''t appreciate a wolf running at him. He arched his back and let out a fierce hiss, all his fur puffing out just like Tava''s scales had earlier. Vielle stopped and blinked at him. "Oh. I thought I smelled cat...." "What are you all doing back here?" Ariom had appeared behind Vielle, accompanied by the redheaded guild master, Kymia Larinos. He also started toward them but paused after a few steps, just like Vielle had. But rather than looking at the cat, he was staring at a spot on the ground and frowning. "There are recent traces of fire magic here?" Ariom raised his head and looked at the wall where Thenio had been surrounded by the three boys. "And some of Iggy''s magic...?" He turned to look back at Thenio and Seyli, his frown deepening. "What happened? And where did that cat come from?" The cat had stopped hissing, but he was still puffed up and was watching the newcomers warily. Thenio tightened his grip on the leash, just in case the cat decided to run. "Ariom!" Iggy jumped into the air and flew across the alley, landing on the arm that Ariom held out for him. "Ariom, I saved Thenio! A meanie bully was shooting fire at him and making his magic get scared. So I breathed out my magic and scared all the bullies away! Thenio said he was going to need to go to the hospital. But then he didn''t, okay? Because Tava and I saved him!" The little dragon stuck his chest out, looking extremely proud of himself. Ariom raised his eyebrows briefly before lowering them into a frown again. "I see." He rubbed Iggy''s head. "Thank you for helping Thenio. And for calling me to let me know something was wrong. You and Tava both did a really good job. You two can have some fire trout for dinner as a reward, all right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy waved his tail happily. Ariom put the little dragon up on his shoulder and then came over to where Thenio and Seyli were sitting. Thenio could tell from the way that Ariom was looking him up and down as he walked that he was checking on the state of his magic circuit. He came to a stop a few feet away and looked directly at Thenio. "Tell me what happened." Thenio winced a little and lowered his gaze. "That...I''m sorry. It was really reckless of me. I was worried about the cat, and I just wasn''t thinking, and¡ª" "Stop." Ariom held up a hand to cut him off. "I didn''t say you needed to apologize. I just want you to tell me what happened." "Oh." Thenio blinked a few times. "Well...we got some food from one of the stands in the plaza, and then sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. After we finished, Seyli was cleaning up the dragons, and I went to go put the trash in one of the bins on the edge of the picnic area...." He told Ariom everything. How he''d seen the boys chasing the cat and wanted to stop them from hurting it. How he''d confronted them but gotten into trouble when one of them started using magic. And how the dragons had come to his rescue just before he was about to lose control and scared the boys away. Kymia also came closer and listened quietly, standing next to Vielle, who was still watching the cat with interest. When Thenio had finished, Ariom let out a small sigh. "Thenio. Do I need to explain to you why going after those boys was a stupid thing to do?" "I.... No. I understand. I was too emotional and didn''t think the situation through properly before I acted. Since this is the guild district, I should have assumed that one or more of those boys could use magic and that it was dangerous to try to stop them by myself." "Good. Then what should you have done in that situation?" "Probably...asked for help? I should have gone back and told the others about it. The four of us probably could have dealt with it safely if we worked together." Thenio looked down at the cat, who had calmed down a little and was now crouched against the crate he was sitting on, glaring at Vielle. "That might have given them enough time to catch the cat and do something to him, but...well...we probably could have still made it before they...." He didn''t finish. Ariom also looked at the cat for a moment. Then he sighed. "I saw a note in your medical file. About the first time you were treated for magic burns. It said you lost control of your magic because you were upset that your parents had given away your family''s pet cat...." Thenio bit his lip and didn''t say anything. Ariom sighed again. "Just...try to be more careful in the future, all right? Even if you can''t save all the cats in the world...remember that there are people¡ªand dragons¡ªthat will be unhappy if something happens to you, too. Understand?" Thenio nodded. "I agree that coming back to us for help was the best option," Seyli said, looking thoughtful. "We definitely would have been willing to help you rescue a cat. But while you''re reflecting on things...I think the next best thing you could have done would have been to take the offensive once they tried to surround you. At that point, you should have rushed at the leader and given him a good punch or two. If you managed to knock him down, the others probably would have panicked enough that it would have been easy to get past them and run back to find us. Groups with a really dominant leader like that will usually fall apart if the leader takes a hit, since they''re so used to him always having the upper hand." They all stared at her. "You mentioned that you were used to bullies avoiding you because of your magic," Seyli went on, ignoring the stares. "Does that mean you haven''t ever been in a fight before?" Thenio shook his head. "No, not really." "Have you?" Kymia asked, looking at Seyli curiously. "Well...not a fist fight. But I did get bullied quite a lot when I was younger. The other kids at my general school thought my family was extremely wealthy because we have so many dragons. Which isn''t exactly true...since dragons cost so much to take care of.... But anyways. I was really shy and didn''t talk to other people much back then, so some of my classmates started saying I was stuck up and thought I was too good for them. And some girls can get pretty vicious when they''re jealous...." Seyli gave a bitter smile. "My brother Toflyn found out and forced some self-defense lessons on me. I hated it, but I eventually learned that he was right¡ªsome people really do need a nice hard slap in the face before they''re willing to listen to reason." She''d been through something like that? Thenio frowned a little, remembering guiltily that he''d been jealous when he first met her, too.... "I can see Toflyn doing something like that," Kymia said with a wry chuckle. "Such a warm and friendly guy until you pick on someone close to him. Ariom and I have had to deal with the aftermath of his sense of justice on more than one occasion." She turned to Thenio. "Ariom said you''re really good at drawing. Do you remember the faces of the boys who attacked you well enough to draw them for me?" "I think so. But I don''t have any drawing supplies with me...." Kymia gave him a bright smile. "No problem. You can use mine." She held out her hands, and a pad of paper and a canvas pencil roll appeared in them. She handed them over to Thenio and then laughed at the look of surprise on his face. "I''m an aesthetic enchanter," she explained. "Magic luthier, to be specific. I never know when I might run across some kind of inspiration that I want to make a sketch of. So I always carry art supplies with me." "Oh." Thenio looked down at the paper and pencils. Did that have something to do with Ariom trying to convince him to study aesthetic enchanting? He wasn''t exactly sure what kind of relationship Ariom and Kymia had, but they seemed to be on fairly good terms. "I actually have an idea who those three boys might have been," Kymia went on. "But having a picture would help to confirm it. Well...there''s no need to feel pressured, though. Just do the best you can." Thenio nodded. Then he handed the cat''s leash and what was left of the snack sticks over to Seyli so he could focus on drawing. He hesitated a little when he opened the pencil roll and saw that it was filled with top quality pens and pencils. They had probably cost a lot.... But after living with Ariom for a month, he was a little less intimidated by expensive things than he''d been before. And Kymia had told him to use them herself. He shook his head a little, pulled out a pencil, and started sketching. While he drew, Ariom and Kymia went back to the spot where the magic clash had happened and stood there, looking around and talking quietly, like detectives analyzing a crime scene. Vielle started walking up and down the alleyway, sniffing at things and chatting with Iggy, who was trotting along next to her with Tava keeping a watchful eye behind him. Seyli had lifted the cat onto her lap and was feeding him the last of the snack sticks and stroking his back in order to distract him from Vielle and the dragons. It took Thenio about fifteen minutes to complete his drawing. When he walked over and handed it to Kymia, she raised her eyebrows, looking a little surprised. "Not bad. And quick, too...." She nodded approvingly at the drawing. Her expression turned more serious as she continued to study it. "Yes...these three. I expected as much...." She sighed. "We''ve suspected them in a few previous incidents, but we didn''t have any real evidence. This time, though, we should finally be able to do something." "I don''t remember seeing any of them before," Ariom said, looking over her shoulder and frowning at the drawing. "Is one of them really the son of a guild executive?" "I wouldn''t call him that. But I guess if you really want to stretch the definition of ''executive''...." Kymia rolled her eyes. "He''s one of our warehouse managers. The other two are the sons of people who work under him. They''ve been hanging around here on their days off from school the past few months. We''re normally okay with that, as long as the kids don''t cause any trouble. But if they do.... Well." She smiled sweetly. "I''ll take care of it. They won''t be doing this kind of thing ever again." In spite of her pleasant tone, Thenio couldn''t suppress a slight shiver at her words. What had Ariom called her before? ''Maniac?'' ''A force to be reckoned with?'' Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Scary.... Kymia made the drawing vanish into her space pocket. "Well, I think I have everything I need. Come on, Vielle. Let''s get back to work." "Wait...aren''t I in trouble for fighting, too?" Thenio asked as Vielle trotted toward them. Kymia tilted her head. "Do you want to be in trouble?" "I...no, of course not. But...." "If you purposely picked a fight in the guild district, then yes, there would be consequences. You''re a magic assistant registered with the Enchanter''s Guild, after all. So it''s my responsibility to discipline you if it''s needed. But under the circumstances.... Well. You made a mistake. You were careless. But you didn''t have bad intentions, and you didn''t actually hurt anyone. You''ve also already apologized and reflected on your actions. I think any further discipline would be pretty meaningless at this point. Just do what Ariom said¡ªtry to be more careful in the future. Okay?" "Ah...okay." Thenio lowered his gaze. "Thank you. And...I''m sorry for the trouble...." Kymia reached up and patted his shoulder. "Hey, it''s normal for kids to make mistakes, right? The important thing is that you learned something from it." She smiled at him. "Besides, it gave me the chance to see your artistic skills. You have some real talent, you know? Tell me if you''re ever interested in studying aesthetic enchanting, all right? I''ll give you some lessons." "Hey." Ariom scowled at her. "He''s my assistant. No poaching." Kymia simply smirked and stuck out her tongue at him before turning to leave. "Oh, and Thenio," she called back over her shoulder just before she and Vielle left the alleyway. "The next time you have a run-in with bullies here in the guild district, tell them that the Enchanter''s Guild master has promised to personally take anyone who messes with you and turn their intestines into lute strings." She gave him an impish grin. "See how many of them dare to think you''re lying after that." Thenio stood and stared after her for a moment. Then, when the two of them had disappeared from view, he looked at Ariom. "She...was joking...right?" Ariom shrugged. "With her, who knows...?" He turned back to look at the cat, who had finished eating and was settled contentedly on Seyli''s lap. "All right, what do we do with that little troublemaker?" "We could take him home to live at our house!" Iggy said, waving his tail enthusiastically. "I''m pretty sure he already has a home, Iggy, honey," Seyli told him gently. "He has an identification mark on his shoulder, just like you do. So the people he lives with are probably worried about him. They''ll be really sad if someone else takes him home and they never see him again. Not to mention that it''s kind of illegal..." she added with a wry smile. Then she turned to Ariom. "There''s an animal clinic not too far from here. If we take him there, they should be able to look up his registration information and contact his owners. He might even be one of their patients, if he lives in this area." "All right. We''ll take him there." Ariom sighed. "Come on, everyone. I think we''ve had enough adventures for one morning. Let''s drop the cat off and then go home."
"Leave it to that girl to know exactly where the nearest veterinary clinic is...." Ariom shook his head in admiration as he watched Seyli carrying the cat inside. Then he glanced toward the seat behind him. Thenio was still acting extremely contrite, in spite of the fact that neither Ariom nor Kymia had scolded him harshly for what had happened. Ariom had increased his magic suppression a little to help him calm down, and now he was leaning against the side of the carriage with a tired expression, his head down and his shoulders hunched. The dragons both seemed to be worried about him. Thenio had been carrying the cat until a moment ago, and as soon as he''d handed it over to Seyli and she''d left the carriage with it, Tava had whimpered and climbed onto his lap, and Iggy had jumped up onto his shoulder and started licking his face. Ariom grimaced a little. Really, this kid.... Did he honestly think that everyone in the world hated him or something? It was kind of understandable, considering that he''d grown up being isolated by most of the people around him because of his magic. But still...there were plenty of people trying to help him out now, and there were magic beasts literally climbing all over him. Was he really so broken that he couldn''t see any of that? Ariom looked away, feeling awkward. It would be nice if Uncle Bero were still around. He always seemed to know what to do in these kinds of situations. Things like this didn''t come naturally to Ariom at all. That was why he hardly ever took on apprentices. He thought back to his uncle''s advice when he''d had to interact with Thenio''s little brother the other day. Would that work with Thenio, too? He was quite a lot older than Kleyo was, but...maybe? Ariom looked back at Thenio. What would he do if Iggy were the one curled up looking guilty and miserable like that? Hesitantly, he reached out his hand. "Hey." He lightly ruffled Thenio''s hair, making the boy start and look up. "You don''t need to keep making that face. Nobody''s mad at you. We''re just glad you didn''t get hurt. It was an understandable mistake. There''s no need to beat yourself up over it. Just learn from it and move on." "Ah...right," Thenio said in a small voice. "Thanks." He looked away again, obviously still uncomfortable meeting Ariom''s gaze. But his posture did relax a little. Well. One step at a time.
Thenio dreamed about chasing a cat that night. They were running through a forest, and the cat was only visible as flashes of light-colored fur appearing here and there in the undergrowth. Thenio ran as fast as he could, but it always managed to stay a little distance ahead of him. After a while, they reached the edge of the forest and ran out onto a grassy cliffside. Thenio could finally see the cat clearly, and he realized it wasn''t a cat at all. It was a small white fox. Its fur glittered in the sunlight as it moved, as though it were made from frost crystals. Thenio realized that the fox was heading toward the cliff, and he suddenly felt a terrible sense of foreboding. "No! You can''t go there!" he shouted after it. "There''s something dangerous down there! Come back!" But the fox either didn''t hear him or ignored his warning. It was now running along the cliff edge. He had to catch it. He couldn''t let it fall. Something terrible would happen if it fell... Thenio used all his strength in order to put on an extra burst of speed and was finally able to move closer to the running animal. That''s right. Just a little more. Just a little closer, and he''d be able to reach out and.... There was a sudden, deafening rumble. Thenio felt the ground beneath his feet start to shift and break apart. The cliff was collapsing, and he and the fox were both falling along with it. As his body tilted downward, Thenio looked down through the rubble and saw...something...running along the bottom of the cliff. It was like a river, but it wasn''t water. It was a dark color that shifted and shimmered, and points of light sparkled here and there. It looked like a starry sky that had melted into a running stream. Thenio had no idea what it was, but the sight horrified him. For some reason, he felt sure that as soon as he fell into that river of stars, the entire world was going to break apart and come crashing down around him.... Then he heard the sound of flapping wings. No. Not that. You don''t need to dream about that. White and indigo feathers obscured his view. And suddenly the crumbling cliff and the unknown, terrifying river were all gone. He was standing in a familiar, misty forest. The dream beast was there, with one of its huge wings wrapped protectively around him. Thenio fell to his knees. He felt weak and sick, and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. The dream beast knelt down beside him and used its wings to lift him up and cradle him against its chest. Thenio closed his eyes and buried his face into the soft mane. He''d normally feel embarrassed about being held like a child like this, but right now he didn''t care. He didn''t remember ever being so terrified as he''d been just now, looking at that strange river. He was still trembling.... He wasn''t sure how long they stayed like that. Thenio''s breathing gradually slowed, and he stopped shaking. The dream beast simply sat and waited, holding him comfortingly. Finally, Thenio calmed down enough to raise his head a little. "What...was that? That shining...river...thing...?" It was just a nightmare. Forget about it. The beast''s words were gentle but very firm at the same time. It clearly didn''t want to discuss the subject. Thenio didn''t argue. He''d just as soon forget about it...if he could.... He bit his lip and rested his head against the white fur again. He was calmer now, but he still felt drained and weak. The dream beast sighed a little. I have to be careful not to use too much of my power around you. But...maybe I can make the scenery a little more cheerful.... It tossed its head, and sunlight started seeping through the dim forest, chasing away the mist. A soft chorus of birdsong started up in the surrounding trees, accompanied by the gurgling of a nearby stream. Thenio raised his head again and looked around. He recognized this place. He''d dreamed about it before.... They were on the edge of a clearing in a peaceful, sunlit forest. A little distance away, Thenio could see the white and gold shapes of unicorns grazing. "This place...Ket''qe?" That''s right. This place makes you happy, doesn''t it? "Yeah...it does...." It was true. Thenio didn''t understand it, but he felt at ease here in a way that no other place had ever made him feel. He sat there quietly, watching the unicorns and allowing the pleasant atmosphere to relax and soothe him. "I met a girl recently who knows a lot about magic beasts," he said after a while. "I asked her if she knew anything about dream beasts." Oh? And what did she say? Thenio looked up at the dream beast and then back out across the meadow. "She was pretty sure that they were just a folktale. She said she didn''t think any magic beasts like that really exist. So in order for you to be real...you''d have to be something like a mythic beast...." Is there something wrong with being a mythic beast? "Well...no...but...." Thenio lowered his gaze, biting his lip again. "I''ve always heard that mythic beasts don''t involve themselves with humans. They''re powerful enough that they don''t need to pay any attention to us. And I''m not a very useful human. I might be interesting to researchers, but I can''t even use magic properly...I had to drop out of school...I explode every time I come in contact with magic...I...." He trailed off, his throat tightening painfully. "I just...don''t think a mythic beast would be interested in someone like me...." The dream beast threw back its head. It didn''t make any sound, but the entire forest surrounding them quivered slightly, the air shimmering like it was filled with gold dust. It was laughing. The beast was laughing...but...there was an undertone of sadness there as well.... After a minute, it lowered its head again, and its silver blue eyes looked directly into his. Thenio. It was the first time it had called him by name. My poor, silly...insecure.... The dream beast sighed. ...precious boy. It bent down and gently nuzzled his face, and Thenio felt its wings wrap more securely around him. I''ll always be interested in you. Whether you believe I''m real or not.... Whether you''re ever able to control your magic or not.... No matter what happens...I''ll always be watching over you. I promise.
Thenio woke up to the feeling of little paws on his chest and a tiny tongue licking his cheek. "Iggy...?" The licking stopped. "Oh. Thenio''s awake." Thenio blinked a few times and was able to see the faint outline of a little dragon face peering down at him. "Did Thenio have a bad dream? You were moving around. And then your eyes started leaking water." Thenio raised a hand and felt his face. Sure enough, there were traces of tears on his cheeks. "It...yeah. It was a bad dream at first. Though it got a little better at the end...." He sighed. Then he lifted Iggy off his chest and sat up. Still holding the little dragon in one arm, he got out of bed and walked over to the window. Moonlight was peeking in around the edges of the curtains. He pushed them aside and knelt down on the window seat to look outside. Both moons were out tonight, hanging low together in the sky, just over the tops of the mountains. Theimi, the small white moon, was nestled closely beside Emiel, the large grey moon. They were nearly full, and even the darker Emiel was shining brightly. Thenio sat and stared at them for a while, stroking Iggy. "Does Thenio like the moons?" the little dragon asked, breaking the long silence. "Yeah. I''ve always liked them. Do you?" "Mmm!" Thenio could feel Iggy''s tail waving a little. "The moons are pretty! Like big, shiny marbles in the sky." Thenio laughed. "Right. Like that." They were both quiet for a few more minutes. "Hey, Iggy. Do you remember when we were talking about dream beasts with Seyli at the bookstore this morning?" "About the wing-deers? Mmm! I remember!" Thenio stared at the sky, looking at the little white spots scattered over Emiel''s dark surface. "Do you think they''re real?" "Um...maybe they''re real? Seyli said maybe they were, right? She said maybe they were mythic beasts, right? Like the big turtle!" "Right. Like Naslunal. Probably not that big, though...." Naslunal was one of the few mythic beasts whose name and form were well-known. He was an enormous turtle that wandered the ocean like a living, floating island. He occasionally allowed humans to come onto his shell to harvest the rare magic plants that grew there. "Does Thenio think the wing-deers are real?" Iggy asked curiously. Thenio was silent for a moment, watching as the moons began sinking down behind the mountains together. "I''m not sure," he said finally. "But I think it would be really nice if they were...." Origin Story 2 - The Most Important Thing About Magic Theo sat by himself at a table in a quiet corner of the courtyard. There was a notebook open to a blank page lying in front of him. He¡¯d been there for close to an hour. Occasionally he frowned at the notebook or tapped his pen restlessly on the blank page. But he still hadn¡¯t written anything. A sudden clattering sound made him jump and look up. A tiny black dragon?¡ª?smaller than a cat?¡ª?had just landed on the other side of the table. It was looking curiously at Theo¡¯s notebook with bright orange eyes. ¡°What are you staring at? Something? interesting? Can I look?¡± Theo blinked in surprise. The dragon was able to speak, which meant it was a wizard¡¯s familiar. He didn¡¯t remember any of the academy staff having a dragon like this, though. It must belong to someone visiting the campus. ¡°It¡¯s not really¡­.¡± Theo finally recovered enough to realize the dragon had asked him something. ¡°It¡¯s just a notebook. I¡¯m working on my homework.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The dragon tilted its head. Theo could see two little horn buds growing between its ears. Didn¡¯t only male dragons have horns? ¡°Then how come you¡¯re not writing anything? Doesn¡¯t homework mean writing stuff?¡± ¡°Well, usually it does. But I haven¡¯t decided what to write yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard? What kind of homework is it?¡± Was it normal for a dragon to be this interested in homework? Theo didn¡¯t really know much about dragons. How would he? Even the common, non-magical breeds were painfully expensive. Elemental dragons?¡ª?the kind that could use magic and become familiars?¡ª?were completely out of the realm of affordability for ordinary people. The little creature sitting in front of him was probably worth more than everything Theo¡¯s family owned combined. The thought made him feel slightly sick. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a little hard, yes. It¡¯s a project for my enchanting class.¡± Theo pushed his thoughts about the unfairness of life aside. One thing he did know about dragons was that any wizard who was able to have one as a familiar was most likely wealthy and powerful and not at all the sort of person you wanted to offend. It was best to just politely answer the dragon¡¯s questions. ¡°The assignment is to design an enchantment matrix to inscribe on an everyday object," he explained. "I¡¯ve altered inscriptions to fit different objects before, but this is my first time designing the whole thing from scratch, without any specific guidelines. I¡¯m having a hard time figuring out what to make.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like a big deal the way he said it, but the fact was that Theo was in trouble. He¡¯d always planned to study enchanting when he came to the academy, and he¡¯d done his best to prepare for it. But the classes were even harder than he¡¯d expected. He¡¯d made it through the first year reasonably well due to sheer grit and hard work. But now, in his second year, the difficulty was only increasing, and Theo was starting to fall behind in spite of his desperate efforts. This assignment was the final project for the class and would have a significant impact on his end of term assessment. If he couldn¡¯t come up with something good enough¡­. But he didn¡¯t want to talk about that. Didn¡¯t even want to think about it. And surely a dragon familiar?¡ª?the symbol of wizardly success?¡ª?wouldn¡¯t care about the struggles of a lowly academy student. No point bringing it up. The dragon did seem plenty interested in Theo¡¯s homework for some reason, though. ¡°You need to make a new enchantment?¡± His tiny body was wriggling with excitement. ¡°I know, I know! You should make a toy!¡± ¡°A¡­toy?¡± Theo wasn¡¯t sure he had heard correctly. Even if he hadn¡¯t said anything about needing something brilliant enough to save his academic career, wasn¡¯t it just common sense that you didn¡¯t make toys for school assignments? This was the Royal Academy of Magic, not a children¡¯s playground. ¡°Yup! Alfred¡¯s always making toys. He comes up with lots of new enchantments that way. So if you need a new enchantment, you should make toys!¡± ¡°Alfred is your contract partner?¡± Theo had a hard time imagining a rich and powerful wizard who made toys all day. ¡°Alfred is Alfred,¡± the dragon said, unhelpfully. ¡°Oh! And I¡¯m Iggy. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Theo.¡± Shouldn¡¯t the introductions have come before now? This conversation was a bit of a mess. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll remember. Theo.¡± Based on the resolute way Iggy nodded as he said this, Theo guessed that for him to actually remember someone¡¯s name was the exception, not the rule. ¡°So, Theo. It¡¯s like this. Making toys for magic beasts is really tricky, see? Because we¡¯re good at destroying stuff!¡± The little dragon looked rather proud of himself. ¡°I guess that makes sense. Most magic beasts are strong.¡± ¡°Right? So Alfred has to come up with lots of ways to keep my toys from breaking and catching on fire and getting lost behind the bookshelves. That¡¯s why toys help him think of so many new enchantments! He says it¡¯s annoying that toys need so much stuff, but he learns lots about enchanting and scribing that way. Lots and lots! He said making things for me is even better than going to school!¡± Theo, who was currently in school studying enchanting and scribing and was working himself to the bone trying to stay there, frowned at this but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°But that¡¯s not even the most important part, you know? Alfred says making toys helps him to not forget the most important thing about studying magic. Because, see? He complains sometimes about how he has to make new toys with better enchantments when mine break or get lost. But really he doesn¡¯t mind. Because he thinks making toys is fun. And that¡¯s it! The very, very, very important thing!¡± Iggy fluttered his wings dramatically. ¡°Magic is supposed to be fun!¡± Theo stared incredulously. ¡°Hah¡­?¡± ¡°Magic should be fun,¡± Iggy repeated. ¡°Alfred says magic schools are way too much work, and certification exams are a serious pain in the neck, so if you don¡¯t think magic is fun, you¡¯re better off becoming a chicken farmer.¡± ¡°A¡­chicken¡­farmer¡­?¡± There was a muscle twitching in Theo¡¯s left cheek. Both his parents were magic assistants?¡ª?a term that most people in the magic community equated with ''academy flunkouts.'' Assistants were people who had some magic training but weren¡¯t certified by the Wizard Association. They were allowed to do magic-related work, but it was restricted to low-level jobs, like copying inscriptions or prepping alchemy ingredients, under the supervision of a certified wizard. It was decent enough work, but it brought neither high regard nor a high salary. Not compared to the kind of jobs fully-qualified wizards had. This discrepancy had been rankling Theo¡¯s parents for years, and as a result, magic study was taken very seriously in their household. He had grown up with constant lectures on how important it was to graduate from the academy and secure a good future for himself. And now that he was here, there were constant lectures from his teachers about the privilege of studying magic and the need to take responsibility for his growing abilities, including plenty of horror stories of what could happen to magic students who were reckless or lazy. These ranged anywhere from death and dismemberment, in the worst cases, to being expelled from the academy and doomed to spend the rest of his life struggling to make his rent payments. Magic was a serious matter. It wasn¡¯t about having fun. Theo knew he was at a disadvantage compared to most of his classmates. He wasn¡¯t especially talented at magic, and he didn¡¯t come from a family with wealth and connections. His only chance of making it through school and getting the certification he so desperately wanted was to work harder than everyone around him. He didn¡¯t have time to play around. And he certainly wasn¡¯t going to give up and go raise chickens! ¡°Well, sometimes he says turnip farmer instead.¡± Iggy seemed oblivious to Theo¡¯s indignation. ¡°But usually it¡¯s chickens.¡± ¡°Like turnips are any better!¡± Theo snapped, completely forgetting his earlier resolution to be polite. ¡°Is this Alfred of yours even a real wizard? What kind of wizard would say farming is a better career than magic?¡± Iggy flattened his ears and scowled. ¡°Of course he¡¯s a real wizard! He has a badge and everything.¡± ¡°So what if he has a badge? He probably comes from a crazy rich family, right? Maybe he¡¯s even a noble? I bet he only managed to get certified because his parents put out a load of money to pay for private tutors and to let him take the certification exam as many times as he needed to. Look, they could even afford to buy him an elemental dragon! There¡¯s no way he earned the money for you all on his own. School is too much work? Certification is too big a hassle? The most important thing is to have fun? I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s got a badge. A clown like that doesn¡¯t deserve to be called a real wizard!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not like that!¡± Iggy smacked the table with his wings, making a surprisingly loud sound. ¡°Alfred¡¯s a good wizard! A really, really good one!¡± A few sparks flew out of his mouth as he spoke. His element must be fire? Theo hastily pulled his books out of the way. ¡°His parents didn¡¯t help him with school at all. And he did too buy me with his own money! He won a contest and got lots of money for a prize. And he bought me when I was still an egg and helped me hatch!¡± ¡°He got that much? In prize money? Do you have any idea how much dragons like you cost? What kind of contest has a prize that big?¡± ¡°It was¡­um¡­the flower contest¡­um¡­some kind of flower¡­.¡± Iggy screwed up his face and started tapping his tail against the tabletop. ¡°Daisy? Begonia? No¡­.¡± His expression suddenly brightened. ¡°Rose! It was the Rose Craft Contest!¡± ¡°Rose Craft? I¡¯ve never heard of?¡ª?¡± Theo broke off, his face stiffening. ¡°Wait¡­. You¡¯re not talking about the Roshencroft Contest, are you?¡± ¡°Ro¡­shen¡­croft?¡± Iggy cocked his head to one side. ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®Rose Craft¡¯? Huh. I always thought it was weird that he won a flower contest by making a new kind of water pump. But I thought maybe it was because it was for watering flowers. So it still kind of counted?¡±? Theo shook his head, his expression somewhat dazed. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. Roshencroft is one of the most prestigious magic competitions in the world. You need a Master-level certification to even participate.¡± ¡°I told you he was a really good wizard.¡± Iggy flattened his ears again. He seemed to have stopped thinking about flowers long enough to remember he¡¯d been upset. ¡°You¡¯re the one who won¡¯t believe me and said lots of not-true mean things. But I can prove it! I¡¯ll show you that Alfred really is a really good wizard. Really, really! Just let me get my ball. It flew over here somewhere¡­.¡± A ball? Theo had been so caught off guard by Iggy¡¯s sudden appearance and their odd conversation that it hadn¡¯t even occurred to him until now to wonder why the dragon was here in the first place. Was he playing with a ball in the courtyard and ended up chasing it over to this corner by coincidence? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Such rotten luck. Theo cursed himself for deciding to study outside today instead of in the library. Iggy didn¡¯t fly off to start looking for his ball, as Theo had hoped he would. He simply lifted his right foreleg. When it caught the sunlight, there was a sparkle from a dark blue band just above the paw. It was only a little lighter than Iggy¡¯s black scales, so Theo hadn¡¯t noticed it before. The dragon channeled some of his magic power into the band, making it glow softly. A few seconds passed. Then there was a rustling noise, and a bright blue, apple-sized ball came floating out of a nearby bush. It flew over to Iggy, who jumped and caught it deftly in his front paws. ¡°See?¡± he said proudly, rolling the ball across the table to Theo. ¡°This is my ball. Alfred made it!¡± Theo looked at it skeptically. It looked like an ordinary rubber ball. The sort you¡¯d see children playing with at city parks. He had to admit that the levitation and attraction functions that allowed Iggy to retrieve the ball when it was lost in the bushes were clever, but they weren¡¯t exactly Roshencroft Contest level. ¡°Not like that. You¡¯re looking at it wrong,¡± Iggy scolded him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a glass? You need to look at it with a glass.¡± Theo raised an eyebrow but obediently opened his school bag and pulled out a scribing loupe. Presumably that¡¯s what Iggy had meant by ''a glass,'' although technically they were made with transparent magic crystals, not actual glass. Enchantment inscriptions took up physical space, so you could only fit so much on a small object like Iggy¡¯s ball. Obviously, you could get around this to some extent by simply shrinking the inscription, though there were limits to how small they could get before they stopped working properly. Higher level scribes were able to work at smaller scales. But even an Apprentice level scribe could create inscriptions that were too small to read with the naked eye. That was where the loupe came in. It showed a magically enhanced version of the inscription and would let Theo see the little blue ball¡¯s enchantment work in detail. He wasn¡¯t really expecting to see much. He already knew the ball had attraction and levitation functions. Based on what Iggy had said about his toys breaking and catching fire, there would probably also be physical reinforcement and fire resistance. Plus some kind of signal relay that connected the ball to the bracelet Iggy had used to summon it out of the bushes. That was five functions. If this Alfred fellow was an Apprentice enchanter?¡ª?the lowest certification rank, which Theo thought was the most likely, despite Iggy¡¯s grandiose claims?¡ª?there would be one or two more, at most. If he was actually a Journeyman, there might be as many as twenty. And in the unlikely event that he really was a Master enchanter¡­. Well, that probably wasn¡¯t the case. And how many enchantment functions did a rubber ball need, anyway? More than a dozen would be stupid, even if you were capable of it. Repeating these pessimistic, yet oddly comforting, thoughts to himself, Theo held up the loupe. And promptly choked. ¡°What in the?¡ª?? What is this thing?!¡± The loupe slipped from his hand and clattered to the table, but Theo ignored it. He was too busy staring, aghast, at the ridiculous object in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s my ball,¡± Iggy repeated. ¡°Alfred made it. It says so in the box.¡± Slowly, Theo picked up the loupe and looked into it again. It wasn¡¯t quite as startling the second time, but the sight still made his head spin. He thought a dozen functions was too many? This had to have hundreds. Magic formations upon magic formations. Layered. Intersecting. Engraved with incredibly tiny and precise writing. It was by far the most advanced enchantment matrix Theo had ever seen. And it was inscribed on a rubber ball, of all things¡­. Theo stared a moment longer and then shook his head to clear it. He turned his gaze away from the intricate formations and looked around the edges of the inscription for the information box that Iggy had mentioned. This was a standard feature for inscriptions. It usually contained a brief description of the enchanted item and the name of the maker, but it sometimes had things like dedications or usage instructions. Or even totally unrelated things like proverbs or poetry.
Iggy¡¯s Ball, Prototype #37 Version notes: Adjustments to collision avoidance. Improved power transfer efficiency of controller. Glow function updated with flame imitation feature (Iggy¡¯s request). Created by Alfred Denifort
There was an identification seal below the text. This mark both uniquely identified a wizard and showed their certification type and rank. Theo had already suspected it when he saw the inscription¡¯s unbelievable complexity, but now this seal told him for sure. Alfred Denifort wasn¡¯t an Apprentice. He wasn¡¯t a Master, either. ¡°Grandmaster enchanter¡­?¡± Theo whispered in dismay. ¡°Are you serious? I called a Grandmaster a clown? I¡¯m so dead¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll mind the clown part,¡± Iggy said thoughtfully. ¡°But he might be a little unhappy that you think he¡¯s not serious about magic because he¡¯s a clown. Magic is serious. And hard. But magic is fun, too! That¡¯s why he can keep being serious about it. He says otherwise he would get sick of how hard it is and quit. And we would go live on a farm and raise chickens. I like chickens. But I like Alfred¡¯s toys more! So I¡¯m glad he doesn¡¯t want to quit magic.¡± What was it with this guy and chickens¡­? Theo sighed. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say he¡¯s not serious after seeing this thing. If anything, he¡¯s too serious. The 37th prototype? Really? For a toy ball?¡± ¡°I told you, they keep having problems, so he has to make better ones. The very first ball he made for me when I was a baby was just fire-proof and chew-proof because he didn¡¯t know it needed other things. But that ball was made from leather, so I couldn¡¯t play with it in the bathtub. So he made me a waterproof ball. "Then I got bigger and learned to fly!¡± Iggy spread his wings wide in illustration. ¡°So I started taking the ball up to play on top of the bookshelves in the library, and it kept falling behind them by accident, so he added the floating magic to make it easier to get it out. Only it went under the big cabinet sometimes, too, and the floating magic didn¡¯t help there, so he put in the magic that makes the ball come when you call it. "But it was too strong! Alfred accidentally used it instead of the floating magic one time when the ball was behind a bookshelf, and it came out by knocking the shelf over! We almost got squashed! So he had to fix that. "And then I hit one of the academy deans in the face on accident with one of the later balls, so Alfred added another enchantment that made it avoid people. But that one was too strong, too! The ball kept running away, and nobody could catch it! Alfred finally got it with a net on a long pole. And he fixed the anti-people enchantment. But then it gave him the idea of making the ball run away from me sometimes, so I could chase it around. And so then¡­.¡± Theo listened in amazement as Iggy rattled off the developmental history of his toy. Was it really okay for a Grandmaster enchanter to mess things up that much? Though it sounded like Iggy was responsible for most of the ball¡¯s necessary upgrades. Who knew there were so many ways for a tiny dragon to cause mayhem with a single toy¡­? ¡°¡­but then when it was wintertime, I kept losing it in the snow, so Alfred made it so the ball could change color. So then he would turn it bright red for me whenever I took it outside. Then later, when I started learning how to use magic, he taught me how to change the color by myself so I could do it to practice my magic control. "Only¡­well, it was really hard at first, you know? So with one of the balls?¡ª?I think it was number 24??¡ª?I kind of¡­used too much power. On accident. And the ball sort of¡­blew up. And set the table on fire. So we don¡¯t go to that restaurant anymore. Even though I¡¯m lots, lots better at controlling magic now! And when he made the next ball, Alfred stabilized that formation, so now it doesn¡¯t?¡ª?¡± Iggy¡¯s monologue was finally interrupted by the chiming of the academy¡¯s clock tower, echoing across the campus. ¡°Oh.¡± The dragon turned his head toward the sound. ¡°I have to go. Alfred said to come back when the clock made sounds. His meeting is supposed to get over now. And he said that when we¡¯re done here at the school, we can go to Mr. Kraken¡¯s place and get spicy fish balls! They¡¯re my favorite!¡± He turned back to Theo, his tail waving excitedly. ¡°Have fun making your toy, okay? I¡¯ll come back and see it when Alfred has a meeting again.¡± Before Theo could even say anything, Iggy jumped off the table and flapped off in the direction of the academy¡¯s administration building. The blue ball floated after him. ¡°Bye, Theo!¡± The little dragon vanished almost as abruptly as he had appeared, leaving a bemused Theo staring after him. ¡°I never said I was going to make a toy¡­¡± he muttered to the empty air. ¡°And who is Mr. Kraken supposed to be? Honestly¡­. Are all dragons that weird?¡± Theo looked at his abandoned notebook. It was still open to a blank page. The clock chime meant he had another hour before he needed to head back to the dormitory for dinner. Now that the bizarre interruption was finally over, he could forget about that crazy little dragon and get back to work. Except¡­. He stared down at the notebook, looking almost the same as he had before Iggy landed on his table. But the thoughts running through his head were a bit different now. ¡°What kind of toys do dragons even like?¡± he found himself wondering aloud. Balls, obviously. But Alfred the Grandmaster already had that one well covered. Any ball that Theo tried to make would be only the palest of imitations compared to that masterpiece. He had no idea what else would make a good dragon toy, though. Come to think of it, he wasn¡¯t even that familiar with human toys. He¡¯d never had very many of them. His parents thought things like toys were a waste of time and money that could be better spent on magic studies. As soon as Theo was old enough to start reading, he was given books and magic tools rather than children¡¯s toys. He¡¯d seen dogs playing with toys¡­. But he wasn¡¯t sure about the specifics of those either. His mother didn¡¯t like animals much and thought that pets were a waste of time and money, just like toys. They did have a cat for a while when Theo was small, but she wasn¡¯t considered a pet. Just a cheap, temporary way to control the mice while his parents saved up enough to buy a set of magic traps. They¡¯d never even given her a name, let alone toys. No, wait. That wasn¡¯t completely true. Theo had once dropped a crumpled piece of paper on the floor unintentionally and was surprised to see the cat pounce on it and start batting it around. After that, he would occasionally ball up scraps of waste paper and let her play with them before he threw them away. Though he got in trouble with his mother over it, since the cat usually tore up the paper and made a mess. ¡°Structural reinforcement would keep it from tearing,¡± he mused. ¡°But I¡¯d have to alter the standard formations to make sure it isn¡¯t too rigid. The edges could get really sharp. I should try to keep it close to the original paper texture. And if Iggy¡¯s really going to come back and see it, it had better have a fire resistance formation in there¡­maybe water, too¡­.¡± He stopped and shook himself suddenly. ¡°What am I even doing? Am I seriously thinking about enchanting a crumpled piece of paper? The professor will think I¡¯m completely¡­.¡± He stopped again. He couldn¡¯t help thinking back to Iggy¡¯s blue ball. It was just a childish toy, but it was an amazing piece of enchanting work. Surely nobody would give that a failing grade. Wasn¡¯t his assignment to enchant an everyday item? Didn¡¯t a crumpled ball of paper fit that description? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that scribing on crumpled paper was actually a surprisingly complex task. Could you add the inscription when the paper was still flat? Or did it have to be done after it was crumpled up? Some of both? Does the change in shape affect the function of the magic formations? Ink the inscription or engrave it? Was engraving on ordinary paper even possible with his skill level? If he used ink, what kind was best? Thoughts buzzing, Theo picked up his pen. Then he hesitated, pen poised over the blank page. After being so critical of what Iggy had told him earlier, his pride stung as he realized he was actually on the verge of following the little dragon¡¯s advice. There was a long moment of silence. ¡°Well¡­I don¡¯t have any better ideas right now, do I? And it¡¯s not like I actually have to turn this in. It¡¯s just¡­a warm-up. Right? Someplace to get started.¡± He slowly lowered the pen. ¡°Even a Grandmaster had to remake his project thirty-six times to get it that good. So let¡¯s¡­let¡¯s just call this Prototype #1. And we¡¯ll see where it goes.¡± Then Theo finally started writing.
Off-Stage Chat Alfred:
Do you have something against chickens, Theo? What, you think they¡¯re boring? You¡¯ve never seen dullahan chickens, have you? Non-stop action, right there. It¡¯s a bit of a hassle to keep them under control, actually. You wouldn¡¯t believe the kind of enchantments my Uncle Barnaby had to have put on his chicken coop¡­. The eggs are good for making magic crystals, though. So the profits aren¡¯t bad, even if the initial investment is a bit steep. And the chickens themselves are great for keeping hyper little dragons busy. Iggy can chase those things around for hours. You shouldn¡¯t underestimate turnips, either! Zombie turnips are loads of fun. You don¡¯t even have to pull them up to harvest them. Just wait until they¡¯re fully grown, and they¡¯ll dig themselves out of the ground. You just have to chase after them and pick them up. They¡¯re slow, so it¡¯s not hard. But they bite sometimes, so you¡¯ll probably want gloves. Or a net. Or both. Did you know? Zombie turnips are actually a hybrid of turnips and mandrakes. They were developed by an alchemy professor at the Royal Academy, who originally sold the seeds under the name ''Turn Up Turnips.'' But nobody calls them that anymore. Seeing a horde of them shambling around the farmyard trying to eat the tops off the other vegetables seems to put people out of the mood for puns for some reason¡­.
Theo:
Who immediately thinks of undead when somebody mentions chickens?! Aren¡¯t those a Class C Restricted Species? Don¡¯t you have to be certified in necromancy to raise them?
Alfred:
That¡¯s right. My uncle is a Master rank necromancer. He¡¯d probably be a Grandmaster by now if he¡¯d stuck with traditional study instead of becoming a farmer. Unfortunately, they don¡¯t test farming knowledge in the necromancy certification exams.
Theo:
A Master-level necromancer working as a farmer?! As if the Grandmaster enchanter making toys wasn¡¯t bad enough! What¡¯s wrong with this family?!
Iggy (singing):
Spicy, spicy, spicy Don¡¯t you taste so nicey? Fiiiiiish balls! Spicy fiiiiiish balls!
Theo:
I can hear my normalcy breaking¡­. (¨i©n¨i)
Chapter 32 - The Grandmaster Makes a Decision Ariom closed the book he was reading and tossed it aside with a sigh. It landed on top of several other books that were lying on the sofa next to him. There were papers scattered across the table in front of the sofa, along with another tall stack of books. Ariom leaned back and looked over the mess. There were books on rare alchemical materials...books on magic power enhancement...books on making magic inks...books on flesh enchantments...the books on demons that he''d purchased that morning...the information on the Order of the Ravener that he''d requested from the Wizard Association and had gone to the Enchanter''s Guild to pick up.... He''d spent most of the afternoon and evening looking through them all. He glanced up at the clock on the mantel. It was after midnight. He really should get some sleep. Thenio had gone to bed hours ago, and Iggy had snuck into his bedroom a little while later. After the incident with the cat, Ariom had told Thenio to take it easy for the rest of the day, so he''d spent the afternoon playing around with Seyli and the dragons and drawing in his sketchbook. He seemed to be back to his usual self by dinnertime, but Iggy was still a bit worried about him and had wanted to sleep together. Ariom''s gaze moved to a framed picture on the mantel next to the clock. It was a recent addition¡ªa watercolor painting of Iggy flying after a toy bird. Thenio had given it to him, along with the painting and letter that were supposed to be sent to General Obarin. He said he¡¯d wanted to do something to thank Ariom for his help in getting the acrobatics equipment as well. It was a nice painting. The boy seemed to have quite a talent for remembering things he''d seen and reproducing them on paper. Even Kymia had been impressed with the drawing he''d done for her. She''d been very casual when she suggested giving him some lessons on aesthetic enchanting, but Ariom knew that she wouldn''t make that kind of offer to just anyone. From his point of view, aesthetic enchanting was obviously a good fit for someone like Thenio. But the boy was oddly reluctant to learn more about it. Something about the subject seemed to bother him, but he didn''t want to say what it was. Ariom didn''t push him. Thenio was studying enchanting theory, he was learning thaumaturgy, and he was practicing drawing and painting. It would be easy enough for him to put them all together whenever he was ready. Ariom stood up and stretched. Then he walked over to the window. The two moons were partially visible through the branches of a tree, just starting to set below the mountains. Though the moons had proper names, they were often called the ''father'' and ''son'' moons because when they were close to each other, like they were tonight, it looked like the larger moon was standing behind the smaller one, like a father protecting his child. ...or maybe a slightly foolish but kindhearted boy protecting a cat. Ariom frowned a little as he stared at the night sky, thinking about the events of the day. Thenio''s run-in with the other boys kept bothering him. The incident itself wasn''t really the problem. It had ended well enough, after all. Thenio wasn''t hurt and had learned some valuable lessons. And the dragons got to feel proud of themselves and receive some extra praise and treats for helping him. Kymia had dealt with the three boys. She''d sent Ariom a message that afternoon that simply read: Found them. It''s all taken care of. He didn''t know exactly what that meant...and didn''t think he wanted to know.... But they probably wouldn''t have to worry about Thenio''s safety when they visited the guild district in the future. Things had even worked out well for the cat. Seyli said that the veterinary clinic they''d taken it to had indeed identified it as one of their patients. The cat had apparently been reported missing a couple of days ago, so they''d been watching for it and said they would contact its owners right away. No, the part that bothered Ariom was how Thenio had reacted to being attacked. He obviously needed to do his best to avoid too much exposure to magic power for the time being. But a few low-power fireballs shouldn''t have been enough to send him into a panic like that. He was learning to be afraid of magic.... There were plenty of people who didn''t like magic, of course. Large numbers of magic users had died during the Great War and the Rift Crisis, and since magic users were the only ones who could fight against demons, they had continued dying ever since. So non-magic people were the majority now. And quite a few of them were either jealous of the wealth and power that wizards had or viewed them with suspicion. The fierce competition between different magic clans had led up to the Great War, after all. And though no one was sure exactly what had caused the demon rifts to start forming, one common theory was that the huge amounts of magic power being used during the fighting had somehow triggered it. There were good reasons to be afraid of magic. But still.... Despite all the challenges he''d faced so far, Thenio clearly enjoyed studying magic. It would be a terrible shame if such an intelligent and hard-working young magic user turned his back on the profession out of fear.... The moons had sunk out of sight now. Ariom sighed and turned back toward his mess of books and papers. They were a distraction¡ªhe knew that. All this research he was doing was really just a way to put off having to make a decision about the job for the Royal Guard. He didn''t want to take it. The subject was both unpleasant and dangerous to deal with. The military was involved. And if his theory about the enchantments he''d been studying for the past week and a half was correct, he was going to have to delve far too deeply into a part of his past that he''d prefer to forget in order to get the job done. But.... He looked at the painting on the mantel again. Thenio really had done a remarkable job of capturing the little dragon''s emotions¡ªthe joy of flying and the excitement of the hunt. If there was a chance it would help save a boy who could paint pictures like that...who treated Iggy like his little brother¡ªreading and playing with him and letting him sleep in his room whenever he wanted to...a boy who was willing to put himself in danger just to protect a lost cat.... ...maybe that was worth taking on an unpleasant job or two. Ariom sighed again. Then, before he could change his mind, he pulled his message book and a pen out of his space pocket. Like most of the windows in the house, the ones in this room had sills wide enough for a dragon to sit on. He set the book down on the windowsill in front of him, using it as a temporary desk. He opened to the tab labeled Mideis Jidarin and wrote a short message:
I decided to take the job. Let me know when you can meet to discuss the details.
Ariom closed the book with a snap and made a face at it before putting it away and heading to bed.
"I have to admit that I expected you to turn us down," Mideis said, accepting the cup of juice that Thenio handed him. "I''d already requested a list of other wizards with similar skill sets from the Enchanter''s and Necromancer''s Guilds and had started going through them. You''re not that easy to find a substitute for, though. I was afraid we might have to start looking outside the country...." "I''m flattered," Ariom said with an annoyed expression. He didn''t seem to be very happy about having this meeting. He''d been in a bad mood all morning. Thenio filled another cup with juice and cautiously handed it to his grouchy employer. Then, with some relief, he moved over to start serving Amisi and Iggy. He''d looked up tauas in one of Iggy''s new magic beast encyclopedias and discovered that their natural diet consisted mainly of fruit and seafood, since they were native to tropical islands. So today''s familiar snacks were small shrimp cakes and a tropical fruit salad. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Iggy had happily helped him cook the shrimp cakes that morning. And had even more happily sampled a few in advance...just to make sure they tasted right.... "Well, in any case, I''m glad you decided to do it," Mideis said with a wry smile. "Today''s meeting is mostly to go over what kind of plan you have for the analysis. Then I''ll coordinate with our research team to make sure we have all the equipment and supplies we need. And once we have the basic plan figured out, I¡¯ll also arrange for you to meet with the ice mage who will be helping us. Her name is Namyis Ivoren, though most people know her by her call name: Ice Queen." Thenio was scooping some fruit salad into a bowl for Iggy, but he paused and looked up when he heard the name. "We''re going to be working with Ice Queen? Really?" "What? You know about her?" Ariom asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Of course! You mean you don''t¡ª Oh.... Right." Thenio suddenly remembered who he was talking to. "Um...I guess you probably aren''t that interested in combat wizards...?" "No," Ariom said flatly. "Oh." Thenio wasn''t sure what else to say. Feeling awkward, he finished filling the fruit bowl and set it down in front of Iggy. Mideis gave him an understanding smile. "I take it that you are interested in combat wizards? Well, that''s normal for boys your age. I was the same way. Still am, to some extent. Some of those high rankers are pretty amazing." He looked at Ariom. "Come on...were you really not into that kind of thing when you were younger? Didn''t you ever get together with other boys and pretend to fight demons together?" Ariom answered the question with a dark glare. "Can we please stick to the topic at hand...?" "Ah. Right." Mideis cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. Then he turned back to Thenio. "Since you seem to know who Ice Queen is, why don''t you explain?" "Huh? Oh...well...." Thenio glanced uneasily at the obviously irritated Ariom. "Um...you at least know who Sword Queen is, right?" "Yes." Ariom was now staring fixedly at his cup of juice. Sword Queen was a demon hunter, which was enough to make her famous by itself. But due to her good looks and flamboyant style, she was also one of the most popular combat wizards in Kafron. It would be strange if Ariom hadn''t heard of her, no matter how much he avoided anything to do with the military. "Ice Queen is one of her trainees. She was a child sorcerer, and now she''s the top ice mage in the country, power-wise. I think she''s in the top twenty for all affinities, including the demon hunters. And...." Thenio paused, feeling a little awkward. "Well...not that it matters for the job, I guess...but everyone says she''s really pretty...." "It doesn''t matter," Ariom said coldly as Mideis chuckled a little. "It just matters if her skills are up to the task." Then his expression softened a little. "A child sorcerer, huh? Poor kid...." "I''m not sure she''d appreciate you calling her a ''kid.'' I think she''s only a couple of years younger than you are," Mideis commented. Then he took a sip of his juice, probably as a way to avoid the annoyed look Ariom gave him. "But I get what you mean. If I remember right, she was only five or six years old when she went into military custody. So when she was an actual kid...you''re right, she probably had a rough time...." Ariom glanced at Thenio. "Well, maybe you and she can commiserate together about magic burns. From the sound of it, she might be one of the few people in Kafron who''ve gotten burned more times than you have." Thenio bit his lip and didn''t say anything. Poor kid indeed.... A child sorcerer was just what it sounded like¡ªsomeone who reached sorcerer level while they were still a child. It sounded like a good thing. But it was actually the opposite. It was difficult for a child''s body to handle that much magic power, so they were at a high risk of destabilizing if they didn''t go through a rigorous training program. They basically had to be forced into the same kind of training that adult combat wizards did, just to keep them alive. Not many parents were prepared to handle something like that, so most child sorcerers in Kafron were taken in by the military, both for their own safety and the safety of their families. Well. As Ariom had pointed out, Thenio himself was in a similar situation. Just that his chances of someday becoming a high-ranking battlemage as a result were awfully slim.... "Namyis was transferred from the Northeast Division to the Central one a few months ago," Mideis said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "One of the reasons for that is that she works with the Royal Guard on a regular basis. As a battlemage, she''s an all-rounder type. Her attack power is no joke, of course, but she usually acts as support. And she has really excellent control in spite of her high power level. That flexibility makes her especially useful in a law enforcement setting. This is my first time working with her directly, but I''ve met her a few times before." He winked in Thenio''s direction. "And you''re right¡ªshe is pretty nice-looking. As long as you¡¯re not opposed to women who look like walking snow sculptures, that is. As you might expect from one of the top sorcerers in Kafron, she''s got quite a prominent stigma." Thenio gave a small, awkward laugh in response to that. Ariom rolled his eyes but didn''t comment. "Well, in any case, I can assure you that her skills are top-notch," Mideis went on, his expression becoming more serious again. "I don''t think you''ll need to worry about the stasis magic. So, how do you want to approach this? We''re willing to follow your lead as long as you don''t ask for anything too unreasonable." Ariom looked over at Thenio, who had just gotten himself a cup of fruit juice and sat down on the sofa next to Iggy. "Thenio, you''re welcome to stay for this if you want to, but we are going to be discussing some things that might be upsetting for you. You don''t need to force yourself, all right? It''s fine to leave if you feel uncomfortable. You can take Iggy and Amisi out to the atrium." That probably meant they were going to be talking about people dying in magic explosions again.... "I...think I''m okay." Thenio looked down and fidgeted a little with his cup. "I''ll leave if it gets to be too much, but...I''d like to stay for now." "Good." Ariom gave him an approving nod. Then he turned back to Mideis. "Well, first of all, how many...uh...''research subjects'' do we have available to us?" "At least two. Maybe as many as five. There are a few people we suspect have one of these enchantments on them, based on their patterns of behavior, but we haven''t confirmed it yet." Mideis frowned a little. "You think you''ll need more than one?" "Very likely. From the bits and pieces of other enchantment matrices that you''ve shown me, it looks like there are multiple explosion formations, and there are triggers for them hidden all throughout the rest of the matrix. I can predict where some of them will be, and we can keep some of them from going off with a combination of stasis and void magic. But analyzing the entire matrix on the first try without triggering an explosion...probably isn''t going to happen. I think we''ll have to get as far as we can on one subject and then use what we learn to get a little farther on the next one. I expect it will take two or three tries to get the entire matrix mapped out." Mideis nodded slowly. "I see. Well, that''s within our expectations. And it''s probably a lot better than we''d be able to do without your help. Like you say, it''s almost impossible to predict exactly where the triggers will be hidden. Especially since we still haven''t even figured out what the main function of the enchantment is supposed to be." "It''s a magic circuit enhancement technique. I''m still not sure about all the details, but the main function should be converting external magic power into a type that matches the person''s magic signature, then channeling it into their magic circuit to artificially expand it and increase its power capacity. It''s a process that''s been tried before, of course, with varying degrees of success. But the magic formations are a bit different than the ones I''ve seen used in other attempts. Plus, based on the autopsy reports you gave me, they seem to be using purified demon crystals to help facilitate the conversion process and stabilize the magic circuit. I haven''t seen anyone try that before, either." Mideis looked surprised. "What? Are you sure?" "Fairly sure, yes." Ariom pulled a sheaf of papers out of his space pocket and handed them across the table to Mideis. "Here, take a look yourself. Those are the diagrams of what I''ve been able to reconstruct so far. There are still some parts missing, and the actual formations are probably a little different than the ones I came up with. But those designs are mostly functional, and they match up with the partial diagrams you gave me." Mideis flipped through the papers, looking more amazed by their contents the more he saw. "Just how did you come up with all this...?" Ariom shrugged. "By analyzing the information you gave me? You told me yourself that you thought it had something to do with mimicking a demon''s ability to consume magic power." "Well, yes...but I couldn''t figure out the exact mechanism they were using. No one on the research team has been able to figure it out for sure, and we''ve been studying this for months. We even consulted with the military research department, and the best they could do was narrow it down to a few possibilities. You were working by yourself, and you''ve only had the information for a couple of weeks. How could you have found the right answer this quickly?" "Hmm...." Ariom tapped his finger against the side of his cup, apparently considering the question. "Now that I think about it, I guess I have an unfair advantage. There can''t be very many enchanters in the world who have experience reconstructing Pre-War enchantments and are also familiar with the Magic Corps'' Amplification Project." "The Amplification Project?" Mideis blinked. "I''ve heard of it, but I don''t know the details of the process they were using. How did it work, exactly?" Ariom pointed at the papers that Mideis was holding. "You''re looking at it, essentially. It''s done in a different enchanting style, and there''s the additional stabilization, but those diagrams are more or less the same system they were using back then. I assume one of the possibilities the military researchers suggested was something like that?" Mideis frowned a little. "Yes, there was one that was very similar. They didn''t say it had come from that project, though. Well...I can see why they wouldn''t want to mention it. It''s not exactly a bright spot in the Magic Corps'' history.... How do you know about it, though? Shouldn''t the details be classified?" Ariom lowered his gaze, staring at his cup again. "I haven''t seen any actual documentation. But my uncle told me about it. He worked at the Stability Center while the program was still going on. So he had to deal with some of the...aftereffects." "It ended when General Obarin took over as the head of the Magic Corps, didn''t it? So...about fifteen years ago now? I''ve heard that he really hated the Amplification Project because one of his trainees died after getting involved with it." "That''s right." Ariom''s face and voice had suddenly become emotionless. "That was my mother." Chapter 33 - Drawing Pictures There was a long moment of silence. Ariom was still staring down at his cup of juice expressionlessly. Even though he wasn''t visibly upset, Iggy and Amisi had both stopped eating and were looking at him with concern. Iggy whimpered softly and went over to climb onto Ariom''s lap, nudging at the hand holding the cup with his nose. That seemed to pull Ariom out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked at Iggy, then set his cup down on the table and rubbed the little dragon''s head. "It''s all right. I was just remembering some unpleasant things." "I''m sorry," Mideis said quietly. "I didn''t realize this case was going to have a personal connection for you." Ariom shook his head. "There''s no reason why you should have realized it. And I decided to take on the job in spite of that. You don''t need to worry about it." "Well...if you say so," Mideis said, looking rather unconvinced. "But feel free to say something if it gets too uncomfortable for you, all right?" He held up the papers Ariom had given him. "Just getting your general analysis and these diagrams will be a huge help to our research team, even if you don''t do anything else." "I made my decision. I''m going to follow through with it," Ariom said firmly. Then he patted Iggy''s back. "Go ahead and finish your snacks, little guy. We''re going to go up to the workroom pretty soon. I need you to come with us to help test some things." "Mmm. Okay." Iggy seemed a bit reluctant, but he obediently hopped off Ariom''s lap and went back to his food tray. Thenio was glancing uncertainly between Ariom and Mideis. He didn''t really understand what this ''Amplification Project'' was that they were talking about, and he didn''t quite dare to ask about it. He knew Ariom was very sensitive about any mention of his parents, and if this military project had something to do with his mother''s death.... Fortunately, Mideis was his usual perceptive self. "You''re looking a little bit lost over there," he said with an understanding smile. "You''re young enough that you''ve probably never heard of the Amplification Project before. It would have ended when you were just a baby. I obviously don''t know as much about it as Ariom does, but I can give you a brief summary. "It was basically a program run by the military to help combat wizards increase their magic power. A lot of the most famous combat wizards, like Ice Queen, are ones who started off with high power levels. But there are plenty of others who want to be in the Magic Corps but have a hard time meeting the requirements because their natural power levels are too low. Combat magic is almost exclusively a high-power field, after all. So the military uses a variety of training and enhancement programs to help talented magic users increase their power levels. Some of these programs are just based around normal magic exercises. But some are...a bit more extreme, let''s say. "The Amplification Project was one of these more extreme ones. It was also very controversial because it had a relatively high risk of negative side effects. Most of the wizards who participated in it were fine, and some actually benefited greatly. But there were also some cases where wizards who went through the program ended up destabilizing or even dying as a result. Ariom''s mother was apparently one of those." Thenio felt a bit stunned by this explanation. "Are you saying that the military has been experimenting on combat wizards?" He wasn''t naive enough to think that all government and military leaders were wonderful people. There were always plenty of dark rumors floating around about various nobles'' behavior, after all. But the high-ranking members of the Magic Corps, like General Obarin and the demon hunters, were treated like heroes in Kafron. Even non-magic people could appreciate the valiant effort and sacrifice that were required to keep civilians safe from demon attacks. And he''d heard people like Bero and Jasel talk about how close-knit the combat wizards in the Magic Corps were. It was hard to believe that they would be allowing something like that to happen to their own colleagues.... Ariom shook his head. "Not experimenting, exactly...at least not the way you''re thinking. They obviously kept records and tried to refine the process based on the results, but it was a well-established technique that was developed centuries before the Great War. They just rediscovered it. Only it didn''t work quite as well as they expected it to, based on the old documents they found." He picked his cup back up and took a long, slow drink. Then he held the cup in both hands and stared down at it for a moment, his brow furrowed. "The controversy surrounding the program wasn''t just because of the risk associated with it," he finally went on. "When it started, participation in the project was supposed to be strictly voluntary. If you wanted to increase your magic power badly enough that you were willing to accept the risk, then fair enough. It was better than people getting desperate and searching out even more dangerous methods. "But after they had a few extraordinary successes with the program¡ªpeople like Hydra and Jackal¡ªsome of the higher-ups in the Magic Corps...got a little greedy. They started pressuring more combat wizards to participate. And some of those who gave in to that pressure suffered as a result. "My mother was a void mage, like me, and combat wizards who can use void magic are incredibly useful, since the more powerful demons can use magic armor that''s very difficult to break through without it. But her magic power wasn''t that high, so she was quite limited in how much she could do." Ariom''s expression darkened. "And for her superiors at the time...it wasn''t good enough...." There was a brief, uncomfortable silence. "I''m sorry," Mideis said again. "Like I said, if this is too much for you...." "I know," Ariom said irritably. "I''m fine. Enough about the Amplification Project. The point is that I''m familiar with it, and I think this case involves something similar. So let''s get back to talking about the enchantment analysis." "Right." Mideis gave a rather forced smile. "Well...you mentioned going to the workroom to do some tests just now, didn''t you? That sounds like you already have some kind of plan." "More or less. But I need your help with something. I''ve been experimenting with ways to deal with such a volatile enchantment, and I think I''ve worked out a method to temporarily isolate individual formations in the enchantment matrix in order to scan them without setting off the explosion triggers. Though it''s still a bit of a gamble whether we can really avoid them all, like I said." Mideis raised his eyebrows. "There''s a method like that? Can you show me?" Ariom shrugged. "I''ll have to show you eventually, won''t I? But you probably won''t be able to replicate it. It would be very difficult to do without using void magic. And I can only do a partial version by myself. The ice mage and I are going to have to work in tandem to pull off the real thing. I think we''re going to need to set up some practice sessions ahead of time." "I see." Mideis looked slightly disappointed, but he nodded. "I''ll arrange a meeting with Namyis as soon as possible. So what is it you need my help with?" "Taking notes." Mideis blinked. "What?" "Isolating and scanning the magic formations is going to be a very tricky operation," Ariom explained. "Everything will need to be done manually, using magesight. A scanning device will set off the triggers too easily. Even magesight could set them off if it isn''t done just right, so it''s better if I''m the one doing it. But if I''m concentrating on all that, it''s going to be difficult for me to copy down the formation diagrams at the same time. So I need someone to handle that part, and I think you''re the best candidate for that role." "Wait, do you mean...?" Mideis frowned. "You want me to use mental magic to get the information from you? And then record it?" "Exactly. I think that will be the safest method." "I thought you hated it when I used mental magic on you...." "I do," Ariom said matter-of-factly. "But I''m willing to let you do it if it cuts down on the number of demon-obsessed lunatics I have to watch explode in my face. If it''s you, I''m not too worried about you digging around in things you shouldn''t." Mideis widened his eyes a little in surprise. "What''s this? You''re actually capable of trusting people? How unexpected...." Ariom glared at him. "What I trust is that you have enough sense to know I''ll be able to tell if you use your magic on me in other ways. And that you know the consequences of doing so will be more trouble than they''re worth." "Ah...and here I thought we were having a touching moment...." Mideis let out an exaggerated sigh. Then his expression turned serious again. "All right. I''ve done some similar things during interrogations, so it should be possible." He gave a wry smile. "And I won''t look at anything else. I promise." "Good. Remember that," Ariom told him sternly. Then he looked over at Amisi, who was licking the juice out of the bottom of her fruit bowl, and Iggy, who was finishing off his last shrimp cake. "It looks like the familiars are just about done eating. Let''s head up to my workroom, then. Thenio, I''ll leave the cleaning up to you, all right? Come upstairs when you''re done."
When Thenio arrived at the workroom a little while later, he found Ariom seated at the far end of the room, where a small table and a chair had been set up with a thick magic barrier surrounding them. Mideis was sitting at the desk, drawing on a piece of paper with a slight frown on his face. Iggy and Amisi were sitting together on the work table, watching the other two with interest, though they both turned their heads briefly in Thenio''s direction when he entered the room. He walked quietly over to the work table, pulled a chair close to where the familiars were, and sat down, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to interrupt whatever was going on. A couple of minutes later, Mideis put down his pencil and looked at a pocket watch that was resting on the desk next to him. "Done," he called out, looking over at Ariom. "Just under six minutes that time." Ariom frowned. "Let''s do another formation. Try using shorthand for this one¡ªwe''ll see how much time it saves." "Got it." Mideis took a fresh sheet of paper from a stack on the corner of the desk and positioned it in front of him. Then he picked the pencil back up and glanced at Ariom. "Ready." "All right. I''m starting now." Ariom lowered his gaze, staring at a small glass cube in the middle of the table. Mideis looked briefly at the pocket watch and then stared at his paper. Both of them had similar expressions of concentration on their faces. Nothing happened for a minute or two. Then Mideis started moving his pencil, drawing something on the paper. He kept it up for a few minutes, the soft sounds of pencil tip on paper filling the otherwise silent room. "And...done." He stopped and looked at his watch again. "A little over four minutes." He sighed and turned back to Ariom. "The shorthand helps, but the barrier is still slowing things down a lot. We can probably shave the time down a little with more practice, but I don''t know if it will be enough...." "Hmm...." Ariom tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the table in front of him. Then he looked over to where Thenio and the familiars were sitting. "Would it be any faster if Amisi acted as a relay? If she''s just sitting here, we should be able to protect her well enough to make it reasonably safe. And you''ll be able to communicate through the barrier more easily with her, right?" "That''s right, but...." Mideis looked uncertainly at his familiar. "Well, she''s a taua. She''s good with mental magic¡ªbetter than I am, really¡ªbut she doesn''t read things from a human mind exactly the same way another human would. And with something as detailed as a magic formation...well...some things might get lost in translation. It''s worth a try, though. She has a pretty decent knowledge of enchanting theory, after all. It might be enough to get around the interspecies communication problem." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Will you come help us try it out?" Ariom asked, looking at Amisi. The taua nodded and stood up. She paused for a moment to arch her back in a stretch, then she jumped off the table and walked elegantly over to where Ariom was sitting. "This is a practice setup for the enchantment analysis," Ariom explained to Thenio as he waited for Amisi to cross the room. He pointed at the barrier that was encircling him. "Our working area will need to be enclosed in a barrier like this in order to protect the surroundings from explosions. It''s designed to allow mental magic to pass through, but it''s somewhat limited. The fewer people we have to have inside the barrier, the better, so we''re testing to see how feasible it is for Mideis to record the enchantment diagrams from outside it." "And it''s not going that well..." Mideis added with a sigh. "I can get the information from Ariom, but the barrier makes it much slower than usual. It''s taking about five minutes per magic formation so far." "Isn''t that pretty fast, though?" Thenio asked, a little confused. "I mean, if you have to use telepathy to get the information from Ariom''s mind and then draw the formation out on paper, I think doing it in only five minutes is pretty impressive." Mideis smiled wryly. "Well, I appreciate you saying so.... But look at it this way: The enchantment matrix we need to analyze has several hundred formations in it. Let''s say it''s three hundred, as a conservative estimate. If it takes five minutes to record each one, how long will the entire matrix take?" "Um...." Thenio screwed up his face, doing the calculations in his head. "...twenty-five hours?" "Right." Mideis nodded. "Now, I''m a second rank sorcerer. Ariom is third rank. Do you think we''re going to be able to keep this kind of thing up for twenty-five hours straight?" "Uh...no...probably not." "No. We''ll have to stop and take breaks, which will push the total time even longer. But guess who won''t get to take breaks because she has to keep the stasis magic going so that our subject doesn''t ''turn into fireworks,'' as Iggy likes to say?" "Ice Queen?" "Right. She''s a sixth rank sorcerer and an experienced battlemage, but even she has limits on her stamina." Mideis sighed again. "Well, like Ariom said before, we probably won''t be able to diagram this entire enchantment in one go anyway. But it''s better to get as much done as we can. That''s why we''re trying to find a way to go faster." Ariom nodded in agreement. "The more complicated the matrix, the simpler the individual magic formations tend to be. The ones we''ll be dealing with are probably simple enough that an experienced enchanter like Mideis could normally draw a copy of one in just a minute or two. And he''s a very skilled mental mage, so even using telepathy wouldn''t usually increase the time all that much. It''s the barrier that''s the problem." Thenio went over the numbers again as he watched Ariom pick Amisi up and set her on the table next to the glass cube that seemed to have the practice enchantment inscribed on it. Even at one minute per formation, manually scanning and recording a matrix with three hundred formations would still take five hours. It was obvious why magic scanning tools had been invented.... "Are you two ready?" Ariom asked. "Ready," Mideis said. Amisi nodded. "Then let''s start." The three of them all took on looks of concentration. After a moment of silence, Mideis'' pencil began moving. Thenio frowned a little. Mideis had started his drawing much faster this time, but he was going more slowly, and the sound of the pencil paused occasionally. He even stopped and erased a few times. Even without looking at the clock, it was clearly taking much longer than the previous attempt. "Done," he finally said, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. He looked at the pocket watch and shook his head. "Eight and a half minutes.... I don''t think this method is going to work. The communication is a lot easier, but I have to interpret what Amisi is sending me in order to draw the formation. I can do it, but it takes a while." Amisi''s ears drooped a little. "I''m sorry. It''s hard for me to understand everything I was reading from Ariom. And if I don''t understand, it''s hard to pass it on to Mideis." "It''s not your fault," Ariom told her, stroking her back reassuringly. "It''s just that humans and magic beasts see things differently. Iggy''s the same way. Spectral beasts are even worse, if it makes you feel any better. I grew up with a revenant, so believe me, I know just how weird they can be...." The room was silent for a few minutes. Mideis was scowling at the diagram he''d just drawn. Ariom was staring thoughtfully into space, still petting Amisi. That seemed to make Iggy feel a little neglected, because he got up and jumped off the table onto Thenio''s lap. Thenio smiled wryly and started scratching the little dragon''s ears. "What if the two of you switched sides?" Ariom spoke up finally. "Amisi seems to be having a hard time understanding and transmitting the information she''s getting from me. But what if you''re on this side sending her the information, and then she passes it on to another enchanter? Wouldn''t you be able to organize things in a way she could understand better?" Mideis looked doubtful. "Probably? But I''m not sure if I can transmit things in a way that someone else can understand, either. It would work fine if we had another enchanter with a mental affinity, but there aren''t exactly a lot of us around.... Well, we can still try it. Except that we don''t have another enchanter with us right now." He glanced in Thenio''s direction. "No offense, Thenio, but I don''t think a sixteen-year-old magic assistant will be able to do something like this. We need someone who''s familiar with this particular style of enchanting." "We can still test it out well enough to know if it''s worth pursuing." Ariom stood up and picked up Amisi. "You come over here. Let''s see what happens if you''re the one scanning a formation and sending the information over to me. It''s skipping a step, but you pulling the information from me is the easiest part of the process, anyway, so it shouldn''t change the overall time by that much." "All right." Mideis pushed his chair back and stood up. They swapped places, with Ariom and Amisi settling down at the desk while Mideis sat at the small table inside the barrier. Ariom got a clean sheet of paper and picked up the pencil. "Ready whenever you are." Mideis nodded. "Okay. I''ll start, then." He focused his attention on the glass cube. A moment later, there was a sharp intake of breath from Ariom, and he put the hand not holding the pencil up to his forehead. Iggy''s head and ears shot up in alarm, and he let out a soft growl. "I''m okay," Ariom said, though his voice sounded a little shaky. He had closed his eyes and still had his hand pressed against his head. "It''s just...a lot to take in all at once.... Give me a minute. I''m not that good with mental magic." The little dragon quieted down, but he was still watching Ariom alertly. Thenio patted his back soothingly, although he was also concerned by Ariom''s reaction. It didn''t look like this test was going to go that well either.... After a minute, Ariom lowered his hand, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. "All right, I think I''m getting it. I understand what you were saying about having to interpret the information...but I think I can do it." He started drawing. But it was slow and hesitant, like Mideis'' last attempt had been, and by the time he finally finished and put the pencil down with a sigh, more than ten minutes had passed. "I guess using Amisi really isn''t the way to do it...not unless we can find someone who''s a lot better at receiving telepathy than I am...." Ariom rubbed his temples as though he had a lingering headache. "Should we go back to the shorthand method? The time on that one wasn''t too bad, and it should get faster with some practice. Using shorthand diagrams isn''t ideal for this kind of thing, but...well, our first attempt is mostly about gathering more information to help plan out future attempts anyway." "Maybe I should just do the recording while I''m inside the barrier? I won''t be able to have any assistants helping me that way, but it should still be faster than doing it outside. And it won''t be that dangerous if I have safety gear on." "Not for you, maybe, but what about all the diagrams you''ll be drawing? The last thing we need is to spend hours recording things and then have all our paperwork get destroyed in a magic explosion...." "Take a short break every half an hour and hand off the finished diagrams to someone outside the barrier?" "Hmm...I guess that''s a possibility...." They both lapsed into silence. "You should let Thenio try!" Everyone in the room turned to look at Iggy, who was standing on Thenio''s knee and waving his tail around enthusiastically. "You need help drawing pictures, right? Then you should ask Thenio to help! Thenio is really good at drawing magic pictures, you know?" The little dragon looked very pleased with himself for coming up with such a brilliant suggestion. "Didn''t I already say that wouldn''t work? He might be good at drawing, but he just doesn''t have enough experience with enchanting yet." Mideis looked at Ariom. "Would it even be safe for him to do it?" Ariom was looking at Thenio thoughtfully, his brow slightly furrowed. "It might be all right, since he seems to tolerate mental magic quite well. As for whether he''ll be able to draw the formations correctly or not...." "He can do it!" Iggy insisted. "Thenio draws good pictures!" Ariom shrugged. "It probably won''t hurt to let him try if he wants to. I''ll stay over here to watch his magic power and make sure nothing happens." "Well, if you think it''s all right...." Mideis turned to Thenio. "Do you want to give it a try?" "Um...." Thenio really hadn''t been expecting this. "I guess...?" He wasn''t that thrilled about the prospect, to be honest. But it was hard to refuse an adorable little dragon who was looking up at you with such an expectant look on his face.... "All right. Come over here, then." Ariom stood up and gestured at the chair he''d been sitting in. Thenio picked up Iggy and carried him over to the desk, where he passed the dragon over to Ariom. Then he sat down and looked apprehensively at the diagram that Ariom had just drawn. It was true that it wasn''t that complicated, but it wasn''t in a style he was familiar with. He recognized some of the runes as ones used during the Pre-War Era, but there were others he had never seen before. Mideis was right. How was he supposed to draw something like this...? He gave a small sigh. Then he pulled a fresh sheet of paper off the pile and picked up the pencil. "Go slowly this time," Ariom told Amisi. "We''re just checking to see whether Thenio can copy the formation accurately or not. There''s no need to rush him on his first try." He looked down at the excited little dragon in his arms and then gave Thenio an understanding smile. "Just do what you can, all right? Think of this as a lesson on mental magic. It should be an interesting experience for you, whether it works or not. So try to relax and learn from it." Thenio nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay. I''m ready to start." He looked down at the piece of paper in front of him and waited for something to happen. After a short moment, he felt a sort of movement, like a feather brushing against his thoughts. Then a sudden rush of information poured into his head. Thenio winced. He understood now why Ariom had reacted the way he had. It didn''t hurt, but it was very disorienting. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, trying to calm down and sort through the swirl of thoughts and images. It was hard. He could pick out a few pieces¡ªsome runes here, part of a shape there. But he didn''t understand how they were supposed to fit together. It was like looking at a tangled mess of string and not being able to find an end to start unraveling it with. He put a hand on his head. The whirling ideas were making him feel dizzy and slightly sick. It was too much. It was moving too fast. If he could just get them all to slow down so he could look at them one at a time.... Turn it into an image. Thenio suddenly opened his eyes. A memory had just come back to him. A memory from his childhood, when Eteon had been teaching him how to draw. It''s because I''ve spent so many years studying these animals. I take all the things I know about them, and I turn that knowledge into an image made of wood. Thenio had been frustrated with those early drawing attempts. None of his pictures seemed to turn out how he wanted them to. The animals he was trying to draw were awkward and misshapen, not at all like the beautiful, lifelike creatures that Eteon could carve out of wood. He''d gone to see Eteon one afternoon and asked him how he could make such wonderful carvings. If you learn enough about something, you''ll be able to see an image in your mind of the thing you want. Then you copy that image onto the paper. It''s simple once you get the hang of it, but it takes a lot of study and practice to get there. That conversation was what made him start reading books about animals and magic beasts. And it really did make his drawings better. Even books without any pictures in them seemed to help. He didn''t quite understand how that worked, but somehow it did. That''s right. It didn''t matter if he didn''t understand. All the information he needed was right there. He just had to turn that knowledge into an image and use his pencil to catch the image and put it on the page. Just like he did when he drew things from his memory. It was easy, really. Like catching a beetle in a jar. Thenio looked at the blank paper and willed the knowledge streaming into his head to take form on it. It took some concentration, but his swirling thoughts eventually slowed and started to take on the shape of a magic formation. There. He could see it now. He moved the pencil rapidly, copying the lines down onto the paper. His years of drawing practice made his strokes smooth and confident. When he was finished, he briefly checked over the drawing to make sure he hadn''t missed anything and then gave a satisfied nod. "Okay. I''m done." The stream of information running into his mind stopped. Thenio picked up the paper and handed it to Ariom, who was watching him with a rather perplexed expression. "Here. I''m not sure if it''s right, but I did the best I could." Ariom took the paper and stared at it silently. Then he stared at Thenio, still wearing the same, slightly bewildered-looking expression. Iggy, who was now perched on Ariom''s shoulder, looked down at the paper and then puffed out his chest. "See?" he said proudly, swishing his tail. "I told you Thenio draws really good pictures!" Chapter 34 - Whats a Mythic Beast Agent? "That was a lot faster than I expected," Mideis said, standing up and coming over to them. "How did he do?" Without a word, Ariom handed him the sheet of paper with the magic formation that Thenio had drawn. Mideis looked down at the paper. "What...?" His eyes widened in surprise. "What is this? It''s almost a perfect copy. There are mistakes in a few of the runes, but...." He looked up at Thenio, then at Ariom. "He was just a first year enchanting student, wasn''t he? How did he do this?" Ariom shook his head. "I don''t know. I wasn''t expecting him to be able to do this well, either." He looked at Thenio. "How did you do it?" "Um...." Thenio looked around uncertainly. Did the four of them all have to stare at him at once like that...? "Well, I just turned the information Amisi gave me into a picture. And then I drew it on the paper." The room was silent for a moment. "Wait...what do you mean?" Mideis had a confused expression. "You turned it into a picture? How?" "I''m...not sure? I don''t think I did anything special. I just...turned it into a picture. In my head. Just like I do when I''m drawing in my sketchbook. I think of what I want to draw and everything I know about that thing. Then I see it as an image, and I use the pencil to capture the image on the paper. That''s how drawing works, right?" "Is it?" Mideis was looking even more confused. "No, I don''t think so," Ariom said, shaking his head again. "You were using magic while you were drawing. It was only a small amount¡ªI probably wouldn''t have noticed if I hadn''t been watching you closely just now¡ªbut you were definitely using some. If whatever you were doing is how you normally draw, then no, that''s not how it works for most people." Thenio blinked. "Oh." "It''s not normal to use magic when you draw?" Iggy tilted his head, looking almost as confused as Mideis. "But Thenio uses magic a lot when he draws in his drawing book. So I like to watch him draw, you know? And I like to look at his drawings. Because they smell really nice! Like his magic smells nice, okay? And Ariom uses magic when he draws. So it''s normal, right?" "Is that why you never said anything about Thenio doing it...?" Ariom looked slightly exasperated. "No, it''s not normal. I only use magic when I''m scribing. Or when I''m analyzing an enchantment and taking notes. Not when I''m just drawing normally." "Oh." Iggy straightened his head. Then he tilted it again in the other direction. "The kind of drawing you do is different from the drawing that Thenio does?" "It should be." Ariom was looking at Thenio with his brow slightly furrowed. "But maybe it''s not as different as I thought it was...." Mideis also frowned. "If he''s using magic when he draws...and can turn information into an image in his head...and we think he might be able to use some kind of mental magic...hmm...." He looked at Amisi. She had been watching Thenio, but she turned and met Mideis'' gaze. The two of them stared at each other silently. They were presumably communicating via telepathy, because after a minute or two, they both nodded in unison, as though they''d just discussed something and come to a conclusion. "He might be using some form of clairvoyance," Mideis said, turning to Ariom. "I told you it was common for children with mental affinities to use magic without being aware of it, right? And clairvoyance involves perceiving information through imagery. I''ve never seen it work quite like this before, but...well, there aren''t that many humans who can use it in the first place. Most of us are limited to telepathy and empathy. So it''s hard to know exactly how it can or can''t manifest. And he''s not exactly your typical mental magic user anyway." Thenio stared at Mideis in disbelief. Using clairvoyance? Him? People kept telling him that his chaos affinity meant he had the potential to use all kinds of different magic, but how was something like that coming up right off the bat? Besides, Eteon was the one who had taught him how to draw, wasn''t he? He''d been the one who told Thenio about turning knowledge into images. And he wasn''t.... ...was he? Thenio bit his lip and looked down at the floorboards. He wasn''t sure he liked where this train of thought was heading.... It was true that he didn''t actually know what kind of magic Eteon used, so it was entirely possible that he had a mental affinity. That could explain why he didn''t want to reveal his abilities. Mental mages were quite rare, and they were highly valued in the magic community. But many people were suspicious of them, since they could manipulate others so easily. Wait...hadn''t Mideis just said that most humans couldn''t use clairvoyance? So if Eteon really could use it, too.... What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Was it just a coincidence? Somehow Thenio had a feeling that it wasn''t.... "I can''t use clairvoyance myself," Mideis was saying. "But Amisi can, although she can''t control it perfectly. She sometimes has images pop into her head that tell her things, like the emotional state of a person she meets or the history of an item she touches. It''s some kind of symbolic image, usually. Like you might see in a dream. "Wild tauas use clairvoyance to help them find food or avoid danger. But since Amisi has lived around humans most of her life, her abilities have developed a little differently. It might be the same for you¡ªyour mental magic is oriented toward drawing pictures just because that''s what you''ve used it for the most." "When do you think you started doing it?" Ariom asked. "Has drawing always been that way for you?" "Well...no, not at first." Thenio hesitated, not sure how much he ought to say. He didn''t want to bring up Eteon if he didn''t have to. "Um...I started learning to draw when I was really young, so obviously I wasn''t very good at first. I was mainly interested in drawing animals at the time, so I started reading as many books about animals as I could. At first it was mostly to look at the pictures, to figure out how the animals were shaped. And that helped a lot. "But sometime later, I noticed that books without pictures helped me draw better, too. I even had a couple of times when I read about some kind of animal or magic beast and was able to draw it correctly, even without seeing a picture. At the time, I thought I must have seen a picture somewhere else and just forgotten. But maybe...." He trailed off, uncertainly. Mideis nodded. "Yes, it''s possible that you were already using clairvoyance by that point, so you were able to see what that animal looked like, even without looking at a picture. Like I said, it''s an unusual way to use mental magic. But as a child, if you really wanted to know what a particular animal looked like so you could draw it...well, I could see how your magic might have activated without you realizing it to allow you to see the animal you were thinking about. Mental magic is notoriously difficult to teach, so most of us have to sort of stumble our way into learning how to use it, especially in the beginning." "So you think it developed naturally? I guess that would make sense for a mental mage...but...I wonder...." Ariom regarded Thenio thoughtfully for a moment. "Didn''t you say that Eteon was the one who taught you how to draw?" It had come up after all.... "Um...yeah. He did." "And what about this turning information into pictures thing? Did he teach you about that?" "That...no. Not exactly." Thenio shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked down at the floor again. "I mean, he told me that studying animals would help me draw them better, but he never said.... It was...kind of different...." There was an awkward silence. "Thenio," Ariom said quietly. "You don''t need to protect him. Even if he knows something about this clairvoyance or whatever it is you''ve been using, we''re not going to do anything to him because of it." His expression grew very serious. "He''s not someone we can touch, even if we wanted to." Thenio raised his head, surprised. What did Ariom mean by that...? "Wait. Who''s Eteon?" Mideis asked, looking back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled expression. "He''s Thenio''s friend!" Iggy piped up. "He sits in the park and makes wooden toys. He makes really good toys, okay? He made my flying chicken! And Humerus'' puppet! And a cockatrice that looks like Alula wearing feathers!" "Uh...that doesn''t really help...." Ariom sighed. "He''s an elderly woodcarver that Thenio has known since he was a young child. And he''s an uncertified magician who seems to have some pretty incredible magic skills...but also seems to spend most of his free time selling wooden toys in the park near Thenio''s house for some inexplicable reason. And...." He paused, looking over at Thenio with a slightly conflicted expression, as if deciding how much he wanted to say. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued in a resigned voice, "And...he''s probably a mythic beast''s agent." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Thenio''s eyes went wide. "A mythic agent is hanging out in a park selling toys? Are you being serious?" Mideis was staring at Ariom like he''d just sprouted an extra pair of ears. "Why would he do that?" "What''s a mythic beast agent?" Iggy asked curiously. "It''s a person who''s made a contract with a mythic beast," Ariom explained. "They do what the mythic beast asks them to in exchange for the mythic giving them some extra magic abilities. It''s a little bit like a familiar contract. The exact terms can vary a lot...like how your contract is different from Humerus''. Right?" "Mmm. Right. Humerus'' contract has a part that doesn''t let him attack people." Iggy nodded. "But I can attack people if I want to!" he added brightly, waving his tail a little. "You can. But please don''t," Ariom told him firmly. Then he turned back to Mideis. "I don''t know why he''s selling wooden toys. When I asked him, he said it was just because he was bored. He said he likes going to the park in order to interact with people. And maybe that''s true. But it''s probably not the whole story." He glanced at Thenio. "The fact that the particular park he chose to set up shop in just happens to be a couple of blocks away from a certain chaos morph''s home...I doubt that''s a coincidence." Mideis raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying there''s a mythic beast that''s interested in Thenio''s chaos magic?" Ariom shrugged. "Possibly. It might just be Eteon himself who''s interested in him. But if he''s been spending that much time watching over Thenio, the mythic he''s contracted with doesn''t have a problem with it, at the very least. I don''t think either of them have any ill-intentions toward Thenio, though. Eteon seems to legitimately care about him." Thenio was staring blankly ahead of him, listening to what Ariom was saying but not quite comprehending it. A mythic beast''s agent? Eteon? No...he couldn''t be.... He couldn''t.... ...yes...he could. Even though Thenio''s first impulse was to deny it, a small voice in the back of his mind told him that it actually made a lot of sense. Who was it that had given him a carving of a dream beast? Eteon. If the dream beast actually was a real, live mythic beast, then there was obviously some connection between the two of them. Eteon being the dream beast''s agent would even explain the unusual clairvoyant ability. What was it that Mideis had said about Amisi''s clairvoyance just now? It''s some kind of symbolic image, usually. Like you might see in a dream. Turning information into an image...wasn''t that what dreams were? Then if something like ''dream magic'' actually existed, wouldn''t it make sense for it to include an ability like that? And it would also make sense for Eteon, as the dream beast''s agent, to be able to use that ability. But...why could Thenio do it, too...? Was it because of his chaos magic''s ability to turn into other magic types? Was that why the dream beast was interested in him...because he had the potential to use the same kind of magic that it did? Was it even possible for human magic to mimic a magic beast''s...? As Thenio sank deeper into the sea of questions, a dark brown shape suddenly landed in his lap, making him jump and look down. Amisi''s light orange eyes looked back at him. She stood up on her hind legs and put her front paws on his shoulder. "You don''t need to worry by yourself. There are lots of us around to help you. Right?" she said, patting his cheek lightly with her paw. "Ah...sorry, Thenio." Mideis gave him an apologetic smile. "Ariom and I both tend to get carried away whenever we run across an interesting magic topic. We weren''t being very considerate of how this conversation must be making you feel. Did you know anything about your friend''s possible connection to a mythic beast?" Thenio shook his head. "I didn''t even know he could use magic until a few weeks ago. There are quite a few older people in our neighborhood who like to sit in the park and visit with other people. I always thought he was just another one of them. The only difference was that he was really good at carving wood. Well...and the fact that he seemed to like me. Most of the others didn''t...." "Ariom told me about the effect your magic has on people with lower magic power levels," Mideis said gently. "He wondered if that could be a kind of mental magic. I don''t think so, though I''m not sure exactly what else it could be.... Whatever it is, though, I''m sure it must have made things difficult for you growing up. If this Eteon wasn''t affected by it, that must have made him a very precious person to you." Thenio bit his lip and nodded. "Then it probably hurts to find out that he''s been keeping secrets from you, doesn''t it? Try not to take it too hard, though. I have to do undercover work for the Royal Guard once in a while, you know? Hiding your identity from people doesn''t necessarily mean they did anything wrong or that you wish them harm. Sometimes you have to do it to protect people. To keep them from getting caught up in whatever trouble is going on. "Most mythic agents hide their identities, and it''s probably for the same kind of reasons. Think about it¡ªwhat happens if people find out that a young boy has a connection to a mythic beast? A lot of people would try to take advantage of that, wouldn''t they? Your friend Eteon may have been keeping secrets from you in order to protect you." "Didn''t he say something like that?" Ariom asked, looking thoughtful. "The first time we went to the park with you. He said he hadn''t told you that he could use magic because he didn''t want you to get caught up in his problems." "Oh. I guess he did...." They all fell silent for a moment. Amisi took her paws off Thenio''s shoulder and settled down on his lap. He lifted his hand and started stroking her velvety brown fur. Mideis looked at Ariom with a slight frown. "Come to think of it, how do you even know about this Eteon being a mythic beast agent, if he hasn''t actually told anyone?" "It was my uncle''s speculation, actually. His revenant has very good instincts about people¡ªalmost as good as Amisi''s. He could sense that Eteon was a lot more powerful than he was letting on. Uncle Bero mentioned it to General Obarin, and he contacted a mythic agent that he knows to ask about Eteon." Ariom glanced at Thenio. "Not that we had any real reason to be suspicious of him, mind. The general just wanted to make sure he wasn''t anyone that we needed to worry about. I mean, a powerful magician hiding his abilities and hanging around a park in a mostly non-magic neighborhood...it is a little strange, you have to admit." "So that other agent confirmed it?" Mideis asked. Ariom frowned and shook his head. "Actually...no. Not entirely. The exact message that my uncle passed on to me was, ''You don''t need to worry about him. Please treat him courteously, and don''t interfere with him.''" "''Please treat him courteously''?" Mideis repeated. "And that''s coming from a mythic agent?" "No...that wasn''t from the agent," Ariom said slowly. "That was the message the agent''s contracted mythic beast gave to the agent when he asked. Apparently the agent himself doesn''t even know exactly who Eteon is. He just knows that he''s someone he should be polite to...." "Someone a mythic beast agent needs to be polite to?" Mideis looked taken aback. "Scary.... Does that mean he''s the agent of a higher-ranking mythic beast?" "Probably. That''s the most logical interpretation." "Well, it''s either that or he''s a low-ranking mythic beast himself." Mideis gave an awkward laugh. "No offense, Thenio, but I have a hard time believing that your chaos magic is so important that an actual mythic beast has been sitting around selling toys in a park just so he can keep an eye on you. Even a mythic agent doing it is crazy enough...." Thenio made a face and didn''t reply. He''d been debating whether or not he ought to tell them about the dream beast, and that last comment was enough to convince him not to. Not yet, anyway. He didn''t blame Mideis for being skeptical that a mythic beast would be keeping an eye on him, of course. He still didn''t entirely believe it himself. And that was even with knowing that the dream beast had a much better method of watching him than sitting in a park.... Wait. The last time he''d seen the beast, hadn''t it said something about having to be careful about using its power around him? That could explain why it would send an agent to watch him instead of doing it directly. But then...why had it started showing up in his dreams the past couple of months? Thenio frowned a little as he looked down at Amisi, who had closed her eyes and was purring loudly in response to the neck massage he was currently giving her. She''d told him not to worry by himself and let them help, but...when it came to the dream beast, there were still too many things he didn''t understand. He wasn''t even sure where to start explaining it to anyone else. And besides...during that last encounter with the beast.... Hadn''t it basically been cuddling him because he¡¯d had a bad dream and was frightened? He really...really...didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about that.... Actually...most of his interactions with the dream beast so far would be pretty embarrassing to talk about, now that he thought about it.... "Well, whoever he really is, he''s someone that we shouldn''t mess around with," Ariom said, looking at Mideis. "This ability that Thenio has seems like it could be extremely useful for enchantment analysis, but if it''s something he learned from Eteon, we''ll need to be careful who we let know about it. That''s why I decided to tell you all this. And I''m trusting that you have enough sense to show some discretion in who you pass it on to." "Ah...of course." Mideis nodded. "Even if it''s just normal clairvoyance that he''s using, it would be better to keep it quiet. A valuable skill like that could easily make him a target if it gets out. Much more so if it''s a version of clairvoyance that he learned from a mythic beast''s agent. I won''t tell anyone aside from the vice-captain. And I''ll only need to tell him if Thenio wants to work with us on this analysis job." They both turned to look at Thenio. "Do you want to try working on this with us?" Ariom asked him. "If you can repeat what you did just now, I think you might be able to make things a lot easier for us. With some practice, relaying the formation information to you might be just as fast as Mideis drawing it directly. Maybe even faster, once you''ve studied up on the enchanting style." "Since Amisi and I will also be involved, we should be able to cover up the fact that you can use mental magic," Mideis added. "We can just say that we''ve given you some special training to be able to receive and transcribe the enchantment information. Most people don''t understand much about how telepathy works, so I doubt anyone will question it. The vice-captain will be able to help us keep it quiet, as well. I know he can seem a little...off-putting, let¡¯s say...but he¡¯s definitely someone you can trust." "That''s.... I mean, I want to help if I can," Thenio said uncertainly. "But I''ve only done it once, and you said I made some mistakes. I''m not sure if I can really do it well enough...." "Well, there''s only one way to find out," Mideis said with a shrug. "I cleared my schedule for the afternoon, so Amisi and I can stay and test things out with you as long as you want." "You don''t need to feel pressured," Ariom said. "When I was originally making plans for how to conduct this analysis, I didn''t even know that having you help out would be an option. So it''s all right if it turns out you''re not up to it or if you decide you don''t want to. But if you want to try it...." He glanced at Mideis. "Well, it''s a good opportunity for you to get some training with a couple of mental magic experts, if nothing else." Thenio hesitated. He didn''t really understand this clairvoyant ability that he supposedly had, and he didn''t feel that confident. But Ariom had been doing an awful lot for him, and if there was something he could do to repay the favor a little...to actually be useful for once.... Finally, he gave a determined nod. "All right. I want to give it a try." Chapter 35 - More Questions "Thenio? Are you all right?" Thenio pulled up the towel covering his eyes a little and saw Seyli''s concerned face looking down at him. At the same time, he felt something jump up on the sofa next to him and nuzzle his hair. "Hi, Tava." Thenio lowered the cloth again and reached up to pat the dragon, who chirped softly and started licking his cheek. "I''m okay. I just have a bad headache...." "He overdid it a little with his magic practice this morning," he heard Ariom''s voice say from somewhere nearby. "It''s a common side effect of too much mental magic exposure. The mental mage that we''re working with said he should be fine if he just rests for an hour or two." Thenio was currently lying on the sofa in the magic reference library. He and Amisi had spent most of the morning in there, receiving and transcribing enchantment information that Ariom and Mideis were sending them from across the hall in the workroom. Ariom had said that in order for Thenio to help out with the real analysis, they would need to make sure that he was completely safe from any magic emissions or explosions that occurred inside the barrier. Which meant he would need to be able to do the job in a separate room. The distance didn''t really matter to Thenio, who was getting information from the taua sitting next to him, not directly from the two men in the workroom. But it did mean that Mideis and Ariom hadn''t been watching him quite as closely as they had during their previous practice sessions, which had resulted in things running a little too long and Thenio ending up lying on the sofa with a splitting headache and a wet towel over his eyes. After a short discussion, they decided they''d better ask the Stability Center to lend them a healer or two to keep an eye on him for the actual event. "Mental magic? What exactly have you two been doing? I thought the job the Royal Guard wanted to hire you for was analyzing an enchantment." Seyli had lowered her voice a little, probably in consideration of Thenio''s headache. "It is. But the enchantment we''re dealing with is extremely volatile. We''re planning to analyze it inside a magic barrier and telepathically transmit the information to a scribe in another room to record. While we were testing out different setups for that, we discovered that Thenio is surprisingly good at receiving telepathy. So we''re trying to build up his tolerance for mental magic enough to allow him to act as our scribe. But we let him do a little too much during our practice today.... Well, I guess going through this at least once is a good experience, in a way. He''ll be able to recognize the warning signs more easily in the future." "Good experience, huh?" Seyli said skeptically. "I doubt it seems very good at the moment.... Here, let me take a look." Thenio heard her move closer to the sofa. "It''s all right to use healing magic on him as long as it''s just a small amount, isn''t it?" "It should be fine. His magic circuit has actually been tolerating the whole thing better than his body has, so he''s relatively stable right now." That had been another surprising discovery. Thenio absorbed a small amount of the magic that Amisi used to transmit information to him, but it more or less balanced out the amount of power he used up for the clairvoyance, so it didn''t cause any particular problems with his magic stability. He wasn''t sure how he ought to feel about the fact that he seemed to be able to boost his own power reserves by ''eating'' someone else''s magic. But it did significantly improve his magic stamina, which was otherwise very poor compared to the two sorcerers he was trying to keep up with. Though that improved stamina was another reason why he''d ended up overdoing things that morning.... "Can you move a little, sweetheart? I need to see Thenio''s head." Tava stopped washing the parts of Thenio''s face that weren''t covered by the towel, and he heard the sound of dragon claws on fabric coming from above his head. He guessed that she had climbed up on the arm of the sofa. "Good girl," Seyli said. "I''m going to take the cloth off, all right? You can keep your eyes closed if you want." Thenio felt her gently lift the towel off his face. Even with his eyes closed, he winced a little as the increase in light sent a fresh stab of pain through his head. "Where does it hurt the most?" "It''s mainly around my eyes." "All right. Hold still for a minute. I need to feel around that area, and I don''t want to poke you in the eye by accident." Thenio felt her touching her fingertips very gently against the skin surrounding his eyes. It was accompanied by a faint tingling sensation that ran from her fingers down through the skin and bone. She seemed to be doing some kind of magic scan. "There does seem to be some inflammation here," Seyli said after a few minutes. "I haven''t studied human medicine enough to really give you a proper treatment. But it''s not very serious, so some general-purpose healing magic ought to take care of it." She placed her hands on either side of Thenio''s face. He was too distracted by his aching head to be as embarrassed as he would normally be. But not so distracted that he didn''t notice that her hands were very soft and had some kind of light, sweet scent to them. "This should ease the pain and help you relax. It''s fine to fall asleep if you get drowsy. A nap will help you recover faster." A warm, soothing feeling spread from her hands into Thenio''s head, easing away his pain and tension. He was familiar with the sensation of healing magic, after being treated for magic burns so many times. But this was...different somehow? Different...but still familiar.... Where had he felt magic like this before...? Maybe it was because he''d spent so much time practicing his clairvoyance the past few days, but an image rose unbidden in Thenio''s mind. A gentle, warm light...with some kind of movement inside of it. A pale gold shimmer. It was a living creature. Not human, but...what? What was that? He heard the rustle of feathers. Something soft caressed his face. The light surrounded him, making him feel safe and comfortable. It was so familiar...so familiar.... He''d felt this before.... He knew that creature...but...he couldn''t remember.... Why couldn''t he remember...?
Thenio opened his eyes. He lay blinking up at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before he remembered where he was and turned his head to look around. He was still on the sofa in the magic library. Someone had spread a blanket over him while he was asleep. The last thing he remembered was Seyli using her healing magic on him. And then he saw...whatever that strange vision had been.... He must have fallen asleep just after that. Mideis was sitting in a nearby chair, reading a book. He looked up when he heard Thenio stirring. "Oh, you''re awake? How do you feel?" "I''m...okay, I think?" Thenio sat up slowly, taking inventory. "My headache''s gone. How long was I asleep?" "Not long. I think it''s been about an hour? Lunch will probably be ready soon. Ariom''s downstairs working on it. Everyone else is in the atrium. I have to say, Ariom''s cousin seems to have a pretty impressive knowledge of magic beasts. Not many people recognize what Amisi is as soon as they meet her." Thenio laughed a little. "Yeah, she''s pretty amazing that way. She''s known every magic beast I''ve asked her about so far." Except dream beasts, of course...but that one probably didn''t count.... After the morning telepathy practice, Mideis and Amisi had decided to stick around until after lunch, both to take a short break from work and to make sure that Thenio recovered properly. Later, Ariom was planning to go with them over to the Royal Guard headquarters to work on preparations for the enchantment analysis. Thenio, Seyli, and the dragons were going to go to the park near Thenio''s house to visit Kleyo and Eteon. It had been a couple of weeks since Thenio had seen them, and Seyli had said she was interested in meeting Eteon and seeing his animal carvings, so they''d already been thinking of visiting the park today. But after the discussion on clairvoyance and mythic beasts'' agents a few days ago, Thenio had a lot of questions for the old woodcarver.... This time, he had arranged the visit in advance through Kleyo, who was still dutifully writing messages to his older brother once a day. It would have been even more often than that if their parents hadn''t set limits to prevent Kleyo from draining the magic crystal in the family message book too quickly. Thenio had calculated how many years he''d have to save up in order to be able to afford buying Kleyo a message book of his own. He wouldn''t really need one until he began attending magic school, in about seven years, and if Thenio started setting aside a little each month now, it shouldn''t be a problem to get one by that time. That was assuming he could keep working as Ariom''s assistant for that long, of course. And that he was able to break the record for the longest-lived chaos morph by still being alive seven years from now...but...well. If that didn''t happen, at least Kleyo could have the message book that Thenio was currently using.... "Ah...Amisi says it''s time to eat," Mideis said suddenly, interrupting Thenio''s gloomy train of thought. "Shall we go downstairs, then?" Thenio nodded and stood up. He folded up the blanket, wondering a little who it was that had put it over him. He''d be a bit happy if it was Seyli...but he''d be less embarrassed if it was Ariom or Mideis.... It was probably better not to ask. Shaking his head a little, Thenio set the folded blanket down on the sofa and followed Mideis out of the room.
The sky was only partly cloudy when they arrived at the park, but Eteon seemed to think it might rain because he had his canopy tent set up on the edge of the market area and was sitting inside it working on a carving when they found him. When he saw them approaching, he set his wood and knife down and stood up with a welcoming smile. "Hi, Thenio''s friend!" Iggy called out, waving to him from his perch on Thenio''s shoulder. "We brought Tava and Seyli to see your toys!" "Hello, Iggy," Eteon said with a chuckle. "It''s nice to see you and Ariom again." He turned to Seyli. "So this must be the girl who knows all about dragons." "That''s her," Ariom said. "This is my cousin, Seyli Ayerin, and her pre-familiar, Tava. Seyli, this is Thenio''s friend, Eteon." "I''m very pleased to meet you, sir," Seyli said, stepping forward and holding her hand out to Eteon. Thenio watched her with one eyebrow slightly raised. He hadn''t seen her well enough in the library that morning to notice, but Seyli was back in full princess mode today, complete with formal manners. She was wearing an elegant, dark blue dress that contrasted beautifully with the orchid-colored dragon riding on her shoulder, and her hair was done up into golden braids that coiled around the back of her head. She looked lovely, but Thenio found the change a little unsettling. Was she that nervous about meeting Eteon? And they hadn''t even told her about him probably being a mythic beast agent.... This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ariom had said it was better not to tell her yet. Partly because they hadn''t actually confirmed it, and partly because it might make her more anxious about meeting him. Looking at her now, Thenio could see his point. Fortunately, Eteon took it all in stride. "The pleasure is mine, young lady," he said, taking her hand and giving her a warm smile. "Thenio''s always had a hard time getting along with other children, so I''m very glad he''s finally made a friend. Ah...a human friend, I mean. Though of course I appreciate his dragon friends, too," he added with a wink at Tava, who chirped and swished her tail in response. "Tava likes Thenio a lot," Seyli said, reaching up to pat her dragon. "She''s been extra excited to go over to Ariom''s house the past few weeks." Her expression turned sorrowful. "Thenio is so kind and patient with magic beasts. And he''s really smart and good at things like drawing and cooking. I''m sure he''d be popular if it weren''t for his magic.... I don''t know why it doesn''t affect me the same way it does other people, but I''m really glad it doesn''t, so I have a chance to get to know him." Thenio felt his face turn red. He lowered his head, staring at the wooden figurines on the table in front of him and hoping nobody would notice. It made him happy to hear she thought that way, though.... "Mmm!" Iggy agreed, waving his tail. "Thenio is a nice friend! And he makes tasty things and draws good pictures!" "Yes, he does," Ariom said drily. "Unnaturally good pictures...." Thenio glanced back at him. He knew Ariom really wanted some answers from Eteon as well, but they''d discussed it earlier and decided that Thenio should be the one to ask him about the clairvoyance and other things. Ariom saw Thenio''s look and sighed. "I don''t see your brother anywhere," he said, changing the subject. "Did we come a bit early?" "Just a little." Eteon nodded. "School isn''t quite out yet. But Kleyo should be here soon. I know he was excited to see Thenio today, so I''m sure he''ll hurry over." "All right. Well. I should get going. Mideis and the others will be waiting for me. Thenio told you that I needed to go take care of some work business, didn''t he? Will you be all right looking after him for a while? Iggy''s staying here, and it''s not a high-magic area...." Eteon raised an eyebrow. "I''ve been looking after him a lot longer than you have, you know? We''ll be fine." "Ah...right." Ariom made an awkward expression. Then he turned to Iggy. "Iggy, you be good while I''m gone, all right? Listen to Thenio and Seyli." "Mmm! Okay! I''ll be super good!" "Good. I don''t think it will take more than two or three hours, but I''ll send you a message if it looks like I need to stay longer. Oh, and that reminds me." Ariom looked at Eteon. "Thenio said you didn''t have a message book?" "I''m afraid not," Eteon said with an apologetic smile. "I''ve never really needed one.... Well, I should probably get one now that Thenio has one, shouldn''t I?" Ariom held his hand up, and a small, leatherbound book appeared in it. He handed it to Eteon. "Here, take this." Thenio''s eyes went wide. Did Ariom just hand those things out to anyone? Did he really not know how much message books normally cost...? Even Eteon looked surprised. "Hey, now...this is too much...." "It''s fine," Ariom said, shaking his head. "They''re easier to make in batches, so I usually have a couple of extras around. And that magic technique you showed me last time is seriously useful, you know? It''s well worth giving you a message book if you let me use it to consult with you on things like that once in a while." "Well...all right." Eteon gave a helpless smile. "I''ll accept it gratefully, then. And I''ll be happy to help you out when I can. Especially since you seem to keep getting involved with projects I have a particular interest in...." He gave a nod in Thenio''s direction. "Seems that way, doesn''t it?" Ariom sighed. "That book already has a few contact pages in it, including mine and Thenio''s. Oh, and I realized when I was setting it up that I don''t know your family name. I''ll add it to the book registration if you tell me what it is." Thenio blinked. Eteon''s...family name? That''s right...he really should have one, shouldn''t he? But even Thenio didn''t know what it was. He''d just...never thought about it? Strange.... Eteon hesitated, his expression a bit conflicted. But after a moment, he let out a small, resigned sigh. "Idarin," he said quietly. "Eteon Idarin." Ariom''s eyes widened. "Idarin? As in...?" "Yes. As in Yohlom Idarin. We''re...related." Thenio''s jaw dropped. "Seriously? Just who are you...?" Ariom shook his head in amazement. "Well, I can see why you don''t give out your family name easily." "Wait...who?" Seyli had her head tilted to one side, looking confused. "Yohlom Idarin," Ariom repeated. "Better known as the Guardian of the First Rift. Or since you''re studying healing magic, you''ve probably heard him referred to as the Last True Necromancer." "Oh...him. Right, I''ve heard of him." Seyli nodded. "So he''s your relative? That''s...kind of amazing? I guess?" Thenio and Ariom both stared at her. Such an underwhelming reaction.... Eteon laughed. "Now there''s a good response. No, it''s not anything that amazing. Yohlom is Yohlom. And I''m me. We just happen to be related. That''s all." Was it all? Thenio couldn''t help giving Eteon a skeptical look. Yohlom Idarin was a legend. He was generally considered to be the most powerful human magic user alive. How did you just shrug off a connection with someone like that...? Ariom put a hand over his face. "Honestly...every time I talk to you, I just keep having more questions...." He sighed and lowered his hand. "But I guess I don''t have time to ask them all right now. Here, I''ll fix the name for you before I go. Though by this point, I wouldn''t be surprised if you told me you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself...." "Actually, I am." Eteon gave a small, mischievous smile. "But it''s not legal, strictly speaking. So go ahead." He handed the book back to Ariom, who gave him an annoyed look before opening the back cover and using a thin strand of magic to do something to the inside. Thenio couldn''t see what it was, but he knew Ariom must be changing the magic formation that contained the name of the book''s owner. He also knew that editing an inscription directly with magic, without using any tools, wasn''t something that most enchanters could do. Eteon wasn''t the only amazing person here.... "There." Ariom gave the book back to Eteon. "Now, I''m leaving before you drop any more shocking revelations." True to his word, he turned and walked away. "Bye, Ariom!" Iggy called after him, waving his front paws. "I''ll be good, okay?" That was enough to make Ariom pause and turn back to wave at the little dragon with a wry smile before continuing on his way. "He''s honest in spite of himself, isn''t he?" Eteon chuckled. "Well, come sit down. Let''s chat a little while we wait for Kleyo to get here." There were several more folding chairs stacked in the back corner of the tent, and Eteon pulled two of them out for Thenio and Seyli. Seyli set hers close to the table, and she and the dragons started looking at the completed carvings, while Thenio set his chair up next to Eteon''s so he could watch him finish the newest figurine, which seemed to be some kind of lizard. "Thenio said you were studying magic beast healing," Eteon said, giving Seyli an encouraging smile. "What classes are you taking this semester?" Thenio listened, impressed, as Eteon skillfully guided the conversation toward things that would be easy for Seyli to talk about¡ªwhat she liked about her classes, the details of a topic she''d been researching for an assignment that week, what kinds of pre-familiars the other students in her dormitory had.... As he kept asking questions in his warm, gentle manner, she became noticeably more relaxed and animated, gradually returning to her usual self. Eteon''s conversation skills were their own kind of magic. Thenio had been on the receiving end of them plenty of times before, but he rarely got a chance to see them at work on someone else, and he did his best to observe and take mental notes. He could interact with Seyli reasonably well by now, but his conversations with Ariom still included far too many awkward silences.... About fifteen minutes later, Tava, who had lost interest in the wooden figurines and had been sitting on the edge of the table observing their surroundings, suddenly turned her head and pricked up her ears. "Do you see something interesting, Tava?" Iggy had been playing with a set of wooden animal beads that could be pushed back and forth along a twisting wire track, but when he noticed Tava suddenly becoming alert, he left the toy and went across the table to where she was sitting. When he was next to her, he stood up on his hind legs and looked in the direction she was facing. "Oh! Tava found Thenio''s little brother!" he said, wobbling a little as his waving tail threw off his balance. Thenio stood up and went outside the tent to look. A number of children were entering the park from the direction of the school, and near the front of the group were two boys walking together¡ªa smaller one with light brown hair and a taller, thinner one with dark hair. It looked like the dragons had spotted, not just one, but both of Thenio''s younger brothers. "Thenio!" When they got a little closer, Kleyo noticed him standing there and started running over, waving his arm. "Hi, Kleyo." Thenio laughed and staggered back a step as his brother tackled him with an enthusiastic hug. "Hey, be a little careful, all right? If you get any bigger, you''re going to start knocking me over when you do that." Kleyo grinned at him. "You just need to keep getting tougher so you can keep catching me!" "Hey, there are limits to how tough a person can get, you know? I can''t even use magic to help me...." "You can''t now. But someday you''ll be able to! My big brother will be the toughest wizard ever!" Thenio tousled Kleyo''s hair. "I like your optimism, buddy, but keep it a little realistic, will you...?" He looked up at Lem, who was approaching slowly behind Kleyo, and gave him a welcoming smile. "Hi, Lem. Did you come to join us?" "Uh...not exactly. I have to get home to start on dinner." Lem was standing back a little, looking uncomfortable. "But Kleyo really wanted me to come with him, so...." "We hardly ever get to see Thenio anymore," Kleyo said. "You should at least see him and say hello, right?" "Well, I don''t want to keep you too long if you need to go. But it is nice to see you." Thenio did his best to keep smiling. "What are you planning to cook for dinner?" "Pot roast." Lem was staring at the ground. "That''s why I need to get home. It takes a long time to cook. And I need to peel potatoes...and cut up vegetables...and...stuff." "Ah, right. I understand." Thenio nodded, his smile faltering a little. Lem should have known he was coming to visit today, which meant he''d planned a time-consuming menu on purpose.... "Well, why don''t I just introduce you to my new friends before you go?" "Oh, there''s a different dragon today!" Kleyo had just noticed Tava and Seyli. "The purple one was Tava, right? Then that''s Seyli? Wow, she really does look like a princess, just like you said!" Thenio''s face grew hot. Did Kleyo really have to mention that...? He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um...yes. This is Seyli Ayerin, Ariom''s cousin, and her dragon, Tava. Seyli, these are my brothers, Lem and Kleyo." He couldn''t quite meet Seyli''s eyes as he spoke. "It''s a pleasure to meet you both," Seyli said, stepping forward and holding her hand out with an elegant smile. Ah. She was back in formal mode.... "Seyli''s parents are strict about proper manners, like Aunt Suliya is," Thenio said quickly. "You two remember what to do, right?" Kleyo nodded and willingly put his hand under Seyli''s, beaming up at her. "It''s my pleasure!" Well. His manners were a bit rough, but at least he was cute. Lem hung back, looking very reluctant. "Come on, Lem." Kleyo lowered his hand and turned to Lem encouragingly. "Just do it like we practice at home!" There was an awkward pause. Then, very slowly, Lem came forward and raised his hand to just barely touch the underside of Seyli''s fingers. As they made contact, his expression changed. He looked surprised and slightly relieved, as though some calamity he had been expecting hadn''t occurred after all. Was he that nervous about touching a girl''s hand? "The pleasure is mine," Lem said quietly, bowing his head. He lowered his hand and stepped back again a bit more quickly than he really should have, but overall it was passable. "Well done," Thenio said with a rather forced smile. He wasn''t sure if he was praising his brothers or Seyli, who had somehow kept her elegant demeanor throughout the entire exchange. "Yes...very nice to meet you...." Lem said softly, starting to edge away. "Then...if you''ll excuse me...." "Ah, Lem. Wait a moment." Everyone turned to look at Eteon, who had stood up and was holding something out across the table in Lem''s direction. "Take these with you," he said, giving Lem a gentle smile. "You said one of your measuring spoons broke the other day, didn''t you? I made you a new set. They''re okeram wood, so they should last a bit longer this time." Lem''s whole appearance changed. His eyes lit up and he went eagerly over to take the spoons from Eteon''s hand. "You remembered," he said happily. "They look really nice. Thanks, Eteon!" Thenio blinked, feeling a little confused. Since when had Lem and Eteon been so friendly? He didn''t remember Lem ever mentioning going to the park to visit Eteon, like Kleyo did. Had he been coming here secretly? And...how exactly had Eteon managed to win Lem over? Thenio hadn''t seen his brother smile at anyone like that for a long time. Not since...that day.... Thenio felt his throat tighten. He watched, feeling both guilty and a bit envious, as Lem and Eteon exchanged goodbyes and Lem started to leave again. He was about to pass close by where Thenio was standing. Thenio swallowed and forced himself to smile again. "Take care, Lem," he said as warmly as he could manage. "I hope the cooking goes well." Then he reached out to give his brother a light pat on the shoulder. As soon as they touched, Lem jumped like he''d been burned and spun around to stare at Thenio with a horrified expression. Thenio stood there, stunned. His hand was still outstretched, now touching only empty air. "Thenio, I...I...I''m sorry..." Lem stammered. "I...I have to go!" He turned and ran across the park, heading for home. There was a long moment of silence. "What happened?" Seyli finally said, staring after Lem and looking bewildered. "Is he all right?" "Probably?" Kleyo shrugged helplessly. "Lem''s just weird like that." Thenio didn''t say anything. The hand that had just touched his brother''s shoulder was now clenched tightly against his side, nails digging painfully into his palm. Chapter 36 - Phoenix Child Thenio stared silently at the spot where Lem had disappeared. "Lem''s nice, but he doesn''t like being around people very much," Kleyo was explaining to Seyli. "And he doesn''t like being touched. Though he doesn''t usually hate it that much...um...I mean...maybe he didn''t notice Thenio was about to touch him? So he was just surprised? Or something...?" He trailed off awkwardly. Thenio clenched his fist even tighter. Then he felt a calloused hand take hold of his. He started a little and turned to see Eteon standing next to him. "You didn''t do anything wrong, Thenio." Eteon lifted Thenio''s hand and gently pried his fingers open. Then he inspected the skin of his palm, apparently checking for injuries. There were reddened dents from the fingernails, but the skin wasn''t torn. "Like Kleyo said, I think Lem overreacted because he was startled. It wasn''t your fault. The timing was just unfortunate." He let go of Thenio''s hand and put an arm around his shoulders. "Come sit down. Your magic is getting restless. You need to calm down for a few minutes." It was just bad timing? Lem was just surprised? Really...? Thenio wasn''t convinced, but he let Eteon lead him back to the tent. When he slumped back down into his chair, Tava whimpered a little and came across the table to jump onto his lap, where she began licking his hand. Not wanting to be left out, Iggy spread his wings and flew over to land on Thenio''s shoulder. He nuzzled Thenio''s cheek and then patted it with his front paw¡ªa habit he''d picked up from Amisi over the past few days. "Thanks, you two," Thenio said, smiling a little and stroking a dragon with each hand. "Wow, they really like you, huh?" Kleyo looked impressed. "He seems to have special magic beast-attracting powers," Seyli said with a laugh. "I really want to invite him to my family''s dragon hatchery sometime to see what happens. He''ll probably have the whole flock trying to climb on him at once." Kleyo giggled. "Thenio will get buried in a big pile of dragons! I want to see that, too!" "Hey, now...." Thenio made a face. "I like dragons and all, but can''t I just have a few at a time?" "Nope!" Kleyo said, snickering. "You get the whole pile!" Thenio sighed helplessly. But then he smiled. He knew they were trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated it. Some of the other children who had arrived at the park along with Kleyo and Lem had noticed the two dragons and were standing a short distance away, shooting envious glances at Thenio. Several boys were huddled together in a group, having some kind of discussion in low voices. They seemed to reach a consensus because they all nodded at each other, and one of them left the group and started walking toward the tent. "Hey, Kleyo!" he called out as he approached. Kleyo turned. "Oh, hi, Nilo." "That''s your older brother, isn''t it?" The boy called Nilo came and stood next to Kleyo. "How come he has dragons? They''re not his, are they?" Kleyo shook his head. "The black one belongs to the wizard that Thenio works for now. And the purple one is hers." He pointed at Seyli. "Oh." Nilo looked apprehensively between Seyli and Thenio for a few seconds. He seemed to think Thenio was the more intimidating one of the pair because his gaze finally settled on Seyli. "Um...well...can we...?" He glanced back at his companions, who nodded encouragingly at him. "I mean...if it''s okay...can we pet them...maybe...?" "Sure you can." Seyli gave him a gentle smile. "Are you Kleyo''s classmates?" Kleyo and Nilo both nodded. "Well, why don''t you tell the others to come over here, and you can¡ª" Seyli broke off. She happened to look over and meet Thenio''s gaze just then, and he''d shaken his head slightly. Seyli''s eyes widened briefly in understanding. Then she gave him an apologetic look and nodded. "Actually, the dragons are probably ready for their afternoon playtime." She turned back to Nilo and smiled again. "Why don''t we take them over on that open grassy area, and you boys can play with them for a while? Does that sound good?" "Yeah!" Nilo said excitedly. The other boys all nodded vigorously. "Ah...." Kleyo looked at Thenio with concern. Then he turned back to Seyli with a rather forced smile. "Yeah. That sounds fun...." "All right, then." Seyli turned to look at the dragons. "Iggy? Tava? Do you want to go play?" Both dragons hesitated, looking at Thenio. "I''m fine. You two go have fun for a while." He smiled and gave them both a grateful pat. "I''ll stay here. I have some things I need to talk to Eteon about." "Mmm. Okay." Iggy still looked a little reluctant, but he nodded and jumped off Thenio''s shoulder to fly over and land on Seyli''s outstretched arm. Tava gave Thenio''s hand one last lick before looking up at him and chirping softly a couple of times. Then she jumped down off his lap and trotted over to where Seyli was waiting. Seyli gave Thenio and Eteon a smile and a little wave. "We''ll be back in a while." Then she led the group of children over to a nearby patch of grass, where there would be enough space for the dragons to fly around. Besides the original group of boys, they picked up several more children along the way who had noticed the dragons and come over to see them. "She''s a smart girl," Eteon remarked as he watched them go. "And very kind. Even if she gets a bit anxious about meeting new people...." He chuckled softly and turned to give Thenio a warm smile. "I''m really glad you''ve made a good friend." "Yeah...me too...." Thenio watched as Seyli organized the children so they could take turns petting Iggy and Tava. She seemed to be a little more comfortable interacting with younger children. Maybe that was because children and magic beasts acted in similar ways. Eteon sat back down and picked up the carving he''d been working on. For a few minutes, the only sound in the tent was the scraping of his knife against the wood. Thenio was trying to sort out his thoughts. He had so many questions he wanted to ask Eteon that he didn''t even know where to start. "Are you still thinking about Lem?" Eteon finally asked. He had just finished up the lizard carving and was starting to rub varnish on it. "Well...yeah." Thenio hesitated. "Have you and Lem...gotten closer lately?" "A little. He started coming by here more often after you went to the academy." Thenio bit his lip. "...because I wasn''t here as much?" Eteon glanced at him. "I suppose so. But I don''t think it means what you think it does." "Then what does it mean? Lem hates me and wants to stay away from me. What else could it mean?" "He doesn''t hate you, Thenio...." Eteon reached over to ruffle Thenio''s hair and looked him directly in the eyes. "I guarantee that he doesn''t hate you. He just...doesn''t know how to be around you." Thenio looked away. "Because of my magic?" "Well...yes. More or less." Eteon sighed and leaned back in his chair. "His reaction to you is a little different than most people''s, though. It''s not like you''re the only person he avoids, is it?" "Huh?" Thenio blinked. "No...I guess I''m not...." "Some people are just more sensitive than others. Occasionally a person will be so sensitive that it''s difficult for them to be around other people. Well...Seyli is a little like that too, isn''t she?" Eteon gestured toward the grassy area. Seyli had produced a couple of brightly colored cloth balls from the small embroidered bag she carried whenever they went out somewhere, which Thenio strongly suspected had a space compression enchantment on it. The children were taking turns throwing the balls for Iggy and Tava to catch in midair. "She feels more comfortable around magic beasts than she does around other humans, right? Lem is kind of like that. Just a bit more extreme. He doesn''t dislike you¡ªhe''s just uncomfortable being close to you. He feels quite guilty about it, actually...." "Really?" Thenio frowned. "Why hasn''t he ever said anything? I''ve tried asking him what''s wrong, but he always just evades the question and runs away." Eteon shrugged. "He doesn''t know how to explain it? He''s afraid of how you''ll respond? He feels guilty for how he acts around you? He''s a stubborn kid who feels like he needs to deal with things all on his own? It''s probably a combination of all those things." "So what am I supposed to do? Just stay away from him...?" "Not exactly." Eteon inspected the varnished carving in his hand for a moment before setting it down on the table next to the others. "Let him know you care about him, but don''t push him faster than he''s willing to go. I think he''ll open up to you when he''s ready." "Maybe he''ll open up to you first," Thenio said, a little gloomily. "He seems more comfortable with you than with most people." "Well, not to brag, but I am better at controlling my magic than most people are. That''s a big part of it. Though bribing him with cooking utensils has helped, too...." Eteon chuckled. "Speaking of which, what do you think I should carve now?" Thenio frowned a little. He had the feeling that Eteon was trying to change the subject. But he decided to go along with it. "That...I was thinking of buying something from you...." "You know you don''t really need to buy anything from me. I''m happy to make you whatever you want. I don''t need any money." "I know...but...." Thenio scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, I got my first ever salary as a magic assistant the other day. So I kind of wanted to use some of it to buy something a little special. Just...to celebrate and all...you know?" Eteon''s eyes widened a little. Then he smiled warmly. "Well, now...I''m honored that you think of my carvings that way. Did you have something specific in mind?" "Not exactly." Thenio fidgeted a little and glanced over toward the group playing with the dragons. "Um...do you think...would it be strange if I bought something for Seyli? She has been really nice to me. She''s taught me a lot about dragons and stuff. So I thought maybe I should do something to thank her...." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Eteon laughed. "No, I don''t think it''s strange. I was actually thinking of giving her something myself to thank her for helping you out. But it''s probably better if it''s coming from you. All right. What do you think she would like?" "Well, she obviously likes dragons a lot. Other magic beasts, too. And animals. And medicine and genetics and things like that." Thenio screwed up his face, thinking. "And...um...girly stuff? Like, she''s always wearing pretty clothes and doing fancy things with her hair. So something like that?" He gave Eteon an apologetic look. "Sorry...that probably doesn''t help...." "No, that''s enough. I have an idea." Eteon bent down and started looking through the basket of wood scraps next to his chair. "Let''s see...I think I had a piece of...yes, there it is." He held up a palm-sized block of wood that was a faded reddish color with white streaks running through it. "Rose cedar," he said in answer to Thenio''s questioning look. "It turns a really lovely shade of pink if you put a little stain on it to deepen the color. It''s very popular for accessories, so I don''t get scraps of it often. But I happened to get this one a few days ago." "What are you going to make?" Thenio asked curiously as he watched Eteon start shaping the edges of the wood. "A hair comb. It''s been a while since I''ve made one, but decorative combs were very popular in Ket''qe when I was living there, so I used to make a lot of them. They were good practice...in patience, if nothing else. I don''t even want to think about how many times I had a comb almost finished and then accidentally broke a couple of the teeth off...." "I break things a lot when I carve, too. You hardly ever do it now, though, right?" "I''ve had a lot of years of practice since then. It still happens once in a while, though. Some pieces of wood just have weak spots that are impossible to avoid." Eteon looked up from his carving and gave Thenio a wink. "Well, when that happens I usually cheat by sticking the pieces back together with magic." Thenio frowned a little. That reminded him of the dream he''d had, where he was watching someone carve a unicorn figurine, and one of the front legs had broken off. That was probably just something he''d dreamed based on all his memories of watching Eteon carve, but.... No, it was just a dream. He shook his head a little to clear the memory away. "Maybe I should start practicing woodcarving more," he said, looking at the table full of toys and figurines. "I don''t think Ariom would mind the shavings like Mom does. He''s always making random things. Like these." Thenio held up his hands. He was wearing a new set of leather cuffs with magic insulation and suppression enchantments engraved on them. Ariom had improved the insulation enchantment a bit after analyzing where the previous ones had gotten overloaded and broken. "He''s pretty good at leatherworking, you know? He said he''d show me how to do it. They don''t teach leather scribing until second year classes at the academy, so I didn''t get the chance to.... Well, having a grandmaster teaching me is even better, right?" Thenio gave a slightly forced smile. "He''s teaching me about Pre-War enchantment techniques for now, though. The Order of the Ravener seems to use a style that''s based on those methods, so I''m learning about it to help out with the job Ariom''s doing for the Royal Guard." Eteon paused his carving and his expression darkened. "So he decided to take that job, did he? Well, it will probably be a good experience for the two of you, but...you be careful, understand? There are some real monsters lurking behind that group. You absolutely don''t want to attract their attention." Thenio felt a slight chill at those words. He didn''t know exactly how powerful Eteon was, but even Ariom, a grandmaster wizard, seemed to be intimidated by him. So if that Eteon was calling someone a monster, with such a grim look on his face.... Thenio swallowed. "I...think the Guard members we''re working with understand that? They told us to be careful not to tell anyone we don''t trust that we''re doing anything related to the Order. I think you and Ariom''s uncle are the only ones who know. The enchantment analysis itself is going to be a little dangerous...but just for Ariom and the other people directly involved. I''m only helping on the side." He gave a small laugh. "So the only thing I''m really in danger of is headaches from too much magic practice. I got one of those this morning." Eteon raised an eyebrow at him before going back to his carving. "Well, too much magic practice isn''t a good idea, either. You haven''t forgotten how that got you in trouble before, have you?" "No, I haven''t. It''s just that I was practicing a new technique and didn''t realize at first how tiring it was. I''ll be more careful from now on." "Good." Thenio was silent for a moment, watching Eteon cut out the spaces in between the teeth of the comb. He knew he was supposed to be finding out what Eteon knew about the clairvoyance magic he''d been using, but...he didn''t quite feel up to asking...not yet.... The thought of how their relationship might change if he found out who Eteon really was...it was scary. He cast around for something else to say, to delay the inevitable a little longer. "Oh...the headache thing reminds me...are there different kinds of healing magic?" "What do you mean by ''different kinds''?" "Well, I told you I had a headache this morning, right? That was just before Seyli came over to Ariom''s house, and when she got there, she used some healing magic on me to help the headache go away faster. But her magic felt...I don''t know...it was different somehow. Different from other times I''ve had people use healing magic on me." "Ah, that." Eteon nodded. "Yes, there are different kinds. We put magic users into groups called ''affinities,'' but there''s actually quite a lot of natural variation in magic frequencies, even among people with the same affinity. Ariom does enchantment tailoring, doesn''t he? He should know all about this kind of thing." "Oh. Right. I remember him saying something about that. But he said the differences usually weren''t big enough to notice without using the scanning equipment." "Usually. Once in a while there are outliers. Seyli is one of those." Eteon paused his carving again and looked over to where Seyli was holding Tava on her arm so that a young boy and his mother, who''d just joined the group of children, could pet her head. "She''s a phoenix child." "''A phoenix child''?" Thenio repeated. "Yes." Eteon was silent for a moment, still watching Seyli. Then he lowered his head and resumed carving. "That''s what they used to be called, at least. I haven''t heard the term for a long time, so I don''t know if it''s still in use. It refers to a person who''s born with a magic frequency similar to the phoenix''s. They''re quite rare, and they usually become really excellent life mages. "There''s an old folktale about them. It says that phoenix children are created when the phoenix flies over a human settlement and one of her feathers falls down onto a newborn baby." "Is that true?" Eteon gave a small laugh. "No. It''s just a story." He paused and rubbed his finger over the surface of the wood he was holding. There was an oddly melancholy smile on his face. "It can''t be true because phoenix children are still being born, and no phoenix has flown over this world in a long...long time...." Thenio didn''t know what to say. Something about those words...or maybe it was the look in Eteon''s eyes...for some reason, he suddenly felt his heart ache and his throat tighten. He couldn''t help thinking back to the strange image he''d seen when Seyli used her healing magic on him. That gentle, golden light...the soft rustle of feathers.... "Have you ever seen the phoenix?" he asked after a long pause. It was a ridiculous question, of course. The phoenix was one of the few mythic beasts whose existence had been confirmed. There were plenty of old stories and records of it. And it was a well-known fact that Kafron had a phoenix feather kept under heavy security in the royal treasury. But like Eteon said, there hadn''t been any sightings of the phoenix for a long time¡ªnot since before the Great War. One of the many theories about the reason the demon rifts started forming was that the phoenix was disgusted by the brutality of the war and abandoned the world, which allowed the demons to start breaking in. No human alive had ever seen a phoenix. That was common knowledge. But...if it was Eteon.... "Yes," Eteon said, very quietly. "I''ve seen her. A long time ago...." Thenio''s eyes widened. "What...what was she like?" Eteon was still and silent for a moment, staring unseeingly at the table full of his wooden carvings. "Beautiful..." he whispered. "She was the most beautiful thing I''ve ever seen...." There was another moment of silence. Then Eteon looked at Thenio and smiled. "I really hope you''ll be able to see her someday." He set the half-finished comb down and stood up. "I can''t show you the real phoenix right now. But I can give you a little glimpse of her." He went to his backpack, which was propped up against the back wall of the tent. He opened it and rummaged around inside for a moment. Then he straightened up and turned around, holding a creamy white piece of wood. "This is called phoenix wood, appropriately enough. I''ve been saving this for a special carving. But I''d say this qualifies. Well...I''m not exactly going to carve it, though." Eteon chuckled a little. "Here, watch closely." He held the wood out in front of Thenio. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the wood began to glow softly and change shape. A moment later, it had turned into a hawk-like bird with a long tail and a crest of feathers on its head. The figure was moving, like it was alive. As Thenio watched, wide-eyed, the phoenix shook its tail a little and turned its head to look at him. It opened its beak, and he could have sworn he heard it let out a clear, musical cry. Then it spread its wings, crouched down, and leapt into the air. But just as the wings were curving for a downstroke, the bird suddenly froze. The glow faded. And resting in Eteon''s hands was an exquisitely detailed wooden figurine of a phoenix taking flight. "Here you go." He held the figure out to Thenio, smiling at the awestruck look on his face. "I know it''s not the carving you asked for, but...well. Just think of it as a bonus, all right?" Thenio slowly took the figure from him. He held it in front of him, hands trembling slightly, and stared at it. Eteon was right. The phoenix was beautiful. The pale wood had a sort of iridescent gold grain through it that made the figure shimmer in the light. And even in wooden form, the creature looked strong and graceful. It was beautiful...but...what was this? An odd feeling of nostalgia came over Thenio as he looked at the figurine. He knew he''d never seen a phoenix before. There was no way he could have. But.... Why did it feel so familiar? "Do you like it?" He looked up. Eteon was still watching him with a gentle smile on his face. Thenio bit his lip and nodded, not quite trusting himself to say anything. "Good." Eteon reached out and ruffled Thenio''s hair a little. Then he turned and went back to his chair. "Well, I''d better get this one finished, too." He picked up his knife and the partially finished wooden comb again. They were both quiet for a few minutes. Thenio was still looking down at the phoenix, running his fingers lightly over the wooden feathers. "Hey...Eteon?" he said finally, raising his head. "Hmm?" Eteon turned and looked at him questioningly. Thenio looked into his light blue eyes. "Are you a mythic beast''s agent?" Eteon raised his eyebrows. "Where did you get that idea?" He didn''t seem shocked or upset by the question¡ªjust mildly surprised. "From Ariom. He said his uncle suspected it after he met you. He mentioned it to General Obarin, who asked a mythic beast agent that he knows about you." "An agent the general knows...?" Eteon looked thoughtful. "Ah. It must have been that guy. Well, what did he say about me?" "The agent didn''t know who you were, but apparently the mythic beast he''s contracted with told him to be polite to you and not interfere with whatever you''re doing." Eteon laughed. "Yes, that sounds like something he''d say...." Thenio raised an eyebrow. "Ariom was pretty freaked out by that, you know? He assumed it meant you were contracted with a higher-ranking mythic beast." "That''s a reasonable assumption." "So? Are you really?" "Well...yes." Eteon sighed a little. "My contract is...a bit unusual. But yes, I''m technically a mythic beast''s agent." So it was really true.... Thenio sat and stared at him, not quite sure what to say next. He looked down at the wooden phoenix in his hands again. "Then...is the dream beast a real mythic beast?" "You already know the answer to that, don''t you?" Thenio bit his lip. He did know the answer, if he was being honest. Just...for some reason he still couldn''t quite believe it. "I got a book of folktales from Ket''qe the other day," he said, looking over at where Seyli and the dragons were. They were still playing fetch with the children, although Iggy was starting to fly a bit erratically, which was a sign he was getting tired. "I haven''t had time to read them all yet. But I found a story about a creature named Ki''shiu, who saved a child by going into her dreams and eating all the nightmare creatures that were tormenting her. It didn''t say what the name means, but since the mythic beasts who watch over the forest are called Ket''shiu and Ket''yia...." "It means ''Lord of Dreams,''" Eteon said gently. "Like Ket''shiu means ''Lord of the Forest.'' And yes, that''s what they call him there." Thenio was silent for a minute, still watching the two dragons flying around and catching balls in the distance. "Why?" he asked finally. "Why would a mythic beast care about me? Is my magic really that valuable? I just don''t understand it...." Eteon let out an exasperated sigh. "You''re looking at it the wrong way, you know? You''re assuming that a powerful creature like a mythic beast would only be willing to help you because he has something to gain from it. But that''s backwards. Ki''shiu is a mythic beast! He''s strong enough to do whatever he wants! So why does he need to gain anything from helping you? Can''t he do it just because he feels like it? Just because you''re a good kid who needs help, like the one in that folktale?" Thenio was staring at Eteon with his mouth hanging slightly open. What was he saying? A mythic beast was keeping an eye on him and visiting his dreams and letting his agent sit in a park and make toys just...because he felt like it? "Really, Thenio...." Eteon gave him a disgruntled look. Then he reached out and lightly flicked Thenio''s forehead with his finger, causing him to wince and put a hand over the spot. "As hard as it might be for you to believe, some of us happen to like you, all right? Get that through your silly, insecure head already." Chapter 37 - Dream Magic "Are you seriously saying that you and Ki''shiu are going to this much trouble just because you like me?" Thenio asked, staring at Eteon in disbelief. "It doesn''t have anything to do with my chaos affinity?" "Well, of course that has something to do with it. We wouldn''t need to go to so much trouble if your magic weren''t the way it is, now would we?" Eteon leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "And it''s not exactly that we aren''t expecting anything from you. You have a huge amount of potential, you know? Of course we''re hoping that you learn to control your magic and go on to do amazing things in life. But it''s not like we''re going to abandon you if you don''t. It''s sort of like the arrangement you have with Ariom, isn''t it? I''m sure he''d prefer it if you turn out to be useful as an assistant, but that''s not his main goal for taking you in. So he wouldn''t really consider it a loss if all you do is play around with Iggy and practice your magic control. Right?" "Oh." Thenio didn''t know what else to say. He sat quietly for a while, pondering what Eteon had just said and watching while he worked on Seyli''s comb. He''d finished shaping the teeth, and now he was carving what looked like flowers on the top. Over on the grass, Tava was still playing with the children, but Iggy seemed to be too tired to chase balls anymore. Kleyo was sitting on the grass with the little black dragon on his lap, surrounded by several other children who were talking to Iggy or petting him. They would probably come back to the tent before much longer. If Thenio wanted to ask Eteon about clairvoyance and dream magic, he ought to get it done before then. He let out a small sigh and turned to look at Eteon. "Hey, can I ask you some things? About mythic beasts?" "You can ask me anything you want. There are things I can''t tell you about, of course. But I won''t get mad at you for asking." "Then...what kind of magic does a dream beast use?" "Hmm...it''s a little difficult to explain. Just saying that he uses dream magic probably doesn''t help much...." Eteon paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I guess the easiest way to explain it is to say that it''s the magic of knowledge." "Knowledge? Is that like mental magic?" "There''s some overlap, yes. But dream magic is broader than that. Mental magic is about transmitting information between minds. But with dream magic, you can get information from the world itself. And you can also use knowledge to affect the world." Thenio made a confused face. "I don''t get it...." Eteon pointed at the phoenix figurine that Thenio was still holding. "Like that. I know what the phoenix looks like, so with dream magic, I can use that knowledge to reshape the wood so that it looks like her." Thenio stared down at the phoenix. "Is that how you did this? I just assumed it was some kind of crystal magic. Like a lifemimic." "It''s similar, in this case. But dream magic can do a lot more than just changing the shape of something. Though I do use it for that quite a lot." Thenio frowned. "So...could you also use knowledge about something to draw a picture of it?" "Of course. If it works to create a shape, it works to create an image." "That...well, I mean, that makes sense. But isn''t that what you told me to do when you were teaching me how to draw? You told me to learn about animals and things and use what I knew about them to draw them. But if you need dream magic to make it work the same way you do, why would you try to teach me like that?" Eteon shrugged. "Well, you can do it, can''t you? I''ve watched you draw pictures that way for years." Thenio blinked at him, nonplussed. "Wait...you mean you expected me to be able to copy a dream magic technique?" "Why not? You''re a chaos morph. You can use almost any kind of magic." So Eteon had known about that from the beginning.... Well, of course he had. He was a mythic beast agent. And Ki''shiu had implied that Thenio wasn''t the first chaos morph he''d tried to help. "Why didn''t you say anything? If you''ve known about my chaos affinity all along, why didn''t you tell me? Or tell my parents? If you had...." Eteon''s eyes narrowed. "If I had, your parents would have sent you off to live in a research center somewhere. And you most likely would have died there. Just like all the other chaos morphs that have died in research centers.... We were waiting for a better option to come along." "A better option? You mean Ariom?" Right...Thenio had almost forgotten about it, but the first time he''d seen Ki''shiu, the dream beast had told him to follow the path where Iggy was. "Does that mean you think Ariom will be able to help me?" Eteon sighed. "Honestly, I don''t know. But the methods we''ve tried in the past haven''t worked. Someone like Ariom, who can approach the problem from a new direction, is probably the best chance you''ve got." They were both silent for a moment. "You said Ariom was the one who suggested to you that I might be a mythic beast''s agent," Eteon said. "But have you told him about seeing Ki''shiu?" Thenio shook his head. "Not yet. I wasn''t exactly trying to hide it. I just...wasn''t sure. I mean, I''ve only ever seen him in dreams. I wasn''t sure Ariom would believe he was real. I wasn''t sure I believed he was real myself.... And even if it turned out he was, I wasn''t sure if he''d want me to tell anyone." "Hmm...." Eteon''s brow furrowed a little. "Well, you can ask him yourself if you want. But I think it''s probably all right to tell Ariom about him. I mean, if Ariom knows I''m an agent, then he already knows there''s a mythic beast involved somewhere. It''s just a matter of telling him which one. You should be very careful who else you tell, though. A lot of people will try to take advantage of you if they know you have a connection to a mythic beast." "I know. Ariom already warned me about that. And actually...he does know about me using dream magic. He''s the one who noticed and told me that I was doing it. Except that we thought it was some kind of mental magic, like clairvoyance. See, the Royal Guard inspector that we''re working with is a mental mage, and he came over to the house for a meeting with Ariom the other day...." Thenio explained about Ariom''s plan to use telepathy during the enchantment analysis, and how they''d discovered Thenio''s unusual ability while they were testing things out. "I do want to help with the analysis, if I can. I know Ariom isn''t necessarily expecting that much from me as an assistant, but he''s done such a lot for me already...I want to do what I can to repay him." Thenio looked at Eteon uneasily. "But if what I''ve been doing is really dream magic...well, I don''t know if using it around other people is going to cause problems or not. So if you think I should stop...." Eteon had finished carving while Thenio had been talking, and now he sat tapping his finger against the unvarnished comb and frowning a little. "I don''t think it will be a problem," he said finally. "We''ll just need to take a few precautions." "What precautions?" Instead of answering, Eteon reached down into his scrap basket and pulled out a small, dark brown piece of wood. He held it in the palm of his hand, and the wood started to glow faintly and change shape. A moment later, a wooden taua that looked remarkably like Amisi was sitting there. The eyes had even been painted the same shade of light orange. Thenio''s eyes widened. "That''s Amisi, isn''t it? How do you know what she looks like?" "I told you before, didn''t I? Dream magic allows you to pull knowledge directly from the world itself." Eteon handed the taua figurine to Thenio. "Here. Give this to the mental mage you''re working with." Thenio took the wooden taua and looked at it more closely. Like the phoenix, it was amazingly detailed, even more than Eteon''s carvings usually were. He glanced back up at Eteon. "What''s this for?" "The precautions I mentioned earlier. Don''t worry¡ªthe mental mage will understand when you give it to him." Thenio raised an eyebrow but knew better than to argue. "Mideis was talking about giving me some basic training in using mental magic. Should I go through with that? I mean, if I''m not actually using mental magic...." "It should be fine. Dream magic could be considered a close relative of mental magic, so the same kinds of training can be used for both. Mental mages usually start off with basic meditation and breathing exercises to help train mental discipline and focus. Something like that might be beneficial for you. It probably won''t hurt, in any case. Though you can always ask me if anything comes up that you''re not sure about." "I guess you have a message book now, don''t you?" "I do seem to," Eteon said with a wry smile. "I''ll have to think of some other good magic formations to teach Ariom to thank him for that.... But yes, now you''ll be able to send me messages whenever you want. Although, if you want to learn more about dream magic...." He gave Thenio a wink. "...you have access to an even better teacher, don''t you? Dreams are the best place to practice dream magic anyway." Thenio''s eyes widened a little. "You really think he''ll be willing to teach me?" "Of course he will. He likes you and wants to help you. Didn''t I just tell you that?" "Well...yeah, but...he''s still a mythic beast.... Doesn''t he have better things to do than teach me magic?" Eteon raised an eyebrow. "Like what, exactly?" "Like...." Thenio paused. What did mythic beasts spend their time doing? He didn''t actually know. Ket''shiu and Ket''yia supposedly watched over the Ket''qe forest, though he wasn''t really sure what that entailed. And he''d heard stories about Naslunal protecting sea creatures and preventing ships from going too far away from the continent. And Ki''shiu.... ...tried to keep chaos morphs from killing themselves, apparently. And occasionally helped little girls who were having nightmares. Maybe he really didn''t have anything better to do.... "I don''t know," he admitted. "What exactly does Ki''shiu do?" Eteon laughed. "He''ll teach you. Trust me." Thenio couldn''t really say anything to that. He was quiet for a few minutes, watching as Eteon mixed up a small container of diluted wood stain and started brushing it onto Seyli''s comb. "You said something about getting information from the world," he said finally, looking at the small wooden taua again. "What does that mean?" "It can mean several things. It can be something like an enhanced version of clairvoyance, for one. You said you learned a little about the form of clairvoyance that tauas use, right? That''s somewhere on the border between mental magic and dream magic. That''s why not many humans can use clairvoyance¡ªit requires a mental mage who''s able to extend their magic use beyond the normal limits of the affinity." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Beyond the normal limits...?" Thenio frowned. "Is that the same as what you were saying about Seyli earlier? That she''s outside the normal range of life magic frequencies?" Eteon shook his head. "No, that''s a different phenomenon. This is more like Ariom''s thaumaturgy. He uses that in order to do things that are normally impossible with void magic, right? He''s exceeding the limits by using his magic in a more flexible way. "There are several differences between the magic that humans and mythic beasts use, but that''s one of them. Mythic beasts are much more creative in how they use their magic, which allows them to do a broader range of things. Well, they live a lot longer than humans do. I suppose humans would be more creative if they had thousands of years to experiment." Eteon''s expression darkened a bit. "Though it''s hard to say if that would be a good thing...." He was probably referring to the Great Magic War. Thenio knew from his history classes that there had been a sort of magical arms race during the years building up to the war, where different schools of magic rushed to develop new magic tools and techniques, trying to outpace their rivals. The main reason the Wizard Association was formed after the war ended was to oversee magic development and prevent small groups from accumulating too much power and starting to fight for dominance like that again. "Well, we''ll save the full lesson on mythic beast magic for another day," Eteon went on. "It''s going to start raining in a few minutes. I expect the others will stop playing and come back then." Thenio looked outside the tent. The clouds were denser than they had been when they arrived at the park, but there were still some patches of sunlight. It didn''t really look like rain was imminent. He looked back at Eteon. "Does dream magic let you see the future, too?" "Unfortunately, no." Eteon chuckled a little. "But it lets me see enough information about the present to make fairly accurate weather predictions." "What about Ki''shiu?" "Even he can''t see the future. If he could...a lot of things might be different in the world right now...." Eteon paused, examining the wooden comb in his hand. The stain had turned it a beautiful rose pink color, just like he''d said it would. "But Ki''shiu still has access to more knowledge than I do. He''s called a dream beast because he''s able to enter dreams, after all, and you can see all kinds of things there. Though they mostly appear in an abstract or symbolic form, as you''d expect from dreams. So you have to be able to interpret them properly." Thenio frowned a little. "If he has access to so much information, why doesn''t he know how to control my chaos magic?" "Because it''s never been done before. Even he can''t access knowledge that doesn''t exist yet. And...." Eteon hesitated, like he was trying to decide how much he ought to say. "Well...the demon rifts are making things difficult right now." "The demon rifts?" Thenio asked, surprised. "Why do they make a difference?" "Demon miasma is often called a poison, but that''s not exactly right. It''s a corruption. It distorts the proper order of the world and makes information difficult to access. Like trying to read a book that''s had ink spilled over it." Thenio had never heard anyone describe demon miasma like that before. His teachers had just said it was a strange kind of magic power that leaked out through the rifts and poisoned anything it touched. Once poisoned, living creatures would turn into demons if they weren''t treated quickly enough, though creatures with higher magic power were more resistant to the poison''s effects. That was why only sorcerers were allowed to join the Magic Corps and fight against demons. Low-powered combat wizards and ordinary soldiers would just succumb to the poison and join the enemy ranks. But distorting the proper order of the world? What did that mean, exactly? Before he could ask Eteon any more about it, Thenio heard a few raindrops hitting the roof of the tent. Looking over to where Seyli and Kleyo were, he saw the group of children starting to scatter, heading home to take shelter from the rain. Many of them paused to thank Seyli or wave goodbye to the dragons before running off. When most of them were gone, Seyli and Kleyo headed back to the tent, each of them carrying a dragon in their arms. "The rain has good timing," Seyli said as she reached the shelter of the tent and turned around to look out at the falling rain, which was still light but was gradually increasing. "I was afraid they were never going to let us go. And poor Iggy is about done for." She was right. The little black dragon was sagging pitifully over Kleyo''s arm, clearly more than ready for his afternoon nap. "Thenio, my blanket is in my backpack. You can get it out and let the dragons use it for a bed," Eteon said, nodding toward the back of the tent. Thenio set down the figurines he was holding, then stood up and went over to the backpack. When he lifted the top flap, he saw the blanket that Eteon sometimes spread his carvings out on, folded up neatly and sitting on top of the bag''s contents. Strange. He didn''t remember seeing it there when Eteon had opened the backpack before.... He shot a suspicious glance in the old woodcarver''s direction, and Eteon gave him a small, playful smirk, as though he knew exactly what Thenio was thinking. Well. He probably did.... Shaking his head a little, Thenio pulled out the blanket and used it to form a dragon-sized nest in the corner of the tent. "Put him down here, Kleyo," he told his younger brother. Kleyo set the tired little dragon down on the blanket and then went to the other corner of the tent to get out another chair. Seyli came over and put Tava down next to Iggy. "Iggy, honey, I''ll get some water and snacks out for you. You were flying around a lot, so at least have a drink before you go to sleep, all right?" "Mmm...okay..." Iggy said. Then he yawned widely, showing off his teeth. He sat and blinked sleepily while Seyli pulled a small bowl, a bottle of water, and some dragon snacks out of her bag. That thing definitely had a space compression enchantment on it.... Iggy managed to eat a snack stick and lap some water out of the bowl before curling himself up in a ball inside the blanket nest and closing his eyes. Tava, who also looked tired but was a little more awake than Iggy was, waited until he was done and then happily cleaned up the remaining water and snacks. "What are those?" Kleyo asked, looking curiously at the stick Tava was chewing on. "Meat and vegetable paste," Seyli told him. "It''s shaped into sticks and then dehydrated. You can try one if you want, but they don''t have much seasoning, so they''re a little bland for human tastes. They''re really convenient to carry around for the dragons, though. We go through a lot of them." Kleyo accepted the snack stick that Seyli handed him and bit the end off. He wrinkled his nose a little as he chewed. "Hmm...yeah...it is a little bland. It''s not bad, though." He took another bite. "You can make them for humans if you change up the recipe a little." Seyli looked at Thenio. "Ariom will probably teach you how to make them before long. He has all the equipment for it. He usually makes up a big batch every month or two and puts them in his stasis storage room. If I help him out, he lets me make some for Tava, too, and stores them for us." She grinned. "Perks of having a grandmaster enchanter for a cousin." "Can I come help sometime, too?" Kleyo asked eagerly. "I want to see Ariom''s house! It sounds really amazing!" "As long as your parents give you permission, I don''t think Ariom will mind," Seyli said. "He acts grouchy sometimes, but he''s actually really nice. We''ll ask him about it later, okay?" "Okay!" Kleyo said, beaming at her. Thenio smiled a little, too. Seyli and Kleyo seemed to have bonded a bit during the dragon play session, and they were getting along rather well now. He was relieved to see that Seyli had relaxed out of her princess mode again. Tava finished eating and settled down in the blanket nest beside Iggy. Seyli gave her head an affectionate rub and then left the two dragons to their napping and went back to her chair. Thenio and Kleyo also sat down, one on either side of Eteon. "What are you making?" Kleyo asked curiously, noticing the comb in Eteon''s hands. "It''s something that Thenio asked me to carve for him." Eteon turned the comb around, giving it a final inspection, before nodding a little and handing it to Thenio. "It''s all done. Take a look." Thenio looked down at it. As a decorative comb, it was curved, with widely-spaced teeth. Along the top was a delicate carving of a dragon that resembled Tava, surrounded by flowers. "You were right," he told Eteon with a smile. "This is perfect." Then he hesitated, glancing over at Seyli. She responded with a questioning look, tilting her head a little in that cute, dragon-like way. Thenio swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. "Um...here." He quickly held the comb out to Seyli before he could chicken out. "This is for you. I...uh...well...you''ve helped me out a lot the past few weeks¡ªteaching me about dragons and helping me feel more comfortable living with Ariom and...and things. So...uh...I just...just wanted to say thanks...." He felt his face grow a little warm and hoped none of the others would notice. Well...it was probably too much to hope that Eteon wouldn''t, but maybe he at least wouldn''t say anything.... Seyli took the comb from his hand, looking a little surprised. When she looked at it closely, her eyes went wide. "Wow...this is beautiful...." She stared at the comb for a minute, running her fingers lightly over the pink wood. Then she looked up and gave Thenio a radiant smile. "I really love it! Thank you." Thenio''s face went as red as Humerus'' favorite skin. He was absolutely certain that everyone in the tent would notice now.... ...but seeing those beautiful aqua eyes light up like that was worth it.
Ki''shiu was standing alone on a dark plain underneath a sky full of stars. There was no movement or other sign of life there, but he stood and waited patiently. She would come soon. His diligence was finally rewarded when a spark suddenly flared in the darkness in front of him. It grew up into a tall column of pale gold flames before fading away to reveal a woman with large white and gold feathered wings. Her skin and hair were also a creamy white color, and her whole body seemed to emit a soft, shimmering glow. "You''re finally here." The dream beast stepped forward and nuzzled the woman''s cheek affectionately. "It''s been a while." "You know I can''t come that often." She reached up to stroke the bridge of his nose. "Every time I fall asleep, there''s the risk of a new rift forming." "I know that. But you still need to rest. The humans can handle a few more rifts. It will be a lot worse if you push yourself until you collapse." "I know...." She let out a long sigh. "I know. But that doesn''t make me feel any better about it...." She moved closer and leaned her head against his shoulder, running her fingers through the thick fur of his mane. They both stood quietly like that for a few minutes. "How is Thenio?" the woman asked, breaking the silence. "He''s doing better, for now. The enchanter who took him in has a rather difficult personality...but he has a good heart. The two of them seem to be getting along well. Here, I''ll show you." Ki''shiu waved his horn a little, and the scene around them changed. Now they were standing on the edge of a small flea market in a city park, in front of a tent where an old man was sitting and carving a piece of wood. He looked up and noticed a small group approaching the tent. He set the carving down and stood up to welcome them, smiling. "Hi, Thenio''s friend!" a tiny black dragon riding on a teenage boy''s shoulder called out, waving his paw at the old woodcarver. "We brought Tava and Seyli to see your toys!" The woman moved a little closer, watching intently as the memory played out. Her gaze kept lingering on Thenio''s face. But she also seemed quite interested in Seyli. "He likes that girl, doesn''t he?" she asked, turning back to Ki''shiu with a mischievous smile. "He keeps sneaking glances at her." The dream beast let out a small laugh. "Well. Probably. She is quite pretty.... And she treats him more kindly than most human children do. But besides that...." Ki''shiu''s expression became serious. "...her magic frequency is surprisingly similar to yours. She''s probably absorbed quite a few fragments. So I think she reminds him of you." The woman''s eyes widened a little. Then she frowned thoughtfully, turning to look at Seyli again. "How many of my feathers are left on that side?" "Eight. I have three. Melinei has two. The others are in various places." "I see. It''s too early now, of course, but someday...if you think she''s suitable...if it looks like she can help Thenio...I don''t mind if you give her one." Ki''shiu pricked up his ears a little in surprise, but then he bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I understand." They continued watching in silence. The woman smiled when she saw Thenio laughing as Kleyo tackled him, and her expression grew concerned when Lem shied away from his touch and ran off. But she didn''t speak again until Thenio was holding the wooden phoenix in his hands, staring down at it with an odd look on his face. "He doesn''t remember...does he?" Ki''shiu shook his head. "No, not really. But a few bits and pieces have been coming back to him. And he recently started using dream magic more actively. The seal is definitely starting to crack." "Yes...I can feel it." The woman sighed deeply. "Everything is starting to crack...." She bit her lip, looking frustrated. "I hate to admit it, but you''re right. I''m tired. I can''t keep doing this much longer.... And I know you''re the same. You and Peqeran and the other nobles.... Everyone''s tired. And if Thenio...." Her voice faltered. "If he...doesn''t make it...." "I know. We don''t have much time left. If this attempt fails, we probably won''t be able to try again." The woman fell silent, watching Thenio and chewing on her lip again. Ki''shiu moved forward and stretched his neck out over her shoulder to brush the side of his muzzle lightly against her cheek. She reached up to give him a grateful pat. But the solemn mood didn''t last too long. When Thenio was expressing his doubts about Ki''shiu being willing to teach him magic, the dream beast let out a snort, and the woman gave an amused smile and patted him again. When Thenio gave Seyli the comb and then turned as pink as the wood it was made of when she thanked him for it, the woman actually laughed out loud¡ªa clear, musical laugh that made Ki''shiu''s heart ache. That beautiful laughter of hers was all too rare these days.... "Look at that precious little boy...." The phoenix turned to look at the dream beast, her golden eyes sparkling with joy and determination. "There might not be much time left...but just look at him.... Thenio''s still alive, isn''t he? It''s not over yet. How can we give up when he''s still doing his best to learn and keep living? I might not have much strength left, but I can hold on for a little longer. We can give him a little more time." Chapter 38 - A Very Wet Evening Thenio frowned down at his sketchbook, doing his best to concentrate on the picture he was drawing. But he was having a hard time. It wasn''t easy to focus when there was a constant stream of splashing, growling, and scratching noises going on in the background. A brief silence followed by an extra loud splash finally made him look up. The sliding glass panel that separated Iggy''s bathtub from the rest of the room was covered in water droplets, making it hard to see exactly what was going on behind it, but there was something blue whipping around inside, accompanied by loud growls. From that, Thenio guessed that Iggy was probably ''playing crocodile.'' That particular bath game involved diving under the water in order to sneak up and attack one of his unsuspecting bath toys from below, after which he would usually clamp the ''prey'' in his mouth and wave it around while growling extra loudly. Then he would let it go and repeat the process with another toy. Thenio sighed and set his sketchbook and pencil down on the bathroom counter. If Iggy had started playing a diving game, that meant he''d have to pay more attention to what was happening in the bathtub for a few minutes. The little dragon was a good swimmer, but he occasionally snagged a wing or foot on one of his toys and got himself into trouble. So Thenio needed to be ready to help him out, just in case he got stuck while he was under the water. The upside was that playing crocodile took a lot of energy, so Iggy couldn''t keep it up for long. Thenio glanced at the clock on the bathroom wall. It had been about half an hour since Iggy had gotten in the bath, so he''d probably be ready to come out after he was done with this game. Most days he could keep going for longer than that, but he was already worn out from the trip to the park and then playing around with Tava after coming home, so he shouldn''t have enough energy left for a very long bath tonight. After four or five toys had fallen victim to crocodile attacks, the bathtub became quiet, and Thenio went over to pull the glass panel open a little and check how Iggy the Crocodile was doing. As expected, the little black dragon was drifting around in the middle of the bathtub, panting. He had his wings spread out to help him float without having to swim. He turned his head when Thenio slid the panel open. "Oh...hi...Thenio...." "Hi. You look tired. Are you ready to get out?" Iggy nodded, his tiny pink tongue hanging out between his teeth. "All right, come here. I''ll get your towel." Thenio reached over to pull a fluffy white towel off the rack near the bathtub. He held it ready while Iggy slowly paddled himself over to the side of the tub and climbed out. Then he wrapped the tired little dragon in the towel and carried him over to the counter, where there was an absorbent foam mat with dragon grooming supplies set out next to it. Thenio put Iggy down on the mat and patted him dry before setting the towel aside and picking up a scale brush. This was a soft brush specifically designed to help remove loose dragon scales. Scaled dragons looked somewhat reptilian, but the structure of their scales was actually somewhere between fish scales and feathers. The scales were smooth and flexible when they were lying flat, but when the dragon was frightened or angry, they would stiffen and stand on end, making the dragon''s body prickly and painful for an attacker to grab or bite. The structure of the scales also meant that they were shed individually, rather than in sheets like reptile skin. Seyli had explained to Thenio that wild dragons had seasonal molting periods, where they lost and regrew a large number of scales over the course of a few weeks. But since this was a messy and unattractive process, it had been bred out of most domesticated dragons. Modern breeds like the Flare dragons that Seyli''s family raised lost a smaller number of scales consistently throughout the year. But this also led to these breeds having a small problem: Old scales didn''t always detach from their skin properly, which interfered with the new scales that were growing in. This could cause skin irritation and potentially lead to infections. Fortunately, most of these skin problems could be avoided with regular grooming, which meant that Iggy had baths two or three times a week, followed by a scale brushing and skin moisturizing routine. Tired from playing in the water, the little dragon happily sprawled out on the mat and allowed Thenio to gently brush him from head to tail. Several small black scales came out in the process, which Thenio carefully collected and set aside. Once the brushing was done, he''d also check the bathtub to see if any scales had fallen out while Iggy was wrestling with his toys. This was another reason for the regular grooming sessions. Dragon scales were a valuable alchemical material, so most dragon owners tried to save as many as possible. And Iggy''s scales were especially precious, since there were no naturally occurring void affinity dragons. The same went for his claws, which Thenio clipped and then filed smooth once the scales were done. Seyli had given him an in-depth lecture on how important it was to keep a dragon''s claws long enough that they could climb and grab onto things but short and smooth enough that they wouldn''t accidentally catch on anything or scratch anyone. She''d also explained how to avoid cutting too close to the quick and what to do if a claw developed a crack in it. Ariom had a more practical approach. He''d simply handed Thenio a small measuring stick and told him to trim Iggy''s claws to the length marked on it and then smooth out the tips a little. Well. That was a veterinarian''s approach versus an enchanter''s. Thenio could appreciate both, but he had to admit that Ariom''s was a lot easier to follow. Iggy was starting to nod off by the time Thenio was done with his claws. He left the little dragon dozing on the counter while he went to tidy up the bathtub. He didn''t need to clean it too thoroughly¡ªa cleaning golem would come along and scrub it later¡ªbut he drained out the water and put the toys on a drying rack on the side of the tub, checking them for loose scales as he did. Several of the toys actually had soft bristles on them that were intended to act as supplementary scale brushes. Apparently Iggy had a hard time holding still long enough for proper brushing sessions when he was a baby. So Ariom and Toflyn had designed special bath toys for him that would help brush his scales while he played with them. They''d even sold a few of these designs to the magic beast supply workshop that Toflyn had later gone to work for. Thenio found three more scales¡ªtwo caught on toys and one floating in the water. He added these to the glass vial where he''d collected the others and put a cork in the top. Then he scooped up the sleepy little dragon in one arm, tucked his sketchbook under the other arm, picked up the vials of scales and claw clippings, and went to go look for Ariom. There wasn''t any light coming from Ariom''s bedroom, so Thenio went past it and across the balcony to the other wing of the house. He could hear the soft clatter of raindrops falling on the roof of the atrium. The rain had kept up ever since that afternoon. It made the house feel a bit colder than usual, in spite of the fancy heating system that Ariom had installed in it. Well, that was just how it was when you lived in a city that had been built in a high altitude mountain valley. There was a reason why most of the rooms in the residential wing of the house had fireplaces in them. They found Ariom in the workroom, sitting at his desk and looking over some enchantment diagrams. He raised his head as they entered the room. "Bathtime''s over already?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. "He was pretty tired out from playing at the park this afternoon, so it was a lot shorter than usual." Thenio handed Ariom the two glass vials. "Here. Scales and claw clippings." Ariom took the vials and set them down on the desk. "Did you count how many scales there were?" "Eleven." "Hmm. That''s a little on the high side. We''ll have to pay a bit more attention to the count over the next couple of weeks." Tracking scale loss was a way to watch for potential health problems, since dragons tended to lose more scales when they were sick. Though since Iggy was still in his juvenile period, it could also just be a sign of an upcoming growth spurt. "Oh...hi, Ariom." Iggy woke up enough to notice that he was there. He stretched his front legs out toward Ariom and squirmed a little, indicating that he wanted to go to him. Ariom reached out and took the dragon from Thenio. "You look ready to go to bed, little guy. Do you want to sleep in your box for a while?" "No! I want to sit with Ariom!" Iggy gripped Ariom''s shirt with his newly manicured claws. "You were working without me all day...." "All right, all right...." Ariom cradled him in one arm, reaching up with his other hand to rub the little dragon''s head. "You sit here with me and go to sleep, then." "Mmm." Iggy happily laid his head against Ariom''s shoulder and closed his eyes. Ariom smiled and patted his back. Then he looked up at Thenio. "Are you ready to talk yet?" Thenio grimaced a little. He still hadn''t told Ariom about his conversation with Eteon. Seyli and Tava had stayed until after dinner so that Ariom could put a reinforcement enchantment on Seyli''s new hair comb, and Thenio had volunteered to help Iggy with his bath after they left, partly as a way to put off the conversation a little longer. It looked like Ariom had noticed.... "I guess so." Thenio pulled a chair over from the work table and sat down with a sigh. "Sorry. It''s not really that I don''t want to tell you what Eteon said. I just...needed a little time to sort things out." "Well, I can understand that. Like Mideis said before, Eteon has been an important part of your life, so it must be upsetting to find out he''s not what you thought he was, whether he had a good reason for keeping secrets from you or not." "Yeah...it is...." Thenio was quiet for a moment, looking down at the sketchbook he was holding in his lap. Then he opened the book and flipped back through the pages until he found a drawing he''d done a few weeks earlier. He held it up for Ariom to see. "Do you know what this is?" Ariom frowned slightly as he looked at the drawing. "That''s.... Is that your ''wing-deer''? Iggy told me that you had a wood carving of a creature like that in your bedroom." "It''s called a dream beast. It''s a creature that can go into people''s dreams. Eteon gave me a carving of one just after I dropped out of the academy, when I was on heavy magic suppression and was sleeping most of the time. Apparently it''s a tradition for children in Ket''qe to keep figurines like that by their beds to help them have good dreams. They have folktales there about dream beasts going into children''s dreams to protect them from nightmare monsters." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Oh, is that why you wanted that book of folktales?" Thenio nodded. "Eteon said there were stories about dream beasts, but he didn''t tell me the details. So I wanted to learn more about them." "And? Did that book have the stories you wanted?" "It had one, at least. There might be more. I haven''t had time to read through the whole book yet. But...." Thenio turned the sketchbook back around and looked at the drawing. "I learned that there''s actually only one dream beast. He''s a mythic beast. The Forest People call him Ki''shiu." "And...that''s the mythic beast Eteon is contracted with?" Thenio nodded, still staring at the picture. "A dream beast...huh?" Ariom was stroking Iggy with a thoughtful expression. "I don''t think I''ve ever heard of him before. Though I guess that''s normal for a mythic beast. Not many of them openly reveal themselves to humans. Did Eteon tell you what his magic domain is? I assume it has something to do with dreams, based on what you''ve said." "Right. Eteon just called it ''dream magic.'' He didn''t have time to tell me a lot about it, but he said it''s kind of similar to mental magic. He called it ''the magic of knowledge'' and said that it lets you get information from the world and use information to affect the world." Ariom''s brow furrowed. "Meaning...what, exactly? Did he give you any examples?" "Remember that carving of Amisi that I showed you? I only told him her name and mentioned she was a taua, but he used dream magic to know what she looks like and to make that figurine. He didn''t actually carve that or the phoenix. He made them both with magic. He said he used what he knew about them to reshape the wood to look like them." "Used what he knew...?" Ariom''s eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean that the clairvoyance technique you''ve been using, where you use what you know about something to create an image...?" Thenio nodded. "Right. Apparently what I''ve been doing is really dream magic, not mental magic. Eteon said he taught me about that technique when I was learning to draw because he knew that my chaos affinity would let me use it." "He knew you''d be able to copy a mythic beast''s magic?" Ariom looked taken aback. "Does that mean you''re not the first chaos morph that this Ki''shiu has gotten involved with, if he and Eteon already knew what to expect?" "Probably? Eteon didn''t specifically say that, but he said something about previous chaos morphs dying and the methods they''d tried in the past not working. Ki''shiu said something like that, too, so¡ª Ah." Thenio realized what he''d just said and paused, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Um...I guess I should mention that I''ve actually seen Ki''shiu before...." "Wait, what?" Ariom abruptly sat up in his chair. "Krr?" The movement woke Iggy, who lifted his head with a questioning trill and looked around, blinking groggily. "Sorry, Iggy...." Ariom patted him soothingly. "Everything''s all right. Go back to sleep." Iggy let out a soft, sleepy chirp and then buried his face into Ariom''s shirt and relaxed again with a small sigh. Ariom made a face and then turned back to Thenio. "What do you mean, you''ve seen Ki''shiu before?" he asked, lowering his voice a little. "When was that?" "The first time was...about six weeks ago? In a dream. That''s why I didn''t say anything before now. I''ve only seen him in dreams, so I didn''t think he was real at first. But after I saw him a couple of times...well, I did wonder about it a little. So I started trying to look into the folktales that Eteon had mentioned when he gave me the dream beast carving. And when you said that you thought Eteon might be a mythic beast''s agent...." Thenio shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well...I mean, I did think about telling you and Mideis about him then...but I still wasn''t sure...and Mideis seemed really skeptical about the idea of a mythic beast watching me...so...um...." Ariom sighed. "I understand," he said gently. "I can see why you might have been hesitant to say anything. I''m honestly not sure how I would have reacted if you''d told us then. I don''t think I would have completely discounted it, but...well, a mythic beast that talks to people in dreams is a little hard to believe. I probably would have wanted confirmation from Eteon before I really took it seriously. So you waiting to tell me didn''t really change anything. Don''t worry about it." "Right...thanks." Thenio still felt a bit guilty, but he was relieved that Ariom wasn''t angry. "Why don''t you start at the beginning and tell me everything?" "Okay...well...like I said, it started with Eteon giving me that dream beast carving, a couple of weeks after I left school...." Thenio told Ariom about all the times he''d met Ki''shiu in his dreams, although he did edit out some of the more embarrassing parts.... But he described Ki''shiu telling him to follow Iggy in the forest, the dream that seemed to be about a previous chaos morph and what the dream beast had said about it, and the nightmare he''d had after the incident with the cat. Ariom occasionally asked for clarification on something Thenio had said, but he mostly listened silently, with a slight scowl on his face. If Thenio had seen him make that expression a few weeks ago, he would have assumed that he was upset about something, but he''d seen Ariom make that same face when he was studying books or enchanting diagrams, so he knew it probably just meant that he was concentrating hard. Thenio also told him about the conversation he''d had with Seyli at the bookstore, which was the first time it had occurred to him that the dream beast might actually be a mythic beast. And finally, he went through everything that Eteon had told him about Ki''shiu and dream magic. When he finished, Ariom let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Well. I can completely understand why you needed a little time to sort out your thoughts before you wanted to tell me all this. I think I''m going to need some time to sort things out myself...." He was quiet for a minute, absently stroking Iggy, who was now curled up on Ariom''s lap with one of his wings over his head. "So how did the phoenix tie into all that? You said Eteon used dream magic to make that figurine as well. But was there any particular reason he wanted to make you a phoenix?" "Oh, right. I skipped over that part because it wasn''t directly related to Ki''shiu. We were talking about the phoenix because of Seyli." "Seyli?" "Yeah. See...." Thenio hesitated, not sure how to explain what had happened that morning. Should he tell Ariom about that strange vision he''d seen? He hadn''t even told Eteon.... "Well, when she used healing magic to help with my headache, I thought it seemed different from how healing magic normally feels. So I asked Eteon about it." "Ah." Ariom had a look of understanding on his face. "So he told you about Seyli being a phoenix child...which led to talking about the phoenix.... I see." Thenio raised his eyebrows. "You already knew about Seyli?" "Of course. Did you forget that I analyze people''s magic for a living? I''ve known about Seyli ever since she was a little girl. I was already acquainted with another phoenix child, so it wasn''t hard to recognize that she had a similar magic frequency." "You know another one? Who?" "You know him, too, actually. Focilo Sephior." "Grandmaster Sephior? He''s a phoenix child?" Thenio blinked. "Then why didn''t I¡ª? Oh. Now that I think about it, I haven''t had any magic burns since he became my doctor, so he''s never actually had to use his magic on me...." Ariom nodded. "It''s not like they''re so different that you can tell just by looking at them...not unless you can use magesight. Or if you happen to see him with his familiar, I guess. Having a unicorn is pretty much a dead giveaway...." Thenio''s eyes widened. "He has a unicorn? Really?" "You didn''t know? Well, Focilo doesn''t mention it too often. People always want to see Sano when they find out about him, but he almost never wants to see them. Do you remember Focilo saying that he was curious about how his familiar would react to you, after all the magic beasts in that meeting at the Stability Center seemed to be attracted to your magic? That''s why. Unicorns are fickle little brats who dislike most humans. It''s rare for anyone other than phoenix children to be able to win them over. So he was really saying that he wondered whether unicorns would be attracted to chaos magic like other magic beasts are." "Oh." Thenio couldn''t help thinking back to that dream he''d had, where he was surrounded by unicorns. That...was just a dream...right? "Does that mean Seyli could have a unicorn familiar if she wanted to?" he asked, trying to distract himself from that uncomfortable train of thought. Ariom shrugged. "Probably. But it''s really not worth it, if you ask me. People like unicorns because they''re rare and mysterious, but it''s a real pain to actually live with one. At least if you want to live anywhere besides Ket''qe. You think I spoil Iggy? Ask Focilo sometime what lengths he has to go to in order to make that golden monster of his happy.... Seyli''s much better off with a sweet little dragon like Tava." "Oh," Thenio said again. He didn''t know what else to say. Ariom definitely had a different opinion of unicorns than most people did.... But it sounded like he''d actually met one, and most people hadn''t, so it was hard to argue with him. "Well, it''s getting late," Ariom said, looking at the clock. "And you have an acrobatics lesson in the morning. You should get to bed. I need to think over everything you''ve told me and decide how to proceed from here...like exactly how much we ought to tell Mideis, for example. Let''s talk more after we get through with morning training tomorrow, all right?"
Thenio dreamt about rain that night. He was sitting on a sort of covered patio that was attached to a large, beautiful building made of white marble. There was a wide garden courtyard in front of him, and he watched as a steady drizzle of rain fell onto the plants, making them drip and sparkle. It had obviously been raining for a while, because large puddles had formed on the stone walkways that ran through the garden. A young girl with bright orange hair and a white fox were running around the courtyard, playing and splashing in the puddles together. Thenio stealthily looked to his left and right. When he didn''t see anyone else nearby, he quietly got up and tiptoed over to the edge of the patio. He held his arm out and felt raindrops falling onto his hand, which looked much smaller and more childlike than usual, as it often did in the dreams he''d been having recently. The girl noticed Thenio standing there and turned to wave at him. He smiled and waved back and was just taking a step forward to go and join her and the fox when something large and white blocked his path. "No, you don''t," said a feminine voice behind him. "I told you to stay and watch from here." Thenio felt himself being lifted off the ground by the huge white and gold feathered wing that had just wrapped around him. Turning his head, he saw that the wing belonged to what seemed to be a large white bird, though he couldn''t see her face because of the pale golden light her body was emitting. The bird pulled him back onto the patio and held him against her soft, feathered side. "That''s not fair!" Thenio pouted. "Why do they get to play in the rain, and I don''t?" "Because they''re water and snow beasts, and you''re not." He scowled. "What am I, then?" he asked, looking up into the soft golden light where he knew her face must be. "I''m not a water or a snow beast. And I''m not like you. So what am I?" She hesitated, as though she wasn''t quite sure how to respond to his question. And when she finally spoke, he thought he could hear a slight undercurrent of sorrow in her voice. "You''re just you, Thenio." Her wing hugged him a little more tightly, and he felt her bend down and ruffle his hair gently with her beak. "You''re our precious little Thenio. You don''t need to be anything else."
After he''d sent Thenio off to bed, Ariom stayed sitting in his workroom for a while, stroking Iggy and staring blankly into space. It was clear that it made Thenio anxious to talk about his experiences with Ki''shiu and the things he''d learned from Eteon, so Ariom had been doing his best to listen calmly and not show just how unnerved he was by everything he was hearing. But now that Thenio was out of the room.... Ki''shiu? Dream magic? A power that could unearth the secrets of the world and reshape reality? And someone like that had been trying to save the chaos morphs...but hadn''t been able to? That terrifyingly powerful creature somehow thought that he, Ariom Denifor, might be able to solve a problem that even a mythic beast couldn''t? What was all this?! What was he supposed to do with something like this?! "Just what did you get us into, little guy...?" Ariom said helplessly to the sleeping dragon on his lap. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Then he opened them again, pulled his message book out of his space pocket, and picked up a pen that was lying on the desk. He opened the book to the tab labeled ''Bero Denifor'' and spent a minute or two staring at the blank page before he finally wrote a message.
Hey, when do you think you''ll be able to come to Kamari next? There''s nothing urgent, but...well, Thenio went and had a talk with his friend Eteon today, and some of the things he learned.... I''m just feeling a little overwhelmed. I know you''re busy, and I don''t want to be a bother. But it would be really nice if you were around so we could talk it over together.
Ariom read over what he''d written with a discontented expression. He was a grown man and a grandmaster wizard, and it irritated him to have to ask for help like this, especially since he knew perfectly well that his uncle would immediately rearrange his schedule and plan a trip to the capital once he read this message, regardless of how mildly Ariom had tried to word it. But he really didn''t feel like he could handle things on his own.... He sighed again, finished sending the message, and put the book away. Then he tidied up the desk and carefully lifted the sleeping Iggy. He should get to bed, too. It was going to be a busy week. Chapter 39 - First Meeting with the Ice Queen "Cat-bird! Hi!" Iggy jumped off Thenio''s shoulder and flew over to meet the approaching gryphon. He started flying in erratic circles around Casturi, who stopped walking and watched him with a slightly exasperated look. "Come here, little fellow," Jasel said with a laugh, holding out his arm for Iggy to land on. "She can''t walk with you flying around her like that." "Oh." Iggy pulled up and hovered in the air for a second or two. Then he glided over and landed on Jasel''s arm, looking slightly subdued, although his tail was still waving furiously. "Okay.... Hi, cat-bird''s friend! You came to teach Thenio about playing on his metal bars, right?" "That''s right." Jasel stroked the little dragon''s back as Casturi resumed her walk toward the house. "Has Thenio been practicing hard since we were here last?" "Mmm! He plays on his bars every morning, after he finishes shooting arrows! I watch him from my box!" "Good." Casturi reached the front porch and paused so that Jasel could get off. He set Iggy down on her back before sliding off and walking over to where Thenio was waiting. "Good morning, Thenio," he said with a friendly smile. "Good morning. Thank you for coming." Jasel dismissed the thanks with a wave of his hand. "Don''t mention it. We''re happy to come. I''m just sorry it took us so long to get back here again. The timing was a little bad for me to be taking on another student.... But some of my military trainees should advance in rank and be assigned to new locations in another month or so. Then my schedule won''t be quite so tight." "It''s all right. I''m really grateful that you''re helping me, in spite of being so busy," Thenio said, opening both of the front doors so that Casturi could go inside. "Cat-bird, guess what? Guess what?" Iggy was bouncing up and down on Casturi''s back. To such a small dragon, jumping on her thick feathers probably felt similar to jumping on Thenio''s bed...which he did frequently.... "Thenio made us fish balls! They''re not spicy, because Thenio can''t make spicy food. But they''re still super tasty! He let me try one to make sure! And we can eat the rest together later, okay?" "I read that parrot gryphons eat fish sometimes, so I made some salmon balls for snacks today. I hope that''s all right?" Thenio looked at Jasel uncertainly. "There are nuts and fruit, too. And Iggy will be happy to finish off any leftover fish, so it''s okay if she doesn''t want it." "No, that''s fine. Parrots eat a lot less meat than raptors do, but they still need some. And Casturi likes fish." "That''s good, because it''s Iggy''s favorite." "I can tell..." Jasel said with a chuckle, watching the little dragon waving his tail and humming happily as he rode into the house on Casturi''s back. "Where''s Ariom?" Jasel asked as Thenio led the group toward the atrium. "Is he avoiding me?" "Uh...." Thenio hesitated. "Well...kind of," he admitted. "But mostly he''s busy working on something upstairs. We''ve been trying to arrange a meeting with someone for a job that Ariom recently got hired to do, and we just found out this morning that she''s available this afternoon. So he''s hurrying to get everything ready in time." Jasel raised an eyebrow. "Must be someone pretty important if the high and mighty grandmaster enchanter is willing to rush around in order to meet with her." "I guess you could say that." Thenio made an awkward expression. "She''s important for the job, at least. That''s mostly what he cares about.... Do you know Ice Queen? Ariom apparently doesn''t pay attention to battlemages at all. He said he''d never heard of her before." "That sounds like Ariom..." Jasel said, shaking his head. "I''ve met Ice Queen, but I don''t know her well. She only transferred to the Central Division a few months ago, and she''s not a wind mage, so I haven''t had much occasion to interact with her. I know her a bit by reputation, though. She''s generally well-liked by the other combat wizards. I''ve heard she works very well in a team...unlike some of the high-rankers I could tell you about...." "Like Emberhawk?" Thenio asked, smiling wryly as he remembered what Jasel had told him about Ariom''s father the last time they''d talked. "Like Emberhawk twenty years ago, definitely. He''s mellowed out a bit by now, though. He seems to do all right as long as his teammates know how to avoid ruffling his feathers. Well...I guess that goes for all high-rankers, to some extent. There''s a common saying in the Magic Corps: ''All the high-rankers are crazy. Some of them just show it more than others.'' And I''d say it''s basically true. There''s a reason why the fourth rule exists, after all." "The fourth rule? What''s that?" "You''ve never heard of the Magic Corps'' Four Rules? It''s something we teach all the new trainees." Jasel held up a hand and counted off on his fingers. "Don''t hurt civilians. Respect your superiors. Look after your juniors. And never, ever annoy the high-rankers." Thenio stared at him. What was with that scary rule...? Jasel chuckled a little at his expression. "Well, you don''t have to worry too much. The high-rankers have to follow the rules, too, after all¡ªparticularly the first one. And Ice Queen is one of the more docile high-rankers. Just don''t deliberately provoke her, and you should be fine." "Right...." Thenio wasn''t entirely reassured, but they''d reached the atrium now, so he turned his attention to the two familiars. "Is it all right to leave you here with Iggy for a while?" he asked Casturi. He pointed toward one of the patio tables, which had an assortment of gryphon-appropriate food laid out on it. "There are snacks over there. And Ariom is just upstairs if you need anything¡ªhis workroom is to the left of the second floor balcony." Casturi eyed the food on the table with great interest. "We''ll be fine. Go do your lesson." "Mmm! The cat-bird and I can play and have snacks together!" Iggy said, his tail still swishing energetically. "Okay. You two have fun." Thenio reached up to pat the gryphon''s feathery shoulder. "Thanks for being willing to play with him, Casturi. He''s really been looking forward to seeing you again." "I don''t mind." She turned her head back to look at Iggy. "He''s a little weird, but he''s cute." Well. That did pretty much sum him up.... They left the familiars inspecting the table full of snacks and went downstairs. Thenio was already in his training clothes, so they went straight to the acrobatics room. "Go ahead and do your usual warm-up and then a set of basic exercises. Let''s see how you''re doing after a couple of weeks of having proper equipment to practice on." "Okay." Thenio started toward the large floor mat and was just about to step onto it when he paused. He''d happened to look over at the hanging rings, and they reminded him of something. "Oh, there''s something I forgot to tell Casturi," he said, turning back to Jasel. "Can you pass on a message to her?" "Sure. What is it?" "Well, last time the two of you were here, I think she misunderstood a little about not using magic around me. It''s really just when she''s close to me. It''s okay to use magic if I''m in another room or something." "Yes, Ariom explained that to me before we came last time. So she should know." "Really?" Thenio frowned, puzzled. "But I thought that''s why she needed my help when she got stuck in Iggy''s tree¡ªbecause she didn''t think it was okay to use magic to get herself out." "Ah...that." Jasel chuckled a little. "Thenio, do you know why magic beasts who have made familiar contracts are much more valuable as circus performers than ones who haven''t?" Thenio blinked. "Because they''re more intelligent? Or because they can understand more complicated instructions?" "Almost. It''s because they can learn to understand how humans think and feel." "Oh." Thenio thought about that for a moment. "Casturi said something like that...that after she formed a contract with you she could start to understand the people who came to the circus better. But...what does that have to do with her getting stuck in a tree...?" "If someone is afraid of you, how can you help them stop being afraid?" "Um...do something to show them that you''re not dangerous? Like doing something nice for them?" Jasel nodded. "Right. That''s one way. But there are others. One that we used to use a lot as circus performers was playing the fool. Deliberately doing something funny and clumsy to appear less intimidating. It works even better if you act clumsy in a way that encourages the other person to help you out. It''s harder to be afraid of someone who needs your help, right?" "That''s...." Thenio''s eyes widened. "You mean she got herself stuck on purpose?" Jasel grinned. "You weren''t afraid of her anymore after you helped her get unstuck, were you?" Thenio stared at him. Now that he thought about it, he had stopped feeling so nervous around Casturi after that.... "Don''t most gryphons really hate being embarrassed like that, though? I''ve heard they''re usually really vain." This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Well, like I told you before, Casturi is a real sweetheart. She''s a lot more considerate and gentle than most gryphons. So to her, it was worth a little embarrassment to help you feel more comfortable." Jasel laughed. "Well, she was a bit sulky about it after we got home, though...." "Oh." Thenio wasn''t quite sure what to think about that. But he suddenly felt very glad he''d put extra effort into making Casturi''s snacks for today.... "Considering your unusual magic situation, I''m not sure if you''ll ever be able to have a familiar or not," Jasel continued. "But if you''re ever in a position to get one, let me give you a word of advice: A lot of people pick a magic beast that looks impressive or has high magic power. But the best way is to pick based on their personality. You''re going to be spending a lot of time with your familiar. It''s better to find one you can be good friends with, even if it''s not as powerful or as beautiful a creature as you might have liked." Thenio was quiet, thinking over those words. He had to admit that whenever he''d imagined having a familiar someday in the future, he''d mostly thought about magic beasts that were flashy and impressive. But what Jasel said made a lot of sense. Of course, it was easy to say things like that when you were lucky enough to have a familiar who was flashy and had a good personality.... "Well. You''re probably a few years too early to really need a lecture on picking a familiar," Jasel said with a wry chuckle. "Let''s get back to your acrobatics lesson, shall we?"
After Jasel and Casturi had left and Thenio had cleaned up and changed his clothes, he went to the workroom, carrying a happy but rather tired Iggy in his arms. Apparently Casturi was just as good at playing bird as Kino the storm hound was, so she''d managed to wear the hyper little dragon out fairly quickly. The two of them seemed to have had a good time together, though. Ariom was bent over his work table, in the middle of attaching an arm onto a large wooden doll, but he paused and looked around when they entered the room. "Are you done with your lesson?" "Yeah. They just left. Jasel said to tell you hello." Ariom gave a small snort. "That guy.... Well, it sounded like the familiars were having fun together, at least. I could hear them playing from here." "Mmm!" Iggy waved his tail. "The cat-bird is really good at wind magic, you know? She played bird with me! And then we ate the tasty snacks that Thenio made! But then I got tired...." He reinforced that last statement with a wide yawn. "Why don''t I put you in your box?" Thenio suggested. "You can watch Ariom work for a while and maybe take a little nap." "Mmm." Iggy nodded agreeably. "Okay." Thenio carried him into the dragon box and put him on his favorite hammock. Iggy burrowed underneath a blanket and then popped his tiny head out the other side so he could look through the window. Thenio gave his blanket-covered back a light pat and then went back out where Ariom was. "Do you need help with anything?" Ariom shook his head. "Not here. I''d appreciate it if you took care of lunch and getting the reception room ready, though." "Sure, no problem. Do you want lunch downstairs or up here?" Ariom glanced at the clock. "Up here, I guess. I''d like to get one more practice dummy made before they get here, if I can." "Okay. Then I''ll bring up a tray in...." Thenio also looked at the clock. "...about an hour?" "Good. Thank you." Thenio started to leave but paused in the doorway. "Hey...Ariom?" "Yes?" "Jasel and I were talking about familiars earlier, and he mentioned that I might not be able to have one because of my chaos affinity. I hadn''t really thought about that before...but...do you think he''s right? Will I not ever be able to form a familiar contract?" "Hmm...." Ariom looked thoughtful. "I''m not sure I''d rule it out altogether. But in your current state, I wouldn''t recommend it. Until we find a way to make your magic circuit more stable, you need to keep your power level as low as possible, and a familiar contract often results in a rapid jump in magic power for both sides. That would be very dangerous for you, as you are now. But having a familiar might eventually be possible, especially if you pick a low power magic beast." He glanced toward the dragon box, where Iggy was watching them with his tiny black nose pressed against the glass. "I''m afraid something like a dragon is definitely out." "Ah. Right." Thenio forced a smile. "Well, it''s not like I''m in a position to get a familiar right now anyways. I was just curious...." He turned and quickly left the room.
A few hours later, Thenio stood by the front door once again, watching as one of the Royal Guard''s stately black golem carriages came up the driveway. He was much more nervous about receiving these guests than he''d been with Jasel and Casturi. He''d heard stories about Ice Queen for years, and it seemed rather surreal that he was actually about to meet her in person. He wished Ariom had come down with him...or at least Iggy.... But Ariom was busy finishing up his last wooden practice dummy, and Iggy, who had slept through lunch and only woken up when the chime for the front gate sounded, had been too groggy to leave the dragon box yet. At least Mideis and Amisi would be there, so Thenio wouldn''t have to face a famous battlemage completely on his own. The carriage pulled up to the front door and stopped. Then the doors opened, and two people got out. One was Mideis, carrying Amisi, like usual. And the other one.... Thenio''s eyes widened a little in surprise. He thought Mideis had been exaggerating when he''d called Namyis Ivoren a ''walking snow sculpture,'' but it was actually a surprisingly accurate description. Her skin was quite literally as white as snow, with a faint blue tint to it, and it even sparkled a little in the sunlight. Her long hair was a soft periwinkle blue that faded to white at the tips, and her eyes seemed to be a brighter shade of the same color. It was by far the most pronounced sorcerer''s stigma Thenio had ever seen. Her appearance practically screamed, ''Ice mage!'' He shivered a little. Was he just imagining that the surrounding air had suddenly become colder? Maybe there was still a bit of a chill left over from yesterday''s rainstorm. Thenio suddenly realized he was still staring at Namyis and hurriedly looked away, embarrassed. Well, the rumors were true, at least. She was pretty...in a frosty kind of way.... "Hello, Thenio," Mideis said with a friendly smile. Being his usual perceptive self, he''d probably realized that he needed to take charge of the conversation. "I think you can tell just from looking at her, but this is Namyis Ivoren, also known as Ice Queen. Namyis, this is Thenio Iterune, Ariom''s assistant." Namyis gave Thenio a gentle smile. "Nice to meet you, Thenio." "Yes...uh...very nice to meet you, too." Thenio bowed his head a little out of habit, even though she''d greeted him casually. Then he shivered again. It really was cold out here.... He''d better hurry and invite everyone inside. An ice mage probably didn''t mind the cold, but Amisi, the native tropical islander, definitely did. She was huddled in Mideis'' arms, looking rather unhappy. "Um...please, come in. I''m sorry Ariom isn''t here yet. He''s just finishing getting things ready for your magic practice session. He''ll be down in a few¡ª" A loud, angry shriek suddenly cut off Thenio''s words. He stood, frozen in place, as a small, dark shape flew out from behind him and landed on the front steps, in between him and Namyis. It was Iggy, teeth bared and scales sticking out. "Iggy? What...?" Before Thenio could ask him what was going on, the little dragon sucked in a deep breath and spit out a cloud of dark grey magic in Namyis'' direction. "Stay away!" he shouted, holding his wings up in what was clearly intended to be a threatening pose, even though most of the effect was lost due to his small size. "Stay away from Thenio!" As Thenio watched, horrified, Iggy blew out another cloud of void magic. "Iggy...stop...." he protested in a strangled voice. Jasel''s earlier words about not annoying high-rankers were echoing loudly in his mind. What was that crazy dragon thinking?! That was a sixth-rank battlemage he was attacking! Fortunately, Namyis hadn''t retaliated yet. She just stood there, blinking down at the little dragon with a rather bewildered expression on her face, as though she wasn''t quite sure what to make of him. Thenio started forward, intending to go grab Iggy before he really made her angry. But then he heard quick footsteps behind him and felt someone take hold of his collar and drag him backwards. "Wha¡ª? Ariom?" Ariom stood in front of Thenio and swept his hand out, releasing a stream of grey magic similar to Iggy''s. But instead of dispersing like the dragon''s magic had, it formed into a thin, translucent wall. A magic barrier. "Ariom!" As soon as Ariom appeared, Iggy dropped his brave front and shot straight toward him. He didn''t even bother flying¡ªhe simply ran straight up Ariom''s pant leg and into his arms. "Ariom, there''s a monster! A scary ice monster! She''s trying to freeze Thenio into ice cream!" The little dragon looked up at Ariom in a panic, his ears back and the whites of his eyes showing. "Thenio will not be tasty as ice cream, okay?!" A brief silence followed these words. Then Ariom sighed and patted Iggy soothingly. "I know. It''s all right, little guy. I won''t let her hurt you or Thenio." He glared at Namyis. "I would have thought that a sixth-rank sorcerer would have enough sense to wear magic dampeners out in public. Did Mideis not tell you how sensitive my assistant is to ambient magic?" Namyis held up her hands. She had cuffs on both her wrists, similar to the ones Thenio was wearing, except that hers seemed to be made out of a silver-colored metal. There were also several white crystals set into each cuff. "I''m wearing two," she said with an innocent expression. Then she looked at her left wrist. "Oh. But this one cracked a little while I was out on my last assignment. I just got back last night, so I haven''t had a chance to go get it fixed yet." She looked up at Ariom. "Is it really leaking that much? "Yes!" he snapped. "It is! There''s a cloud of magic all around you!" "Is there?" Mideis turned to look at Namyis with a startled expression. "I knew she had a small leak, but I didn''t think it was enough to be a problem...." He stared at her for a moment and then looked back at Ariom. "I still only see a little bit of magic leaking out. Can you seriously see a whole cloud of it? Is your magesight that much better than mine is?" "Apparently so," Ariom said, not bothering to be modest about it. He was still looking at Namyis with a frown on his face. Then he turned and looked at Thenio. "Strange. You''re reacting a bit differently than usual. I''m not sure what that means...." "So what should we do?" Mideis asked, looking between Namyis and Ariom. "Do we need to cancel and try again after Namyis gets her dampener fixed?" "No." Ariom looked back at Namyis, his eyes focusing on the metal bands on her wrists. "I''m not sure getting it repaired would solve the problem anyway...." He was silent for a moment. Then he scowled at Namyis. "You''re lucky that I happen to be researching magic dampening devices at the moment. I''d normally never do a job for someone in the Magic Corps...but I guess I''ll have to make a special exception in this case." He turned around and handed Iggy to Thenio. The little dragon had calmed down quite a bit since Ariom had taken charge of the situation, but his scales were still poking out a little, so Thenio had to hold him carefully. "Thenio, I want you to take Iggy and go up to your bedroom. Close the door and stay there until I tell you it''s all right to come out. Understand?" Thenio nodded. He didn''t really know what was going on, but Ariom''s tone was serious enough that he knew not to question his instructions. He turned to go into the house. "Wait! Let me come with you!" Amisi jumped out of Mideis'' arms and ran after them. "I''m cold!" Apparently Thenio wasn''t the only one who felt chilled from being around the Ice Queen. As he paused to let Amisi catch up to them, he glanced back at Namyis. She was still calmly standing in the same spot. She hadn''t moved at all since Iggy had arrived, other than showing Ariom her magic dampening cuffs. And she didn''t seem to be upset by all the fuss. But...as she watched the taua running to get away from her...Thenio thought she looked a little sad.... Chapter 40 - Frozen Magic Since Iggy had missed lunch, and it looked like the refreshment cart waiting in the reception room might get forgotten, Thenio stopped briefly by the kitchen on their way upstairs to grab some leftover chicken balls from the ice box for him. These were basically the same as the fish balls from earlier but were made with minced chicken instead of fish. Thenio had made both types at the same time, with the intention of serving the fish for Casturi''s visit and the chicken for their next practice session with Amisi. He was well aware that there were plenty of birds who ate other birds, but serving chicken to a gryphon still seemed a bit wrong somehow.... When they reached the bedroom, Amisi made a beeline for the fireplace and sat in front of it, shivering and looking pitifully up at Thenio. "All right, I''ll turn it on for you. Just give me a second." He put Iggy and the container of chicken balls down on the table in front of the sofa, taking the lid off the container so that the little dragon could help himself. The fireplace was magic-operated, as were most of the others in the house. Only the one in the reception room was traditional style. Thenio suspected that Ariom had made one that way on purpose just so Iggy could show off his fire-lighting skills once in a while. The fireplaces had a control panel on the front, similar to the ones by the front door and on Ariom''s archery practice equipment. It controlled the level of the flames and the amount of heat they generated. It could even change the color. Thenio''s fireplace also had an extra layer of glass insulation installed over it, ensuring that no magic would leak out into the room from inside. He tried hard not to think about how much it had all cost.... Thenio started up the fire for Amisi. "There, it should get warm in a minute. I''ll go get you a blanket to sit on, okay?" Amisi nodded. "O-k-kay...t-thanks...." Even her voice was shaking. The ice magic seemed to have really gotten to her.... Though even Thenio still felt a bit chilled, and he''d only been around Namyis for a couple of minutes. Amisi had been close to her the whole time they were riding over from the Royal Guard headquarters in the carriage. Thenio went to the next room and got out a spare blanket. He also got the water bowl that he kept in the bathroom for Iggy and refilled it with fresh water before taking it out and setting it on the table next to the container of chicken balls. Iggy had still been a bit riled up when Thenio had put him down, but the sight of the chicken had pacified him almost immediately. He was now sitting on his haunches next to the container, holding a half-eaten chicken ball in his front paws and munching away happily. There were already bits of chicken all over his face. Thenio made a mental note to go back to the bathroom for a cleaning cloth before turning to arrange the blanket in front of the fireplace for Amisi. He used most of the blanket to form a small nest, reserving one corner to be folded over the top once Amisi was inside. It was an arrangement that Butterfly had always loved to sleep in when the weather was cold. "Here you go," he told Amisi, holding up the top layer of the little cocoon for her. "Get in, and then I''ll cover you up. It should be nice and cozy in there." She happily climbed into the blanket nest, circled around a couple of times, and then curled herself into a tight ball in the center. Thenio laid the corner of the blanket down lightly over top of her. "You can come out and have some snacks after you get warmed up, all right?" he said, giving the lump under the blanket a little pat. "I''ll tell Iggy to leave some chicken for you." "Okay," Amisi''s muffled voice said from inside the blanket. Once the familiars were settled, Thenio got his sketchbook and sat down on the sofa. If they had to stay in here until Ariom fixed Namyis'' magic dampening device, it would probably take a while. Studying his magic theory book might be a better way to spend that time, but Thenio was still feeling a little unsettled from what had happened downstairs...partly because he didn''t really know what had happened. Iggy and Ariom had both acted like it was something serious, but Thenio hadn''t felt anything, apart from being a little cold. Well, he''d probably get an explanation from Ariom eventually. For now, it was probably fine to spend a few minutes drawing and calming down. He could switch to studying later. Like he often did, Thenio drew sketches of the thing that he wanted to think about¡ªIce Queen, in this case. After talking to Eteon and learning about dream magic, it had occurred to him that maybe it was the reason he could figure things out better when he drew pictures of them. Hadn''t Eteon said that dream magic could pull information from the world? They''d talked about using information to draw pictures...but could it also work the other way around? Could drawing pictures also give him information? Was that why he''d always felt like drawing helped him think through and understand things? Maybe not.... Even if he could copy some of Eteon''s dream magic techniques, doing something that amazing felt a little far fetched. And he''d heard other people say that things like drawing or writing or building something helped them focus and think clearly. It was probably just a normal thing. Either way, he decided to draw some sketches of Namyis while he thought about what had happened earlier. He drew her getting out of the carriage and the gentle smile she''d given him when Mideis had introduced them. He''d been practicing drawing with and without magic the past few days, since Mideis thought that learning to be aware of when he was using magic and when he wasn''t would help him learn to control and use it more effectively. Apparently that was a common first step in mental magic training, since young mental mages often used magic without realizing it. Now that he was paying attention, Thenio was mostly able to tell the difference, although the results left him feeling a little chagrined. There was a noticeable difference in the quality of his drawings depending on whether he''d used dream magic or not, which meant that a significant portion of his ''drawing'' skill had actually been coming from the magic. It was clear to him now why Eteon tried to carve without using magic as much as possible. Relying too much on magic would stunt the growth of the underlying art skills. On the other hand, it meant that his ability to use dream magic was better than he''d originally realized. If he took the time to separate and develop the two skills now, the results of combining them would be that much better later on. Thenio hadn''t been using magic on his first few sketches of Namyis, which made it hard to get all the details right. He''d only seen her for a few minutes, after all, and he''d been distracted by other things during part of that time. He was fairly sure he''d gotten her facial features a little off, and he remembered that the dress she was wearing was a soft shade of green, but he couldn''t exactly remember the design. For the next drawing, he deliberately tried to activate his dream magic. First he thought of various facts he knew about her: Namyis Ivoren. Ice Queen. Sixth-rank battlemage currently on the first squad of the Central Division. Recently transferred from the Northeast Division. Top ranked ice mage in Kafron. Her affinity was a little unusual because she had a crystal primary and water secondary. Most ice mages were the other way around. Probably due to that, she was apparently very good at stasis magic. Keeping that information in the back of his mind, Thenio thought back to the moment when Namyis had held up her hands to show Ariom her magic dampening cuffs. Her innocent expression. The way that the silver bands shone in the sunlight and the white crystals in them sparkled. He drew slowly, waiting for a clear picture to come into his head so that he could capture as many details as possible. And when he finished, he looked over the drawing with a satisfied expression. Yes, that was much better. This sketch captured her well enough that looking at it made Thenio start feeling a little cold again. He glanced over at the control panel on the fireplace. He had remembered to turn the heat up, hadn''t he? Iggy loved watching the flames, so sometimes Thenio turned them on for him without any heat. And he hadn''t wanted to make it too hot since Amisi was right in front of the fire. But yes, it was set reasonably high. Thenio shook his head. He''d been thinking so much about Ice Queen that he must have started imagining things. He paused for a moment to smile wryly at Iggy, who''d dropped a little piece of chicken in the water and was chasing it around the bowl, trying to catch it in his mouth. It would be a lot easier if he just pulled it out with his paw and then licked it off.... But he was probably having fun. Thenio went back to his sketchbook and started another drawing. Now that he''d gotten into it, he wanted to draw the scene that was bothering him the most¡ªthat last glimpse he''d had of Namyis watching Amisi run into the house. He knew that a lot of high-ranking sorcerers didn''t have familiars because magic beasts tended to be uncomfortable around people whose magic power was much higher than their own. It was all right for those who managed to form a contract when they were still relatively low-powered. Hurricane and Bubbles, for example. They were a married couple who were both demon hunters and were officially the top two wizards in Kafron, power-wise. But they both had familiars who had been with them since they were young, low-ranked sorcerers. There were also a few who happened to get a familiar as high-rankers due to unusual circumstances. Like General Obarin. Bero had told Thenio that the general had made friends with a fire imp, a highly intelligent type of magic parasite, who later volunteered to form a contract with him in order to save his life after he developed a severe case of magic instability. But for someone like Ice Queen, who''d been a child sorcerer...well. By the time she was old enough and her magic was stable enough for her to be able to form a familiar contract, it was probably already too late. How did she feel about that? Was she sad? Did she envy other wizards when she saw them with their familiars? Or maybe she didn''t care. Maybe she didn''t even like magic beasts. Maybe. But...remembering the slightly sad, but resigned, way she''d watched Amisi running away, Thenio had the strong impression that she very much did care.... Maybe she felt a lot like Thenio did when he had to avoid younger children at the park because he frightened them. Maybe watching other wizards with their familiars felt a lot like watching your classmates laugh and have fun together without being able to join in. Maybe...despite one of them being a magic school dropout and the other being a famous battlemage...the two of them actually had quite a lot in common.... As he stared down at the calm but lonely expression on the face of the woman he''d just drawn, Thenio suddenly shivered. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. He wasn''t imagining it now. The room definitely felt cold. He shivered again and looked over at the windows, rubbing his arms. Had it started storming again? Had he left a window open? No. The sun was still shining brightly. And both windows were closed. Then why...? "Wah! No! Thenio''s trying to turn into ice cream again!" Thenio jumped at the sudden shout and turned his head to look at Iggy, who was staring at him with his eyes wide and his ears straight up in alarm. "Iggy? What are you...?" But before he could finish, Iggy had jumped off the table and run over to Amisi, who was poking her head out of the blanket to see what he was shouting about. "Misi-cat! Hurry!" Iggy pawed at the blanket urgently. "You need to wake up and tell your friend that Thenio''s magic is going all frozey again! He needs to tell Ariom to come help!" "What?" Amisi blinked, looking confused. "Thenio''s magic is...? Okay...hang on...I''m telling him...." Iggy seemed satisfied by that. He left her side and jumped back onto the table, where he stood and stared up at Thenio, wriggling his body anxiously. "I can push away Thenio''s magic, right? Should I push it away? I don''t know.... Should I breathe out sparks to make him warm? But Ariom told me not to breathe sparks at Thenio.... Um...I don''t know...." "Iggy, calm down! What are you even talking about? We don''t need to call Ariom. He''s busy right now. And my magic feels fine. It''s not going out of control or anything. I just feel kind of cold...." "No! Thenio''s magic is not okay!" Iggy insisted. "It''s all frozey like ice cream!" "Really...." Thenio sighed. "I''m telling you, it feels perfectly normal. Here, look." He held up his hand and channeled some magic power into it to make a simple orb, like he did every day during his magic practice. A shape appeared, but rather than floating above his hand like a magic orb normally would, it dropped down and landed on his palm. It felt hard and very cold. Thenio stared at the object he was now holding, not understanding what he was seeing. A large chunk of ice had just appeared in his hand.
Ariom sat at the desk in his workroom, staring down at the scans he''d done of Namyis'' cracked magic dampening cuff and doing his best to ignore the other two people in the room. "Your stasis magic should prevent the trap formations from exploding, but it will also prevent us from using any magic to analyze the enchantment. So Ariom has figured out a method to isolate small parts of the enchantment matrix and remove them from the stasis magic one at a time. But it will be quite a delicate process, so we need to do some training together to prepare for the real thing. Ariom put together these enchanted wooden dolls for us to use as practice dummies." "Oh, Ariom made these? They''re cute!" Ariom scowled at the scan printout in front of him. What was with that woman? Those were just basic wooden practice dummies. How were they cute? Why was she acting so cheerful while they were talking about dissecting a frozen, explosive corpse? And what was she doing calling him by his first name already? She was as bad as that Jasel fellow.... Didn''t anyone ever teach combat wizards that you were supposed to treat a grandmaster with respect? Well...she was a sixth-rank battlemage, which was more or less the equivalent of a grandmaster in the combat wizard certification system.... But that was beside the¡ª Ariom suddenly stopped glowering at his paperwork and raised his head. "Iggy?" He stood up, making the other two pause their discussion and look over at him. Ariom turned to Mideis. "I just got an alert from Iggy. Has Amisi said anything?" "No, she...wait." Mideis held up his hand, an expression of concentration on his face. Then he frowned. "She says...Thenio''s magic froze again? What does that mean? Iggy says he wants you to come...." Ariom was heading for the door before he''d even finished. "You two stay here. Keep the barrier up. I''ll contact you through Amisi." He closed the workroom door behind him and then broke into a run, heading toward Thenio''s bedroom. When he arrived, he gave two quick raps on the door to let them know he was coming in, then he opened it and walked inside. Thenio was seated on the sofa, staring blankly at something that he was holding in the palm of his hand. He was pale and shivering, and he didn''t even look up as Ariom entered the room. Iggy and Amisi were both standing on the table in front of the sofa. They were also staring at the thing in Thenio''s hand, but they looked over at Ariom as he approached. "Ariom!" Iggy''s ears were back, and he was bouncing up and down, looking extremely worried. "Thenio''s magic went frozey! And he made some ice! Look! He freezed it right in the air, okay? I saw it! Look!" "I''m looking, Iggy," Ariom said in a soothing voice. "Calm down. He''ll be all right." He wasn''t actually sure about that yet, but Iggy panicking wasn''t going to help anything. Ariom scanned Thenio''s body with his magesight activated. What he saw made a deep frown appear on his face. He was doing it again. This was the same thing that had happened when Thenio had come in contact with that ice mage''s magic. But the reaction was even stronger this time. Why? She was still leaking magic like crazy, of course. But she was on the other side of the house, inside a strong magic barrier. There was no way it was reaching this far. Well. Right now it didn''t matter why it had happened. Thenio''s body temperature was dropping rapidly. Ariom needed to deal with the problem first. Explanations could come later. He looked at the lump of ice in Thenio''s hand. It should be impossible for the boy to make something like that. But there it was. Ariom really wanted to take a good look at that ice.... He quickly scanned through the contents of his space pocket. Did he have...? Yes. Good. He held up his hand and a small, empty stasis box appeared in it. He unlatched the lid and flipped it open, then reached down and picked up the ice chunk. He dropped it into the box, closed and sealed the lid, and then stored it securely away in his space pocket. Removing the ice seemed to have jolted Thenio out of his shocked stupor. He looked up at Ariom, his teeth chattering. "A-Ariom? Th-that ice.... How d-did it...? W-what''s going on? W-why is it so c-cold...?" "Later," Ariom said firmly. "We''ll talk later." He sat down next to Thenio and then pulled another item out of his space pocket¡ªa crystal synthesis tool. He wouldn''t have been carrying one of these around a few months ago, but since Thenio had moved in, Ariom had added it to the magic toolkit he always kept in his space pocket. It looked like that had been a good decision.... He set the synthesis tool on top of the open sketchbook on Thenio''s lap, pausing briefly when he saw what the boy had been drawing. Namyis? Did Thenio drawing her have something to do with his current state? It seemed unlikely that it was just a coincidence. One more thing to investigate.... Ariom kept his hand on the base of the synthesis tool. Thenio was shivering so much that he was likely to knock it over. "You know what to do with this. I know you''re shaky right now, but do your best to keep the magic flow steady." Thenio nodded and slowly placed his trembling hands on the collector rods. Ariom could feel the base of the device shaking a little, but he held it steady as Thenio infused his magic into it. It was clear from his expression that he had no idea why Ariom was suddenly asking him to condense magic crystals, but he didn''t argue or complain. Ariom had been a little worried that he wouldn''t be able to channel his magic properly, but he seemed to be doing all right. He''d been producing so many magic crystals over the past few months that it had probably become an automatic response whenever someone handed him a synthesis tool. "All right, it''s probably about full now," Ariom said a few minutes later. Thenio stopped his magic flow and released the rods. Ariom lifted the synthesis device and opened it to remove the crystal. "As expected, a lovely ice magic crystal." Ariom held the pale blue crystal up to the light for a moment. Then he set the synthesis device back down on Thenio''s lap. "Go ahead and do another one. Can you hold it by yourself now?" "I...think so." Thenio was still shivering a little, but it was noticeably less than before. And a tiny bit of color had come back into his face. Good. It was working. As Thenio started infusing magic into the device a second time, Ariom got up and went over to the fireplace. "Was one of you using this?" he asked, gesturing toward the blanket on the hearth. "I was," Amisi said. "But I''m okay now. He can use it." "Good. Thank you." Ariom turned up the heat on the fireplace and then reached down to pick up the blanket. Having been sitting right in front of the fire, it was nice and warm. He carried it back over to the sofa and draped it around Thenio''s shoulders. "Here, this should help a little." The room was already quite warm, but Thenio could use the extra heat right now. Iggy and Amisi both liked warm temperatures, so they shouldn''t be bothered by it. Ariom was the only one that would suffer.... But it was fine. He could change his shirt before he went back to the workroom if he needed to. He sighed a little as he sat back down. "Is it all right if I look at your sketchbook?" When Thenio nodded, Ariom slid the book out from underneath the crystal synthesis tool. Then he flipped through the most recent pages, carefully examining the drawings of Namyis. It was very faint, but he could see traces of magic on the last two. The quality and detail of those drawings was also higher. "Looks like you did these first drawings without magic but started using it on the last two. Is that right?" "Right." "At what point did you start feeling cold?" Thenio hesitated, apparently thinking. "I first started feeling it when I met Ice Queen, and I was still a little cold when we got up here. Then...I guess it got better? I started drawing and didn''t really think about it again until about the time I finished the second to last picture. I felt a little cold then, but not really enough to bother me. It didn''t get really bad until I was finishing up the last picture." "Hmm...." Ariom looked at the two pictures again. "Yes, the magic traces on this one are a little stronger. Interesting.... Oh, that second crystal should be about done now." Thenio stopped emitting magic power and handed the device back to Ariom, who emptied it again and looked closely at the crystal. Then he held it up for Thenio to see. Thenio''s eyes widened a little. "It didn''t change? Is it because they were made so close together?" "That''s part of it. But there''s something else going on here.... I''m still not exactly sure what it is. I thought I had it figured out after your encounter with the friendly ice monster earlier. I was just starting to feel proud of myself for coming up with a theory about why your magic keeps changing to different types all the time. But then you had to go and bring up a whole new batch of questions with these drawings." Ariom shook his head. "Honestly.... You''re as bad as Eteon. Five more questions for every answer...." Thenio made a face. "Sorry...." Ariom chuckled a little. "Well, it''s not your fault. But it means I can''t really give you any proper answers yet. We''ll need to do some more testing first. Which makes me very glad that Uncle Bero is already planning to come again soon...." "Humerus is coming to visit us again?" Iggy asked, his ears perking up. "That''s right." Ariom nodded. "Uncle Bero and I were discussing it via messages this morning. He doesn''t know the exact day yet, but they''ll probably come sometime next week." He smiled as Iggy''s tail started waving happily. Then he handed the synthesis device to Thenio once again. "Here. Try for one more crystal. I want to drain as much magic out of you as we can." Thenio raised his eyebrows a little. "You''re sure? Is that safe?" "I think it''s better than leaving all that ice magic inside you. And I have some magic recovery medicine that should work fine on you. Focilo gave it to me." "Oh. Okay...." Thenio made a reluctant face, but he obediently took the device and started channeling magic power into it again. "Can you at least tell me what your theory is, about my magic changing?" "I guess I can tell you the gist of it. But keep in mind that it could be wrong, okay?" Thenio nodded. "Okay, then. How much do you know about the mana cycle?" Chapter 41 - The Essence of the Problem "The mana cycle?" Thenio paused, trying to think. His head was starting to get fuzzy because he''d put so much magic power out into the crystal synthesis tool. It made it a little hard to remember things. "Um...I know the basics. The world emits mana, and people and magic beasts absorb it. It gets converted into magic power inside their bodies. Then when they use magic, it dissipates and gets absorbed back into the world. Then it repeats again. Right? I remember my teacher saying it was actually a lot more complicated than that, but he said we didn''t need to know the details until we got into more advanced magic." "Right." Ariom nodded. He was watching Thenio closely, probably monitoring his rapidly decreasing magic power. "There are actually quite a few steps involved. And there are some parts of the process that we don''t entirely understand yet. But as your teacher said, it''s not something that most wizards need to know about. "Alchemists and necromancers all have to study it, though. For enchanters, it depends on your area of specialization. But since I''m certified in alchemy and necromancy, I obviously had to learn it." He sighed. "And I guess you''re going to have to, as well. It looks like it might be important for understanding how your magic works. I think you''ve put enough into that crystal, by the way. You can stop." Thenio nodded and gratefully took his hands off the collector rods, then leaned his head back against the sofa. He was panting a little, and he felt weak and lightheaded. Early symptoms of magic exhaustion. Ariom took the synthesis tool from him and checked the last magic crystal. "Still ice. The structure is less regular on this one, though. Well, that''s good, in a way. It means your magic''s starting to go back to its normal state." He put the crystal and synthesis tool away. Then he took a small glass bottle full of pale golden liquid from his space pocket and handed it to Thenio. "Here. Just sip this slowly. It''s life attribute, so I don''t think it will cause you any problems. But since we haven''t actually tried it before, I want to watch and make sure nothing unexpected happens. Unexpected things seem to be your specialty, after all...." Thenio made a face and took the bottle. He looked down at it, and his eyes widened when he read the label. "Ambrosia? Seriously? Isn''t that...?" "No, it wasn''t expensive," Ariom cut him off firmly. "It can be if you buy it normally, but like I said, I got it from Focilo. And he has a unicorn, remember? A very old, very powerful, very grumpy unicorn. Sano can make this stuff by the barrelful, so Focilo has plenty of it. And he gave me that specifically for you to use. So don''t worry about it. Just drink it." Thenio looked at the bottle with trepidation, but he obediently unscrewed the lid. His hands were trembling a little. He wasn''t sure if it was due to the ice magic, the magic exhaustion, or the knowledge that he was about to drink the most valuable medicine he''d ever taken in his life.... He sighed and took a small sip. It had a light, sweet taste that was reminiscent of honeyed fruit. That must be why the Forest People called it ''unicorn honey.'' Unicorns weren''t the only magic beasts that could make it, but they were particularly good at it, and most of the ambrosia available on the market was made in Ket''qe. It was just purified water that was infused with life magic. But having a short ingredient list didn''t mean it was easy to make. The magic had to be condensed in a particular way to create a sort of liquid crystal form that was able to stay dissolved in water without solidifying or dissipating. Only life affinity magic beasts and a few high-ranking life mages were able to do it. Thenio swallowed the ambrosia and felt a warm, comforting sensation going down his throat and into his stomach. It was like drinking hot cider on a cold day. He frowned a little at the remaining golden liquid. He was quite sure he''d never had ambrosia before. But for some reason, the taste and sensation seemed familiar. Was there an ordinary drink that he might have had that tasted similar? He couldn''t think of one. But Aunt Suliya liked to serve fancy, exotic things when they ate at her house. Maybe he was remembering something he''d had there.... "It looks like it''s working," Ariom said, watching Thenio closely. "I can see it being absorbed into your magic circuit. No sign of instability so far. Ambrosia isn''t normally used as a magic recovery medicine, of course, but I was reasonably sure it could function as one in your case. And it was listed in the Association records as a medicine that was confirmed safe for chaos morphs to use in moderate amounts. They didn''t give any reason for why that might be, but I think we can assume that it''s because the other chaos morphs tolerated life magic as well as you do." Thenio took another sip and stared down at the bottle again. Other chaos morphs had also used this medicine? That thought made him feel a little strange. Ariom turned to Amisi. "Tell Mideis that Thenio seems to be all right, will you? And that I''ll come back to the workroom as soon as his magic has recovered a little." He looked back at Thenio. "I think you''d better come, too. This room has a barrier built into it, so I thought you''d be safer in here. But until we figure out what happened while you were drawing just now...I think it''s better if you stay where I can see you. You can watch what we''re doing in the workroom from the dragon box. The barrier on that should be enough to protect you." "Oh. Okay." Thenio hadn''t planned on spending the rest of the afternoon sitting in one of Iggy''s boxes, but if that''s what Ariom thought was best.... "Does that mean you can''t fix Ice Queen''s magic dampener?" Ariom shook his head. "No, it''s already fixed. It was just a small crack, so the repair didn''t take long. But there''s a flaw in the design, so just repairing it isn''t enough to make it safe for you to be around her." "A flaw?" "Right. Well...it wouldn''t normally be called a flaw, but it becomes one when you''re involved. See, there are two types of magic dampeners. One of them is basically a wearable magic crystal charger. It collects excess magic power and channels it into empty crystals, so that it doesn''t leak out into the surrounding area." "Is that what those white crystals are?" Thenio asked, looking down at his sketchbook, which was lying on the sofa, open to the picture he''d drawn of Namyis showing them her dampening cuffs. "Yes. But they''re limited in how much magic they can absorb. So most of the dampening devices that high-rankers use also include the second type of dampener, which converts the magic power into a form called ''essence magic'' in order to make it dissipate more quickly. So it still leaks out, but it''s not in a form that bothers people. Most people, that is. You''re obviously not most people...." Thenio sighed. "So that''s what was making my magic do...whatever it was doing?" "Thenio''s magic was going frozey like ice cream!" Iggy said, clearly trying to be helpful. "Right. Frozen like ice cream," Ariom agreed, reaching over to pat the little dragon''s head. "Or in other words, your magic temporarily became ice attributed. Absorbing essence magic seems to have a different effect on you than absorbing ambient magic does. I have no idea why. I never expected you would be able to absorb more than one type in the first place. All the magic eating creatures I know of can only absorb magic once it reaches a specific state of decay." "So...what''s the difference between ambient and essence magic?" Thenio asked, confused. "It would take a while to explain all the details, so we''ll save the full lecture for later. But I''ll give you the short version: The first half of the mana cycle goes from mana to raw magic power to attributed magic power. The energy increases in complexity. Right?" Thenio nodded. He already understood that much. "And the second half of the cycle decreases in complexity. Emitted magic dissipates into ambient magic, which breaks down further into denatured magic, which is more or less the same as raw magic. And from there it goes back to mana. Those are the main stages of the cycle. But there are some more subtle steps in between stages. Essence magic is one of those. It''s between ambient magic and denatured magic, and it''s the simplest form where the magic attribute is still identifiable. That''s where the name comes from¡ªit''s the form that contains the ''essence'' of the attribute." "The essence...?" Thenio frowned and looked down at his sketchbook again. The essence of a magic attribute. And dream magic, the magic of knowledge.... Somehow he felt like there was a connection there, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was.... "Essence magic is something of an artificial form," Ariom went on. "It does occur naturally when magic decays, but only in small amounts. And it dissipates quickly. Using something like a magic dampening device is the only way to get a large amount of it. And the situation earlier was even more unusual because the person wearing the device was a sixth-rank sorcerer, and the device was damaged. The crack disrupted the enchantment matrix, so instead of sending magic power into the crystals, it was all going to the conversion formation. The result was an abnormally large cloud of ice attributed essence magic." "Is that why Namyis felt so much colder than usual?" Amisi asked. "She made me cold whenever we met her before, but it wasn''t as bad as today." Ariom nodded. "Probably. A lot of magic beasts are sensitive to essence magic. That''s why they still feel uncomfortable around high-ranking sorcerers who are wearing dampening devices. The conversion to essence magic really only benefits other humans. Chaos morphs aside, of course. Though I guess freezing is better than exploding...." "Does that mean I can''t be around high-ranking sorcerers at all?" Thenio asked. "Even if they''re wearing magic dampeners?" "I''m not sure." Ariom frowned. "It''s probably safer to avoid them in general for now. But I think it would depend some on the individual. Namyis is a particularly strong sixth-ranker, after all. And even she might be all right if she had dampeners that relied less on essence magic conversion. "But I haven''t noticed you having any trouble around high-ranking life mages. You spent plenty of time around Uncle Bero, and he''s fifth-rank. Focilo is sixth-rank. And a strong one, at that. He''s not too far behind Namyis in the individual power ranking. And I''d bet my certification badge that Eteon is a sixth-ranker as well, though we still don''t know what his original magic affinity is." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Thenio sat and thought about that for a moment, while he finished the last of the bottle of ambrosia. It was good stuff. He felt much better and was starting to be able to think clearly again. Though he was also starting to feel rather hot.... "Um...I think I''m getting warmed up again," he said, sliding the blanket off his shoulders. "So maybe we don''t need the fire anymore?" "Good...." Ariom sounded very relieved. When he got up to go turn the fire off, Thenio saw that the back of his shirt was damp with sweat. "Uh...sorry about that..." he said, feeling a bit guilty. Ariom shook his head. "Don''t worry about it. I''d much rather sweat a little than have you freeze yourself to death." "Why did I get so cold? If my magic changed to ice attribute, shouldn''t I have been immune to cold like an ice mage is?" "They''re like that because they''re used to it and can control their magic properly. There are cases of young ice mages accidentally giving themselves frostbite because they can''t control their magic well enough." "Really? That''s scary...." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "I''m not sure if a chaos morph ought to think something at that level is scary." "Well...you have a point...." Thenio was quiet for a moment. "You were saying earlier that you had a theory about why my magic keeps changing. Does it have to do with essence magic? Do you think I''m reacting to random bits of essence magic floating around or something?" "Well, not exactly," Ariom said slowly, coming back to sit down on the sofa again. "Like I said, essence magic is normally only produced in small amounts, and it breaks down quickly. I''m sure it affects you occasionally, but there shouldn''t be enough of it floating around to keep changing your magic constantly. But after seeing how you reacted to it, I''ve thought of a couple of possibilities. "The first one is that you''re also reacting to some other form of magic that we haven''t noticed yet. I think we need to do some thorough testing once Uncle Bero gets here. He''s much more of an expert on different forms of magic than I am, because of his work with spectral beasts. "The second possibility¡ªand the one I''m most suspicious of¡ªis that the changes aren''t being caused by essence magic you''re coming in contact with in the present, but essence magic that you''ve absorbed in the past. I''m wondering if it makes some kind of permanent change to your magic circuit. Like a scar. I showed you what the scans of your circuit look like, right? It''s generally well-formed, but it has that strange furry look to it.... It''s possible that the magic from the scanning device doesn''t reflect cleanly off the circuit because it has a large number of these small scars that you''ve accumulated over the years." Thenio frowned, considering Ariom''s words. "I can see how that would explain the scans. But how does that make my magic change types?" "I''m not sure.... I haven''t had much time to think about this yet, after all. But maybe the distortion in the shape of the circuit is causing the magic frequency that it produces to keep changing somehow. It could certainly explain your general instability." Ariom shrugged. "Well, like I said before, the theory could be completely wrong. It doesn''t explain why your magic would suddenly change while you were drawing pictures of Namyis. Or how you managed to produce a lump of magic ice when you''re nowhere near sorcerer level. I really don''t understand that...." "Do you think Eteon would know anything? Or¡ª" Thenio broke off, looking at Amisi. "Oh. I guess we haven''t told Amisi and Mideis anything about what we learned yesterday, have we?" He looked uncertainly back at Ariom, not sure how much he ought to say with the taua present and presumably reporting everything to Mideis. "No. We haven''t." Ariom sighed and stood up. "But why don''t we save that part of the conversation for later? It would make more sense to talk about it with Mideis present. And we don''t want to keep Her Majesty the Ice Queen waiting for too long, now do we...?"
"I''m really sorry. I should have tried harder to get my dampener fixed before I came. Though from what Ariom said, maybe it wouldn''t have helped that much.... Anyways, I didn''t know it would be a problem. I''m sorry if I made the three of you uncomfortable." Thenio blinked, staring rather incredulously at the woman apologizing contritely through the glass separating the dragon box from the workroom. As with all the boxes, the glass was enchanted to allow sound to pass through easily, so there was no problem holding a conversation through it. But having a famous battlemage apologizing to him through the enchanted window of a dragon box felt a little surreal.... "Uh...no...it''s all right," Thenio said awkwardly. "I mean...it really wasn''t your fault...." Namyis shook her head. "Even if I didn''t mean to, I still put you in danger. It''s only right that I should apologize for that." She looked down at the taua sitting on one of the platforms next to the window. "And Amisi, it''s really all right to say something if I make you feel too cold in the future. I know I have that effect on magic beasts sometimes, so I don''t mind you speaking up." "Oh...okay...." Amisi was also looking rather awkward. Iggy was sitting on another platform, watching Namyis curiously with his head tilted to one side. She turned and looked at him for a moment. Then she tilted her head to the side to match him. Iggy straightened his head, flattening his ears a little in surprise. Namyis also straightened her head. The two of them stared at each other silently. Then Iggy tilted his head to the other side. Namyis mirrored him. He straightened his head. She straightened hers. He tilted his head again. So did she. Iggy straightened his head and looked up at Thenio, his tail waving a little. "Thenio, look! The ice monster is playing with me!" "Yeah, she is. But don''t call her a monster, Iggy. That''s not nice." "Oh." The little dragon looked puzzled. "But Ariom called her that, right? He called her a friendly ice monster, okay?" There was an awkward silence. Mideis raised an eyebrow at Ariom, who was suddenly very interested in something on his desk. "Oh, it''s fine," Namyis said with a pleasant smile. "I''ve had people calling me a monster for years. I''m used to it." There was an even more awkward silence. "Ariom was just joking," Thenio said with a sigh. "It''s okay to say it once in a while as a joke. But you shouldn''t call someone that all the time. Her name is Namyis. Or you can call her ''Ice Queen,'' if her name is hard for you. Okay?" "Mmm." Iggy nodded agreeably. "Okay." "Good boy." Thenio scratched the little dragon''s ears encouragingly. Namyis watched them, looking happy. "This glass is really great!" she said, turning to Ariom. "The familiars aren''t scared of me anymore with this. Did you make this? Can you make me some?" Ariom gave her a cynical look. "What are you going to do¡ªjust wear a glass box everywhere you go?" She blinked at him innocently. "Can''t I?" "Of course you can''t!" he snapped. "Hmm...." Namyis put a finger on her cheek, looking thoughtful. Then she brightened again. "Can I hire you to make me some new dampening cuffs, then? You said these ones weren''t good for magic beasts, right? So can''t you make me some better ones?" "No, I can''t," Ariom said, glaring at her. "The enchanter who made those didn''t design them that way because he didn''t know any better. It''s because the magic dampening techniques we have available now simply aren''t adequate to handle magic power as high as yours." "Well, couldn''t you come up with a better technique? You said you were researching magic dampening devices, didn''t you?" "You think it''s that easy to develop new enchanting techniques?" Ariom scoffed. "Besides, I don''t do work for the military." She made a pathetic face. "Aww...come on.... I''m sure you can do it! You came up with a new technique to do the enchantment analysis, didn''t you? And you fixed the crack on my cuff so fast! I can tell you''re really good at¡ª" "I don''t work for the military!" Ariom snarled, cutting her off. There was a tense silence. Ariom was glowering at Namyis, and everyone else was looking anxiously between the two of them. But Namyis didn''t seem particularly worried by Ariom''s threatening expression. She simply tilted her head to the side and looked at him curiously for a moment, like Iggy had been looking at her earlier. "Hey..." she said after a long pause. "You''re Riomel''s son, aren''t you?" Ariom immediately stiffened, looking even more hostile than before. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Well...nothing really. Just...." Namyis straightened her head, her expression becoming serious. "If you grew up with a father like him, I can understand why you might not like the military...." There was another silence. Ariom was still glaring at her, but a little bit of the hostility had faded from his eyes. "If you feel that strongly about it, I won''t keep badgering you," Namyis said with a gentle smile. "But if you happen to have any good ideas while you''re researching...well...think about contacting the Magic Corps Research Center, will you? Most battlemages have to wear magic dampeners, so they''d pay very handsomely for any improvements to the technology. And it would mean a lot to high-rankers like me." She turned to look at Iggy and Amisi, her expression becoming rather sorrowful. "It''s not like we enjoy traumatizing innocent magic beasts everywhere we go, you know?" Ariom''s expression became a bit uncomfortable at those words. He looked at her silently for a moment. Then he let out a long sigh. "Fine. I''ll keep that in mind." She smiled at him again. "Thank you." Ariom gave a small snort and turned away. "Let''s get going on our practice session. We''ve wasted half the afternoon already." He went over to the work table, where three wooden practice dolls were laid out, waiting. "First, we need to test out your stasis magic and make sure you can handle what I have planned," he said, glancing back at Namyis. "As Mideis was telling you earlier, the enchantment we''re dealing with is extremely volatile. If you let up on the stasis at all, it''s going to explode in our faces within just a few seconds." "I understand," Namyis said, nodding. "Just tell me what you want me to do." "Well, first...how fast can you create a human-sized stasis crystal?" "Um...pretty fast? I''ve never really timed it." Ariom scowled. "Well, we''re going to time it. ''Pretty fast'' won''t cut it. Using any magic at all on this enchantment matrix will probably set off one or more of the trap formations, and once they''re triggered, they''ll explode within a second or two." He nodded at the practice dummies. "These dolls have an enchantment on them that imitates those traps. But instead of exploding, they''ll just turn red. So the goal is to enclose the doll in a stasis crystal without it changing color. Understand?" "Yes, I understand." "All right." Ariom pointed at the closest doll. "Go ahead and give it a try." Namyis raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The doll was almost immediately encased in a large, rectangular prism. It hadn''t changed color at all. Ariom and Mideis both stared at it, looking almost as frozen as the doll was. The room was silent for a long moment. Then Ariom took a step closer, examining the stasis crystal with an expression that was half admiring and half irritated. "Didn''t even set off the triggers...." he murmured, shaking his head. "Okay...she''s annoying, but credit where it''s due. That is some gorgeous stasis magic...." "Why, thank you," Namyis said, giving him a sweet smile. Chapter 42 - The Grandmaster and the Battlemage Ariom really wasn''t having a good day. He hadn''t slept well the night before because he''d been thinking over everything Thenio had told him about Ki''shiu and dream magic. And that morning, when he was already feeling a bit on edge because of Jasel''s impending visit, he''d suddenly gotten a message from Mideis saying that the ice mage had returned from her latest assignment a day early and was free that afternoon. Which meant that Ariom had to rush around getting everything ready for their first practice session, all while being irritated by the fact that he would have to deal with two people from the military in one day. And if all that hadn''t been enough to put him in a bad mood, when Namyis had actually shown up, Thenio''s magic did something crazy and unexpected by somehow imitating her magic affinity. And then did something even crazier by repeating the change when she wasn''t even nearby. It wasn''t Thenio''s fault, of course. He obviously hadn''t been trying to freeze himself to death, and there was no way he could have known his magic would react like that. It wasn''t really Namyis'' fault, either. She''d been a little careless about the crack in her dampening cuff, but there was no reason to expect a combat wizard to know enough about enchanting to understand why a small crack like that could cause such a big problem. Even Mideis, a master rank enchanter, hadn''t realized the full extent of it. And it wouldn''t have been such a big problem if Thenio''s magic didn''t react so weirdly to everything.... It was no one''s fault, really. But that didn''t stop Ariom from feeling stressed and bad-tempered. It was hard to stop himself from taking out his frustrations on the seemingly innocent and friendly ice mage who was visiting his home. Why did she irritate him so much? He wasn''t sure. Just because she was a battlemage? Or because he knew she was a member of the first squad, which meant she worked with his father? No...that was part of it, but it wasn''t enough to explain the unsettled feeling she gave him. Even General Obarin didn''t grate on him this badly. Namyis hardly seemed like a battlemage, anyway. She was clearly in excellent physical condition, showing that she trained regularly, and like many battlemages, her manners were a little casual. But her clothing and hairstyle were pretty and feminine. And her personality seemed to be gentle and playful...maybe even a bit naive. Was it bothering him that her attitude wasn''t professional enough? A little. It was a serious matter they were dealing with, after all. But she was a lot more subdued than Kymia usually was, so that probably wasn''t it, either. Ariom was starting to think that it was just the result of him feeling tired and overwhelmed.... ...until he saw that stasis crystal. That beautiful, flawless stasis crystal. Which Namyis had formed almost instantly, even cheekily snapping her fingers as if to show off how easy it was for her. And he finally understood. He stared at the crystal for a long moment, before turning to look at Namyis, who was still smiling, looking pleased by the fact that he''d complimented her magic. "Your training regimen must be absolutely brutal," he said quietly. He was rewarded by seeing her smile momentarily vanish and her violet-blue eyes widen in surprise. Then the smile reappeared, although there was a rather different feel to it than there had been before. "It used to be. It''s not as bad now." Namyis glanced at the doll encased in her crystal. "You seem to know a lot about stasis magic." "I know enough. I can even use it a little." Ariom also looked back at the doll. "I''d never be able to make anything like that, though." Right. He knew enough about stasis magic to understand just how skilled she was. And how many thousands of hours of dedicated practice it must have taken her to get there. "I''ll confess that I was worried your skills wouldn''t be as good as Vice-Captain Ranior said they were," he went on. "Having someone talk up another wizard''s skills to me, and then being disappointed when I actually see them...well, it happens quite often." Namyis nodded. "I understand. The same thing happens to me sometimes, when I get assigned to work with less experienced combat wizards. It''s usually safer to assume that their skills aren''t as good as I''ve been led to believe." She gave Ariom a playful grin. "I guess you were doing the same for me? Do you have to change your plans now because I exceeded your expectations?" "Not completely," Ariom said seriously. "But it will probably mean we don''t need as many practice sessions as I was originally thinking. And we should be able to get more of the analysis done in one go. Which means we might only have to dissect one or two frozen corpses instead of three or four." "Well, I''m all for not having to deal with as many explosive lunatics," Namyis said with a pleasant smile. "And if we get the work done faster, maybe I can get a few extra days off." She looked over at the dragon box, where Thenio and the familiars were sitting and watching them. Then she turned back to Ariom with an eager expression. "Hey, if I do a good job and earn some extra vacation time, can I use it to come play with your dragon?" "Uh...." Ariom hesitated, looking uncomfortably between Namyis, whose eyes were sparkling, and Iggy, whose ears had just flattened in alarm. "Well...I guess if that helps you focus on the job.... It would be better if you come on a day when my uncle and cousin are around, though. Then you''d have three dragons to play with." He made a mental apology to his family members as he said that. But Tava and Humerus would be able to tolerate that level of ice magic much better than Iggy could. And Uncle Bero and Seyli would probably be able to deal with Namyis herself much better than Ariom. Thenio was out of the question, of course.... "But I''ve only seen you form a stasis crystal so far," Ariom added quickly, trying to divert the topic away from her request. "We still need to try out the actual analysis method to see how well we can work together." "Then let''s try it," Namyis said cheerfully. "I''ll work extra hard¡ªfor the sake of playing with cute dragons!" Ariom sighed and rubbed his temples. His head was starting to ache a little.... But the exasperation he felt toward Namyis had been partly replaced by pity. Between his uncle''s military friends and his own professional contacts, Ariom had met quite a few monstrous wizards in his life. Most were like General Obarin or Eteon. They put on a gentle front when dealing with other people, but they knew perfectly well that they were monsters, and they were content with that fact. There were also some, like Ariom''s father, who didn''t want to go to the trouble of hiding their claws and preferred to stay away from ordinary people and lower-ranking magic users instead. He''d even encountered a few baby monsters, who hadn''t yet realized their own strength. Thenio had a bit of that air about him. But Namyis probably wasn''t any of those types. Ariom was fairly certain that the reason he felt so unsettled by her behavior was that she was actually a much rarer kind of monster: One who knew exactly what she was...but wished that she were something else.... She''d been born with much higher than average magic power and had devoted most of her life to intense training in order to be able to control it. As a result, she''d achieved a level of magic skill that most wizards could only dream of. She could easily kill everyone here if she wanted to. Ariom''s void magic and the strong barriers separating her from Thenio and the familiars would barely even slow her down. But she didn''t want to kill people. She just wanted to be able to play with cute magic beasts.... She was a lot like a revenant, really. That was probably why Ariom felt such a disconnect in how she''d been acting. It was almost impossible to find a revenant with a stable personality. And the more bodies they''d possessed, the worse they got. They were constantly torn between wanting to be accepted for what they truly were and wanting to become whatever creature they were possessing. Those that had inhabited multiple vessels were even torn between which false identity they wished for most. It was quite similar to a certain ice mage, who wanted her struggles and accomplishments to be acknowledged but wanted to be a normal person at the same time. Ariom sighed again. It was a good thing he had a lot of experience dealing with revenants....
Namyis had been having quite an interesting day so far. The job for the Royal Guard hadn''t seemed like anything unusual when she''d first heard about it. Go catch some of those demon-obsessed idiots and use stasis magic to avoid setting off some magic traps? She''d been doing that kind of thing for years. The fact that the traps were on one of the demon idiots was a little different, but it didn''t really change what she needed to do. But working together with a grandmaster enchanter to analyze the flesh enchantment? She perked up a little when she heard about that. And said enchanter was Emberhawk''s son, no less? Now the job seemed much more interesting.... Namyis had only been on the same squad as Emberhawk for a few months, but she''d known him for much longer than that. It was common for different divisions to work together on demon subjugations. And since high-rankers all had their own magic specialties, they were frequently sent around to different parts of the country for assignments that required their specific skill sets. They also served First Rift duty together. So Namyis had worked with almost all the other high-rankers in Kafron at some point, plus quite a few from other countries. Riomel had a reputation for being bad-tempered, and Namyis didn''t disagree with that assessment. But she actually found him surprisingly easy to work with. Part of that was because their magic affinities and combat styles were complete opposites of each other, so their individual roles were well-defined. Namyis was usually stationary during battle, and specialized in wide area attacks or creating barriers to control enemy movements. Riomel was constantly flying around the battlefield, taking out stronger enemies with swift, targeted attacks. Like their call names, she was a queen ruling over the field, and he was a hawk diving down from above to strike at his prey. And despite his general grouchy attitude, Riomel rarely actually lost his temper as long as you followed one simple rule: Don''t talk about family. Especially not his family. Namyis was fine with that. She didn''t like talking about her family, either. She was a little curious, though. She''d heard enough about Riomel''s history from the other battlemages to understand why he might be sensitive about his wife or his father, who had both died from magic instability. But she wasn''t sure why he was quite so touchy about his son. From what she''d heard, Ariom Denifor was a remarkably talented wizard and a well-respected enchanter who''d won several prestigious awards. And he was currently the youngest grandmaster wizard in Kafron. He seemed like the sort of son that most fathers would be thrilled to claim as their own and would happily brag about whenever they got the chance. So why didn''t Riomel feel that way? The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. No one really seemed to know. Of the people that Namyis had asked, no one was aware of any particular falling-out between the two of them. Riomel seemed to have just always disliked his son. Even General Obarin had only given her a vague answer about Ariom being ''a reminder of painful things.'' Though she hadn''t tried to press him for any more details. She was aware that the Denifor family was a difficult topic for him, too. Hydra probably knew. He knew practically everything about his subordinates. But he was also notoriously tight-lipped about their private affairs. That''s why everyone trusted him so much. Namyis hadn''t even bothered to ask him about it. With all that, she had been quite eager to meet Riomel''s mysterious son. And at first, Ariom seemed to be exactly what she''d been told¡ªa slightly friendlier version of Riomel. They definitely looked a lot alike. Ariom was a little taller and slimmer than his father, and their stigmas gave them very different coloring. But their facial features were quite similar. Ariom also seemed to have the same kind of prickly personality, although he was clearly making more of an effort to be polite than Riomel usually did. And it was hard to say just how much of it was his normal behavior and how much was because he was upset over what had happened with his assistant when they''d first arrived. He did seem quite concerned about the boy, which was a notable difference from his father. In addition to his inexplicable hostility toward his own son, Riomel had never taken on a single trainee. He wouldn''t even spar with anyone lower than a mid-ranked battlemage. But overall, Ariom behaved more or less how Namyis had expected him to.... ...up until the moment she showed him her stasis magic. She''d been quite happy just to get a compliment out of the grouchy grandmaster, but when he''d turned and looked at her after examining the stasis crystal, his expression had completely changed. His irritation had faded, and his silver-colored eyes seemed to be looking at her seriously for the first time. "Your training regimen must be absolutely brutal." Namyis'' eyes widened. Was that...sympathy she heard in his voice? She was used to being praised for her magic talent. She was used to other wizards being impressed or envious when they saw her skills. She wasn''t used to them immediately comprehending what she''d gone through to get those skills and giving her the kind of concerned, empathetic look that Ariom had on his face right now. It took her a moment to recover from the surprise of it. Then Namyis smiled. The first truly authentic smile she''d shown today. This really was going to be an interesting job....
Thenio was having a very strange day. When he''d woken up that morning, he''d been a little disappointed to realize that Ki''shiu hadn''t visited him during the night. He''d been sort of expecting it after his conversation with Eteon the day before. Well. Maybe mythic beasts did have better things to do than give teenage boys magic lessons.... Still, he had his acrobatics lesson to look forward to. And he was a little excited when Ariom said that Mideis was bringing Ice Queen with him for their practice session that afternoon. The lesson had gone well. Jasel was pleased with Thenio''s progress and had given him a couple of new exercises to work on for their next lesson. And Casturi and Iggy had enjoyed playing together and were both happy with the snacks Thenio had prepared. The meeting with Ice Queen...obviously hadn''t gone so well.... Thenio felt a little guilty for causing such a fuss, even though he knew it wasn''t really his fault. And no one seemed angry at him, not even for how he''d somehow caused his magic to change again while he was drawing. Namyis and Mideis were both apologetic that they hadn''t realized there was a problem sooner, and Ariom seemed to mostly just be relieved that the consequences hadn''t been more serious. He also seemed a little glad to have found another clue about the strange behavior of Thenio''s magic, even if they didn''t really understand what that clue meant yet. Before they left Thenio''s room to go back to the workroom, Ariom had given him two assignments: First, to not use any dream magic until they knew better why it had triggered a change in his magic type. And second, to write a message to Eteon, explaining everything that had happened since Namyis had arrived and asking for his advice. Because of that, Thenio hadn''t brought his sketchbook with him, since he still wasn''t completely confident in his ability to control his dream magic when he was drawing. But he brought his message book, along with one of his magic theory books and a notebook. Plus Iggy''s new encyclopedia of gryphons and hippogryphs, in case the little dragon got bored. But when they first got to the dragon box, Thenio was still feeling a little out of sorts because of all the strange magic fluctuations he''d experienced, so he simply sat quietly with Iggy and Amisi and watched what was going on inside the workroom. He didn''t really know enough about stasis magic to judge the crystal that Namyis made himself, but based on how impressed Ariom was by it, he knew her skills must be top notch. She was supposed to be one of the best ice mages in the world, after all. It seemed to be enough to change Ariom''s attitude toward her. He was suddenly taking her more seriously and acting less annoyed by her presence. He didn''t even refuse when she asked to come over and play with Iggy...though he had sidestepped the responsibility a little by saying she should come when Seyli and Bero were around.... Of course, having more people here to keep an eye on things made it less likely that Thenio would have to stay shut up inside a dragon box during her visit, so he probably shouldn''t complain. "Don''t worry. I don''t think he''ll make you play with her if it makes you uncomfortable," he said softly, leaning over to pat Iggy, who was looking unhappy about the prospective playdate. "He''ll either find a way to protect you from her magic, or he''ll let Tava and Humerus handle it." "He''ll protect Thenio, too, right?" Iggy looked at him with concern. "So you won''t freeze into ice cream again?" "Right. Ariom won''t let anyone freeze into ice cream. So you don''t need to worry. Okay?" "Mmm. Okay." Iggy waved his tail a little, looking happier. They both turned their attention back to what Ariom and Namyis were doing. The two of them had taken up positions on either side of the work table, with the frozen doll in between them. Namyis was currently shrinking her stasis crystal down to more closely fit the doll''s form. "Like that?" she asked when there was just a thin layer of crystal covering the surface of the wood. "Yes, that''s good." Ariom nodded. "Now, I''m going to start undoing your stasis magic, just a tiny piece at a time. Your magic is stronger than mine, so I need you to let go of the part I''m trying to undo but hold onto the rest. I''ll be disarming the trap formations as I go, so you won''t need to redo the stasis once it''s been undone." Namyis frowned a little. "How are you going to undo it, exactly? I''m not familiar with any techniques like that." "I wasn''t either, until a couple of weeks ago. But fortunately, my assistant is friends with...a rather interesting fellow." Ariom glanced in Thenio''s direction. "He seems to have traveled around a lot and picked up some unusual magic techniques along the way. He taught me this one when I asked for his advice on dealing with trap formations that were under stasis magic. Well, I had to adapt it a bit. The original version was intended more for cutting through physical objects. Which would still work, but we''d have a bloody mess when we were done. Of course, we''ll get that anyway, if we set off one of the trap formations, but I''d like to at least try to keep things clean...." "So how does it work?" Namyis asked, looking interested. She didn''t seem particularly upset by the idea of their analysis subject being turned into a bloody mess. "I''ll show you. I didn''t put any traps in the arms of this first dummy, so we can start with those to practice the technique a little without worrying about setting them off." Ariom held his hand over the doll''s hand. Thenio could just barely see a few thin strands of magic coming out of his fingertips and weaving together to form a kind of thin blade shape. He must have figured out how to use Eteon''s technique without a knife. As expected from the genius enchanter and thaumaturgist.... "I''m going to slice through it with this, see?" Ariom used his magic blade to cut into the doll''s finger. Namyis watched closely, her brow furrowed in concentration. When he lifted the blade again, there was no change that Thenio could see. But Namyis nodded her head in understanding. "All right, I get how it works. I let up on too large an area that time, though. Let''s try again." Ariom lowered the blade and made another small cut. "Ah...I did too much that time, too. It''s hard to get the distance just right...." "That''s why we''re practicing, remember? You''d be too scary if you got it right off the bat." "I think you''re both pretty scary for being able to do this at all..." Mideis muttered, watching the procedure with a rather incredulous expression on his face. "Says the guy who''s going to be pulling the formation information straight out of my head...as if that''s not scary...." Ariom raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait a bit, though. Let us get through this dummy first to get the hang of it. It''ll be your turn on the next one." "Take your time. I''m fine just watching for a while." Thenio and the familiars watched for a while, too, but Thenio''s interest was already waning by the time they were halfway up the first arm. Since he couldn''t use magesight, he couldn''t actually see what was going on, so watching seemed a little pointless. Amisi seemed to feel the same way, because she stood up and stretched, then jumped from the platform she''d been watching from onto Thenio''s lap, where she settled down, apparently deciding that she''d rather take a nap for a while. Surprisingly, Iggy was still watching the practice enchantment analysis with interest. Could he actually tell what they were doing? Maybe his magic sensitivity was even better than Thenio had realized.... He looked at the little dragon curiously for a minute before shaking his head and turning his attention back to Amisi. He spent a few minutes stroking her velvety fur and gently scratching her large ears. Then he opened his message book to the tab labeled ''Eteon Idarin'' and started thinking about what to write. Eventually, he started off by just saying that something strange had happened and that he and Ariom wanted advice on how to deal with it. Then he wrote the whole experience out as it had occurred, starting with Mideis and Namyis arriving and continuing on through Iggy and Ariom protecting him from Namyis'' magic, Ariom sending him up to his room, him drawing Namyis and starting to feel cold again when he used dream magic, the chunk of magic ice he''d somehow produced, and Ariom coming to help him after Iggy and Amisi sounded the alarm. He ended by briefly explaining Ariom''s theory about essence magic and mentioning that he was trying not to use dream magic until they knew what was going on. It ended up being several pages long. Thenio read the whole thing over to make sure he hadn''t left anything important out, then he sighed and sent the message, silently apologizing to Eteon for using up so much of the magic in his book''s crystal. Not that someone like Eteon would have any trouble getting a new magic crystal.... But Thenio''s parents had taught him to be mindful of things like that. Eteon was apparently keeping an eye on his message book, because it only took about ten minutes for Thenio to get a response back. He''d started studying his enchanting theory book by then, but he glanced up as he reached the end of a page and noticed that Eteon''s tab was glowing faintly. Thenio set the theory book aside and opened the message book to find a short reply.
I''m glad you''re all right. I''m sorry I didn''t give you any warning that something like this might happen. I didn''t expect it to come up so soon. Fortunately, Ariom handled it well. Try not to use dream magic for the rest of the day. Ki''shiu will be able to help you tonight.
Thenio frowned as he read Eteon''s message. He didn''t expect it to come up? What did that mean? If Ariom was right about the effects of the essence magic, it could have happened anytime Thenio came in contact with a high-ranking sorcerer. Had Eteon misunderstood somehow? Or had Ariom? He stared at the book for a minute or two, puzzling over Eteon''s choice of words. Then he looked over at Ariom. They seemed to be almost done with the first practice dummy. Its body was now free of Namyis'' stasis magic except for part of the head. And it was currently yellow. It had changed color several times by now, indicating that Ariom or Namyis had set off one of the trap formations. As Thenio watched, the doll changed color yet again, this time to blue. "Aww...we were so close!" Namyis said in a disappointed tone. She seemed to be treating the whole thing like some kind of game. It was a little concerning to think about her analyzing an actual corpse with that attitude, but it probably wasn''t a bad way to approach this kind of basic practice. "It''s all right," Ariom said, sounding rather tired. "We''re still doing well for our first try. Let''s just finish it up, and then we''ll take a short break before we move on to the next one." It took them a few more minutes to get through the rest of the doll''s head. Then Ariom finally released his magic blade and leaned back in his chair. "And...done," he said with a long sigh. "Nice!" Namyis raised her arms in celebration. "We only blew him up six times! Though it would have only been five if I hadn''t slipped up at the end..." she added, making a face and lowering her arms. "Six times actually isn''t bad considering how many trap formations there were," Mideis commented. He''d been watching them closely throughout the procedure, but now he also leaned back in his chair. "Do you still want to try telepathy on the next one?" "I don''t want to...." Ariom closed his eyes. "But yes, we should probably give it a try." "And what about Thenio?" Mideis asked a little hesitantly, glancing over at the dragon box. "That''s a good question." Ariom opened his eyes again and looked over at Thenio. "Did you send a message to Eteon?" Thenio nodded. "Yeah. And I just got a reply." Ariom got up and came over to the window. "What did he say?" Thenio held the message book up to the glass. He saw a frown appear on Ariom''s face as his eyes moved over the words. But he didn''t comment on them. He simply nodded and then turned back to Mideis. "Looks like we''re just practicing with you this time. Eteon thinks that Thenio should rest for today. And he''s the expert, so we''ll follow what he says." Chapter 43 - Message from a Mythic Beast Mideis raised an eyebrow. "Eteon''s an expert on chaos magic now, is he? You must have had quite an interesting chat with him yesterday." "That''s putting it mildly..." Ariom said with a sigh. He glanced in Namyis'' direction. "I won''t go into the details right now¡ªit will take too much time. But if you remember what we were speculating about the other day...it was basically all true." "All of it? Seriously?" Mideis made an incredulous face. Then he shook his head. "That''s...a little terrifying." "If you feel that way, how do you think I feel?" Ariom said bitterly. "No wonder you seem on edge today." Mideis gave him a sympathetic look. "What did Eteon say about Thenio helping us with this project? Is he going to be able to do it? Or do we need to go back to one of our other plans?" "Well, he was all right with the general idea of it. Just¡ª Oh, that''s right. I almost forgot." Ariom took the wooden taua figurine out of his space pocket. Thenio had given it to him before they left his room, to pass on to Mideis. "Eteon made this and told Thenio to give it to you. He said something about it being a ''precaution''? I''m not sure what that means. This is just a wooden carving, as far as I can tell. I can''t detect any kind of magic on it...though with Eteon that might not mean anything...." Mideis stood up and came over to the dragon box. "Let me take a look," he said, holding out his hand. Ariom placed the little taua in it. As soon as it touched his palm, Mideis'' entire body went rigid. He stared at the figurine with a shocked, wide-eyed expression, the color draining from his face. Amisi jerked awake and tumbled off Thenio''s lap with a startled yowl. She twisted herself around mid-fall to land on her feet and bolted toward the window as soon as she hit the floor. She clambered up onto one of the raised platforms next to the glass and stood there glaring at the figurine in Mideis'' hand with her back arched and all her fur standing on end. "What...?" Ariom was looking between the two of them with an alarmed expression. "What is it? Mideis, are you all right?" "I''m...okay..." Mideis said faintly, not taking his eyes off the wooden taua. "Just...wait a minute...." He certainly didn''t look okay.... His face was pale, his eyes had a glassy, vacant look, and his breathing was shallow, as though he was on the verge of passing out. Thenio stood up and moved closer to the window. Looking over toward the work table, he saw that Namyis had gotten to her feet as well and was watching Mideis with a serious expression. She kept glancing at Ariom, apparently waiting to see what he would do before she took any action. Thenio also looked at Ariom. He was watching Mideis closely, with a deep frown on his face, but he had calmed down a little at Mideis'' words and seemed to be willing to do as he''d said and wait for now. The room was silent for a minute or two. Then Mideis blinked, and his eyes went back to normal, as though he''d just snapped out of some kind of trance. He closed his fingers around the taua figurine and lowered his arm. Then he slowly turned around and went back to the chair he''d been sitting in. He carefully set the little figurine on the work table before slumping down into the chair and closing his eyes. "Mythic beasts are really scary..." he said weakly. Amisi jumped off her platform and hurried over to the door leading into the workroom. She lifted a paw and scratched at the glass, looking up at Ariom and mewling softly. Ariom hesitated, glancing at Thenio, before he stepped over to the door. He waved his hand in front of it, releasing a cloud of grey magic that condensed into a barrier separating the door from the rest of the room. Then he reached through the barrier and opened the door just long enough for Amisi to slip through. She ran over to Mideis and jumped onto his lap, then stood on her hind legs and patted his cheek with one of her front paws. Without opening his eyes, Mideis lifted his hand and started stroking her back. "I''m all right. That was just...a very potent message. Let me recover for a few minutes, and then I''ll explain." Namyis was looking curiously at the wooden taua. "A tiny Amisi? It''s cute! So that carving is a message from a mythic beast, huh? Is that Eteon guy you mentioned an agent or something?" Ariom glared at her. "Oh! Then he''s probably the ''interesting fellow'' that your assistant is friends with, right?" Namyis went on, undeterred. "The one who taught you that stasis inversion technique? It would make sense for a mythic agent to know about unusual things like that." Ariom still didn''t reply. He simply kept staring at her with a disgruntled expression. Namyis tilted her head and blinked at him. "Oh...sorry...was I not supposed to ask about that?" "No. You weren''t." Ariom sighed and ran a hand over his face. "But this whole day has been full of things that weren''t supposed to happen, so I guess I should have been expecting it by this point." "I''m sorry," Mideis said, opening his eyes and giving Ariom and Thenio an apologetic look. "I shouldn''t have mentioned mythic beasts. I was just so shocked by that token...." "Ah...don''t feel bad." Namyis gave him a reassuring smile. "I already knew that the mythics were involved somehow. Or I suspected it, at least. So you didn''t really give anything away." They all looked at her in surprise. "You knew?" Ariom asked. "How?" "Well, you see...the general asked me to come to his office the other day, after you officially decided to take on the job. And he...well, he threatened me, basically." Namyis laughed. "He said that some very powerful people were interested in the chaos morph, and that I could get in a lot of trouble if I wasn''t careful with my magic when I was around him. And I have been careful, you know? It just wasn''t enough." Her face fell. "The general''s probably going to scold me when he finds out.... Anyways, he didn''t say who those powerful people were, but only a few people in the world are strong enough to intimidate Sunfall. And most of them are connected to mythic beasts somehow." Thenio frowned a little when he heard that. Was that the real reason that General Obarin had been doing so much for him? Jasel had said it was because of his connection to Ariom, and the general himself had said it was because he empathized with Thenio''s situation. But was it really just that he was afraid of Eteon and Ki''shiu? If that was true, it would be understandable...but also a little disappointing.... Of course, Thenio reminded himself, General Obarin did seem to be close to the Denifor family and to legitimately care about Ariom. So Jasel probably wasn''t entirely wrong. And it wasn''t like an action could only have a single motivation behind it. Glancing around, Thenio saw that Ariom and Mideis also seemed to be thinking about what Namyis had just said. Mideis was still looking a little guilty, and Ariom was scowling. It was hard to say whether he was still unhappy about Namyis figuring out that Thenio had a connection to a mythic beast or whether it was just his usual reaction to General Obarin being mentioned. Thenio didn''t really want to interrupt, but seeing that Mideis still looked pale and exhausted, he decided to take advantage of the pause in the conversation. "Uh...Ariom?" "Hmm?" Ariom turned to look at him. "Sorry...it''s just...the refreshment cart is still down in the reception room, isn''t it? Do you want me to go get it? Mideis really looks like he could use a little energy boost. And Iggy had some snacks while we were in my room, but Amisi didn''t get any yet." "Ah...I completely forgot about that. We just came straight up here so I could fix that dampening cuff." Ariom made a face. "You stay here. I''ll go get it. Iggy, you keep an eye on Thenio for me for a few minutes, all right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy sat up a little straighter, looking pleased to be given a job to do. Ariom turned to give Mideis and Namyis an apologetic look. "I''m sorry for being such a poor host. I''ll be right back with the refreshments." He quickly left the room. "Ah. He ran away...." Namyis said, looking at the door that Ariom had just closed behind him. "He does that a lot," Mideis said with a wry chuckle. "Ariom''s a good guy and a brilliant enchanter. But he does have a bad habit of running away from difficult social situations.... Well, I guess it''s fine if he takes a few minutes to calm down and collect his thoughts." Namyis nodded. "His father does that kind of thing a lot, too." She left the work table and came over in front of the dragon box. "While we''re waiting for the snacks to come, can we chat a little, Thenio? Talking about my visit with the general reminded me of something I wanted to ask you." "Oh...uh...okay...?" Thenio said hesitantly. She gave him a gentle smile. "You don''t need to be nervous. It''s nothing that difficult. I wanted to ask about the painting." Thenio blinked. "The painting?" "Right! The painting that the general has hanging in his office, of Iggy and a dragon revenant building a sandcastle together. He showed it to me when I was there and said you''d sent it to him." Thenio''s eyes went wide. "He has it hanging...in his office?! Where people can see it?" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Of course, silly. What else are you supposed to do with a painting?" "But...that...." Thenio stared at her in shock. "Ariom said he''d like it if I sent him a picture, so I did. But I expected him to just look at it and then toss it in a drawer somewhere or something. I never thought he''d actually hang it up in his office...." Namyis tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Why not? It''s a nice painting." "But...but...I painted it!" Thenio protested weakly. "Somebody like Sunfall can get all the paintings he wants, right? From real artists. So why would he want to let people who visit his office see a painting from a nobody like me?" "You''re not a nobody, though?" Namyis looked confused. "Why would you think that you are?" Thenio wasn''t sure how to answer her. Why wouldn''t he think that...? "You''ll have to be a little patient with him when it comes to things like that," Mideis said gently. "His chaos magic seems to have a negative effect on most people below sorcerer level. They feel uncomfortable around him. And since he grew up in a mostly non-magic neighborhood...well. I''m afraid he''s developed a rather distorted image of himself." "Oh, is it like a ranking effect?" "Yes, it seems to be very similar to that." Mideis nodded. "Though it can''t be exactly the same because his power level is much too low to trigger a normal ranking effect." "Well, not necessarily." Namyis put a finger on her cheek, looking thoughtful. "Some types of magic show the effect more strongly than others, right? Maybe chaos magic just has a super strong effect? So his power doesn''t need to be that high for it to show up?" Mideis frowned. "I guess that''s possible...." "What exactly is a ranking effect?" Thenio asked, looking between the two of them. "I''ve heard the term before, but I don''t really understand it." "It''s the discomfort and intimidation that you feel when you''re close to someone whose magic power is much higher than yours," Mideis explained. "Though the effect varies depending on the magic affinities of the people involved. It''s more straightforward with basic and variant affinities, but arcane types can get a little strange. "Mental magic has a particularly strong ranking effect, for example. So I can handle being around Namyis, even though her power level is significantly higher than mine. But on the other hand, lower-ranking magic users are more likely to feel uncomfortable around me. Well, I''m only second-rank, though, so the effects still aren''t that strong as long as I keep my power under control." "Mental mages can be scary," Namyis agreed, nodding solemnly. "Like Hydra. He''s only fifth-rank, but even I feel intimidated by him sometimes." "Fifth-rank is actually really high for a mental mage," Mideis told Thenio. "We''re one of the lowest-powered affinities, on average, so mental affinity high-rankers are really rare. But Hydra participated in the Amplification Project, remember? That''s what gave him an extra boost in magic power¡ªhe was one of the project''s greatest successes." He looked back at Namyis. "Don''t mention the Amplification Project around Ariom, by the way. It''s quite a sore point with him...." "Ah...yes. I know." She nodded again. "The others warned me about that with Riomel when I transferred to Central." "Good." Mideis turned back to Thenio. "Anyway, you probably haven''t experienced ranking effects that much because you haven''t been around many high-rankers, apart from life mages. Life affinity has a really low ranking effect. Although, oddly enough, they don''t feel it as much as other affinities do, either. They''re just sort of exempt from the whole thing. "And most higher-ranking sorcerers wear dampening devices when they''re around lower ranks. That''s mostly to diminish the ranking effect, so they don''t make other people uncomfortable. But you probably still felt it a little when you first met Namyis, since her power level is so much higher than yours." "Um...." Thenio paused, thinking back to the short time between meeting Namyis and Iggy showing up to protect him from her magic. "Not really? I mean, I was a little nervous about meeting a well-known battlemage. And then I started feeling cold. But I don''t remember feeling especially intimidated." "Really?" Namyis looked at him with interest. "You didn''t think I was scary?" Thenio shook his head. "Huh. What''s your power level?" "Around 350." Mideis frowned. "That low? And you really didn''t feel intimidated or frightened at all?" "No. Just kind of nervous, like I said. But I felt that way before you even got here." "That''s strange. Maybe you really do have a crazy strong ranking effect...." Mideis stared at him for a moment and then looked down at Amisi. "Magic beasts aren''t afraid of you, though. So if it''s a ranking effect, it can''t be a normal one." "Thenio has really nice magic, okay?" Iggy said, waving his tail a little. "It smells like lots of pretty colors! I like it a lot!" Amisi nodded in agreement. "Aww...I''m jealous." Namyis pouted a little. "I mean, I sympathize with people feeling uncomfortable around you. I really do. But at least you still have cute magic beasts who like you.... "And you know, if it really is a ranking effect, then higher-ranking magic users should be more drawn to you. That''s the positive side of it. It''s why high-rankers usually prefer the company of other high-rankers. And it''s part of what makes somebody like Hydra a good commander. Everybody likes him. But he''s just scary enough that everybody listens to him, too." Hydra was the Central Division Commander, as well as the Magic Corps'' Field Commander, which meant he took charge during large-scale operations that involved multiple divisions. He was obviously well-respected by other combat wizards, but Thenio didn''t know that much about him. As a mental mage, he didn''t have any flashy combat skills, so he wasn''t that popular among schoolchildren. Apart from his position and affinity, all Thenio really knew was that Hydra''s call name came from his familiar, who was an actual hydra. "Too bad I can''t be around most high-rankers," Thenio said, a little gloomily. "Life mages seem to be okay. But based on what happened earlier, it looks like it''s dangerous for me to be around most combat wizards, whether they''re wearing magic dampeners or not." "Ah...right." Namyis looked down at her repaired dampening cuff. Then she looked back up at Thenio with an encouraging smile. "Well, you have Ariom helping you out, don''t you? He doesn''t like me enough to work on a better dampening technique, but maybe he''ll do it for you! You''re probably the reason he''s researching magic dampening anyway. Isn''t that right?" she added, leaning over a little to look past Thenio. "Didn''t you say you weren''t going to badger me about that?" came a grumpy voice from somewhere behind him. Thenio turned around to see Ariom standing in the open doorway of the dragon box, scowling at Namyis. This particular box had two doors¡ªone that connected to the workroom and another one leading out into the hall. It was designed so that Iggy could go in and out on his own whenever Ariom was shut up in the workroom with a difficult or dangerous project and couldn''t be disturbed. Namyis smiled sweetly at Ariom. "I said I wouldn''t badger you. I never said I wouldn''t encourage you. And it''s for Thenio''s sake, too, right?" Ariom rolled his eyes and turned to Thenio. "Come get whatever you want for yourself and Iggy, then I''ll take the cart in the workroom." He gestured toward the refreshment cart, which was standing behind him in the hallway. "Oh, okay." Thenio turned and held his arm out to Iggy. "Come on. Let''s go pick out some snacks for you. It''s okay if you''re not hungry again yet. We''ll just bring in a tray of things, and you can eat them whenever you''re ready. All right?" "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy happily scampered up Thenio''s arm and onto his shoulder. After the two of them had gotten drinks and snacks from the cart, Ariom closed them safely inside the dragon box again and pushed the cart into the workroom. He moved the used practice dummy out of the way and set the trays of biscuits and pastries out on the work table. Then he started pouring cups of juice for everyone. Namyis watched him for a moment before turning back to Thenio. "Oh, right. I got distracted by all the ranking effect stuff. I was really trying to ask whether or not you take art commissions." "Commissions?" Thenio paused in the middle of arranging Iggy''s snacks on one of the climbing tower''s platforms. "As in...doing art for somebody else? And getting paid for it?" "Right! Like that." Namyis nodded eagerly. "I wanted to ask if I could commission you to do a painting for me. I really liked the one you did for the general!" "That...um...I mean...I''ve never really...." Thenio stammered, looking at Ariom and Mideis for some kind of hint on how he ought to respond. "I''ve never gotten paid for doing a painting before.... I don''t mind making you one, but...well...I don''t think my paintings are really good enough to¡ª" "Thenio," Ariom said, cutting him off. His voice was quiet but firm. "Don''t compare yourself to someone with ridiculous skill like Eteon. He''s been carving wood for longer than you''ve been alive, so it''s not a fair comparison at all. Your paintings are very good for someone your age. And Namyis liked the one she saw enough to offer to pay you for one of her own. So she obviously thinks they''re good enough." "I know." Thenio fidgeted uncomfortably. "I know that...but...." Ariom sighed and looked at Namyis. "Could you ask him again another time? He''s been through several upsetting things the past couple of days, and his artwork is a bit of a sensitive topic.... I think it would be better to wait and discuss it when he''s feeling a little calmer." "Ah, of course. There''s no hurry." Namyis gave Ariom a pleasant smile. "We''ll be seeing a lot of each other for the next couple of weeks, won''t we? There will be plenty of other chances to talk about it." "For better or worse...yes, there will be." Ariom sighed again and turned to Mideis. "Speaking of upsetting things, are you ready to explain what happened earlier? What exactly is that wooden figurine?" He was obviously changing the subject. But Thenio was grateful for it. It actually wasn''t Eteon that he was comparing himself to.... ...but he really didn''t want to talk about that.... "Yes, I think I can manage now," Mideis said with a slightly apologetic smile. "That figurine is what we call a telepathic token. It''s a way of sending a message by attaching mental magic to a physical object. It can be done so that it only activates when a specific person touches the object¡ªme, in this case. And the magic can be quite difficult to detect if you don''t specifically know what to look for...especially when it''s magic from a mythic beast...." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "From a mythic beast? Wasn''t it Eteon who sent it?" "I''ve heard that mythic beasts can channel magic through their agents in some circumstances. I don''t know the details of how it works, though." "Always more questions, with that guy...." Ariom shook his head. "Well, can you tell us what the message was?" Mideis hesitated, glancing at Thenio with an awkward expression. "Not exactly. Parts of it wouldn''t really make sense to anyone who doesn''t use mental magic. But...it was basically a warning. He was warning me not to use my magic on Thenio in certain ways, because it might cause a bad reaction. And...." He paused, apparently choosing his words. "Knowledge can be dangerous." Ariom frowned. "What?" "Knowledge can be dangerous," Mideis repeated. "Dangerous for Thenio, I mean. We need to be careful what kinds of information he''s exposed to. The message said you would understand why." "I would?" Ariom looked a little taken aback. Then his expression turned thoughtful. "If he thinks I''ll understand, that probably means it has something to do with the information we got from Eteon yesterday. Information...knowledge.... Knowledge is...dangerous?" His eyes suddenly widened. He turned to look at Namyis, then at Thenio. "Is that what it was? Coming in contact with Namyis'' magic...gave you too much information?" Thenio''s eyes also went wide. That was it¡ªthe connection between essence magic and dream magic that he''d sensed was there but couldn''t quite grasp. Essence magic contained information about a magic attribute. And dream magic could turn information into reality. So when he''d used dream magic and thought about Namyis, he''d...accidentally replicated her magic? Was that why he''d been able to create a physical manifestation, even though he was nowhere near sorcerer level himself? No...that couldn''t be right, could it? That was just too crazy.... But Ariom seemed to be thinking of either the same thing or something equally crazy, because he turned back to Mideis with a rather forlorn expression. "You were right. Mythic beasts are scary. And chaos morphs might be even scarier...." Chapter 44 - Dream Flight Thenio sat in a chair on the atrium balcony, watching Iggy and Amisi rolling a ball back and forth to each other. He''d been playing with them earlier, but he was tired now. The revelation that his dream magic had the potential to cause more accidents like the one this afternoon had been quite upsetting, so Ariom had decided to turn Thenio''s magic suppression bands on for the rest of the day to help him stay calm and keep his magic under control. The practice session with Namyis had ended a few hours ago. With all the distractions, they''d only had enough time to work on one more of the enchanted dummies, this time with Mideis using telepathy to record the magic formations as they went. But since things had gone well with the first two practice dolls, everyone felt like the afternoon was reasonably productive. Everyone but Thenio, anyway.... Ariom and Mideis both agreed that they needed to have a good, long talk about the things they''d learned from Eteon and Ki''shiu, so Mideis had left Amisi there to play with Iggy and Thenio while he took Namyis home. Now that she knew where Ariom''s house was, she was planning to come separately for future practices, to spare poor Amisi from being stuck in a carriage with her ice magic again. The five of them all had dinner together after Mideis got back. Then Amisi and Iggy were given the job of keeping an eye on Thenio, while Ariom and Mideis shut themselves in the workroom. They were apologetic about not including Thenio in their discussion, but after the warning from Ki''shiu, he could understand why they wanted to talk without him. He understood...but that didn''t really make him feel any better. Neither did the fact that drawing in his sketchbook was temporarily off-limits, since that was his usual method of calming down and sorting out his thoughts and feelings. He didn''t even dare to look at any magic beast encyclopedias with the familiars. He didn''t think he''d turn himself into a gryphon just from reading about them. But after this afternoon, he couldn''t help but worry a little.... So he simply sat there and watched the two of them playing, doing his best to ignore the occasional concerned glances they were both giving him. After a while, Amisi caught the ball in her paws instead of batting it back toward Iggy. "Let''s stop for a few minutes. I want to talk to Thenio about something." "Mmm. Okay," Iggy said, nodding agreeably. Amisi padded over and jumped up onto Thenio''s lap. Iggy followed her, flying up to perch on the arm of the chair. "What did you want to talk about?" Thenio asked, lifting a hand to scratch Iggy''s ears. "About you." Amisi sat down on his leg and looked up at him with her unblinking orange eyes. "You''re worried about what Mideis and Ariom are discussing?" "Well...yeah. Among other things. I mean, why shouldn''t I be worried, after everything that''s happened today?" Thenio sighed and glanced in the direction of the workroom. "Have you been listening in through Mideis? So you know what they''re talking about?" Amisi nodded. "What about the message that Mideis got from that token? Did you hear the whole thing?" "Yes." Thenio bit his lip. "Mideis was hiding something when he told us about it earlier, wasn''t he? He said there were parts that only a mental mage would understand...but wasn''t it really just that he didn''t want to tell us?" "It was some of both. There were things that would be difficult to explain. But there were also things that he couldn''t say in front of you and Namyis." "He can tell Ariom, though?" "Yes. The message said he could tell Ariom everything. Because Ki''shiu is hoping that Ariom will find a way to help you. A new way that no one else has thought to try yet." "They seem to have a pretty high opinion of him...." "That''s because Ariom is amazing!" Iggy puffed out his chest and swished his tail. "Right. He''s really amazing," Thenio said with a wry smile, patting the little dragon. Then he looked back at Amisi. "So Ariom is allowed to know everything, but I''m not...because it''s dangerous?" "Right," Amisi said, nodding. "That''s really how it is, you know? It must be frustrating for you. But they really are just trying to protect you. I haven''t met Eteon or Ki''shiu yet, so I can''t say for sure about them, but that''s probably the reason they''ve been hiding things from you, too. Mythic beasts are powerful enough that I don''t think they need to deceive or manipulate people to get what they want." Thenio stared at her for a moment, then he looked away. "Not powerful enough to know how to help me, though...." "Didn''t Eteon say that dream magic can only access knowledge that already exists? So they don''t know how to control chaos magic because no one''s ever found a way before?" "Right. He said that." Thenio''s brow furrowed. "But he''s also the one who taught me to use dream magic, which apparently made the problem even worse...." "And the message he sent you said he didn''t expect something like your reaction to Namyis'' magic to happen so soon. Dream magic didn''t cause you problems before now, did it? Maybe it has something to do with all the practicing you''ve been doing lately. Magic accidents can sometimes be a good thing, in a way, because they''re a sign that your skills are improving unexpectedly fast." Thenio didn''t reply. He was still staring out across the atrium. Amisi stood up on her hind legs, putting one front paw on Thenio''s shoulder and using the other to lightly pat his cheek. "Are you scared? Scared of dream magic?" "I could have killed myself this afternoon," Thenio said bitterly. "If Iggy hadn''t noticed that my magic was changing...and if Ariom hadn''t rushed over and helped me...I might have frozen myself to death without even realizing what was happening. Why wouldn''t I be scared, after something like that?" "You''re not alone, remember? There are lots of us trying to help you. Even Ki''shiu said he would come give you lessons on dream magic, didn''t he? Maybe you can learn to control it well enough that it won''t be a threat anymore. And if you do...it seems really powerful, doesn''t it? Maybe you''ll be able to do some amazing things." Thenio finally turned his head and met Amisi''s gaze again. "I think being able to control something like that scares me almost as much as not being able to control it does," he admitted quietly. She blinked once and then tilted her head. "You''re afraid of being powerful?" "I''m not sure. Maybe? I''ve always thought I wanted to be a powerful wizard. I used to daydream about being a demon hunter or an amazing potion maker or a high-ranking enchanter like Ariom. But it was always...normal kinds of powerful. You know? The idea of having some crazy magic that humans aren''t supposed to be able to use...I''m not sure about that." Thenio paused, trying to find the words to express how he felt. "It''s like...I wanted to stand out and do something impressive. But I wanted to fit in and be like everyone else at the same time. Does that make sense?" "It does. But that''s not really how being a powerful wizard works, you know? The stronger you are, the more separate you feel from normal people. Namyis was talking about high-rankers preferring to be around other high-rankers, right? That''s not just because of the ranking effect. It''s because normal people don''t understand what it feels like to be able to freeze someone in an instant. Or wipe out a whole town with a huge ball of fire. Or force memories out of someone''s mind." Amisi patted Thenio''s cheek again. "But that doesn''t mean powerful people can''t fit in at all. Most of them eventually find a place to belong, even if it''s not where they originally thought they wanted to be." "Thenio has a place to fit!" Iggy jumped onto Thenio''s shoulder and imitated Amisi by patting his cheek with a tiny black paw. "Thenio is our friend, so you can belong with us, okay?" "Yeah. Okay." Thenio smiled and gave both familiars a grateful pat. But privately he doubted that it would really be that easy....
Thenio dreamt about the usual misty forest that night. In the dream, he was walking through the trees, trying to find his way out. But no matter how far he went, there was nothing but more trees and more fog. The only thing that changed was the overcast sky gradually growing darker and Thenio gradually becoming more anxious and quickening his pace. He eventually broke into a run, and as he did, snowflakes started to fall. He kept running, as first the treetops and the narrow path ahead of him, then the lower branches and the rest of the forest floor, all became lightly dusted with snow. Then it turned into a thin coat. Then gradually thicker and thicker, until it was up to his ankles. The snow started catching at his feet and making him stumble. But that only increased his sense of panic, and he ran faster. The forest was completely still, with no wind and no signs of life. The only sounds were the light rustling of the falling snowflakes, the crunch of the snow under Thenio''s feet, and his heavy breathing. The snow was halfway to his knees when he finally stopped and bent over, gasping for air, fists clenched with frustration. Why? He was trying so hard! He''d come so far! Why couldn''t he find the way out? When Thenio had caught his breath a little, he raised his head and looked around him. He''d come to a stop in the middle of a small clearing. There were paths leading off into the trees in all directions, and now that he was looking properly, he could see footprints¡ªhundreds of footprints¡ªgoing down each path. Some were fresh. Some were almost snowed in. Thenio''s eyes widened in horror as he realized what he was seeing. Those were his footprints. He''d already passed through this place dozens of times before. He''d just been running in circles...all this time.... He was never going to find the way out.... His legs lost their strength, and he fell to his knees in the thickening snow. There was nothing he could do. It was impossible. There was no point trying any longer. Thenio wasn''t sure how long he sat there, staring numbly at the trees in front of him. But finally, he became aware of the sound of approaching footsteps, crunching softly through the fresh snow. He turned his head, and as expected, he saw Ki''shiu coming toward him. The dream beast came to a halt next to Thenio. He stretched out one of his wings and started gently brushing the snow off of Thenio''s head and arms with the tips of his feathers. Then he held the wing up to block the snow that was still steadily falling. Thenio looked up at the huge wing stretched protectively over his head. Then he looked down at the white ground. "You could just make the snow disappear, couldn''t you?" I could. But this is your dream world, not mine. I have to be careful about interfering with it. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Because it''s dangerous for me to be exposed to too much of your magic?" That''s right. That''s part of why I didn''t visit you last night. You''d already had enough dream magic for one day. Though I also...had another appointment. Thenio gritted his teeth. "Why did you even let Eteon teach me to use dream magic, if it was going to be this dangerous? You heard what happened to me this afternoon, didn''t you?" Yes. "It was dream magic that almost made me freeze myself to death, wasn''t it? And Mideis said that using dream magic makes knowledge dangerous for me. Doesn''t that mean the same thing could happen again anytime when I learn something I shouldn''t?" Thenio glared up at Ki''shiu. "You said you were trying to help me! So why have you and Eteon just been giving me more ways to kill myself?" He knew he was speaking to a mythic beast, and he ought to be polite, but he couldn''t keep the resentment out of his voice. And what did it really matter? His own stupid magic was going to kill him before long, anyway. So what difference would it make if he made Ki''shiu angry? "I''m so sick of this! Everywhere I look, I find more ways that my magic has been ruining my life. My family doesn''t like me. I''ve never had any friends. I''ve gotten so many magic burns, and I got kicked out of school. I''ll never be able to get a wizard certification or have a familiar. I''ve been causing trouble for my parents and Lem and Ariom and Namyis and everyone else. I could explode and kill myself anytime.... "And now it''s dangerous just to learn new things! I can''t even draw anymore without worrying about something going wrong! Why did you let that happen? Why¡ª?" Thenio''s voice broke as his throat tightened and his eyes stung. "Why did I have to be born with this horrible magic?! I hate chaos magic! I hate it! I don''t care if it has some kind of wonderful potential. I just...." He looked down, sniffing and trying to hold back his tears. "I just want to be normal...." There was a long silence, filled only with Thenio''s rough breathing and the soft sound of the snow continuing to fall all around them. Thenio expected Ki''shiu to get angry...or to leave...or to explain himself...or maybe even to comfort him, like he''d done before.... He expected the dream beast to do something. But the seconds passed. The snow fell. Thenio''s breathing grew a little steadier. And still, Ki''shiu hadn''t moved. Finally, Thenio raised his head, very slowly and apprehensively, and looked up. The dream beast was standing perfectly still, his wing still outstretched. There was a layer of snow along his neck and back, blending in with his white mane and making it appear much fuller and longer than usual. There was even snow on his ears and the prongs of his horn. But he didn''t seem to notice. His eyes were only focused on Thenio. And seeing the look of sorrow in them was enough to make Thenio''s throat feel painfully tight again. He swallowed, already starting to regret his outburst. He knew it wasn''t fair of him to lash out at Ki''shiu like that, not when he still didn''t really understand what was going on, and the dream beast had given every indication that he wanted to help. Eteon had certainly always been caring and supportive, teaching Thenio all kinds of things and comforting him whenever he was upset. There was no reason to believe that either of them wanted to hurt him. It was just...he was so frustrated. So tired of feeling confused and helpless and defective. He watched the dream beast uneasily, fidgeting a little and wondering if he should try to apologize. Then something unexpected happened. Ki''shiu opened his mouth. "I''m sorry..." he said, very softly. "I''m truly...truly sorry.... I never wanted for things to be this way. I''d change them for you if I could." Thenio''s eyes went wide, and he stopped breathing for a moment. He''d wondered why the dream beast never spoke out loud. He didn''t seem to have a body that would make speech difficult, like Naslunal or Ket''shiu did. But hearing Ki''shiu''s voice, Thenio immediately understood. His voice itself was a sort of magic. The words were more than just words. Every syllable was filled with power, which seemed to resonate throughout Thenio''s entire body. And they conveyed more than just their meaning. He could feel the intentions and emotions behind the words. The sincerity of Ki''shiu''s apology.... ...and the terrible heartache that he was feeling right now.... Thenio lowered his gaze, feeling ashamed of himself. Ki''shiu cared about him. He really, truly cared. He knew the difficulties that Thenio was going through, and he felt terrible that he couldn''t do any more to help. And Thenio had just slapped him in the face.... "I...I''m sorry...." he whispered. "I didn''t mean.... I was just upset...and...." I know. Ki''shiu shook the snow off his back and then knelt down next to Thenio, still holding a wing over him to protect him from the falling snowflakes. I know, he said again, gently nuzzling Thenio''s hair. You''ve been through so much...for such a long time.... I know you''re frustrated. I know you''re scared. I don''t blame you for being angry. I just wish I could do more to help you. I wish I could at least explain things to you properly.... Thenio leaned against the dream beast''s shoulder, pressing his face into the soft mane. "You know what chaos magic actually is, don''t you? Is it really that dangerous just to explain it to me?" It is. Several of the others died because they learned too much too quickly. I don''t intend to keep the truth from you forever. But we have to delay it as long as possible, to give you more time to gain control of your magic first. Thenio let out a dispirited sigh. Controlling his magic. Everything always came back to that, didn''t it...? They were both quiet for a few minutes. Thenio had a thousand questions he wanted to ask Ki''shiu, but it was discouraging to know that he probably wouldn''t get an answer to most of them. Finally, Ki''shiu shifted and lifted the wing covering Thenio. Raising his head, Thenio could see that the dream beast was looking around them at the snow-covered trees and the many tracks through the clearing. I''m afraid I can''t show you the right path through this forest. I''m not even sure if such a path exists yet. It may be something you have to create on your own. Ki''shiu turned his head to look at Thenio. But I can at least show you a different dream for a little while. Climb on. He nodded toward his back. Thenio''s eyes widened. "On your back? Is that really okay?" Of course it is. Go ahead. Thenio got to his feet, brushing the snow off his legs, and looked at Ki''shiu''s back. Even with him kneeling down, it was quite high off the ground. Thenio had done plenty of vaulting as part of his acrobatics practice, so he wasn''t worried about being able to hoist himself up. But he didn''t have any riding experience, so he wasn''t exactly sure where was safe to hold on. Casturi always seemed quite sensitive about having her feathers pulled, so it was probably better to avoid the base of the wings.... After hesitating for a moment, he moved to Ki''shiu''s flank and tentatively reached out to put his hands on the middle portion of his back. But when his hands touched the smooth, indigo-colored hair, he suddenly felt a strong sense of familiarity. Almost before he realized it, he was pushing himself off the ground and swinging one leg up and over the hindquarters, as easily as if he''d done it a thousand times before. A moment later, he was seated comfortably astride Ki''shiu''s broad back, just behind the wings, blinking in confusion. What had just happened? It was like his muscle memory had just kicked in...but he''d obviously never ridden a dream beast before. He''d never even ridden a hippogryph. So how could he have any kind of muscle memory of the proper way to mount a winged, hooved creature? While he was still puzzling over that, Ki''shiu rose gracefully to his feet. The sudden increase in height was enough to distract Thenio from his thoughts. He wasn''t scared of heights, but the dream beast really was enormous.... He somehow seemed much bigger looking down than he had looking up. Ki''shiu started trotting lightly across the clearing. As he built up speed, Thenio felt the large body gather underneath him, and once again, he somehow knew what to do. He gripped the dream beast''s sides with his legs and leaned forward just before Ki''shiu leapt upward. Thenio heard the huge wings beating the air and felt a rush of wind in his hair and the sting of snow hitting against his face. Looking down past Ki''shiu''s neck, Thenio could see the clearing and the forest falling away beneath them as they soared up toward the grey sky overhead. A moment later, the trees had disappeared into the fog and snow, and they were surrounded by dense clouds. Thenio held on a little more tightly, gripping the thick fur of Ki''shiu''s mane with both hands. But the dream beast didn''t seem bothered by the fact that they were flying blind. He climbed steadily higher, and their surroundings gradually grew lighter, until, with a final sweep of Ki''shiu''s wings, they broke through the clouds into a brilliant blue sky full of dazzling sunlight. Ki''shiu stopped rising higher and stretched his wings out to glide along the tops of the clouds. As their flight leveled out, Thenio straightened up and looked around, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. It was so beautiful.... An ocean of rolling clouds spread in every direction, glowing white under the warm sun. Ki''shiu flew close enough to them that the cottony wisps on top brushed against his hooves. The clouds seemed endless at first, but after a few minutes, they started to thin and break apart. Looking down, Thenio could see a patchwork of green fields and trees below them. A river appeared, winding its way through the landscape, the water sparkling here and there in the sunlight. Once they reached a large break in the clouds, Ki''shiu started gliding downward. They went low enough for Thenio to start picking out individual trees and began following along the river''s path. As Thenio sat and watched the landscape moving by, an odd feeling came over him. There was a sense of wonder and the thrill of flying. But there was also...what? Nostalgia? Longing? He felt like he''d finally come back to the place where he belonged. But there was also the painful understanding that this was only a dream. Just a short-lived illusion. It was a strange mix of both homecoming and homesickness.... The river eventually fed into a small lake, and Ki''shiu flew down and landed on a grassy ridge overlooking the water. He knelt down to let Thenio slide off his back more easily. Then he stood up and looked out at the lake. This is a place in the eastern part of Kafron, not far from the city of Merioc. I came tonight to teach you about dream magic, not take you sightseeing, but I don''t think having a lesson in a snowstorm would have¡ª He turned back to look at Thenio and suddenly broke off. Thenio? "Huh?" Thenio blinked in confusion. "Is something wrong?" Your face.... Not sure why the dream beast was suddenly looking at him with concern, Thenio put a hand up to his face and felt something wet under his fingers. He had tears streaming down both cheeks. "Uh...this...." He hurriedly wiped his face with his hands. "I mean...we were flying, right? So the wind...." He trailed off, looking away and flushing a little. What was he even talking about? This was a dream, and it was obvious that Ki''shiu had made things slightly unrealistic so that Thenio would be more comfortable. He hadn''t felt cold above the clouds, even though he should have, and the wind hadn''t been stinging his eyes, either. He knew he wasn''t fooling anyone. "Why do I always have to do embarrassing things when you''re around...?" he muttered, annoyed with himself. Ki''shiu took a step closer and reached out to nuzzle his hair a little. There''s no need to feel ashamed. You''re still a child. It''s all right if you act like one. Thenio scowled at him. "I''m sixteen!" They stared at each other silently for a moment. Then Thenio looked away again, his face turning even redder. Right...mythic beasts lived for thousands of years, didn''t they...? All humans probably seemed like children from Ki''shiu''s perspective...nevermind sixteen-year-olds.... The air around them shimmered a little, and Thenio knew that the dream beast was laughing. I''ll say it again, Ki''shiu said gently. You''re just a child. So it''s all right to act like one. Thenio didn''t know what else to say to that. You really love flying, don''t you? "I.... Yeah...I do...." Thenio hesitated for a moment, but he felt like it was probably all right to be honest with Ki''shiu. "When I was little, I really wanted to be a magic acrobat. I saw some perform once, at a circus my father took me to. And I thought it looked so amazing.... I was really disappointed when I learned about magic affinities and realized I''d never be able to use wind magic." You can, though? Thenio looked up. "What?" Had it not occurred to you yet? If your magic can change to ice attribute, it can also change to wind attribute. If you learn to use dream magic properly, you''ll be able to use any attribute. So there''s no reason why you wouldn''t be able to learn magic acrobatics if you want to. Thenio stared at him, stunned. No. It hadn''t occurred to him, despite how obvious it seemed now that he thought about it. Becoming a magic acrobat was impossible. It was silly to even dream about it. Those ideas had become so firmly lodged in his mind that even after learning that chaos morphs had the potential to use any type of magic, he''d somehow never even considered that wind magic would be included in that. But if that was really true...if learning dream magic would help him control his chaos magic...and if it meant he''d eventually be able to use wind magic and learn to fly on his own.... Maybe chaos and dream magic weren''t quite as bad as he''d thought.... Ki''shiu seemed to understand what he was thinking. The air shimmered again as he laughed and bent down to nuzzle Thenio''s hair. Do you feel more motivated now? Then let''s start your magic lesson. Chapter 45 - The Twelfth Chaos Morph To begin with, you''re not currently in as much danger from dream magic as you''ve been thinking. What happened with the ice magic today was an unusual situation. "Why? Because of the crack in Namyis'' magic dampener?" That was part of it. Her extremely high magic power, combined with the broken dampener, meant you were exposed to an abnormally large amount of ice essence magic. Ariom already told you that much. But something else unusual happened when you replicated the effect with your dream magic later. "Did it?" Thenio blinked, trying to remember anything strange that happened while he was drawing in his sketchbook. But apart from the change in his magic attribute, he couldn''t think of anything. Think back to when you started drawing using magic, Ki''shiu said patiently. Describe to me exactly what happened. Everything you did. The thoughts and feelings you had at the time. "Thoughts and feelings? Um...." Thenio paused, thinking. "Well, I''d just done a few sketches without using magic, and I was a little unhappy with how they came out, since I couldn''t remember exactly how everything looked. Then I tried doing a sketch with magic. Mideis told me I should practice both ways during my drawing sessions, so I can learn to control when the magic activates and when it doesn''t. "I started off by thinking about some of the facts that I knew about Namyis, like her position in the Magic Corps and what I''d heard about her magic abilities. Then I thought back to when she showed Ariom her dampening cuffs and drew what she looked like at that moment. "I finished the sketch and then looked over it and compared it to the earlier ones. The magic made it a lot easier to remember all the details, so the drawing came out a lot better. I was happy about that. Then I noticed that I was feeling a little bit cold." Ki''shiu nodded. You''d already replicated a small amount of ice magic by that time. Enough to notice, but not enough to be dangerous. If you''d stopped drawing at that point, your magic would have gone back to normal on its own. "That''s what Ariom thought, too. Since it hadn''t even changed enough for Iggy to notice. Well...he was playing with his water bowl right then and wasn''t paying too much attention...." But you didn''t realize what was happening, so you went ahead with another drawing. "Right. I stopped for a minute to check on Iggy and Amisi and see if I was feeling cold because of a draft from an open window or something. But I didn''t see anything like that, so I decided I must have just imagined it because I was thinking about Namyis so much. Then I went on drawing. "For that last sketch...well, when Ariom told me to take Iggy up to my room and Amisi ran after us, Namyis watched her go with this sort of sad, resigned look on her face.... That bothered me, so I wanted to draw how she looked right then while I thought about what happened and what it meant. "I know a lot of magic beasts don''t like being around high-ranking sorcerers. So I was imagining what that would be like and wondering how Namyis felt about it. And it occurred to me that maybe it was a lot like how I''ve always felt about other people not wanting to be around me." There. That was it. That was why the effect was so much stronger with the second drawing. "Because I was thinking about how Namyis felt?" Yes. Or, more precisely, because you wanted to know how she felt. You wanted to understand and empathize with her. Because of that desire, you instinctively used much more dream magic than you would have if you were just focusing on what she looked like, in order to gain that knowledge. And the empathy you felt, plus your recent exposure to her essence magic, made your magic change more easily to match hers. Thenio stared at Ki''shiu. "You''re saying that I read her mind or her emotions or something? Like Mideis does?" Not exactly. It looks similar on the surface, but the process is different. Mental magic reads information. Dream magic recreates it. "It...recreates it?" Yes. That''s what a dream is, isn''t it? Ki''shiu looked out across the lake. This dream is a recreation of a real place, using my knowledge of that place. Of course, it''s much easier to recreate something in a dream than it is in the physical world. That''s one reason why I''m teaching you here. "Well, recreating something in a dream makes sense." Thenio also looked out at the water, which was reflecting the blue sky and fluffy white clouds overhead. "But how does that work in the real world? I mean, you can''t just magically create a whole lake whenever you want, can you?" I can. But the larger the recreation, the more magic power it requires, so I''m afraid you won''t be making lakes anytime soon. Well, I don''t recommend it anyway. Restructuring the landscape however you please would cause problems for the people and creatures living in the area, wouldn''t it? "Um...yeah...I guess it would...." Thenio felt a bit foolish. Why did he keep forgetting that he was talking to a mythic beast...? Rather than recreating something directly, the real strength of dream magic is in its ability to recreate things in alternate forms. That''s what your drawings are. Information recreated in the form of an image. That''s why you can transcribe magic formations more easily than Ariom or Mideis can, even though they have more knowledge of enchanting. They have to read and interpret the telepathic information, but you can just directly recreate it as a picture. "Oh. Is that why I could do it even without knowing much about the enchanting style?" That''s right. Though obviously having more knowledge makes it easier. Learning to control your dream magic more deliberately will help as well. You''ve just been using it instinctively up to this point. Which wasn''t a problem as long as it was limited to your drawing. That''s why Eteon taught you to draw using dream magic in the first place¡ªto tie the two together in your mind so that you wouldn''t use dream magic randomly. But now that you''re starting to move beyond that, you need some formal training. Thenio frowned a little. "How exactly am I moving beyond it? I''ve been using it a little differently, but it''s still connected to drawing." Not entirely. You''ve been doing some other things as well¡ªyou just haven''t noticed yet. You formed your own dream world, for example. "You mean that forest? Was that not a normal dream?" Ki''shiu shook his head. Normal dreams are just temporary illusions. Your personal dream world is a permanent space created with dream magic. It''s not a physical place, but that doesn''t mean it isn''t real. You should eventually be able to alter it however you want, but its original form is a symbolic recreation of your current mental and emotional state. Your inner world, so to speak. Thenio made a face. "So my current state is a snowy forest maze with no way out?" It''s accurate enough, isn''t it? The forest represents your struggles with your chaos magic. There''s no path leading out because you haven''t found a solution to your problems yet. The fog that''s normally there comes from your feelings of confusion and lack of knowledge about the situation. The snow tonight is your worry about what happened this afternoon. And the dream you were having when I entered your world, where you were running in circles, shows your frustration and impatience over what you feel is a lack of progress. "Oh." Thenio thought about that for a minute. Now that Ki''shiu had pointed it out, the symbolism did seem to fit. "How did you know all that?" How many years do you think I''ve been interpreting dreams? Ki''shiu''s head and ears drooped a little. And watching over chaos morphs.... "Just how many of us have you been involved with?" Thenio asked tentatively. Learning about previous chaos morphs always made him feel a bit uncomfortable. You''re the twelfth. "Twelve? Ariom said that the records he got from the Association only had eight. Nine, including me." Not all of them are in the records. Not the publicly available records, anyway. Thenio raised his eyebrows a little. "Why? Ariom was complaining that there was information missing from the records they sent him. Why is the Association hiding things?" Because I asked them to. "You did?" Thenio blinked at Ki''shiu in surprise. "Why, though?" As I warned Mideis, some knowledge is dangerous. Dangerous for you, specifically. "Because of my dream magic, right? I kind of understand that part. But why do you need to hide things from Ariom?" Your dream magic isn''t the only problem. Ki''shiu hesitated for a moment, as though deciding how much he wanted to say. It''s also risky to let other people know too much about chaos magic. There are...certain people...who would definitely try to harm you if they learned about the true nature of your magic. "But you trusted Ariom enough to let him take me in." Thenio frowned. "He''s trying to find a way to stabilize my magic, isn''t he? What if he can''t figure it out because he doesn''t have enough information? How does it help to save me from getting killed by whoever those ''certain people'' are if it just means I''ll end up killing myself instead?" I didn''t say they''d kill you. I said they''d harm you. Ki''shiu''s ears flattened, and his eyes narrowed. There are things worse than death, Thenio. Thenio opened his mouth but couldn''t think how to respond to that, so he closed it again. Things worse than death? Was there really something so bad that Ki''shiu would let him die just to avoid it? He didn''t ask what exactly that something might be. He had a feeling that the dream beast wouldn''t tell him, and he wasn''t sure he really wanted to know anyway.... Ki''shiu moved a little closer and nuzzled Thenio''s hair. Don''t worry. I won''t let anything like that happen to you. And I don''t intend to withhold information from Ariom forever. I just want to see what he does with what he''s been given before I entrust him with the next piece. "Am I allowed to tell him that? He was pretty unhappy about the Association leaving things out of the files they gave him." I don''t mind. He might still be unhappy, but if you tell him what I just told you, I think he''ll at least understand my reasoning. I should also add that I''m not telling him certain things because I want him to approach the problem from a new angle. I''m afraid that if he knows everything I know, he''ll see chaos magic the same way I do. Which will just lead to the same dead ends.... Ki''shiu let out a long sigh. The landscape around them shuddered a little, like a strong gust of wind had just blown through, although Thenio didn''t feel one. But even if I haven''t figured out how to stabilize chaos morphs yet, I''ve at least had a lot of experience teaching them to use dream magic. So we''ll start with what we can do and work from there. "Did you teach all the others to use dream magic, too?" Not all, but most of them. The ones I didn''t.... Ki''shiu looked away, and his ears drooped again. Those were the ones that died the youngest. You asked before why I allowed you to learn dream magic, in spite of the risk it presents? That''s why. Because I''ve learned through painful experience that it will help you more than it hurts you. "Oh...." Thenio felt another stab of guilt over his earlier outburst. "So it will help control my chaos magic?" Yes, it will. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Why is that? Are the two kinds of magic related somehow? Or is it just that learning dream magic will help my magic control in general, like practicing thaumaturgy does?" Ki''shiu didn''t answer right away. Once again, he seemed to be considering how much he ought to reveal. The two of them have some similarities, he said finally. You saw this afternoon how dream magic is able to recreate other types of magic, didn''t you? And chaos magic also changes to different types. Practicing dream magic seems to help chaos morphs control the fluctuations in their magic power...at least to some extent. It''s not enough to completely stabilize it, but it helps. You should already have some experience with that. Hasn''t drawing always helped you calm down and focus? Thenio''s eyes widened a little. "Oh. You''re right. When I was still in school, I used to take breaks during my magic practice to draw a sketch or two, and my control was usually better for a little while afterward. I thought it was just because I was more relaxed. But it was actually helping to calm my magic down?" Ki''shiu nodded. Yes, it was. At least the times you were drawing while using dream magic. "Ariom thought the fluctuations in my magic power might be because whenever I come into contact with essence magic, it has some kind of permanent effect on my magic circuit, like a scar. Is he right about that?" That''s.... Ki''shiu hesitated again, tilting his head a little to one side. ...not exactly right. But it''s not exactly wrong, either. Let''s say it''s close enough for now. Thenio raised an eyebrow. "Close enough? What''s that supposed to mean?" It means that the general idea is right, but I can''t tell you any more than that right now. Ki''shiu lowered his head apologetically. I''m sorry. I''d explain everything to you if I could. "No, it''s okay." Thenio reached up and stroked the bridge of the dream beast''s nose. "It''s a little frustrating, but I understand. I''m grateful that you''re helping me at all. After so many chaos morphs...I wouldn''t blame you for getting tired of us and giving up." Ki''shiu snorted and flicked his tail. I''m never going to give up. He looked directly into Thenio''s eyes. I''ll find a way, no matter how long it takes. I promise you that. "That''s...." Thenio was a little taken aback by the resolute look in Ki''shiu''s eyes. "Why?" he asked before he could stop himself. "Why do you care so much?" Because it''s something I chose to do. I made a commitment, and I''ll see it through until the end. They stared at each other silently for a long moment. Then Ki''shiu turned his head and took a step back. We''ve talked long enough for now. He pointed his horn at the grass nearby, and a wooden bench faded into view, as though it were appearing from a cloud of smoke. Sit down. We should get some magic practice in before this dream ends. In other words, he didn''t want to discuss the subject any further. Thenio was a little disappointed, but he wasn''t surprised, since Eteon had been similarly vague about the reasons for their interest in chaos magic. He didn''t really believe that they were doing so much simply because they felt like helping. Not when Ki''shiu had been involved with so many chaos morphs and had even gone to the trouble of making the Wizard Association control what information they released. But Thenio was at least convinced that they genuinely cared about him and were trying to save his life, whatever other motivations they might have had. That was enough to keep trusting them for now. He obediently sat down on the bench and waited for Ki''shiu''s instructions. Dream magic is a lot like mental magic in that it''s difficult to teach specific techniques. It''s something you''ll need to feel out and learn for yourself. But you''ve been using dream magic unconsciously for years now, so all you really need at this point is some guidance and a safe place to experiment. "So this is that safe place?" Yes. While you''re inside a dream I''ve created, I can partially separate you from your physical body, so you won''t hurt yourself if your practicing goes wrong. "How can I still use magic, then? The body is what produces magic power, isn''t it?" Usually, yes. But you won''t be using magic, strictly speaking. You''re currently in an illusionary body, and you''ll be using illusionary magic, not your real magic power. Think of this as a sort of high-quality mental practice. "Really? You can do that?" Thenio looked down at his hands. He knew this was a dream, but it felt real enough. It''s a method I developed specifically for training chaos morphs. It won''t increase your magic capacity, like practice in the physical world will, but it will allow you to learn new techniques. And you won''t have to worry about exploding or freezing yourself. "That''s amazing. I needed this back when I was at the academy...." Thenio stared at his hands a moment longer. Then he looked up at Ki''shiu. "Wait. If you had a method like this, that lets chaos morphs train all they want, but it still wasn''t enough to stabilize their magic...." It''s like you''re thinking. Training will improve your magic control, but it isn''t enough by itself. Even combined with magic insulation, it isn''t enough. That''s why we need to find a new approach. But this will help. It will buy a little more time. "That''s what Ariom said. That the methods we''re using now are really just a way to keep me alive until we can find a better solution...." Thenio sighed. "All right. What do you want me to do?" We''re going to start with something that''s a little more advanced than what you''ve been doing. You''ll be recreating an actual object, rather than just an image. This is much more difficult in the physical world, but here it''s quite easy. Just think of an object that you''re familiar with, as you would if you wanted to draw a picture of it. But instead of a flat image, try to imagine that the actual object is there in front of you. "An object? It won''t work with something like a magic beast?" It will. But at this stage, you''ll only be able to create a lifeless body. Attaching a spirit to it is more difficult. And it''s potentially dangerous for the creature you''re trying to summon. So stick with inanimate objects for now. We''ll talk about living things later. That sounded scary.... Thenio thought for a moment and finally decided to try recreating one of his drawing pencils. He tried to remember the details of the pencil he''d been using that afternoon. It was made of cedar and painted green. It had been sharpened about a third of the way down, and it had a few dents that had mysteriously appeared on it the other day and looked suspiciously like the tooth marks of a very small dragon. Once he had an image of the pencil in his head, Thenio held out his hand and tried to imagine that he was holding the pencil in it. The weight of it. The smooth feel of the paint. The faint scents of the wood and lead. A sort of thin shadow appeared across his palm. It gradually grew darker and more solid-looking. But as soon as Thenio started watching it and got distracted from thinking about his pencil, it flickered and disappeared. That wasn''t bad for a first attempt, Ki''shiu told him encouragingly. Go ahead and try again. Thenio nodded and started over, thinking about the details of the pencil and then imagining it sitting in his hand. This time he kept his concentration up well enough that the thin shadow turned into the ghostly image of a pencil. But it was transparent and a bit unsteady, like a mirage, and when he tried to take hold of it, his fingers passed through the image, and it vanished. Undaunted, he tried again.... And again.... It took a total of six attempts, but eventually Thenio was holding a solid pencil in his hand. A perfect replica of its real-world counterpart. Very good. Ki''shiu gave an approving nod. You understand the basic technique. Now you just need to keep practicing until it becomes easy for you. Try recreating another object. Thenio set the pencil down on the bench and started trying to recreate his sketchbook. He followed the same procedure¡ªfirst thinking about the materials and dimensions, then the drawings inside, and finally the feeling of holding the book, the texture of the cover, and the scent of the paper. This, too, took multiple attempts. And when Thenio was finally holding a solid sketchbook in his hands, he discovered it wasn''t a perfect replica. Many of the drawings were blurred and distorted. Some were missing entirely, replaced by blank pages. That''s normal, Ki''shiu reassured him. The more complex an object is, the more difficult it is to reproduce. But don''t worry, your accuracy will improve with practice. Just keep trying. Thenio slowly accumulated a small pile of objects next to him on the bench. The pencil and sketchbook. A spoon. One of the pillows from his bed. Iggy''s water bowl. A shoe. The dragon encyclopedia, which also had a lot of blurred and blank pages. And even a fairly convincing imitation of Obby, although Ki''shiu confirmed that the enchantment inscriptions were missing. I think that''s enough for tonight, Ki''shiu said as Thenio added a copy of Iggy''s scale brush to the pile. You won''t exhaust your magic power when you practice here, but you''ll still accumulate mental fatigue. It''s better not to overdo things. "Ah...okay." Thenio looked over the random objects he''d created. "What do I do with these?" Nothing. They''ll disappear when this dream ends. Though I''ll teach you to make objects disappear individually later on so you won''t need to keep creating piles like that whenever you practice. "That would be good. It''s kind of a weird collection.... I should look around the house for some better things to practice with." Thenio turned to look at Ki''shiu. "How often will we be training like this?" I''d like to do it every night until you can at least control when your dream magic activates, to avoid another situation like the one this afternoon. That shouldn''t take more than a week or two. We can discuss a long-term schedule after that. "Will I still be able to help with the enchantment analysis for the Royal Guard? As long as I don''t draw more pictures of Namyis, of course...." It should be all right. Ariom knows better now what to be careful of, and I''ll be keeping a close watch on you. Just remember to ask me or Eteon before you try anything new with your dream magic. "Okay." Thenio nodded obediently. Then he hesitated. "Um...about Namyis.... Do you know any kind of magic dampening technique that would help with her essence magic? Or do I just have to stay away from her?" You want to be able to interact with her? "Well...yeah. She seems pretty nice. A little strange, maybe...but nice. And...well, I feel kind of sorry for her. She seems to really like magic beasts, but she can''t be around them much because of her magic. And it sounds like she had a lot of trouble with magic control when she was younger. I just...feel like we have a lot in common...." Ki''shiu seemed to consider for a moment. I usually try not to interfere with human magic development, since it''s hard to know what kind of ripple effects it might cause.... But all right. If it''s what you want, I''ll help out a little. Will you pass something on to Ariom for me? "Sure. What is it?" Rather than tell you, it''s faster to show you. Ki''shiu bent down and touched the end of his horn to Thenio''s forehead....
Thenio woke up with a start and sat up in bed. The light in the room was dim, and looking toward the window, he saw that it was still a little before dawn. He also saw Iggy sprawled out across a cushion on the window seat, fast asleep. Ariom had asked the little dragon to sleep in Thenio''s room last night, just in case something happened with his magic again, and Iggy had been happy to oblige. Thenio got quietly out of bed so as not to wake the sleeping dragon and went into the next room. He lit the lamp on the desk, then sat down and pulled out a pencil and one of the pads of grid paper he''d had left over from his enchantment design class. Then he started drawing, moving quickly to capture the rush of information that Ki''shiu had poured into his head before it disappeared. He drew and drew, filling several pages with intricate magic formations. He honestly didn''t understand most of what he was drawing, and he wasn''t sure he was getting everything exactly right. But he trusted both the information Ki''shiu had given him and Ariom''s ability to sort it all out. Finally, he finished the last formation and set his pencil down with a sigh. "Is that all of it?" Thenio jumped and whipped his head around. "Wha...? Ariom? How long have you been here?" Ariom was standing next to the desk with Iggy perched on his shoulder. He was holding several papers in his hand, which Thenio realized were the previous formations he''d been drawing and pushing to the side. "About...fifteen minutes?" Ariom reached down to pick up the paper pad and started looking over the last formation. "Iggy woke up a little while ago and found you out here drawing magic formations like you were possessed by something. He said you didn''t seem to notice when he tried to talk to you, so he was worried and came to get me. I knocked and spoke to you when I came in, but you didn''t notice that, either." "Oh. Sorry..." Thenio said, feeling rather embarrassed. "I guess I was just concentrating really hard? I was rushing to get everything down before I forgot it all. And I probably made some mistakes...." Ariom nodded, not taking his eyes off the paper. "Yes, you did. But it''s fine. It''s not so bad that I can''t tell how it was originally supposed to be." He finally looked up. "I assume Ki''shiu gave you this?" "Yeah...he just dumped the whole thing into my head, like Amisi does. Just before I woke up." Thenio made a face. "I''m not even sure exactly what it is...." "It''s a magic insulation enchantment. One specifically designed to filter out essence magic. He just gave it to you without telling you what it was?" "No...well...I asked him if he knew any magic dampening techniques that would work for essence magic, to help with Namyis. He said that he doesn''t like interfering with human magic development but he''d help us out a little. Then he said he wanted me to pass something on to you. And he gave me all that. I woke up right after and came out here to hurry and write it all down." "I see. Well, it''s not a dampening technique, but as far as you''re concerned, it''s even better. I should be able to use this to improve your insulation bands quite a bit." Ariom looked down at the paper again with a thoughtful expression. "If he doesn''t want to interfere with human magic development.... Maybe he realized I was already thinking about trying to design something like this, after what happened yesterday. So it''s something I would have developed eventually anyway. This just saves me some time and effort." "So it won''t actually help Namyis any...?" Ariom scowled a little. "What are you worrying about her for? You need help more than she does." "I know...but...." Thenio hesitated, glancing at Iggy. "I just think it''s kind of sad that she can''t really interact with magic beasts, even though she likes them a lot." Ariom sighed. "Sometimes you''re too nice for your own good, Thenio.... But if it makes you feel better, I can probably use this to make some insulation devices for magic beasts, too. It won''t help her interact with all of them, but it can help her with some of them." "Really? That''s great!" Thenio said happily. "Didn''t I just say you don''t need to worry about her...?" Ariom gave him a disgruntled look. Then he glanced toward the nearest window, where the morning sunlight was now shining brightly. "Well, whatever. Change your clothes and come downstairs. I want to hear more about your meeting with Ki''shiu, but we have a lot on our schedule for today, so let''s talk during morning training." Chapter 46 - Is He Worth It? "What? Say that again." Ariom abruptly stopped running. Thenio was taken by surprise and went several paces ahead before halting and turning around to look at him. Iggy, who had been trotting along behind them, also stopped and flopped down on the training room floor, his tiny pink tongue hanging out as he panted. He liked running with them when they did their warm-up jog around the archery room, but he could only keep it up for a few laps before he got tired and had to quit and watch from the side. "He said he was the one who told the Association to hide some of the information they have about chaos morphs," Thenio repeated. "So that was his fault?" Ariom scowled. "Just what sort of game is he playing here? How does he expect me to figure anything out if I don''t have all the information I need?" Thenio made an awkward expression. As expected, Ariom wasn''t at all happy to learn that Ki''shiu was the one responsible. "Well, it wasn''t like he didn''t have any reason for it. He said it would be really dangerous if the wrong people found out about the true nature of chaos magic. That they''d try to do something horrible to me if they did." "Like what, exactly?" "I don''t know. All Ki''shiu said was that ''there are things worse than death.'' It sounded like he''d rather let me explode and kill myself than go through...whatever it is." Ariom frowned. "Did he say who those people are?" "No. But...." Thenio hesitated. "Well, didn''t Eteon say he really hated the Order of the Ravener? And he told me later on that I needed to be careful not to attract their attention because they have some real monsters lurking behind them. So I thought maybe that''s who Ki''shiu was talking about." "I see.... That''s possible. They''ve definitely shown they''re willing to do horrible things to people if it helps them achieve their goals. But why does he have to hide things from me? He doesn''t think I''d sell you out to people like that, does he?" "I don''t think so? Not really. I think he''s just being careful. I mean, he wouldn''t have let me come live with you if he thought that, right? And he also said that he didn''t want to tell you everything right away because he was afraid of giving you too many preconceived notions about chaos magic. He wants you to look at it with a fresh perspective instead of just seeing it the same way he does. But he''s not planning on keeping things from you forever." Ariom made a face. "That''s annoying. I can sort of understand his reasoning...but it''s still annoying." "How do you think I feel? You''re still getting more information than I am." "True. Though I didn''t actually learn all that much from my talk with Mideis last night. He told us the gist of it earlier¡ªthat we need to be careful about what kinds of information you''re exposed to. The rest was just some specific things to be cautious of." Thenio raised an eyebrow. "Really? That''s all it was?" "Pretty much." Ariom hesitated, his brow furrowing a little. "Although I admit I''d really like to know the significance behind some of those things and why learning about them would be such a problem for you...." He stared into space for a moment, wearing one of his scowls of concentration. Then he sighed a little and shook his head. "Well, it''s not something to worry about right now. Let''s keep going. Tell me the rest of what you learned from Ki''shiu." Ariom took a step forward before pausing and looking down at Iggy. "We''re going to run some more, little guy. Why don''t you go get a drink of water and then rest in your box for a few minutes while we finish?" "Mmm. Okay." Iggy still looked tired, but he seemed to have caught his breath again. He got to his feet and then jumped up and flew off toward his dragon box. The one on this floor was positioned in between the two training rooms, with windows looking into both of them. Thenio and Ariom resumed their jogging, and Thenio continued describing his lesson on dream magic from the night before. "That stuff seems pretty amazing," Ariom commented when Thenio had told him about recreating objects inside Ki''shiu''s dream. "I''d really like to understand the mechanics of it. I wonder if I could talk Eteon into giving me a demonstration.... It sounds like it''s a more flexible version of the physical manifestations that sorcerers use." "Ki''shiu said it was similar. He said dream magic is highly oriented toward manifestations¡ªthat''s why I was able to get around the normal limits of my current magic level to make that chunk of ice yesterday. But he doesn''t think I''ll be able to do much more than simple manifestations like that until I''m an actual sorcerer." "It''s scary enough that you can do that much. If we can stabilize you enough to get you to sorcerer level, you''re going to be quite a force to be reckoned with...." Ariom was quiet for a moment. "Well, that probably answers one of my questions. I''ve been wondering why Ki''shiu would have singled me out as someone who could potentially help you, rather than any of the experienced doctors and researchers he could have picked. But from what I''ve heard so far about dream magic, I think it should have a good synergy with thaumaturgy. And if dream magic is that important for learning to control chaos magic, maybe Ki''shiu thought a thaumaturgist would have an advantage in figuring out how to help you." Thenio considered that. It was true that the dream magic practice he''d done last night had reminded him a lot of the shaping exercises that Ariom had taught him. "But I assume that Ki''shiu could have taught you about thaumaturgy himself if he''d wanted to. So that alone must not be enough to make a difference." Ariom looked thoughtful. "I''m curious about that phrase you used earlier, when you were talking about the danger of the wrong people learning too much about you. ''The true nature of chaos magic.'' Did Ki''shiu use those exact words?" "Yes. He said there were people who would try to harm me if they learned about the true nature of my magic." "True nature, huh...? Did you ask him about my idea that contact with essence magic might be altering your magic circuit?" "He said it wasn''t exactly right but wasn''t exactly wrong either. Apparently the general idea is right. But he wouldn''t tell me any more than that." "Hmm.... Maybe it''s the correct result but the wrong process. So essence magic does affect you, but it''s not by deforming your magic circuit? But there still has to be some way to account for those abnormal scans.... I''ll have to think about it more. Was there anything else you learned from Ki''shiu that you haven''t told me yet?" "No, I think that''s everything." Thenio had left out a few things in recounting his meeting with the dream beast, of course. Mostly the embarrassing parts, like when he''d yelled at Ki''shiu or gotten emotional over flying with him. He''d left out any mention of flying at all, actually, simply saying that Ki''shiu had taken him into another dream and told him he''d be able to change his magic to different attributes once he learned to use dream magic properly. Considering how Ariom felt about his father and Jasel, Thenio was pretty sure that saying he wanted to learn magic acrobatics someday wouldn''t go over too well.... "All right." Ariom nodded and slowed to a walk. "Well, we''ve already gone longer than our usual warm-up time. Let''s move on to strength training now."
"Hiiii!" Namyis smiled brightly and waved at Ariom as she jumped lightly down from her carriage¡ªa light blue one with silver accents, pulled by a white, gryphon-shaped golem. "Nice to see you again!" Ariom scowled at her. "The feeling isn''t mutual." "Aww...come on." She put on a pitiful expression. "We worked together so well yesterday...." "Right. We''re working together. We''re colleagues. Not friends." "You can be friendly with colleagues, though? You and Mideis seem to get along quite well." "I''ve known him for more than a decade. I''ve known you for less than a day. Obviously I''m not going to treat the two of you the same." Namyis pouted. "You''re just prejudiced against me because I''m a combat wizard." "Yeah. I am. You have a problem with that?" "Of course I do. Nobody would be happy with something like that.... Well, I''m used to it, though. Lots of people hate combat wizards." Her pout suddenly turned into a playful smirk. "Most of them are criminals, though. So aren''t you in good company?" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "You...." Ariom scowled again and turned toward the house. "Come on. Mideis is already upstairs." "Has he been here long? I didn''t get the meeting time wrong, did I?" Namyis asked, glancing over at the black carriage parked next to hers. "He came early to give Thenio some meditation training. We''re hoping that improving his mental focus helps with his magic control." "Ah, I see." Namyis nodded. "I went through training like that, too, when I was younger. It does help." Ariom gave her a sideways look as they went in through the front door. He hated to admit it, but she was a valuable source of information on magic control, since she''d had to go through much more intense training than the average wizard did. If he had to be around her for the next couple of weeks anyway, it would be foolish not to take advantage of her experience. Even if she was annoying.... "Is Thenio going to be practicing with us today? He was originally supposed to be the one recording the magic formations, wasn''t he?" "Yes. We''ve found that he''s unusually good at receiving telepathy, and he can draw formations very quickly. So having him help us seems like the best option as long as we can do it without putting him at risk. As far as we know, what happened yesterday was just an unfortunate combination of circumstances. We should be able to avoid similar problems in the future, now that we know what to watch out for. So it should still be safe for Thenio to participate." "That''s good. He seems like a very interesting boy, so I''d like to have a chance to talk with him more. After yesterday, I was a little afraid you''d hide him away somewhere and never let me see him again." "I considered it," Ariom said drily. "But I think we''ll settle for just making sure there''s a barrier between the two of you. We need to have one set up for the enchantment analysis anyway, so it shouldn''t take that much extra work." "Well, talking through a barrier is a lot better than nothing. Especially with that nice enchanted glass you make! I still want some of that...." "I told you, I don''t take jobs from people in the Magic Corps," Ariom growled. "Yesterday was a special exception, and I did that for Thenio''s sake, not yours. There are lots of wizards who can make enchanted glass. Go buy it from one of them if you want some." "So stingy." Namyis stuck her tongue out at him. Then her expression turned serious again. "Will you at least let me hire Thenio to paint something for me, if I can talk him into it? It really seems like he could use the encouragement...." "I hate to say it, but you have a point," Ariom admitted reluctantly. "If he wants to do it, that''s fine. But don''t push him too hard, all right? He really is insecure about his artwork. And it''s dangerous to upset him too much." "I know that. I''m in the Magic Corps, remember? Battlemages always have to be careful not to get too emotional." Namyis put a finger on her cheek, looking puzzled. "Why is he so insecure about it, though? His skills seem pretty good to me." Ariom sighed. "I don''t know. His skills are good. Even the guild master evaluated them highly, and she''s one of the most demanding enchanters I know. I''ve been trying to persuade him to study aesthetic enchanting, since he''d clearly be good at it. But he has some kind of strange aversion to the idea of becoming a professional artist. He won''t say why." "Hmm. Some kind of past trauma, maybe? You know, like how a certain grandmaster enchanter has a strange aversion to working for the military?" Namyis said with a wink. "Stop that. It''s annoying." Ariom glared at her. "But yes, it''s probably something like that. Something a former teacher did to him, maybe. I know he had a rough time when he was at the Royal Magic Academy. His general school experience probably wasn''t any better." "Poor kid...." They both fell silent as Ariom led the way up the stairs and down the hall. The door to the magic reference library was closed, and when they reached the workroom, it was empty. "I guess their lesson isn''t quite over yet. Well, have a seat. Mideis knows you''re here, so he should be joining us soon. There are snacks over there. Help yourself if you want any." Ariom nodded toward the refreshment cart, which was standing on one side of the room and was laid out with human-appropriate foods. Thenio and the familiars were going to be staying in the library for this practice session, so they had their own snacks in there. "Since we have a few minutes, there''s something I wanted to ask you," Ariom said, watching Namyis as she poured herself a cup of juice. "Ask away," she said with a cheerful smile. "Though I''ll dump ice water on you if it''s something rude. Just so you know." "Don''t make threats with a smile like that. It''s creepy," Ariom complained. "And of course it''s not anything rude. I just wanted to ask if you''ve ever met a mythic beast before." "Oh, that. Yes, I have." Namyis nodded. "I''ve met Naslunal and Essu. Well...you don''t exactly meet Naslunal. But I''ve seen him up close, anyway." "You mean you went on his shell? I thought high-ranking sorcerers usually weren''t allowed on." "No, they''re not. I knew that, but I really wanted to see him, so I went over on the boat and just stayed there the whole time. I got to talk to Naslunal''s agent for a while, though. He was very nice." Ariom had never seen Naslunal in person, but even he was aware of how the giant turtle operated. It was quite well-known, since he was the only mythic beast who regularly interacted with humans. Or showed himself to them, at least. As Namyis said, he didn''t interact with people directly due to the huge difference in size. But he would occasionally swim close to coastal cities and stay for a few days to allow humans to come over in boats and gather resources from his shell. One of his agents stayed in a small house on the shell and monitored the process in order to protect the rare plants and magic beasts who lived there. Since high-rankers like Namyis could potentially cause a lot of damage to a place like that, they usually weren''t allowed on Naslunal''s back. "What kind of mythic beast is Essu? I don''t remember hearing that name before." "He watches over the First Rift and the surrounding wastelands. I met him when I was there for Rift duty a few years ago. He''s a bit shy and doesn''t normally interact with the combat wizards there. But since his magic domain is snow, he''s more comfortable around ice mages. So I managed to coax him out to play with me a few times." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "''Coax him out to play?'' This is a mythic beast we''re talking about, isn''t it...?" "I think he''s one of the younger ones. He has quite a childlike personality." "No wonder you got along with him.... What does he look like?" "A big, white wolf with red eyes. He''s so pretty and fluffy!" Namyis smiled at the memory. "He''s really cold, though. It''s like his body is actually made from snow. Well, I didn''t particularly mind that. It was more of a problem that he didn''t really want to be cuddled. He only let me hug him once, you know? Just before I had to leave." Ariom gave her an incredulous look and then shook his head. "Why does it not surprise me that you would go around trying to hug mythic beasts? Honestly...." "She''s trying to hug mythic beasts? What?" Ariom turned to see Mideis, who had just appeared in the workroom doorway and was looking very confused. "Oh hi, Mideis," Namyis said, waving at him. "I wasn''t trying to hug all the mythics. Just one of them." "It wasn''t the one that''s interested in Thenio, was it?" Mideis looked rather alarmed. "That guy''s scary. Seriously. Don''t mess with him." Ariom raised his eyebrows. "The message on that token really got to you, didn''t it...? Don''t worry, it was a different mythic beast that she met in the past. A lower-ranking one, sounds like." "Oh. Good." Mideis sounded relieved. "Well, I''m still not sure I would recommend trying to hug any mythic beast. But at least it''s not that one. I really don''t want to see what happens if he gets angry at someone...." He shuddered a little and came over to sit at the work table next to Ariom. "Is he really that scary?" Namyis asked curiously. "The mythics and agents that I know of all seem to be pretty nice." Ariom shrugged. "Depends on who you ask, I guess. Thenio doesn''t seem to be afraid of him." "Thenio''s the one that Ki''shiu is trying to protect," Mideis pointed out. "Of course he doesn''t need to be scared. It''s the rest of us that need to be worried if we don''t take good enough care of him." "Tell me about it...." Ariom let out a bitter sigh. "At least you just have to be careful not to do one of the things Ki''shiu warned you about. He''s expecting me to actually come up with a solution. Did you know that he worked with eleven chaos morphs before Thenio? Eleven. That mythic beast has tried eleven times to save a chaos morph and couldn''t do it. And somehow he thinks I can succeed where he failed? Now that''s terrifying...." All three of them were silent for a moment. "Well...is he worth it?" Namyis said finally. Ariom frowned. "What do you mean?" "Thenio. If that frightening responsibility is the price you have to pay to have him in your life, is he worth it?" She tilted her head questioningly. "Or is he not? Would you rather you''d never met him?" "That¡ª" Ariom broke off, not quite sure how to answer her. He''d never thought of it quite like that before.... "It''s something that Isia told me once," Namyis went on. "Sword Queen, you know? My trainer. My adoptive mother, really. Anyways...I caused her a lot of trouble when I was younger. I really didn''t mean to. But the training they made me do was so hard...especially the first few years. Absolutely brutal, like you said yesterday. "Looking back now, I know why it was necessary, but as a child, I didn''t really understand. It seemed cruel and unfair. So I fought against it. And of course my magic was always going out of control.... Well. Like I said, I was too young to make the connection between those two things at first. "So one day, I''d lost control of my magic again and caused a lot of damage to the house we were living in. I was sure Isia was going to be furious with me, like my parents always were whenever I broke things or hurt someone. I even hid under my bed because I was so afraid to face her. "But you know what she said when she found me? She''s never been one to beat around the bush, so she straight up told me that yes, I caused a lot of trouble, and yes, it was hard taking care of me, and she got really frustrated sometimes. But it was all right, she said. Because I was worth it to her. And if all the trouble and frustration were the cost of having me in her life, then she was happy to pay that price. "That really meant a lot to me, you know? I still wasn''t great at sticking with my training after that, but I got a lot better. That was when I finally started to recognize that going through painful or scary things could be worth the reward." She gave Ariom a gentle smile. "Well, you don''t need to tell me your answer. It''s okay if you don''t even know the answer yet. But maybe thinking about it like that will help a little bit." The room went quiet again after Namyis finished speaking. Ariom was simply staring at her with a blank expression. She met his gaze with a pleasant smile. "Stop saying impressive things like that," he said finally, looking away. "I might forget to be annoyed with you...." Namyis laughed. "I''ll keep that in mind." Chapter 47 - At the Train Station "Thenio, look! It''s like my train, but really big!" Iggy said excitedly, waving his tail so hard he almost knocked himself off of Thenio''s shoulder. "That''s right." Thenio reached up to pat the little dragon to try to calm him down a little. "Have you ridden on big trains before?" "Mmm! We ride the train when we go to Uncle Bero''s chicken farm! Or to Toflyn and Seyli''s house, where all my cousins live!" Iggy turned to look at Ariom. "Is that the train that Uncle Bero and Humerus are coming on?" They could see the magic train that had just pulled into the station through the large glass panels that separated the platform from the waiting area. As they watched, the doors on the train cars started to open, and passengers began spilling out. Ariom looked up at the large clock over the nearby security gate. "No, they should be on the next train. Their arrival time isn''t for another twenty minutes. We came early so we could sit here for a while and test out Thenio''s new insulation bands, remember?" Thenio glanced down at the new leather cuffs on his wrists. Ariom had just finished them last night. He''d made quite a few changes to the enchantment matrix, using the diagram from Ki''shiu as a reference, and the initial tests on this version were quite promising. Thenio had even been able to talk to Namyis this afternoon without a barrier in between them...though of course she was wearing her dampener cuffs. Iggy and Amisi were still avoiding direct contact with her, but Ariom had said he was planning to work on insulation collars for them after Thenio''s new bands were done. He''d only told Thenio that, however, and made him promise not to mention it to Namyis until the collars were finished because he didn''t want her nagging him about them. The two of them had developed a rather strange relationship over the past week. It was a little like watching Iggy and Humerus together: One was always playing around, and the other one was always acting annoyed with an unknown degree of sincerity. But unlike Iggy, Namyis seemed to have an excellent grasp of just how far she could push Ariom and would quickly back off whenever he was on the verge of snapping for real. Thenio had been concerned about their behavior at first, but Amisi assured him that Mideis was keeping an eye on them and would step in if a serious argument started. Well, that probably meant that Thenio didn''t have to worry about the house suddenly getting turned into a giant ice box if Namyis got too upset. But not having to tiptoe around a grouchy Ariom after every practice session would be nice, too.... Since they usually ended in the late afternoon, Thenio had dealt with the issue by volunteering to take care of all the cooking until after the job for the Royal Guard was done, both to give Ariom more time to manage the extra workload and to give himself an excuse to hide out in the kitchen until his employer''s bad mood had passed. "How do they look so far?" Thenio asked, nodding at the insulation bands. "I feel pretty normal. But I guess we''ve already learned that''s not enough to know it''s safe...." Ariom looked him up and down. "Your magic still seems fine." He glanced at the people milling around the waiting area. "The ambient magic in this area isn''t especially high, but it''s definitely enough that it would cause your magic power to start fluctuating if you weren''t wearing an insulation device. So the fact that you''re still steady is a good sign. We''ll see how you do over the next half hour. Let''s find a place to sit down." Many of the people waiting were moving closer to the security gates to meet passengers coming off the train, so it didn''t take them too long to find a bench that had just been vacated. Thenio and Ariom sat down on either end of it, leaving a space in the middle for Iggy. The little dragon jumped off Thenio''s shoulder and started climbing around on the bench, sniffing at the wood and looking at all the people and things around them. Thenio looked around too, watching the people coming and going. He hadn''t gone out much for the past few months, so it felt a little strange to be in such a busy place. A few people gave him uneasy looks and sped up as they went past where he was sitting¡ªa typical reaction from non-magic users. But most people paid more attention to Iggy. Several children waved at the dragon or pointed him out to their parents as they went by, and two young women, who looked like sisters, came over and asked for permission to pet him. They stayed for a few minutes, cooing over Iggy and trying unsuccessfully to engage Ariom in conversation. But he refused to give them any more than curt replies and annoyed looks for their efforts. They completely ignored Thenio, despite him being the one holding onto Iggy''s leash.... The two of them finally gave up and left about the same time that the train finished loading its next group of passengers and slowly pulled out of the station. "They should be here in just a few more minutes," Ariom said, checking the clock again. Then he looked over at Thenio. "And your magic power still looks normal. Good. That means we can try out a higher magic area next. Maybe we should go to the local park on market day. Iggy and I haven''t been there in a while." "I want to go to the park!" Iggy swished his tail enthusiastically. "I like the park! They have tasty snacks there, you know?" He wrinkled his nose. "But I don''t like shopping for stinky magic things...." "We won''t go to the alchemy area," Ariom reassured him. "That''s probably still a bit much for Thenio, too. We''ll just stay over by the food stalls for this trip. Uncle Bero and Humerus can go with us. And maybe Seyli and Tava, if they''re not too busy with classes that day." "Mmm! Okay!" Iggy''s tail swishing intensified. Then his ears pricked up and he turned his head toward the far end of the station. "Oh! Another train is coming!" Thenio and Ariom both turned to look. As Iggy had said, the dark shape of an approaching train was visible some distance down the tracks, gradually growing larger. Iggy stood up on his hind legs, trying to see better. Thenio picked him up and stood to give him a better view of the train as it pulled into the station and came to a halt. A minute later, the doors opened, and people started to emerge. "They''ll be coming through the magic beast check-point, won''t they?" Thenio asked, turning to Ariom. "Should we go over there to wait?" Ariom shook his head. "Look over there and tell me how many magic beasts you think there are in that part of the waiting area." Thenio looked over at the crowd in front of that security gate. He couldn''t actually see that many magic beasts, but the people that were waiting to board the train all had carry bags or traveling crates with them. And he spotted several magic beasts among the people who seemed to be waiting to meet passengers, including a pygmy gryphon, a gale eagle, and what looked like a large black boar with a ridge of blue bristles running down its back. "Looks like...around twenty?" Thenio guessed, turning back to Ariom. "And what''s going to happen if you suddenly turn up in a group of twenty magic beasts?" "Oh. Right." Thenio made a face. "They''ll probably make a fuss, won''t they?" "Probably. That''s why we''re not waiting over there. Don''t worry, Uncle Bero knows to look for us here." The Kafron government considered wizards to be a valuable national asset and had implemented a number of wizard-friendly laws and policies. Strong protections for magic beasts were one of those, since no wizard wanted a precious pet or familiar to be kidnapped and trafficked. That included things like the magic beast registration system and security check-points for travelers to make sure that any magic beasts being transported were with a registered handler. Thenio watched the entrance of the magic beast security gate, and a few minutes later, he spotted a familiar head of golden hair coming out of it. "I see them!" Iggy wriggled excitedly in Thenio''s arms. "I see Uncle Bero and Humerus!" Thenio wasn''t sure how the little dragon could have seen Humerus, since he didn''t see any sign of the revenant himself. But as Bero came closer, he noticed there was a carry bag slung over his shoulder. The size and shape looked the same as Iggy''s, which Thenio had seen on a shelf in the dragon room. Just the color was different. Iggy''s was black, and Humerus'' was dark red. Presumably, Ariom and Toflyn had made both of them. Thenio wondered if Tava had a matching purple one. He''d have to remember to ask Seyli sometime.... Bero spotted them and raised a hand to wave. Iggy lifted his front paws and started waving back enthusiastically. Thenio held him up higher so that Bero would be able to see. "Humerus! Uncle Bero! Hi!" Iggy called out as the pair finally reached them, his tail waving wildly. Bero laughed. "Hi, Iggy. It''s nice to see you, too. And you, Thenio," he added with a warm smile. "You''re looking a bit better than when I saw you last. Ariom told me you''ve been working hard at your training." "Yeah...well...." Thenio glanced in Ariom''s direction, feeling a little embarrassed. "I have a lot of people helping me out. So I kind of have to work hard to make it up to everyone." "That''s a good motivation." Bero patted him on the shoulder. Then he looked at Ariom. "And you''ve been doing well to stick with him, even if it''s been stressing you out lately." "Thenio hasn''t been stressing me out," Ariom said with a faint scowl. "A certain friend of his is the one who''s been doing that...along with a particularly annoying ice mage we met recently...." Bero raised an eyebrow. "Well, you can tell me all about it later." He looked down at the red carry bag still hanging from his shoulder. "Humerus is in a bad mood from traveling and would probably like to get home and have his dinner." "Yes, I would!" came a grumpy voice from inside the bag. The front and sides of the bag had sections of mesh fabric that presumably allowed Humerus to see out, but Thenio couldn''t see anything when he tried to look inside. "It''s enchanted, so you can''t see into it," Bero said, noticing and correctly interpreting Thenio''s puzzled expression. "His real appearance makes a lot of people uncomfortable, so Ariom and Toflyn made him this special carry bag so he doesn''t have to wear skin the whole time we''re riding on the train. It''s helped a lot, but he still resents having to hide during the trip." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "I like when we get a private compartment..." Humerus'' voice said sulkily. "I know you do," Bero said patiently. "But that costs more. I gave you the choice of having a private compartment for this trip or getting an extra gryphon egg, and you chose the egg. You said it was worth sitting in your bag for an hour. Did you forget?" The carry bag was silent. "Typical greedy revenant..." Ariom said, shaking his head. "Well, let''s go. He''ll cheer up once there''s food in front of him." He led the way out of the waiting area and back to the golem carriage. "You mentioned an annoying ice mage," Bero said as they walked. "Is that the one you''re working with? The one who had the broken magic dampener that caused Thenio trouble?" "Yes," Ariom said shortly. "She was someone from the Magic Corps, wasn''t she? What''s her name?" Ariom was scowling and didn''t seem inclined to answer, so Thenio took over. "It''s Ice Queen." "Oh, Namyis? I see." Bero nodded, looking thoughtfully at Ariom. "You know her?" Thenio asked curiously. "I''ve met her a few times. She seemed quite pleasant, and I know she has a good reputation among the other battlemages. Kalion likes her a lot, too. Tamon doesn''t, but...well, Tamon doesn''t like most people." Bero gave a wry smile. "And I can understand why Ariom would find her particularly irritating." Ariom rolled his eyes but didn''t comment. "The ice cream lady is scary," Iggy said solemnly. "She almost freezed Thenio and Misi-cat! But it was an accident, okay? She said she was sorry. And she plays with me through the window in my box! So then she''s not so scary." "What ''ice cream lady''?" Humerus'' voice retorted from the carry bag. "It''s Ice Queen. Queen. Not cream." "But she made Thenio''s magic freeze into ice cream! So she''s the ice cream lady! And when I call her that, she laughs and thinks it''s funny. She likes it, you know? So Thenio said it was okay to call her that. I''m not supposed to call her a monster. But ice cream is okay. Okay?" "She did think it was funny," Thenio said, backing up Iggy''s story. "She said she didn''t mind being called that." Humerus gave an angry-sounding sniff and didn''t reply. Thenio was tempted to ask why a creature who didn''t even need to breathe would go to the trouble of making a sniffing sound, but it was probably better not to aggravate him too much right now. "Do spectral beasts get intimidated by high-rankers like magic beasts do?" he asked instead. "It depends on the spectral beast," Bero said. "And on the high-ranker. Wisps and elementals won''t have any problem with a high-ranker who has the same affinity they do. They''ll just see it as a source of magic to eat. But they''ll be uncomfortable if the wizard has an opposing affinity. "Mimics don''t really have the mental capacity to feel intimidated, but they''ll be cautious and less likely to attack. And for revenants, it just depends on how high their own rank is. Humerus doesn''t usually have a problem being around high-rankers, because he''s the equivalent of a high-ranker himself." "Wait, really? He''s that strong?" Thenio stared down at the carry bag. "I mean, I knew you were a high-ranker, but...." "Why can''t I be strong?" Humerus asked in an irritated voice. "Are you insulting me? Are you looking down on my greatness?" "What greatness?" Ariom scoffed. "He''s obviously surprised because he expects powerful magic users to have some kind of dignity, and you don''t have a single bit, you gluttonous prankster." "Bero!" Humerus whined. "They''re picking on me!" "Thenio wasn''t picking on you," Bero told him in a soothing voice. "He doesn''t have any way of knowing how strong you are because you can''t use much magic in front of him. He wasn''t trying to insult you." "But Ariom was...." "Well...yes. And he should know better than to pick a fight with you when you''re hungry." Bero gave Ariom an unusually stern look. Then his expression softened and he looked back at the carry bag. "But you know he''s had a lot to deal with lately, so just let it slide this time, all right?" There was an angry huffing noise from inside the bag. Again...why was he deliberately making fake breathing sounds? Just for dramatic effect? Were all revenants this weird...?
The rest of the trip home passed without incident. Uncle Bero changed the subject by asking Thenio about his acrobatics training, and Ariom and Humerus both stayed quiet. Ariom was a little ashamed of himself. He did know better than to antagonize Humerus when he was hungry and irritable. Thenio had never seen the revenant''s real power, but Ariom had, and it wasn''t something to be taken lightly. Was it just because he''d been busy and short on sleep lately? Or because he''d spent so much time snapping back at Namyis'' nonsense? He didn''t know. But it was a little concerning. Humerus was one thing¡ªdespite how he usually acted, he had enough self-control that he wouldn''t go wild over one careless remark¡ªbut Ariom couldn''t afford to make slip-ups like that with the other dangerous things he was involved with at the moment. When they got back to the house, Thenio went to the kitchen with Iggy to finish preparing dinner, and Ariom went upstairs with Uncle Bero and Humerus to help them get settled in. Humerus, who was finally out of his carry bag, floated over to the table in front of the fireplace and sat down on it, looking up at Uncle Bero with an impatient stare. "I know, I know..." Uncle Bero told him. "Just give me a minute to get your things out." He sat down on the sofa next to the table and took a small iron brazier out of his space pocket. He set it down in front of Humerus. Then he took out a smaller object¡ªa golden-orange and white striped egg. Humerus'' eye flames danced with excitement when he saw it. "There you go," Uncle Bero said, placing the egg inside the brazier. "One gryphon egg, as promised. Enjoy." The green flames flared even brighter, leaping out from the eye sockets and toward the brazier, leaving the bones to collapse onto the table with a clatter. He had terrible table manners, as always.... Ariom made a face as he watched the green fire attack the egg with relish. "Come sit down," Uncle Bero said, looking at Ariom and patting the sofa. "Let''s talk a little while he''s eating." "Don''t you need to unpack your things?" Ariom asked, though he obediently went over and sat down next to his uncle. "I''ll do it later." Uncle Bero smiled gently, but his eyes were serious. "What''s really going on, Ariom? You''re clearly on edge. It''s not like you to forget that it''s dangerous to annoy Humerus when he''s hungry. And I know you wouldn''t have asked for help unless things were serious, but you''ve been so cagey in all the messages you''ve been sending me...." Ariom was quiet for a moment, staring unseeingly at the brazier full of Humerus'' flames. "There''s too much..." he said finally. "I don''t even know where to start." "Let''s start with that first message you sent," Uncle Bero said patiently. "You said that Thenio went to talk to Eteon. And later you said that he''d confirmed my theory. So Eteon really is a mythic beast''s agent?" "Yes." "Did you learn which mythic beast he''s contracted with?" "His name is Ki''shiu. Well...that''s probably not his real name. It''s what the Forest People call him, but it seems to actually be more of a title. It''s what Eteon called him, though, so I guess it''s how he wants to be addressed." "What does it mean?" "''Lord of Dreams.'' That''s his magic domain. He''s a creature called a dream beast. That''s...he''s sort of like a deer with wings.... Thenio has drawings of him. You can ask him to show you later." Uncle Bero raised his eyebrows. "Thenio''s seen him?" Ariom nodded. "He''s seen him every night for the past week, actually. His domain is dreams, right? So apparently that means he can visit Thenio in his dreams...and he''s been teaching him to use dream magic...he''s taught most of the chaos morphs to use dream magic...and he''s been trying to save them, only he hasn''t been able to....twelve of them...and he somehow thinks I''ll be able to figure out a way, when even he hasn''t been able to...and I have no idea what he''s going to do if I can''t do it...and...." "Whoa. Ariom. Slow down." Uncle Bero put a hand on Ariom''s shoulder, interrupting his increasingly frantic words. "I see why you were feeling overwhelmed.... But I can''t understand if you tell me everything at once. Back up. What is dream magic, exactly?" Ariom took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Eteon called it the magic of knowledge. It seems to be related to mental magic, but it''s a lot more powerful. He said that it can pull knowledge from the world and use knowledge to affect the world. "And Ki''shiu told Thenio that mental magic transfers knowledge, but dream magic recreates it. He''s been teaching Thenio to recreate real world objects in dreams. He does it with his drawings, too. He can use dream magic when he draws to remember details of things he''s seen and know what things look like even when he hasn''t seen them." Uncle Bero frowned a little. "Is that how he can draw from memory so well? I noticed he has an impressive ability to remember details...." "Right. That''s how he does it. That''s how all this started, really. Mideis and I were experimenting with using telepathy to help transcribe magic formations for that enchantment analysis I''m doing for the Royal Guard, and we discovered that Thenio could...." Ariom went through and described everything that had happened, from discovering Thenio''s unusual drawing abilities and learning about Ki''shiu, to Thenio accidentally replicating Namyis'' magic attribute and starting his nightly dream magic lessons. Uncle Bero listened calmly, occasionally asking for clarifications or gently steering the narrative back on track whenever Ariom started getting flustered again. While they talked, Humerus gradually burnt his gryphon egg down to a small pile of indigestible ashes. Then the flames shrank down into a little ball of green fire that floated over the brazier. He looked almost like he was falling asleep, but Ariom knew he was still listening to their conversation while he finished absorbing his meal. "Well...that''s quite a story..." Uncle Bero said when Ariom had finally finished. He leaned against the back of the sofa and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling for a long moment. "The true nature of chaos magic, huh...? Like you said, that''s quite an intriguing phrase, especially when it''s combined with the contents of that telepathic message. It seems to support Kalion''s hunch¡ªthat there''s some connection between chaos magic and the demon rifts." "Maybe. But it could also just be a coincidence that demons are one of the topics Thenio isn''t supposed to learn about. I mean, if he has the ability to recreate knowledge, then it makes sense that knowledge about demons is dangerous, right?" "Well, that''s true. Same with knowledge about mythic beasts, if you go by that logic." The message that Ki''shiu had sent Mideis had three parts to it. The first was the general warning to be careful of what information Thenio was exposed to. The second part was two areas of knowledge that he specifically needed to avoid: demons and mythic beasts. And the third part.... "What about the seal on Thenio''s memories?" Uncle Bero asked. "Is it really there? Did Mideis check?" "Yes. He was afraid to even look for it at first, since Ki''shiu gave him a direct order not to touch the seal, or else.... But Amisi and I finally talked him into it. She convinced him that it would be safer to look and know exactly where the seal was, to be sure they could avoid it." "Interesting.... What kind of memories do you suppose are in there?" "I wish I knew," Ariom said drily. "But I don''t wish it so much that I''m willing to risk getting killed by an angry dream beast in order to find out." Chapter 48 - Weakness and Strength "Hey, Thenio..." Bero said, staring at the dining room table with one eyebrow raised. "Didn''t you say before that you could only cook basic things?" Thenio nodded. "That''s right." "And how exactly is this ''basic?''" Thenio also looked at the table. The dinner he''d just cooked was spread out over it: baked fish fillets, a potato casserole, a fresh green salad, and homemade dinner rolls. There was also fruit sorbet waiting in the kitchen for dessert, but Namyis had made that. "It is basic, though?" he said, looking back at Bero in confusion. "It''s nothing like the elaborate dinners that they have at my aunt''s house. This is all easy stuff. Even my brother Kleyo could make it. And Lem can make things that are a lot fancier." "So...you''re comparing yourself to your brother, who loves cooking and wants to be an alchemist when he grows up...and to a professional chef employed by a noble family?" "Right." Thenio nodded again. "I can only make simple things compared to them." Bero turned to Ariom with a rather helpless look. "Does he think like this about everything?" "Pretty much. Maybe it''s because he hasn''t been able to interact with his peers normally? He doesn''t seem to have realistic expectations for himself at all." "Yes, that probably has something to do with it. You were sort of the same way when you were his age, after all...." Bero sighed and turned back to Thenio, ignoring the glare that Ariom gave him. "Look, Thenio, these might be everyday dishes, but it''s still quite impressive for a sixteen-year-old boy to be able to cook this well. You should try to be more objective about your abilities. "With how things were for you in the past, I can understand why it might have been advantageous for you to hold yourself back and not stand out too much. But it''s different now that you''re here. It will be better for all of us if you learn to see yourself more clearly." "See myself more clearly?" Thenio repeated, confused. What was that supposed to mean? Didn''t he know himself better than anyone else did? Well...except maybe Ki''shiu. Thenio wasn''t sure, but he sometimes suspected that the dream beast had been reading his thoughts or looking through his memories. "That''s right," Bero said gently. "You might think it''s better to overestimate your weaknesses rather than to underestimate them. But both will cause you problems in the long run. It''s best to look at yourself as honestly as you can." He paused for a moment, regarding Thenio with a thoughtful expression. "I''m curious.... You''ve said you draw things in order to understand them better, right? So tell me, have you ever tried to draw yourself?" "Huh?" Thenio blinked in surprise. "No...I haven''t...." He''d seen self-portraits that other artists had done. But he''d never really thought about doing one of his own. "I see. Well, maybe you should think about it." Bero smiled. "But for now, we should sit down and eat this wonderful dinner you''ve made before it gets cold." "Uh...right." Thenio wasn''t sure what else to say, so he quietly went over to his chair. Bero and Ariom also sat down. It was just the three of them. Iggy had been anxious to play with Humerus, so Thenio fed him early so that the two of them could go out to the atrium as soon as the revenant was done with his own meal. Humerus had been in a much better mood after having something to eat and had willingly floated off after the excited little dragon. "Ariom was just telling me about everything that''s been going on," Bero said as he dished some of the casserole onto his plate. "It sounds like things have been quite interesting around here lately." "That''s putting it mildly..." Ariom said, rolling his eyes. "How many people have you told about Ki''shiu so far?" Bero went on, ignoring him. "Just Mideis and Namyis." Thenio took a roll and passed the basket over to Ariom. "And Amisi, of course." "Not that we intended to tell the ice mage," Ariom added. "But with everything that happened when she first came here...well, she ended up figuring out that there was a mythic beast involved. She knows his name and magic domain and the fact that he''s trying to find a way to save chaos morphs, but nothing more than that. We haven''t told her that Thenio is able to use dream magic¡ªjust that he''s unusually good at receiving telepathy and drawing magic formations." Bero nodded. "That''s better. I think it''s all right to trust her, but it doesn''t hurt to be careful. And I don''t see any reason why she needs to know more at this point. On the other hand...." He turned to look at Thenio. "You''ll be seeing Ki''shiu tonight, won''t you? Will you ask him if it''s all right to tell Kalion and Focilo everything? I think they''ll both be able to help you better if they fully understand the situation, and I can absolutely guarantee their trustworthiness." "Oh. Right. I''ll ask." Thenio glanced at Ariom. "Speaking of Grandmaster Sephior, I have an appointment at the Stability Center in a couple of days, right?" "Yes, you do." Ariom sighed and looked at his uncle. "I was wondering if you''d be willing to go with him. I''m a little overbooked this week...." "Of course. I was planning to go have a chat with Focilo anyway. We were talking about testing Thenio''s reaction to different forms of magic, right? I think it would be a good idea to involve Focilo in that. He''ll have access to better equipment, and his magesight is incredibly good. Much better than mine. So he might be able to spot something that we miss." "A job at the Stability Center to follow up a job with a battlemage? Wonderful," Ariom said gloomily. "But fine. If that''s what you think is best."
It''s all right to tell the doctor everything. It''s very unlikely that he''ll try to take advantage of you. As for the general.... Ki''shiu paused, considering. That''s a bit riskier. But he seems to be capable of keeping his mouth shut about the agents and mythic beasts he''s been in contact with up until now. And I know he won''t betray the Denifor family. So it''s probably safe to tell him. "Why is General Obarin riskier than Grandmaster Sephior?" Thenio asked curiously. "They both have really good reputations, as far as I know." The general is involved with some very dangerous things. More than even Bero is aware of. It''s not so much that he''s more likely to betray you. It''s that the consequences would be much more severe if he did. "Dangerous things? Like what?" Politics, for one. I don''t want any of the Kafron aristocrats getting the idea that they can use you to gain access to a mythic beast''s power. Thenio thought about that for a minute as he watched the waves breaking over the rocks down below them. Ki''shiu had been taking him to different places every night, and they would spend a little while enjoying the scenery and talking before they started Thenio''s magic lesson. Tonight they were on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. "They couldn''t actually access much through me, though, could they? I mean, I''ve gotten pretty good at recreating Iggy''s toys in my dreams, but how useful is that? I still can''t do much with dream magic in the real world." People like that consider any kind of mental magic to be valuable, no matter how weak your skills are right now. Information is power, and you have a way of getting information that most people can''t. That''s why most mental mages work for powerful organizations like the military or the Wizard Association. They need strong friends to protect them from being abducted or exploited. "Is that why Mideis works for the Royal Guard?" Most likely. He probably would have preferred more of an academic career researching Pre-War enchanting but had to compromise a little for his own safety. The Royal Guard isn''t safe for all its members, of course, but I''m sure they take good care of their mental mages. As I said, they''re valuable. "Will I have to go work for someplace like that, too, if my magic ever gets stable enough?" Not if you don''t want to. You already have powerful friends who will protect you. "You just said you were worried about the aristocrats finding out about me, though," Thenio pointed out. Ki''shiu heaved a sigh, making the cliffside tremble and the waves grow a bit rougher. Then he was silent for a long moment. What I''m really worried about, he said finally, is that General Obarin knows our weakness. "Whose weakness? The mythic beasts''?" Yes. I''ll be able to protect you in most situations. But if he uses that.... The dream beast shook his head and didn''t finish. "Can you...tell me what it is?" Thenio asked tentatively, knowing he was likely to get an evasive reply. Ki''shiu never got angry with him for asking questions, but he often refused to give straight answers. The dream beast looked at him for a moment, apparently thinking about how to respond. Demons. Most mythic beasts are weak against demon magic. And the head of Kafron''s Magic Corps can access unpurified demon crystals much more easily than the average human. That''s why he''s potentially dangerous. Thenio raised his eyebrows. "Wait, really? You''re weak against demon poison?" Yes. Ki''shiu put his ears back and pawed at the ground a little. Otherwise, we would have dealt with the rifts a long time ago.... The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Oh." Thenio blinked, processing that information. "Is that why Eteon hates the Order of the Ravener so much? Because they''re trying to find a way to use demon magic?" That''s part of it. They''ve caused a lot of trouble over the years, and their connection to demons is the reason we can''t just wipe out the lot of them. "He said that the miasma makes it hard to use dream magic because it corrupts things and makes information difficult to read." Yes. Ki''shiu stopped pawing, and his head and ears drooped. That''s why I''m especially vulnerable to demon magic, even for a mythic beast. I have to stay as far away from it as I can. Thenio''s eyes widened a little. "So you can''t even fight demons like battlemages do? What about Eteon?" He''s the same. Miasma is very dangerous for both of us. "Then what about me? Am I more at risk because of being able to use dream magic, too?" Ki''shiu shook his head. In general, no. Once your dream magic is under control, the risk to you shouldn''t be any greater than it is to a normal human. Though with your current magic power level, you shouldn''t be going anywhere near demons anyway. "How do you know? Did you test it with other chaos morphs?" Yes. It should be in the information that Ariom received from the Association. "Oh, that. I haven''t read it all yet." Thenio looked away, out over the endless blue water. "Bero gave me a copy, but...I haven''t really felt up to going through it...." That''s fine. It''s better for you to focus on the things you can do in the present. The rest of us are here to guide you, so there''s no need to expose yourself to those unpleasant things before you''re ready. "Bero said something like that, too." Thenio was quiet for a minute. "Hey...what would happen if I drew myself?" Drew yourself? "Right. Using dream magic. You know how I draw things when I want to understand them better? What would happen if I drew a picture of myself that way?" Why do you ask? "It''s something Bero suggested. He was telling me that I need to learn to see myself more clearly. He seems to think that I''m underestimating my abilities, because I said I can only do basic cooking. That''s true, though. I can''t make the same kind of fancy meals that the chef at Aunt Suliya''s house does. So I don''t really understand what he meant...." Ah. I see. Ki''shiu nodded. He''s right. You don''t see yourself clearly at all. "Huh? You too?" Thenio stared at him, nonplussed. "But it''s true that I can''t cook fancy things." Your facts are right. But your perspective is wrong. You''re always comparing yourself to other people. It''s a terrible habit that your parents taught you. Isn''t your mother always comparing herself to her sister? "Well...yes? But how are you supposed to evaluate yourself properly if you don''t look at other people to know what''s possible?" Is it possible, though? Your aunt married into a noble family. Your mother didn''t. Your aunt is older and happened to be born with a little more magical talent. Their circumstances are different, so it''s not possible for their lives to look the same. Then what does it accomplish to make comparisons, other than making your mother unhappy? Thenio frowned. "I guess I can understand that. But skills are different, aren''t they? I mean, it''s possible for me to learn to cook as well as Aunt Suliya''s chef." Ki''shiu shook his head. In the future, perhaps. But right now, it''s the same as your mother and her sister. The circumstances are different. You''re sixteen years old. You started learning to cook less than a decade ago, you mostly taught yourself from books, and you''ve only made meals for your family until recently. The chef currently employed by your aunt and uncle is fifty-three. He''s been cooking for more than forty years. He went to a culinary training school when he was younger, followed by an apprenticeship at a high-quality restaurant. Thenio didn''t ask how he knew all those things. It wasn''t the first time that the dream beast had pulled unexpected information out of the air like that. He was presumably using dream magic to retrieve the knowledge he wanted about Aunt Suliya''s chef. With your current experience and training, it''s obviously not possible for you to cook as well as that chef, Ki''shiu went on. It''s not fair to compare yourself to him. And more than that, it''s not useful. As you say, it''s good to learn from other people. But that''s not what comparison does. When you compare yourself to someone, you''re defining yourself by the distance between you. By the things they have that you don''t. That''s why you''re not seeing clearly. It''s only natural that you''ll end up with a distorted view of yourself if you''re always looking at the person you''re not instead of the person you are. "What am I, then?" Thenio asked, looking up into the dream beast''s face. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" There was a moment of silence as Ki''shiu looked down at him with a gentle expression. I''m afraid I can''t tell you that, he said finally. It''s something you''ll have to work out on your own. But I can at least tell you this much.... He bent down and nuzzled Thenio''s hair. You''re a much more amazing person than you think you are....
"Hi, Thenio!" Namyis said cheerfully, waving at him as she got out of her golem carriage. "It looks like Ariom is letting you answer the door again." "Yeah, he is. The tests on my new insulation bands have been going well. Though I''m supposed to get away from you if I start feeling cold." "I see. Well, I won''t take it personally if you suddenly run off, then," she said with a wink as she came up the front steps. "I don''t suppose Ariom''s thinking about making some of those insulation devices for magic beasts, too...?" "Uh...not yet," Thenio said evasively. "He''s really busy with this job, so he doesn''t have much time to work on side projects right now. And it would take a while to adjust the enchantment matrix to work on a magic beast, so...." He trailed off and looked at her imploringly. "Don''t nag him about it, okay? He''s been really grumpy lately." Namyis laughed. "All right. I get it. I''ll try not to make things too hard for you." "I''d appreciate that...." The two of them walked across the entryway and down the hall toward the stairs. "Hey, can I ask you a weird question?" Thenio said hesitantly. "Sure thing," Namyis said with a smile. "Oh, but I''m not allowed to tell you about demons. Ariom said so." "I know. He told me not to ask you anything like that." Thenio still hadn''t told Ariom everything that he''d learned from Ki''shiu the night before. The dream beast hadn''t specifically told him not to tell anyone that mythic beasts were weak against demon poison, but it felt too important to just pass on carelessly. While he was thinking about it, he''d asked Ariom and Bero a casual question about demons during breakfast that morning, only to be told that the topic was off-limits, as per Ki''shiu''s instructions. Well, it made sense, considering what had happened with Namyis'' magic. If he could recreate different magic attributes, and if dream magic was especially weak against demon poison.... Yes. Better to avoid demons entirely for the time being. "It''s just...." Thenio stopped walking and fidgeted a little as he tried to figure out how to phrase his question correctly. "Well, you''re pretty good with people, right? You seem to be able to keep teasing Ariom without ever making him lose his temper." "Oh, that." Namyis gave a small laugh. "That''s how we get to know our teammates in the Magic Corps. You play around with each other like that to learn where everyone''s boundaries are." "Boundaries?" "Right. How much a person can tolerate different kinds of stress. What topics you have to avoid in conversation. That kind of thing. It''s a lot better to learn all that in the training center than to learn it when you''re standing in front of a demon rift." "Oh." Thenio had thought she just liked messing with Ariom. He never would have guessed that there was an actual purpose behind it. "Then...how do you know what kind of person someone really is?" Namyis tilted her head. "What, is there a girl you have a crush on and want to get to know? "What? No!" Thenio felt his face grow warm. "It''s not like that!" "Hmm?" A sly smile spread across her face. "You''re protesting a little too much there.... Very suspicious." "That''s not it! Really! It''s that...someone told me yesterday that I need to learn to see myself more clearly. To be more objective about my abilities and things...you know?" "Oh. Like that." Namyis'' teasing expression vanished, and she nodded in understanding. "Magic Corps trainees have trouble with that sometimes. Well...probably a lot of kids your age do, whether they''re magic users or not. So, you''re wondering how to understand yourself better?" "Right." Thenio also nodded, relieved she''d finally gotten the right idea. "Hmm." Namyis put a finger on her cheek. "Well, different methods work best for different people. For combat wizards, we do a lot of sparring against each other. That helps us to understand our abilities better and to be prepared to counter various kinds of attacks. But I guess you can''t really do that kind of thing, can you...?" Thenio shook his head. "No, I can''t be exposed to that much magic. And the person who told me I need to understand myself better also said that I need to not compare myself to other people so much." "Right. You do seem to be pretty hard on yourself that way. Even I''ve noticed that. Well, maybe something like a skill inventory would help, then. We do those with all our new recruits. Basically, we put them through a bunch of tests and take notes on what they do well and what they need to improve on. Then we use that to make up a training program that builds on their strengths." "On their strengths? Don''t you want to focus on fixing the problems first?" Namyis shook her head. "No, it''s usually better to focus on the things they''re good at to start with, then branch out from there. A lot of new trainees get really intimidated when they start working with mid- and high-rankers for the first time. Giving them a solid foundation of skills they know they''re good at helps a lot in building confidence." That was the opposite of how Thenio had always done things.... "It helps to have an expert overseeing the process, to give you a more objective viewpoint. But you can at least start by yourself to see if it helps at all. Just do your best to be honest with your evaluations. And don''t take things too seriously. Try to have fun with it." "Have...fun?" "Right!" Namyis beamed at him. "That''s how you survive a horrific training regimen. You turn it into a game!" She laughed at the incredulous look on Thenio''s face. "Well, of course it''s better not to have a horrific training regimen in the first place. But you know, if you don''t have a choice...." "Uh...right. Well...I guess...I''ll try it out and see what happens." She smiled at him again. "Good! Try it out and let me know how it goes. I hereby appoint you as my newest unofficial trainee!" "Please don''t. Ariom''s going to throw me out of the house...." Namyis laughed again and continued walking. She''d been there enough times to know where to go by now, so Thenio let her lead the way. When they reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner, Namyis suddenly stopped. Thenio looked past her to see what was wrong and was exasperated to see a dragon skeleton floating in the middle of the hallway in front of them, his eyes glowing with sinister green flames. "Ah, it''s okay," he told Namyis hastily. "That''s just¡ª" "Humerus!" Namyis said happily, her own eyes lighting up. "I''ve been wanting to see you! It''s been such a long time!" "You...what...?" Clearly unsettled by her reaction, Humerus started drifting slowly backwards, away from Namyis. "Aww...don''t go." She put on her pathetic face and took a step forward. "Come here and let me cuddle you for a few minutes, okay?" Humerus'' eyes flared in alarm, and he started moving faster. "What do you want to cuddle a bunch of bones for, you crazy ice mage? I''m a revenant, okay? A scary, ferocious revenant!" "But you''re so cute!" Namyis said, giving him a brilliant smile. "Hey, come here...." "Wah? No! Get away from me!" Humerus turned and sped off down the hallway, with Namyis chasing him and Thenio still standing frozen at the top of the stairs, staring blankly after them both. Chapter 49 - Where Did That Tree Come From? When Namyis arrived at the Royal Guard headquarters the following day, a staff member was waiting to guide her to the research building, where a special area had been set up for their project. She found Mideis there, inspecting the magic barriers with a couple of the Guard researchers. He was wearing a black combat suit with the Royal Guard''s crest on the front. Namyis was also dressed in a combat suit¡ªa pale violet one with a large white snowflake on both the front and back. It was the suit that she wore for demon subjugations. All Kafron''s battlemages had custom-designed suits, which allowed them to easily identify each other on the battlefield, even with helmets on. She also had a plain, dark grey suit that she used for stealth missions. But she liked the violet one better. Amisi, Iggy, and a smallish bronze-colored dragon that was probably Humerus were sitting together on a table in the middle of the barrier room, watching the researchers. They all turned to look at Namyis when she came in. "Hi, ice cream lady!" Iggy said, sitting back on his haunches so he could wave his paws at her. "Hi!" Namyis said cheerfully, waving back while considerately keeping her distance from them. "Where''s Ariom?" "He''s still getting his suit adjusted," Mideis said, walking over to meet her. "It''s a brand new one that we had made for him." "Ah." Namyis nodded in understanding. Combat suit adjustments were a regular part of life for her. "Let me show you how we have things set up." Mideis gestured around the room they were in. "This is where we''ll be doing the actual enchantment analysis. That examination table is the same kind that we use for autopsies, but with a strong reinforcement enchantment added so it can survive our upcoming practice sessions. It''s adjustable, so you and Ariom can choose whether you want to work standing or sitting down. Today''s practice is mostly about figuring out a comfortable working arrangement. We''ll start with the actual explosions tomorrow." He pointed toward a low wall that cut partway across one side of the room. "Humerus and I will be sitting over there. Out of the way, but close enough to assist if you need us to." Bero and Humerus had been officially recruited to help out with the job. Originally, it had just been to keep an eye on Thenio. They were already planning to have a doctor on hand to monitor him, and Bero was an ideal choice for that role since he was aware of the boy''s special needs. But when he agreed to participate, he also insisted that Humerus stay inside the barrier with Ariom and Namyis for ''extra protection.'' Namyis wasn''t familiar with Humerus'' abilities, so she wasn''t exactly sure what Bero meant by that. But she knew that revenants had quite a fearsome reputation among combat wizards who did pest control. And Ariom had agreed to his uncle''s request, which meant that he thought Humerus would be able to help, so Namyis had no complaints. Ariom was a bit of a grouch, but she trusted his judgment. "There''s an observation room over there," Mideis went on, pointing toward a thick glass panel set into one wall. A few more people in Guard uniforms were visible on the other side of it. "We''ll have some of our researchers and a medical team standing by, just in case we need them." He pointed at the adjoining wall. "There''s another room set up for Thenio on the other side of that wall. Ariom wanted it separated from the observation room, to prevent any outside magic from affecting him." "Thenio''s not practicing with us today, though, is he? Didn''t Ariom say that he had a check-up at the Stability Center?" "Right. He and Bero will be stopping by to take a look around later. But it shouldn''t be a problem if he misses this acclimation session. We deliberately got a desk and chair similar to the ones he''s been using at Ariom''s house, so he shouldn''t have any trouble getting used to them." Namyis laughed. "As expected of the Royal Guard. You''re always thorough." "Well...we try," Mideis said with a small smile. "Thorough is right," said an unhappy-sounding voice behind them. "Is adjusting a new combat suit always such a long and miserable process?" They turned to see Ariom walking into the room. He was dressed in a black suit similar to Mideis'', but without the crest. Namyis'' eyes widened a little when she saw him. Ariom''s build was on the slender side, but since he practiced archery, his upper body was quite muscular. It made him look surprisingly good in a combat suit. He also looked remarkably like his father...stigma aside, of course. "Hi, Ariom!" She gave him a bright smile and a little wave. "Wow. You look¡ª" "Don''t say it!" Ariom snarled, cutting her off. Namyis raised her eyebrows in surprise at the outburst. Then she put on a pathetic face. "What? I''m not allowed to tell you that you look good?" "No," he snapped. "You''re not allowed to say anything about how I look. Understand?" "Aww...." She pouted a little. "Fine." "Good." Ariom turned toward where the familiars were sitting. Namyis'' pout twisted up into a mischievous grin. "But just so you know...you look even more like him when you have that angry scowl on your face." Ariom whipped back around, his scowl deepening. Then he seemed to process what she''d just said, and his face twitched awkwardly for a moment before he gave an annoyed snort and turned away from her again. Namyis held back a giggle. Laughing at him after that last shot would probably be pushing things a little too far. Ariom really was fun to tease. And he did look quite handsome in that combat suit....
"All right, that''s enough for now," Chanea said, making a note on the clipboard she was holding. "Those thaumaturgy exercises seem to be working. Your magic flow looks a lot better than it did a month ago. And you''re getting really good at magic shaping." "Yes, you are." Lerian started unstrapping the monitoring devices that Thenio had been wearing while he went through some of his usual magic exercises. "Grandmaster Denifor must be a really good teacher." Thenio gave an awkward smile and didn''t reply. Ariom was a good teacher, but a lot of his recent improvements in magic shaping were actually thanks to his dream magic lessons. He couldn''t tell them that, though. As Lerian finished helping him out of the monitoring equipment, the door of the examination room opened, and Grandmaster Sephior came in with Bero following behind him. After they''d arrived at the Stability Center for Thenio''s appointment, Grandmaster Sephior had left his apprentices in charge of doing the routine tests while he and Bero went to another room to talk privately. Thenio wasn''t exactly sure what they were talking about, but he guessed that it included the topics that Ki''shiu had said were off-limits for him for the time being. Bero probably didn''t want to risk them coming up in the conversation when Thenio told Grandmaster Sephior about his interactions with the dream beast. "We just finished analyzing his magic flow," Chanea said, handing the clipboard to Grandmaster Sephior. "Good." He took the clipboard and flipped through the papers on it, looking over the notes and measurements that Chanea had been writing down. "Yes, very good. This is excellent progress. You must be working hard, boy." He gave Thenio a wrinkly smile. "Just be sure you''re not pushing yourself too much. Take it step by step, remember." Thenio nodded. "Right. I''m trying to be careful. And Ariom keeps track of how much time I spend training to make sure I don''t overdo it." So did Mideis and Ki''shiu, of course, but it was better not to mention them in front of the apprentices. He had permission to tell Grandmaster Sephior about dream magic and how he was using it in the job for the Royal Guard, but he wasn''t supposed to say anything about it to anyone else. "Good." Grandmaster Sephior walked over and sat down in an empty chair across from Thenio''s. "I heard you started having some acrobatics lessons. How is that going? Do you enjoy it?" "Yeah! It''s a lot of fun," Thenio said enthusiastically. "We''ve just been going over the basics so far, since I was out of practice after not taking classes for a couple of years. But my teacher said I''ll be able to start learning some new things soon. He''s going to teach me some of the tricks he used to perform when he was in the circus." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Very good. Magic instability can be a very discouraging condition. I told Ariom that it was important to find activities that you enjoy doing, to help keep your spirits up. I''m glad you''ve found something that suits you. Ariom also mentioned meditation in the last report he sent me?" "Right. Ariom''s doing a job for the Royal Guard, and the inspector who hired him is a mental mage. He offered to teach me a few basic meditation techniques to see if that would help with my magic control. Well, I''ve only been doing them for a couple of weeks, but I think it''s been helping some. I feel a little calmer than I did before." "Good," Grandmaster Sephior said again. "Managing your emotions is very important. So if meditation seems to help you, then by all means, keep doing it." "I will." "Have there been any other significant changes to your training routine?" "Not really. Just...uh...I''ve been doing a little bit of special magic training so that I can help out with Ariom''s current job." Thenio glanced at Bero, who was sitting on one side of the room, next to Lerian. "Maybe Bero told you about that?" Grandmaster Sephior nodded. "Yes, he did. We''ll talk about it more in a moment. First...." He looked at Chanea and Lerian. "Thank you very much for your help, you two. I''m afraid the rest of what we need to discuss involves some sensitive information related to Ariom''s work, so I''ll let you leave now. Since we don''t have any more appointments today, you can go home as soon as you finish your daily paperwork." "Nice!" Chanea held up her arms in celebration. "Ah, don''t get me wrong, I love working here," she added hastily in response to the startled look Thenio gave her. "But going home early once in a while is nice, too." "It''s all right to be happy, but please try to keep a professional attitude when you''re in front of a patient," Grandmaster Sephior told her sternly. "Ah...right. I''m sorry," Chanea said, lowering her head contritely. Grandmaster Sephior maintained his stern expression until the apprentices had left the room. Then he sighed and shook his head. "They''re good kids, those two, but they still have some growing up to do." "Aren''t most apprentices like that? You wouldn''t believe some of the hijinks mine get up to." Bero chuckled. "Thenio here seems quite mature by comparison, in spite of being a few years younger. Though he could do with a little more confidence in himself...." "Well, give him some time," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. "He''s only sixteen, and he''s been going through a lot of difficult things." He turned to Thenio. "And from what I''ve heard, the past couple of weeks have been quite eventful for you. Tell me what''s been going on." The two men sat and listened quietly while Thenio explained everything that had happened, from Ariom taking the job for the Royal Guard and the discovery of Thenio''s unusual drawing abilities, to learning about Ki''shiu and dream magic, to meeting Namyis and almost freezing himself. Bero should have heard most of it before from Ariom, but he seemed to be interested in Thenio''s perspective on the same events. When Thenio had finished, Grandmaster Sephior slowly shook his head with a slightly incredulous expression. "So, the Dream Lord himself has been giving you magic lessons, has he? That''s quite remarkable. From what I''ve heard, he rarely takes an interest in humans." "You know about him?" Thenio asked in surprise. The doctor nodded. "Yes. I lived in Ket''qe for several years when I was younger, studying healing magic with the Shiu''tanas. I heard stories about him there and saw the figurines that children put by their beds." "Oh, right. Ariom said you had a unicorn. So I guess I should have realized you''d spent time there." "He told you about Sano, did he? Knowing Ariom, he probably didn''t have anything very nice to say...." Grandmaster Sephior chuckled a little. "Well...no. Not really," Thenio admitted. "He doesn''t seem to like unicorns very much." "Poor boy." Grandmaster Sephior shook his head. "He met Sano a few times when he was a child and wanted so much to make friends with him. But I''m afraid unicorns aren''t fond of void magic." "Oh." So that was what happened.... "Would it be possible for me to see you using dream magic?" Grandmaster Sephior went on. "I guess? But all I can really do with it so far is to draw things, and I didn''t bring my sketchbook with me." Thenio glanced around the examination room uncertainly. "Um...do you have some paper or something...?" "I''ve got some," Bero said. He pulled a pad of drawing paper and a metal tin out of his space pocket and handed them to Thenio. "There you go. I hope you don''t mind drawing with crayons." Thenio opened the tin to see an assortment of colored wax crayons inside. "I don''t mind, but...why do you carry these around in your space pocket?" "Because I have three grandchildren. And a revenant who enjoys coloring when no one''s looking." Thenio blinked. "Oh." Then he turned back to Grandmaster Sephior. "Um...can you tell me a little bit about your unicorn? Like his favorite food or what kinds of things he likes to do or how he got his name.... Any kind of information is fine." "Well, his name comes from a type of mushroom that grows in Ket''qe. Its cap is a light gold color that''s about the same shade as his coat. He loves apples and sweet clover. His favorite thing to do is probably playing around with Nari. She''s my wife''s familiar," Grandmaster Sephior added in response to Thenio''s questioning look. "Also a unicorn." Thenio''s eyes widened in surprise. "You have two unicorns? Ariom didn''t say anything about a second one...." "Well, he''s never even met her. Sano comes here to the Center occasionally, but Nari is very shy around strangers, so she rarely leaves home." "And Sano''s the one Ariom feels particular resentment towards," Bero said with a wry chuckle. "So that''s who he thinks about whenever the subject of unicorns comes up. That boy does know how to hold a grudge...." "He had quite a difficult childhood," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. "What with his mother being ill and his father...." "...being an idiot," Bero finished for him, rolling his eyes. "Well...yes." The doctor gave an awkward smile. "I think Sano happened to be an easy target for some of his negative feelings from that time." He looked back at Thenio. "But he really isn''t as bad as Ariom makes him out to be. Unicorns are very sensitive creatures, and they can be quite difficult when they''re in uncomfortable surroundings. But they''re very sweet and friendly most of the time." Thenio was once again reminded of the dream he''d had where a unicorn was willingly acting as his cushion. "Well, now. Is that enough information about Sano?" Grandmaster Sephior asked. "It might be. I''ll give it a try." Thenio looked down at the blank sheet of paper in front of him. He activated his dream magic and started going over everything Grandmaster Sephior had just told him in his mind. Sano the unicorn. Named for a golden-colored mushroom. Loves apples and clover and playing with his friend Nari. After a moment, an image started to appear in Thenio''s mind. He picked up a crayon from the tin and started drawing. He''d drawn with crayons like these a lot when he was younger, though he hadn''t used them as much since he learned how to paint. It was quite fun to try them out again, and Bero''s tin had a decent selection of colors, so it wasn''t hard to get the shades he wanted. Thenio immersed himself in his drawing, while the other two watched without interrupting him. "There, done," he said finally, setting his crayon down. He held the paper pad out to Grandmaster Sephior. "How''s that? Does it look like him?" The doctor took the pad and looked down at it. He was silent for a long moment, and Thenio thought he could see a trace of a frown on his face, though he had so many wrinkles that it was hard to tell. But then he looked up and smiled. "Yes, this looks remarkably like Sano. You draw very well, boy. I''m impressed." "He was really able to know what Sano looks like? Just from the little information you told him?" Bero asked, looking rather incredulous. "I know he''s a good artist, and I saw him using magic as he was drawing just now. It just...seems a little incredible...." Grandmaster Sephior held the drawing out to him. "Here. See for yourself." Bero took the pad and looked at it. "It does look like Sano," he admitted after a moment. "And this...." His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait. Isn''t this the tree in your back garden? The one by the pond?" "Yes. It is." "How did he draw that?" Bero raised his head and looked between Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior. "You didn''t even say anything about a tree. I thought he needed information about something to be able to draw it.... Is that where Sano is right now or something?" Grandmaster Sephior shook his head. "No. I just asked him, and he says that he and Nari are helping Relisa pick herbs." "Then how would he have known...?" Bero frowned and looked at Thenio. "Why did you draw this tree?" Thenio shrugged helplessly. "I don''t know. I wasn''t trying to. That''s just what I saw when I used dream magic and thought about Sano. I saw him with that tree." The picture he had drawn was of a honey-colored unicorn with a creamy white mane and tail, lying on the grass underneath some kind of small, weeping tree. "That is one of Sano''s favorite napping places," Grandmaster Sephior said slowly. "Maybe that''s why you saw him there. It''s difficult to know without understanding more about how dream magic actually works." "I could ask Ki''shiu," Thenio said uncertainly. "But I don''t know if he''ll tell me." "Well, it''s just a tree. It''s curious that it showed up in your drawing, but it''s probably nothing to worry about. More importantly...." The doctor turned to look at Bero. "Do you think the Royal Guard would mind if I joined in with that enchantment analysis?" Bero raised his eyebrows. "You joining in yourself? I expect they''ll be thrilled. They were happy enough when I said I''d do it. They were originally planning to ask the Stability Center for a doctor for Thenio, but I don''t think they expected to get anyone very high up." "That might be the case if I didn''t know he had a mythic beast as his personal tutor. We can''t afford to neglect someone that the Dream Lord holds in such high regard. Besides, I''m intrigued by what he said about dream magic helping to control chaos magic. I''d like to understand more about how that works, and this sounds like a good opportunity to observe Thenio''s dream magic in use." "I see. We''re going over to the Guard headquarters to pick up Ariom after this. I''ll let them know that you''d like to participate." "Thank you," Grandmaster Sephior said with a smile. "We''ll also need to arrange a time to test Thenio''s reactions to various forms of magic, but it should probably wait until after this job for the Royal Guard is completed. It sounds like Ariom is quite preoccupied at the moment." "He was feeling overwhelmed enough that he wrote and asked me for help, despite how much he hates depending on other people. Ah, it''s not your fault, Thenio," Bero added quickly in response to the guilty look on Thenio''s face. "Ariom and Iggy both enjoy having you around. It''s just...well...Ariom really wasn''t prepared for mythic beasts...." "I don''t think anyone''s ever prepared for mythic beasts," Grandmaster Sephior said with a sigh. Origin Story 3 - How to Become an Open-Minded Enchanter (Part 1) There was a small commotion going on outside when Theo left the alchemy lab building after finishing his classes for the day. Several students were standing on one side of the walkway, looking up at a nearby building. He couldn¡¯t see what they were looking at because of the trees lining the walkway, but as he moved closer, he could hear them talking. ¡°What¡¯s it doing up there?¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s lost?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not full grown, is it? Is it okay to just leave it? Should we get a professor?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that floating green thing?¡± Finally reaching the edge of the group, Theo looked up and saw what the fuss was about: A kitten-sized black dragon was perched on a windowsill two stories up. Its face and front paws were pressed up against the glass, and its long tail was waving energetically. A small, bright green ball was hovering in the air behind it. Theo made a face. There were probably a lot of little black dragons in the world. But how many of them turned up randomly around the campus of the Royal Magic Academy and were accompanied by a flying rubber ball? It was definitely him. Theo briefly considered sneaking off before the dragon noticed him. Their last meeting hadn¡¯t exactly gone well¡­. No, he shouldn¡¯t. He reminded himself that he was prepared this time. And he needed to make up for that careless mistake before it came back to bite him. ¡°Iggy?¡± he called out. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him. The dragon also turned its head and looked down for a few seconds. Then it abruptly leapt off the windowsill and dove straight at him, green ball trailing behind. ¡°Theo!¡± He barely had time to brace himself for the impact. But tiny dragons, it turned out, are very lightweight. Iggy landing on his shoulder felt like someone had tossed a towel at him. It didn¡¯t hurt at all. ¡°See, Theo? See? I told you I would remember you. And I did!¡± ¡°Yes, you did. Very good.¡± Theo actually was a bit impressed. He and Iggy had only met once before, and that was almost two months ago now. ¡°Oh, he can talk. He¡¯s a familiar, then?¡± The girl who had suggested getting a professor was looking curiously at Iggy. ¡°I was sure he was just a baby. I guess he¡¯s an unusually small elemental breed?¡± ¡°I guess? I know he¡¯s fire element, but I¡¯m not sure what breed he is.¡± Theo glanced at Iggy, but unlike his usual chatty self, the dragon didn¡¯t seem to want to contribute any additional information. He was avoiding Theo¡¯s gaze. ¡°But yes, he¡¯s a familiar. I know who his contractor is. He¡¯s probably just taking a stroll around campus while his partner¡¯s in a boring meeting. You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡± This seemed to satisfy the group. They dispersed with only a few more curious looks at the little black dragon. Theo was grateful for that. He hadn¡¯t lied?¡ª?he did know who Iggy¡¯s owner was. But he¡¯d never actually met the man before, so further questions would have been awkward. ¡°What were you doing up there?¡± Theo asked when the others were gone. ¡°Looking for Aria and Cecily. You know them? Cecily goes to school here. And Aria is my cousin. She gets to come to school with Cecily because she¡¯s training to be a familiar.¡± An academy student with a pet elemental dragon? Theo didn¡¯t recognize the names, but there were very few students whose families could afford to buy them such a luxury. ¡°I don¡¯t know them, but I think I know who you¡¯re talking about. Is Aria a Violet Flare?¡± Violet Flare dragons were a rare, top quality elemental breed, considered by many to be the best of the fire element dragons. Getting one required spending years on a waiting list, not to mention an astronomical sum of money. It had caused a huge stir when a student actually showed up with one for a pet. That was the year before Theo started at the academy, but he¡¯d heard stories. ¡°Wait, you said she¡¯s your cousin? You¡¯re not a Violet Flare, are you?¡± Iggy¡¯s scales were definitely black, not violet. But the very thought that he might have a creature worth a king¡¯s ransom sitting on his shoulder made Theo¡¯s blood turn cold. He definitely needed to stay on this dragon¡¯s good side from now on. Iggy¡¯s ears drooped. ¡°Aria is a Violet. I¡¯m¡­different.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a hybrid?¡± ¡°No,¡± Iggy said testily, his ears flattening even further. ¡°My egg came out the wrong color.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Theo was far from being an expert on dragons and had no idea what it meant for an egg to ''come out the wrong color.'' Was it some kind of disease? A mutation, maybe? It was obviously a sore point for Iggy, whatever it was. ¡°Well, black is a nice color, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s very elegant.¡± Actually, with Iggy¡¯s size, the effect was more cute than elegant, but Theo knew better than to say that. Wait. Wouldn¡¯t a mutant Violet Flare dragon be even more rare and valuable than a regular one? The weight on Theo¡¯s shoulder suddenly seemed even heavier. ¡°Really?¡± Iggy¡¯s ears lifted hopefully. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re a very handsome dragon.¡± Iggy gave a happy little wriggle. Then he suddenly jumped off Theo¡¯s shoulder, spreading his wings to swoop around behind him. ¡°Alfred! Theo says I¡¯m handsome!¡± Theo turned in time to see the little dragon flutter down onto the outstretched arm of a man standing a short distance away. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find Aria and Cecily. But I found Theo! And I remembered his name! And he thinks I¡¯m elegant and handsome!¡± ¡°Does he?¡± The man?¡ª?Alfred?¡ª?gave an amused smile and lightly rubbed Iggy¡¯s head in between his tiny horns. ¡°Well, he¡¯s right, of course. You¡¯re very elegant and handsome.¡± Iggy¡¯s tail swished enthusiastically at that. Alfred avoided being hit by it with what was clearly a well-practiced move. ¡°Cecily and Aria are out doing a field study today. I asked at their dormitory. They won¡¯t be back until tonight. So we¡¯ll have to do fireworks with them another time.¡± ¡°Aww¡­.¡± Iggy wilted with disappointment. But he quickly brightened again. ¡°Let¡¯s ask Theo to come do fireworks with us!¡± ¡°Oh? You want him to come?¡± ¡°Yes! Theo¡¯s my friend!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you two have a fight the last time you saw each other?¡± Alfred shot Theo a wry glance. ¡°About whether or not I¡¯m a proper wizard?¡± Theo felt his face turn red. He¡¯d been wondering when that would come up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± he stammered. ¡°I mean¡­I wasn¡¯t trying to¡­.¡± Iggy came to his defense. ¡°I told you, he was just all grumpy and worried because his homework was too hard. He didn¡¯t really mean it. And just because we had a fight doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t be friends.¡± Theo looked at him in amazement. He¡¯d been trying not to let on how stressed he was about his schoolwork during their last conversation. But Iggy had still picked up on it? ¡°Besides,¡± Iggy continued, ¡°Theo smells nice.¡± ¡°I?¡ª?What?¡± ¡°He means your magic, not your physical scent,¡± Alfred explained. ¡°Don¡¯t get weird ideas. Iggy¡¯s very sensitive to magic power, so he can detect the low level magic emissions that people and magic beasts let off all the time. Just that he usually describes it as a physical sense, like a scent or a color. You know everyone has their own unique magic signature, right? Some are more pleasant to him than others. Yours is apparently one of the pleasant ones.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Theo didn¡¯t know what to say in response to that. ¡°And since Iggy likes you, we might as well get along.¡± Alfred moved closer and held out his hand. ¡°Alfred Denifort.¡± Theo shook hands, feeling awkward. ¡°Theo Ranoa. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, sir. And¡­um¡­about the things I said before¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alfred waved his hand indifferently. ¡°I know my approach to magic is a bit unusual. You¡¯re hardly the first person to be skeptical about it. And don¡¯t worry about the ¡®sir¡¯ part, either. I¡¯m really not into that kind of thing.¡± His tone was calm, but a bit distant. Was he normally like that? Or was he actually still upset, in spite of what he said? ¡°Oh!¡± Iggy suddenly interrupted Theo¡¯s nervous analysis. ¡°I remember! Theo was making a toy! I said I would come see it. Did you make a good one? Can we see?¡± ¡°Even if he made one, he¡¯s probably not carrying it around with him, you know.¡± Alfred patted the excited little dragon. ¡°Well, actually¡­I am.¡± Feeling grateful for his own foresight, Theo opened his school bag. ¡°It turned out to be pretty useful, so I made a few to keep in my bag.¡± After a little rifling, he pulled out a piece of paper covered in faint, silvery writing. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a toy. But you can turn it into one. Hang on a minute.¡± He got down on one knee and set his bag sideways on his leg to form a makeshift desk. He put the paper on it and started carefully folding. Iggy jumped down to watch more closely, his front paws on Theo¡¯s knee and his tail twitching. After a couple of minutes, the paper had turned into a shape resembling a frog. ¡°Almost done.¡± For the final step, Theo put his finger against the paper and sent a small amount of magic into it. The silver writing glowed briefly and then faded to a dark grey. This indicated that the reinforcement enchantment had activated, making the paper resistant to any physical damage. Though it was hard to say how well it would hold up against a little dragon who had a history of accidentally making his toys explode¡­. ¡°There.¡± Theo set the paper frog in front of Iggy. He pushed down on the frog¡¯s back with his finger and then let go, sending it flying into the air. ¡°It jumped! It jumped!¡± Iggy said excitedly, jumping up and down himself. ¡°Here, you try it.¡± Theo retrieved the frog and put it on the ground next to Iggy. ¡°Hold down right there. Um¡­try using the side of your claw, so it doesn¡¯t catch on the paper. Right. Like that. Now slide your claw quickly off the back end. Oh, almost. Try it again¡­.¡± It took several attempts, but Iggy finally managed to make the frog jump high in the air, as Theo had done. ¡°I did it!¡± the little dragon crowed. ¡°Alfred! Alfred! Look! I can make the frog jump!¡± ¡°Well done, little guy.¡± Alfred chuckled as he watched Iggy chasing after the frog and making it jump again and again. Though Theo noticed his eyes were focused on the paper frog, not the dragon. ¡°Iggy and I are here to teach a special class for the senior enchanting students,¡± he said after a pause. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join in, if you¡¯re free right now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to make fireworks!¡± Iggy added, without looking up from his new toy. ¡°That¡¯s¡­well, I am free,¡± Theo said, a bit uncomfortably. ¡°But I¡¯m only a second year student. If the class is for seniors¡­.¡± Naturally, he¡¯d be thrilled to have a chance to learn from Alfred and to try to mend their awkward relationship. But he¡¯d just make a fool of himself if he got in over his head. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alfred was still gazing intently at the frog, but now he turned and gave Theo an encouraging nod. ¡°If you designed the enchantment matrix on that paper by yourself, you shouldn¡¯t have too much trouble with the project we¡¯ll be working on. Like Iggy said, it¡¯s just making fireworks. Basic stuff.¡± ¡°You¡¯re teaching senior students basic enchanting?¡± Theo was perplexed. Alfred gave a sly smile. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at what you can do with the basics. Magic is a lot more than just technical skills, you know. Why should I bother coming here to teach a class on something you could simply learn from a textbook?¡± Theo wasn¡¯t quite sure what he was getting at. Maybe other branches of magic were different, but your enchanting ability was mainly based on your knowledge of magic formations and your scribing skills. Wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Anyway, if you want to come, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯d better head over there now to get things set up. Come on, Iggy. We need to go get ready to make fireworks.¡± Iggy, who was in the process of pouncing on the paper frog, froze and turned to look at Alfred. Then he looked back at the frog under his paws. Then he raised his head and stared meaningfully at Theo. ¡°Ah, you can keep that if you want it,¡± Theo said quickly, realizing what the little dragon was asking. ¡°I made it for you. It¡¯s even fireproof.¡± Iggy¡¯s expression immediately lit up. He carefully scooped up the frog and flew with it up to Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thanks, Theo! You made a good toy!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Theo glanced at the green ball, which was still floating dutifully behind Iggy, in spite of him ignoring it while he played with another toy. It looked simple enough, but Theo knew it had an absolutely ridiculous number of enchantments on it. ¡°I thought it would be pretty boring compared to the sort of toys that Alfred makes.¡± He was actually quite happy that Iggy approved of his creation, but he reminded himself to stay humble. He was just a student, and Alfred was a certified wizard and Grandmaster rank enchanter. Their abilities couldn¡¯t even be compared. ¡°Alfred¡¯s toys are fancier,¡± Iggy agreed. ¡°But he¡¯s never made a toy out of paper. And I never had a toy that Theo made for me before! So it¡¯s special because of that!¡± ¡°Oh¡­well¡­I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± Theo said, embarrassed. He also felt a little guilty. No sane magic student would pass up a chance to get on a Grandmaster¡¯s good side. A connection like that could have huge advantages, both now and in the future. But it still left a bad taste in his mouth to know that he was basically using Iggy to make Alfred have a better impression of him. Especially when the little dragon seemed so sincerely pleased by the attention. ¡°You should come do paints and fireworks with us!¡± Iggy¡¯s tail was waving enthusiastically again, hitting against Theo¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s fun! We¡¯ll go splish splash and then boom boom!¡± A few sparks flew out of his mouth on the ''boom''s. ¡°Are you coming?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Theo gave a slightly forced smile. ¡°It sounds great.¡± Iggy¡¯s description sounded a little bit ominous, actually. Did all fire dragons enjoy blowing things up as much as this one seemed to? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what exactly he was getting himself into.
The class was held in one of the academy¡¯s enchanting lab rooms. It was a large room with several rows of individual workstations and a long demonstration table at one end. Alfred went over to the table and set his bag down on it. It was an unassuming, worn leather bag?¡ª?not too different from Theo¡¯s school bag. Or it looked that way. Until Alfred started to pull out box after box of enchanting materials. Far more than a bag that size should have been able to hold. Well, of course. Why shouldn¡¯t the owner of an insanely expensive dragon also own an insanely expensive space compression bag? Theo didn¡¯t know why he was surprised at this point. Grandmasters were something else. Seriously¡­. Theo sighed and set his cheap, non-magical canvas bag down on the nearest workstation. Then he went over to help arrange the items that Alfred was unpacking. One of the boxes Alfred pulled out was full of folded pieces of cloth. The rest contained glass jars filled with various colors of paint. This was a bit unusual. Inscriptions were normally done with thin inks and fine-tipped pens, to allow for smaller writing. The smaller you could write, the more magic formations you could fit in a given space. Paints were mostly used for large-scale inscriptions that covered an entire room or building. But that didn¡¯t seem to be what this class was about, since Iggy and Alfred kept talking about fireworks. Unless they were going to be learning to make some kind of permanent fireworks installation, sort of like the enchantments some high-class water fountains had? But how many people would actually use something like that? Well...Alfred might, for starters. Since Iggy was a fire element dragon, he should be immune to heat, so he¡¯d probably love a fireworks fountain. Theo wouldn¡¯t be too surprised to hear they had one installed in their home. They had just finished setting the paint boxes out on the table when an older woman came into the room carrying a stack of paper. Theo recognized her as one of the professors that taught advanced enchanting. ¡°Will this do?¡± she asked, setting the paper down on the table. They were sheets of heavy white paper about a foot square. It looked like a thicker version of the practice paper normally used in scribing classes. Alfred lifted the top sheet and felt it between his finger and thumb. ¡°Yes, this is fine.¡± ¡°Was there anything else you needed?¡± ¡°No, that should do it. All we need now is for the students to show up.¡± They only had to wait a few minutes before people started trickling into the room in ones and twos. They all seemed to know the professor, and most of them greeted her before taking their seats. Theo, the only lower level student present, sat and listened to the exchanges, feeling a bit awkward. Then he suddenly stiffened as a familiar voice reached his ears. Glancing over, he saw a confident-looking girl walking to the front of the classroom, where Alfred was leaning casually against the table with Iggy perched on his shoulder, watching the students as they entered. ¡°Grandmaster Denifort.¡± The girl smiled brightly as she drew near them. ¡°So good to see you again. I was thrilled when I found out you were teaching a class here.¡± Theo gritted his teeth. Of all the¡­. Why hadn¡¯t it occurred to him that she would be here? He should have realized when he heard the class was for senior enchanting students¡­. And she already knew Alfred? His hopes of building up a good relationship started to diminish rapidly. Abigail Perinith. She was the granddaughter of a well-known Master enchanter, who ran the workshop where Theo¡¯s parents worked. She and Theo had known each other since they were young children. The first time they¡¯d met, Abigail had knocked Theo¡¯s favorite stuffed toy into a mud puddle to distract him while she stole the cookies his mother had given him for an afternoon snack. And making his life miserable had continued to be one of her favorite hobbies ever since. Given the difference in their families¡¯ status, there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it other than avoid her as much as possible. ¡°Oh? Theo?¡± And here she came¡­. ¡°What are you doing here? I thought this class was only for advanced students.¡± Her tone was friendly, but there was a malicious glint in her eyes. Theo knew she¡¯d love to be able to call him out as some kind of infiltrator. ¡°We invited him,¡± Alfred said. ¡°He¡¯s Iggy¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Iggy¡¯s¡­?¡± Abigail looked a bit confused by that, and her smile faltered for a moment. But she fixed it quickly. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You two know each other?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve known each other for ages.¡± Abigail smiled sweetly. ¡°Theo¡¯s parents are assistants at my grandfather¡¯s workshop.¡± She said the word ''assistants'' with a slight emphasis, and Theo noticed several people glancing in his direction when they heard it. He frowned. Stupid elitists. It¡¯s not like there was anything shameful about being a magic assistant. It just meant that, for whatever reason, the person hadn¡¯t been able to jump through all the hoops that were required to get a wizard certification. But there were plenty of people in the magic community who regarded them as failures and looked down on them. Most of those same people were also quick to assume that the child of such failures was destined to be a failure as well. Theo had spent his whole life struggling against that kind of bias. But Alfred maintained his calm expression. ¡°Is that so? What areas do they assist in?¡± He sounded genuinely interested. ¡°My mother does alchemy preparations,¡± Theo said cautiously. ¡°And my father is a scribe. You probably know that the Perinith Workshop specializes in pre-inscribed magic crystals?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Alfred nodded. ¡°That explains it. I thought your scribing work on that paper was unusually precise for a student¡¯s. You must have learned from your father. A lot of assistant scribes do really beautiful work. Most certified enchanters could stand to learn a thing or two from them.¡± An awkward silence followed these words. It was clear that most of the people listening weren¡¯t quite sure what to think of them. Abigail looked like she¡¯d just smelled something nasty but was trying not to let it show on her face. Theo was dumbfounded. Had Alfred just¡­praised him? No, had he just praised assistants? A Grandmaster wizard? Wait...before that...when had he examined Theo¡¯s inscription closely enough to even know how precise it was? Theo hadn¡¯t seen him using a scribing loupe. All he¡¯d done was to stare at the paper frog while Iggy was playing with it¡­. What, had he done it then? Was it actually possible to examine an enchanted object in detail from six feet away? Without a loupe? While a dragon was playing with it? ¡°It looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡± The professor¡¯s clear voice cut through Theo¡¯s confused thoughts. ¡°Please take a seat, and we¡¯ll get started.¡± There were eight students there, apart from Theo. It was hard to believe that only that many people were interested in a special class taught by a Grandmaster wizard who had won multiple awards in the prestigious Roshencroft Magic Competition. So they had probably limited it to only a few of the top enchanting students. Theo was amazed at his luck to somehow get in with such an elite bunch. And all because Iggy thought he smelled nice¡­. Determined to make the most of the opportunity, Theo paid careful attention while the professor introduced Alfred as their guest teacher. ¡°¡­Grandmaster Denifort has a great reputation in the field for his creative and resourceful solutions to complex enchanting problems. He¡¯s frequently called upon by government and Association leaders to help deal with difficult circumstances arising in the kingdom. We felt that you students would benefit greatly from hearing some of the insights he¡¯s gained through these experiences, and we¡¯re delighted that he was willing to come teach this class today. Please give him your close attention.¡± Theo had the impression that Alfred and Iggy were both rather bored by this speech, but Alfred thanked the professor politely before he addressed the class. ¡°Well, as Professor Nuren said, I was asked to teach you a little bit about becoming more open-minded and resourceful as enchanters. I specialize in custom enchanting work, which requires a lot of adaptability. "In a workshop, you more or less have control over the enchanting environment. You make designs that suit your capabilities. You order whatever materials and tools you need. Nothing wrong with workshops, of course?¡ª?they fill a vital need. But they don¡¯t usually demand much in the way of creativity. "Custom work is different. Every job is unique, and you often have to work in unfavorable conditions and make do with whatever resources you have available. So how do you learn to do that? "There¡¯s the hard way, of course. Just jump in, unprepared, and learn as you go. That does work. You¡¯ll learn a lot if you stick with it long enough. But you¡¯ll make a lot of mistakes and waste a lot of materials. Clients won¡¯t be happy, and they¡¯ll stop hiring you eventually. So I don¡¯t recommend going that route. There¡¯s a better way. A way to be at least somewhat prepared, even when you don¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s coming. "The process is actually very simple, although it takes time and effort. There are two parts to it: First, get a really solid foundation in the basics of enchanting and scribing. I mean really solid. Don¡¯t just memorize magic formations. Take the time to thoroughly understand the principles involved and exactly how every piece of the formation functions. Don¡¯t worry too much about the fancy, advanced stuff, beyond what you need to pass your classes and certification exams. Just be sure to know the basics. Know them forwards, backwards, inside out, and upside down.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Professor Nuren?¡ª?whose job it was to teach the fancy, advanced stuff?¡ª?reacted to this piece of advice. But she was sitting at the back of the room, and turning around to look at her would have been much too obvious. ¡°Once you have a solid foundation to work from, you can move on to the second part of the process.¡± Alfred paused and flashed a mischievous smile. ¡°Play.¡± A slight rustling went around the room when he said that, and Theo heard a soft ¡°Huh?¡± from somewhere behind him. ¡°Yes, you heard that right. Take time to play around. Think of the enchanting fundamentals you¡¯ve been learning so thoroughly as your game pieces. Once you¡¯ve collected them all, it¡¯s time to play with them. Experiment. Make a mess. Set a few things on fire. Use up a lot of cheap materials. Play games with your pieces until you understand what you can and can¡¯t do with them. "There¡¯s one particular type of game that will help you out a lot with that. Restrictive games. Games where the rules limit what resources and methods you can use in order to achieve the goal and win.¡± Alfred gestured toward the materials stacked on the table in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going to try a game like that today to help you understand what I mean and see how you can benefit from doing this. "The rules are simple: Your goal is to make a magic firework. The design is up to you. Make it as simple or as complex as you like. But you¡¯re only allowed to use what¡¯s on this table. All scribing needs to be done manually. No magic use allowed. Are there any questions?¡± Abigail raised her hand. ¡°Sir, what type of brushes are we allowed to use? Are there any restrictions?¡± Theo knew why she was asking. Most students would only have the standard set of brushes in their scribing toolkits. But Abigail was studying to be an artistic enchanter, meaning someone who specialized in creating inscriptions that were not only functional, but also beautifully ornate. They were expensive and not very practical, but they were popular with aristocrats, who bought and displayed them as a way to flaunt their wealth. Artistic enchanters worked with a much broader range of paints and inks than other enchanters did. Since Abigail¡¯s grandfather was never stingy with the enchanting supplies he bought her, she probably had a ridiculous number of paintbrushes to choose from. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say it? You¡¯re only allowed to use what¡¯s on this table.¡± Alfred gave another mischievous grin. ¡°Just paper and paints. No tools. No magic. Though there are some cleaning cloths here, since things will probably get a little messy.¡± He reached up to stroke the little dragon on his shoulder. ¡°These are Iggy¡¯s favorite finger paints. Or paw paints, in his case.¡± ¡°Finger paints?¡± A boy on the front row repeated, looking bewildered. ¡°You want us to draw enchantment matrices¡­with finger paints?¡± Most of the students looked similarly confused. Scribing practice generally focused on producing thin, neat lines. Painting with your fingers was the exact opposite of that. ¡°This is how you become a resourceful enchanter,¡± Alfred said patiently. ¡°You practice working under difficult circumstances. I guarantee that what I¡¯m asking you to do is possible at your skill level. You¡¯ll just have to be more creative than usual in how you go about it. Everyone can help themselves to the materials here. We should have plenty, so don¡¯t worry about making mistakes. Just get more paper and try again. I¡¯ll give you an hour to work, and then we¡¯ll discuss the results. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Origin Story 3 – How to Become an Open-Minded Enchanter (Part 2) Rather reluctantly, the students filed up to the table. Theo joined the line. He was actually feeling optimistic about their assignment. The enchanted sheets of paper that he carried in his bag had been his final project for one of his enchanting classes the previous term. He¡¯d spent weeks working on it. And he¡¯d taken extra time to research paper toys so he¡¯d be able to make something that Iggy would like whenever he met the little dragon again. Because of that, he was very aware of the possibilities that the stack of paper on the table represented. Alfred had called the paints ''finger paints,'' but he hadn¡¯t actually said they needed to paint with their fingers. If he could figure out how to make a writing tool out of paper¡­. Theo didn¡¯t entertain any illusions about being able to create an inscription that was any better than the other students¡¯. The enchanting course at the Royal Academy was five years. The others were in their final year?¡ª?three years ahead of him. Obviously their enchanting skills would be better than his. But the focus of this assignment was creativity, not skill. If he could just come up with a creative idea, he still had a chance to make a good impression. He picked up a set of paints, a cleaning cloth, and several sheets of paper. Back at his workstation, he took a moment to examine the materials?¡ª?checking the thickness and texture of the paper and opening some of the paint jars to look at the color and consistency. He had just decided what type of brush to make and was thinking through how to construct it, when a noise made him stop and look up. It was the sound of paper ripping. The noise hadn¡¯t only attracted Theo¡¯s attention. Everyone in the class had turned to look at Abigail, who was busily tearing strips of paper and rolling them into thin tubes. Noticing that the rest of the room was watching her, she gave a satisfied smile. ¡°He said we had to use what¡¯s on the table, but he never said how we had to use it. If we aren¡¯t allowed paint brushes, why not just make some from the materials we are allowed? Artistic enchanters study brush and pen making, so it seemed like the obvious solution to me.¡± She looked at Alfred. ¡°It¡¯s not against the rules, is it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. Making tools is allowed as long as they¡¯re made from the supplies I gave you. A good observation, Miss Perinith.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Abigail gave Alfred a brilliant smile. Then she returned to her work, a rather smug expression on her face. The rest of the students glanced at each other. Then, one by one, they turned back to their workstations and started folding, tearing, and rolling their paper. A few went back up to the front to get extra sheets. Theo was the only one who didn¡¯t join in. He just sat, staring down at his paper sheets and feeling like an idiot. Some creative idea that had been¡­. Even if he¡¯d already thought of it, everyone would think he was just copying Abigail if he did it now. But what else was he supposed to do? He tentatively dipped his finger in one of the paint jars and tried drawing the first few lines of a magic formation. They were thick and uneven. He¡¯d barely be able to fit a single formation on the page like this, let alone a whole matrix. And even if he could fit it all, the uneven lines would cause problems with the magic flow. Best case, the enchantment wouldn¡¯t function at all. Worst case, it would explode. Though Iggy might enjoy that. Boom boom, right? Was making paper brushes the only way to get the job done? ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s gotten started,¡± Alfred said, looking around the room. ¡°Your turn, Iggy. You can paint here on this end of the table.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Iggy jumped down onto the table and started doing a little dance of anticipation while Alfred got some paper and a set of paints for him. And cleaning cloths. A lot of cleaning cloths. ¡°All set, little guy. Try not to splash too much, okay?¡± Iggy did his happy wiggle. ¡°Can I sing, too?¡± ¡°Sing away,¡± Alfred said with a smile. ¡°Let them hear your special painting song.¡± Wait¡­what? Surely Iggy¡¯s splish splash painting was going to be distracting enough. But he was going to sing while they worked, too? Theo noticed a few of the other students looking similarly disconcerted by this. The little dragon sat back on his haunches like a squirrel and dipped both his front feet into the open paint jars. Then he started happily pawing at his paper, smearing paint all over it. While he painted, he began to sing. Splash the paint onto the page Drizzle, drip, like pastry glaze Making fireworks so bright Little flowers made of light ¡°Is this part of working under difficult circumstances, too?¡± Theo heard someone mutter. Iggy actually had quite a pleasant singing voice. But the song was still very distracting. It was normal for enchanters to work in silence to help maintain their focus, especially when working in a group like this. Obviously Alfred would know this, which meant his allowing Iggy to sing was a deliberate choice. A part of the game. Was it simply meant to be a distraction? The other students seemed to think so. Although several of them made annoyed expressions, they all lowered their heads and returned to concentrating on their work. But Theo had already learned?¡ª?in quite an embarrassing fashion?¡ª?that it wasn¡¯t wise to underestimate that little black dragon or his owner. Let them hear your special painting song, Alfred had said. Theo wasn¡¯t sure whether to call it intuition or desperation, but he decided to listen closely and see if he could figure out just what was so special about it. Add the colors?¡ª?one, two, three Count all the elements you see Fire¡¯s black like Iggy¡¯s scales Earth is red like a rusty nail Light is blue like a glowing ball Dark is brown like a dungeon wall Air is green like shiny satin Water¡¯s orange like Mr. Kraken What was with those colors? They didn¡¯t follow the standard color-coding system for elements at all. Iggy seemed to have assigned the colors based on his personal experiences. Some made obvious sense, like wanting fire to be black to match up with his own element and color. But how exactly was air like green satin...? Puzzling over the little dragon¡¯s color choices, Theo looked down at his paint jars. The colors they¡¯d been given were the same ones Iggy listed in his song. Was there some kind of hint there? Something he could use? Why had Iggy felt a need to assign elements to all the paint colors, anyway? You normally wouldn¡¯t worry about something like that unless you were making an elemental diagram. Or if you happened to be using¡ª Theo''s eyes widened as he stared at his paints. ¡°They can¡¯t be¡­¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Elemental paints. The standard enchanting process used magic formations?¡ª?specific combinations of lines and symbols?¡ª?to guide the flow of magic power. The path the magic took through the formation determined what the effects were. But this wasn¡¯t the only method. It was just the most widely preferred one because it was the safest and easiest to replicate. One alternate method was known as elemental enchanting. Unlike regular enchanting, which used magically conductive but otherwise inert materials, it relied on materials that were charged with raw elemental power. This allowed the enchanter to create magic similar to that of magic beasts, most of whom also used elements. It was powerful, but it was difficult to control and therefore dangerous. The required materials, such as elemental paints, were also difficult to make and often required rare ingredients. Which meant they were very expensive. No responsible teacher would give his students such dangerous and expensive materials to mess around with, especially without telling them what they were. Elemental enchanting was considered an advanced technique and wasn¡¯t even taught at the academy level. You needed to get an Apprentice certification and find a mentor who was willing to teach you if you wanted to study it. As far as Theo could see, his fellow students were all drawing normal magic formations. If these really were elemental paints, that wasn¡¯t the proper method at all. Their enchantments would destabilize and cause a disaster. Since Alfred was calmly watching the students work without saying anything, the odds of that being the case were basically zero. But¡­. Theo opened his jar of black paint and examined it closely. Logically speaking, it was impossible for these to be real elemental paints, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something odd about them. He stared at the paint, concentrating his senses. It was faint, but now that he knew to look for it, he could feel magic power emitting from the black liquid. That definitely wasn¡¯t normal. One of the things Theo had learned from growing up as the child of alchemy and enchanting assistants was that almost all alchemy materials emitted magic, but hardly any enchanting materials did. Checking the other jars, he discovered that they were the same, although the feel of the magic was slightly different for each color. They couldn¡¯t be elemental paints. But they didn¡¯t seem to not be elemental paints, either. Baffled, Theo raised his head to look at Iggy, who was still painting happily at the front of the room. His nose had a yellow splotch, and one wing was streaked with blue. He had started on a new song by now?¡ª?something about a brave little dragon going off on a quest to defeat an evil knight. Iggy¡¯s very sensitive to magic power. Bits of the earlier conversation ran through Theo¡¯s mind. He usually describes it as a scent or a color.¡­ These are Iggy¡¯s favorite finger paints. A wild idea was starting to form. Alfred¡¯s toys are fancier. Fancy toys. Was that what these were? It was crazy, but the more Theo thought it through, the more it began to make sense. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. If Iggy perceived elemental power as color, then elemental paints would seem like brilliant, glowing jewels to him. Of course he¡¯d want to play with them. But that wouldn¡¯t be feasible with the real thing. So Alfred, the brilliant Grandmaster enchanter who spoiled his little dragon with elaborate magic toys, had made a new type of elemental paints. Ones that emitted magic like the real thing but were safe for Iggy to play with. If that was true?¡ª?and Theo was fairly convinced that it was?¡ª?it was a remarkable achievement. Elemental enchanting was a rare skill, simply because it was dangerous and expensive to learn. Safe, inexpensive practice paints would completely change that, but no one had ever successfully developed any. Until now, anyway. Once again, Theo was forced to acknowledge the ridiculous, rule-shattering existence of the beings called Grandmaster wizards. He felt even more intimidated by Alfred with this, but also all the more determined to catch his attention. But what should he do? Their allotted hour was ticking away, and he still hadn¡¯t even started on his firework inscription. Theo had always been interested in alternative enchanting methods and had read quite a lot about them. He understood the basics of how elemental enchanting was supposed to work, but he¡¯d obviously never tried it before. Was it reckless to act like these really were elemental paints and try out a technique he¡¯d never used? Would he look like a complete idiot in front of all these more knowledgeable enchanters? And Magma the bravest dragon Saved the day again! Iggy ended his song with an emphatic splash of paint that left him covered in multicolored flecks. Unlike the serious, focused students, the little dragon was clearly having a lot of fun. Oh¡­right. Theo had almost forgotten what Iggy had told him when they first met. The thing that led to their argument. Alfred¡¯s unusual philosophy about magic. Magic was supposed to be fun. Theo still wasn¡¯t sure that he entirely agreed with that line of thinking. But wasn¡¯t it better to follow Alfred¡¯s ideals if he wanted to make a good impression? Come to think of it, that had been part of the instructions for this project: Play. Experiment. Make a mess. Treat it like a game. Then why shouldn¡¯t he do just that? If their Grandmaster teacher approved of it, what did it matter what anyone else here thought? Having come to a decision, Theo pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and reordered his paint jars. He couldn¡¯t tell which paints were which elements just by the feel of the magic, but since Iggy was using the same paints, it was probably safe to follow the list from the song. He arranged the jars in a standard elemental circle to help him remember which was which. There was no need to bother with making paper brushes now. Elemental enchanting used bold shapes and patterns, not thin lines. Painting with his fingers would be fine for a first attempt. Once his materials were set up, Theo paused for a moment, staring at the blank paper while he mentally rehearsed what he needed to do. Then he dipped his finger in the red paint and started painting. Start with earth to stabilize the formation and give it structure. Theo¡¯s movements were hesitant at first, but he gradually relaxed as he became involved in his work. Even Iggy¡¯s singing stopped bothering him. Next, put in some air to make the firework ascend. He was making a single firework with a simple design. He could have done something much more elaborate with the usual pen and ink method, but this was an experiment with an unfamiliar technique. Simple was best. Now add a dab of fire to ignite the firework, which was mostly made out of light element. But with a touch of metal to change the color and some tiny dots of darkness element thrown in to make it sparkle. Then fade into a larger patch of darkness paint. Darkness?¡ª?or void, as it was sometimes called?¡ª?wasn¡¯t really an element, per se. Rather, it canceled out other elements. It was often used at the end of an enchantment sequence to stop the effects of the magic. ¡°Just a few minutes left. Everyone, get to a stopping place and clean up. Don¡¯t worry if you¡¯re not quite finished. We¡¯ll take a look at whatever you have done.¡± Theo started slightly when he heard Alfred¡¯s voice and looked at the clock on the classroom wall. It really had been almost an hour. He¡¯d been so focused on his painting that he¡¯d lost track of the time passing. He quickly finished filling in the brown shape he¡¯d been working on and wiped off his hands. The cleaning cloths, it turned out, were enchanted, so they could absorb a lot of paint. And Alfred had just handed them out like ordinary rags¡­. Did he have any idea what a luxury these things would be for most people? Theo sighed as he started putting the lids back on his jars of paint. He didn¡¯t even bother trying to guess what the cost of those would be. They should be a lot cheaper than real elemental paints, but he suspected the amount would still be high enough to make his stomach hurt. While the students finished up their work, Alfred was cleaning the paint off a very colorful Iggy. Once he was finally a solid black again, the little dragon jumped back onto Alfred¡¯s shoulder and settled down there, yawning. Apparently all the painting and singing had made him tired. Alfred went around and collected everyone¡¯s papers. He carried the pile to the front of the room and spent a moment flipping through them before selecting one. ¡°All right, let¡¯s start with this one.¡± He placed the paper on a tray near the front wall, which projected an enlarged image onto the wall behind it. There were devices like this in most of the academy¡¯s classrooms. ¡°Since this was an exercise in working with restricted tools and materials, we¡¯re mainly going to focus on what adaptations you came up with and how well they function, rather than the overall design of the matrix. "I know most of you were struggling to control your line width and placement because of the lack of proper writing tools. For this inscription, I can see that one of the ways you dealt with this was to use Hedian symbols instead of classical runes because they¡¯re easier to write using thicker strokes.¡± Ariom picked up a long black pointer stick and used it to indicate a string of characters around the edge of the inscription. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad strategy for this particular project, since the design is very simple. However, with more complex matrices, you¡¯d start to run into problems when¡­.¡± If Theo had any doubts about whether coming to this class was worth the time and trouble, they soon vanished. This was probably the most informative lecture he¡¯d ever attended. A few minutes in, he pulled a notebook and pen out of his bag to start taking notes. The other students did the same. Alfred seemed to have an uncanny ability to see what was going on in an inscription at a glance, with barely any need to ask the students about the thought processes behind their designs. He gave a thorough rundown of what each student had done to work around the assignment restrictions, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each adaptation and suggestions for improvement. ¡°Now, this last one is quite interesting,¡± Alfred said with a slight smile once they¡¯d gone through all but one of the inscription papers. ¡°For this one, I¡¯d like to hear your thoughts on it before I give any comments. Let¡¯s see what you make of it.¡± Was he serious? Theo¡¯s stomach clenched. That last paper was his. He was a little nervous just to hear Alfred¡¯s reaction to it. He didn¡¯t think he wanted to know what everyone else in the room thought. He cringed a little when the familiar image came up. The previous paper had been Abigail¡¯s, and she¡¯d managed to create an elegant, ornate inscription, even without any proper brushes. Alfred had actually criticized it a bit, saying that she had sacrificed too much of the matrix¡¯s function and stability for the sake of beautifying it. But it was still the best-looking inscription in the class, by far. Theo had thought his was decent enough while he was working on it. But coming right after Abigail¡¯s¡­it looked like a five-year-old had painted it. And to think Alfred had called Theo¡¯s scribing unusually precise earlier¡­. The class broke out in murmurs as soon as they saw Theo¡¯s inscription. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Who did that one?¡± ¡°Did some idiot think we were really supposed to be finger painting?¡± ¡°Is that¡­an elemental enchantment matrix?¡± Professor Nuren spoke up from the back of the room. ¡°Whose paper is that?¡± It was clear from her tone that it wasn¡¯t a rhetorical question. Very reluctantly, Theo raised his hand. ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± She frowned at him. ¡°What were you thinking, doing something like that? Those obviously aren¡¯t elemental paints. We¡¯d never allow students to handle something so dangerous without any preparation. And based on that sloppy matrix, I assume you haven¡¯t studied elemental enchanting outside the academy. You¡¯re a second year, aren¡¯t you? It was extremely generous of Grandmaster Denifort to invite you to attend this class. There was no need to pull a stunt like this to get attention.¡± She sounded cross. Maybe Alfred telling the class not to focus on advanced techniques really had gotten to her.... ¡°Did you really think they were elemental paints, Theo?¡± Abigail¡¯s expression was concerned, but Theo guessed she was laughing underneath it. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how hard they are to get? And surely you saw that the rest of us were making normal inscriptions. If you weren¡¯t sure what to do, you should have just copied us.¡± Alfred quietly cleared his throat at that point, and everyone turned to look at him. He, however, turned to look at the dragon on his shoulder. ¡°What do you think of Theo¡¯s firework, little guy?¡± Iggy flattened his ears. ¡°I think Theo needs to practice painting more.¡± Several people snickered. Theo felt his face flush. Even Iggy was criticizing him now? ¡°But he used good colors!¡± the dragon went on, brightening. ¡°Theo¡¯s the only one who didn¡¯t get the paint colors all wrong!¡± His statement was followed by a confused silence from the class. Theo¡¯s hopes lifted a little. Maybe he hadn¡¯t completely messed things up¡­? ¡°Mmm.¡± Alfred nodded thoughtfully. Then he turned to Theo. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± He tapped one of the boxes of paints that were still sitting on the table. ¡°What exactly do you think these are?¡± ¡°I think¡­¡± Theo began slowly, aware that most people would think what he was about to say was completely ridiculous. ¡°I think they¡¯re imitation elemental paints. They aren¡¯t actually charged with elemental power, but they emit magic as though they were. I think you probably¡­.¡± He hesitated a moment and then forged ahead. ¡°You probably made them for Iggy to play with. As a safer substitute for the real thing. That¡¯s why I assumed that the elements and colors were supposed to match up the same way they did in his song, instead of using the standard system.¡± Alfred smirked. But he looked amused, rather than derisive. ¡°Theo, even Grandmasters can¡¯t enchant paint.¡± Abigail sounded as though she were explaining something to a child. ¡°You need to be an alchemist to make things like that. That¡¯s why some artistic enchanters are dual-certified. So they can make their own enchanting materials.¡± ¡°And who says you have to be an artistic enchanter to dual-certify?¡± Alfred asked dryly. ¡°I got an alchemy certification before I got an enchanting one, actually. My grandmother is an alchemist, so I studied that growing up. I didn¡¯t get seriously into enchanting until I was an academy student.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s relatively easy to dual-certify in those two fields because there are so many overlapping principles.¡± Was this guy for real? It was hard enough for most people to earn even one certification. Theo would have hated him right then if he weren¡¯t so busy being impressed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really expecting anyone to notice it. But Theo is right. These aren¡¯t ordinary enchanting paints. They emit magic. They don¡¯t conduct it.¡± Alfred put his hand on the stack of inscription papers. ¡°Which means that out of all the inscriptions here, there¡¯s only one that¡¯s actually functional. This one.¡± He picked up one of the papers from the table. But not from the students¡¯ pile. ¡°That one¡¯s mine!¡± Iggy said proudly. ¡°Yes, it is. You made some nice fireworks.¡± Alfred patted him. ¡°To be fair, Iggy has used these paints plenty of times before, so he already knew what he was doing. But here, take a look at these two side by side.¡± He set Iggy¡¯s paper on the tray next to Theo¡¯s, so they were displayed together on the wall. No one had to ask what they were supposed to be looking at. Iggy¡¯s paper had several firework formations, while Theo¡¯s only had one, but there was an obvious similarity in the colors and shapes. ¡°You see the resemblance? Theo¡¯s technique definitely needs work, but he got the gist of it right. Have you tried elemental enchanting at all before?¡± Alfred looked at Theo, who shook his head. ¡°I would have been surprised if you had. Well, there are a lot of mistakes, and pointing them all out won¡¯t be that helpful if you¡¯re not actually studying this enchanting method. But, for example, you overdid it with the fire element a little here.¡± He pointed at a small black patch on the paper. ¡°And over here, it doesn¡¯t transition properly from earth to air. "So, unlike the rest of the inscriptions, this one would actually do something if you activated it. Just not what you wanted it to do. I assume you intended for it to shoot into the air and then explode in the typical flower shape. But as it is, this would just wiggle around on the ground and then burst into flames.¡± Theo had no idea how he could know that just from looking at the inscription, but he didn¡¯t question it. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s just like Iggy said. You need a lot more study and practice in order to be able to do elemental enchanting for real. But this isn¡¯t bad for your first try.¡± Alfred turned to address the rest of the room. ¡°So, here are your two final lessons for this class. "First, pay attention to your materials, especially ones you¡¯ve never used before. I deliberately gave you supplies that wouldn¡¯t cause any harm if they were handled incorrectly, but in real jobs, that won¡¯t often be the case. "Merchants can sell you poor quality goods. Materials can be mislabeled. Even outright sabotage from rivals or disgruntled colleagues isn¡¯t out of the question. If you¡¯re not paying attention, you¡¯ll be lucky if your enchantment not activating is all that happens. Not assessing your materials properly can cause some very serious accidents. Be careful. Always.¡± He paused, and his expression turned a bit stern. ¡°And the second lesson.... When you see someone doing something you don¡¯t understand, ask questions before you start criticizing. It¡¯s possible that the other person knows something that you don¡¯t. Arrogance will cost you a lot in missed opportunities.¡± He returned to his usual relaxed demeanor. ¡°Those two things are related, really. And they demonstrate a very important principle of creative, resourceful enchanting: Always keep an open mind. See things as they actually are and not as you assume them to be. Otherwise, you¡¯ll run into trouble and lose out on potential resources.¡± Ariom glanced around the room. ¡°So, that¡¯s pretty much it. Are there any questions before we wrap up?¡± No one spoke. But that wasn¡¯t because of a lack of questions. For the first time, Theo felt in sync with the rest of the class. He was sure they were all thinking the same thing he was at that moment. Questions? Where should they even start¡­? Chapter 50 - Look at My New Collar! The muffled rumble of an explosion sounded in the next room. The desk Thenio was sitting at trembled, making the line he was drawing wobble a little. He paused, pencil in the air, and looked over at Amisi. She nodded in response to his unasked question. "Looks like we''re finally done for today. They just set off a trap formation." "Was anyone injured?" Grandmaster Sephior asked, looking between Amisi and Bero. "I don''t think so," Bero answered. His brow was furrowed a little in concentration. He and Humerus could communicate through the barrier, but it was much harder for them than it was for Mideis and Amisi, the mental magic specialists. "Nothing major, at least. Maybe some bruises or small burns. Apparently it''s quite a mess in there, so they''ll need a few minutes to sort themselves out and check for any minor injuries. But Humerus says the magic buildup wasn''t that strong, so the combat suits should have been able to block it without any problem." "There''s a mess? How come they made a mess?" Iggy asked curiously, tilting his head to the side. He was sitting on a nearby table where Bero had been stacking up the magic formations that Thenio was drawing. Bero smiled awkwardly. "The flesh golem they were practicing on today was...uh...extra realistic. The ones before were bloodless, but the real thing won''t be. So they needed to make sure the blood won''t cause any problems with Ariom''s magic. The golem was still frozen when it exploded, so it wasn''t as bad as it might have been, but.... Well. You probably don''t want to know any more details than that." "Oh." Iggy still looked confused but didn''t ask any more questions and turned his attention back to the stuffed octopus he''d been playing with. Thenio made a face and bent over the desk again to finish the last few lines of the magic formation he''d been drawing. Then he set his pencil down and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "How do you feel?" Grandmaster Sephior asked him. "Tired. My wrist hurts, and I have a bit of a headache. But otherwise I''m okay." "Yes, I can see some inflammation in your hand and forearm and around your eyes. Your magic level is also getting quite low. Though it''s much better than it should be after using magic for so many hours. That''s quite a remarkable ability you have. It''s a pity you don''t have any control over it so far." Today''s practice had lasted almost the entire day. They''d taken regular breaks, but Thenio had still been using magic for six or seven hours total. It was something he''d never be able to do if he hadn''t been absorbing Amisi''s magic power throughout the process. "I guess it''s useful for this job. But I feel a little bad about sucking up someone else''s magic like that...." Thenio looked over at the taua, who had just flopped down and stretched her long, slender body out along the padded bench that was placed to the side of the desk for her to use. She also seemed quite tired. Amisi shook her head. "It''s not like you''re taking it from me directly. It''s magic that I''m using on the telepathy anyway. So you reusing it doesn''t hurt me at all. There''s no need to feel guilty about it." "I know that. But it still feels weird to me...." "The only weird thing about it is that you''re doing it as a human." Bero took the paper with the magic formation Thenio had just finished and added it to one of the stacks on the table. "It''s perfectly normal for other creatures to absorb magic. There''s nothing inherently wrong with it." Grandmaster Sephior took Thenio''s sore wrist in his gnarled hands and started gently massaging it while using a small amount of healing magic. "It''s not something you can change, in any case. Even if it''s not something you want, it would be foolish not to make good use of the ability, since you''ll still have it either way. Now, close your eyes for a moment." Thenio obediently closed his eyes and felt the doctor''s hand on his forehead, followed by the soothing warmth of his magic. He realized it was quite a luxury to have two top quality doctors looking after him. The other reason he was able to keep up the enchantment transcription for so long now was that they''d been taking turns treating him with healing magic during breaks. He''d only been able to do around four hours per day before Bero had started helping with their practices. He was a little nervous when Grandmaster Sephior had used magic on him for the first time, during their practice the day before yesterday. Since he was a phoenix child like Seyli was, Thenio thought coming in contact with his magic might trigger another strange vision. But so far nothing like that had happened. The doctor''s magic did have a rather different feel to it, but it hadn''t had any unusual side effects. Thenio wasn''t sure if that was because there was something special about Seyli''s magic on top of her being a phoenix child or because Grandmaster Sephior had better magic control and didn''t need to use nearly as much power for basic healing. Or maybe there was another reason entirely.... "There, how do you feel now?" Grandmaster Sephior asked, removing his hand from Thenio''s forehead. Thenio opened his eyes. "Much better. It doesn''t hurt anymore." "Good." The doctor patted him on the shoulder. "You''ve worked hard today, boy. Just sit here and rest a bit. It sounds like it will be a little while before they come let us out." The room that had been prepared for Thenio had a barrier around it to protect him from any magic in the surrounding area. He wasn''t literally trapped inside, but he was supposed to wait there at the end of the practice session until Ariom made sure it was safe for him to come out. "It''s fine for you to leave if you need to, Focilo," Bero said. "This one went pretty long, and I know you''re busy." Grandmaster Sephior shook his head. "It''s all right. I made arrangements with the Center to spend as much time as I need to on this." "Is that really okay?" Thenio asked with concern. "I mean, don''t you have other patients and things?" "I only have a few patients I''m directly responsible for. I''m mainly involved in administration and research these days. The only patients I take on are unusual cases, like you. It''s not a problem for someone else to handle my administrative tasks for a few days. And observing you during this project definitely qualifies as research. Most stability patients can''t use dream magic, of course, but I think I can still learn some useful things from it." "It''s quite fascinating, isn''t it?" Bero said, looking at Thenio appraisingly. "Not just the dream magic itself, but how his magic power calms down when he uses it. It would be nice if we could figure out how that works and somehow adapt it for other patients." "Yes, it would." Grandmaster Sephior looked thoughtful. "But even if that''s not possible, studying the effect should be helpful for treating Thenio and other chaos morphs. Even that much is valuable. In addition to the lives that might be saved...there must be some reason why Ki''shiu is so committed to figuring out how to stabilize chaos magic. Mythic beasts are generally willing to help humans, but they don''t usually put that much effort into it." "Have you met any mythic beasts?" Thenio asked curiously. "I have. I told you that I studied with the Shiu''tanas in Ket''qe, didn''t I? I had the privilege of meeting Ket''shiu and Ket''yia during that time." Thenio''s eyes widened. "Really? What are they like?" There was a brief silence. Bero cleared his throat. "Oh." Thenio flushed a little. "Sorry. I forgot I''m not supposed to ask questions about mythic beasts...." "There''s no need to apologize. I understand why you would be curious." Grandmaster Sephior gave him a gentle smile. "And the restriction on learning about mythic beasts is only temporary, isn''t it? I''ll tell you about them once you have better control over your magic and Ki''shiu says it''s all right for you to learn more. I promise."
"Tava and Seyli, hi!" Iggy waved his paws and then jumped down from the work table to run over to the door. Ariom turned to see his cousin standing in the workroom doorway with her dragon perched on her arm. "Hi, Iggy." Seyli smiled and bent down to let Tava hop off. The two dragons began their usual greeting ritual, sniffing each other''s faces and bumping their foreheads together, their tails waving happily. "Look at my new collar, Tava!" Iggy said when the greetings were finished. He took a step back and stuck out his chest to show off the green leather collar he was wearing. "Ariom made it for me so I can play with the ice cream lady. He made one for you, too! So we can all play together, okay?" "Krr?" Tava didn''t seem to understand what playing with the ice cream lady meant. But she did notice the collar and bent down to sniff at it curiously. "That''s a good color. It looks very nice on you, Iggy," Seyli told him. Then she turned to Ariom. "You said you needed to do some final adjustments on Tava''s collar? What do you want her to do?" "Bring her over here." Ariom patted a clear spot near him on the work table. "Since she can''t tell us how the collar feels, I''m going to start by testing her reaction to Namyis'' magic without it. I got a few magic crystals from her, and I built a device that uses the crystals to mimic the effects of her dampening bands." "You''re really thorough, aren''t you?" Seyli said with a wry smile. She reached down and picked up Tava. "Come here, sweetheart. Ariom needs you to do something for him." The purple dragon docilely allowed herself to be carried over to the table. When Seyli put her down, Tava stood still and looked between her and Ariom, as though waiting for further instructions. Ariom glanced toward the doorway. "Thenio''s not nearby, is he? Did you see him when you got here?" "Yes, he came to the door to meet us. Then Uncle Bero said something about giving Thenio a riding lesson before he put the golem away, so they should both be outside." "Good. It would be a little dangerous to do this with him around.... All right. This might upset Tava a little, so be ready to calm her down." Seyli patted her dragon''s back. "Got it." Ariom reached over to a small wooden box that was sitting on the table and flipped a switch on the side of it. He didn''t feel anything when the device was turned on, but using magesight, he could see a light cloud of ice essence magic starting to spread out from the box. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Tava, however, obviously felt something. Her head immediately turned toward the box, her ears pricked in alarm. She let out a soft growl, and her scales started to stand on end. "It''s okay, honey," Seyli said soothingly, stroking the dragon''s head lightly. "It''s not going to hurt you." Tava flicked her ears in acknowledgement and relaxed a little. But she was still watching the box intently, and her scales stayed partway up. Ariom flipped the switch to turn the device back off. "That''s about the reaction I expected from her," he said, nodding. He slid the box closer to Tava. "Here. You can check it out." She stared at the box suspiciously for a moment. Then she stepped forward and began sniffing furiously at it. Ariom picked up a blue leather collar from the table and held it out to Seyli. "Here. Put this on her once she finishes her inspection. From what Iggy said about his, it shouldn''t really be uncomfortable, but it might feel a little strange at first. She''ll accept it better if you''re the one putting it on her." Seyli nodded and took the collar from him. Iggy had been watching from the floor, but now he flew up and landed on the table, making Tava, who was still focused on the box, jump a little and turn to look at him. When she saw it was just Iggy, she relaxed and resumed her sniffing. "That''s the box that smells like the ice cream lady''s color," Iggy told her solemnly. "It''s scary, right? The ice cream lady''s magic is scary. But she''s nice without her magic, you know? She plays with me through the window!" It was hard to know how much of that Tava understood, but maybe she took it as Iggy reassuring her, because she finally stopped examining the box and looked at Ariom with a rather disgruntled expression. She seemed to be asking why he had such an unpleasant thing. "I''m sorry," he said, reaching out to scratch her ears in apology. "It was just so we can make sure your collar works properly. If it does, you won''t have to feel the scary magic again, all right?" "Here, Tava. This is yours." Seyli held the blue collar out for the dragon to see. Tava looked at it and then sniffed it. Then she turned to look at Iggy''s collar. "Right. It''s like Iggy''s. You''re both going to wear one today. Hold still, and I''ll put it on for you, okay?" Tava turned back to Seyli and chirped in agreement. Then she obediently stood still while Seyli fastened the collar around her neck. When it was on, she flattened her ears for a moment and then shook herself, but she didn''t try to take it off. "Good girl." Seyli stroked her back. "I know it feels strange, but just put up with it for now, all right? You''ll get used to it soon." Ariom was watching Tava, frowning a little in concentration. "It looks all right so far," he said after a minute. "I made it using that scan I did of her the last time you two were here, so there won''t be any serious conflicts with her magic circuit. But there might be some small adjustments I can do to make it more comfortable for her. Distract her a little, will you? I''m going to turn the device back on and see how much she notices it now that she''s wearing the collar." "Okay." Seyli started scratching gently under Tava''s chin. The purple dragon lifted her head a little to encourage the gesture. After a moment, her eyes closed halfway, and she let out a soft, contented hum, the end of her tail waving slowly. Ariom quietly moved his hand to the wooden box and flipped the switch again. This time, there was no immediate reaction. Tava simply continued enjoying her neck rub. When Seyli stopped scratching her, the purple dragon gave a couple of happy chirps before looking around. Only then did she seem to notice that something was happening with the wooden box. But she seemed more curious than alarmed this time. She stared at the box for a moment, her head tilted to one side. Then she started sniffing at it again. "There''s still a small amount of essence magic coming through. Just enough for her to notice," Ariom explained, watching Tava closely. "That''s by design. I tested a version on Iggy that blocked it completely, and he said it felt too stuffy." "Right." Seyli nodded in understanding. "Dragons rely a lot on their magic sense, so it''s uncomfortable for them if it''s cut off. It''s like putting a blindfold on. So it''s probably not good for them to wear something like this all the time." "Well, fortunately, I don''t have annoyingly overpowered battlemages visiting that often," Ariom said dryly. "We just need to keep this one happy until my job for the Royal Guard is over. Though I mostly made these collars as part of my research on insulation enchantments for Thenio. "Well, it''s also possible they''ll come in handy later on. Iggy''s high magic sensitivity is a problem for him sometimes. And if you''re planning to be a magic beast veterinarian, I''m sure you''ll have to work with high rankers on a regular basis." He glanced at Seyli and saw she was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. "What?" "Oh...nothing." She smiled awkwardly. "I''m just...impressed by the effort you put into your work. That''s all." Ariom frowned. That response was a little suspicious.... But he decided not to pursue the subject. Instead he turned the magic essence device off again, which seemed to confuse Tava, who started another round of sniffing. "Hold still for a minute, Tava," he said when she was done. "I need to fix your collar a little." She obediently stood still, allowing him to pick up a scribing tool and make a few small adjustments to the enchantment matrix inscribed on her collar. "There, that should do it. Let''s just check it one more time." Ariom flipped the switch once again and carefully watched while the insulation collar began absorbing and processing the essence magic that came in contact with Tava. The way the enchantment operated was actually quite simple. Since essence magic broke down quickly, all you really had to do to filter it out was to trap it inside the formation until it decayed a step further. Then it could be released as harmless denatured magic. Harmless for dragons and normal humans, at least. There was still some question as to whether or not it was safe for chaos morphs.... After discussing it with Uncle Bero and Grandmaster Sephior, they had decided to wait until after the Royal Guard''s enchantment analysis was done to schedule a session at the Stability Center for thorough testing on Thenio''s reactions to different forms of magic. Ariom hadn''t seen him have any obvious reactions to denatured magic so far, though, so the current version of the enchantment was probably all right for the time being. ...probably. "All right. That should be good enough," Ariom said with a nod after a couple of minutes of observing Tava. She seemed to be resigned to the fact that the wooden box was simply a mysterious human object that sometimes emitted strange magic. She''d stopped trying to figure it out and had gone over to sit next to Iggy. Ariom switched off the device and glanced at the clock. "The annoying ice mage should be here soon. We might as well go downstairs to wait."
When Namyis arrived, Thenio was still in the middle of his riding lesson. He''d happened to mention a few days ago that he was interested in learning to ride Ariom''s horse golem, and Bero had volunteered to teach him. They were practicing trotting today, and Bero had put the golem on a lunge line to make it run in a circle in the wide, paved area in front of the house. This let Thenio practice keeping his balance on the bouncing golem without having to worry about steering it at the same time. It also allowed Bero, who was holding onto the other end of the rope and controlling the golem''s speed, to keep an eye on his riding posture and correct him whenever it slipped. Humerus had wanted to ride on the golem, too, and was currently on the back of its head, clinging to the halter strap that went behind the ears. It didn''t look comfortable at all, but the revenant seemed to be enjoying it for some reason. Fortunately, the golem wasn''t bothered by the extra passenger like a living horse would be. Maybe that was why Humerus wanted to do it¡ªsimply because it wouldn''t normally be allowed. Namyis parked her carriage a short distance down the driveway to keep it out of their way and walked over while giving them a friendly smile and a large wave. "Hi, everyone! Looks good, Thenio!" Thenio smiled awkwardly and waved to thank her for the compliment. As he did, he felt the golem slow down to a walk and then come to a stop. "Let''s take a break for a few minutes," Bero said, coiling up the rope as he walked over to the golem. "Ah...okay." Thenio climbed down from the saddle. Humerus floated up off the golem''s head and came over to land on his shoulder. As he moved through the air, a layer of golden scales spread over his body. "You don''t have to put on skin for me, Humerus," Namyis said as she walked up to them. "You know I don''t mind how you normally look." "It''s not for you," Humerus said grumpily. He jerked his head toward the house. "It''s for Tava." Namyis looked in the direction he''d indicated, and Thenio saw her eyes widen a little. He also turned to look. Ariom and Seyli had both just come out onto the front porch, carrying their respective dragons. Iggy was riding on Ariom''s shoulder, humming and waving his tail happily. Tava was perched on Seyli''s arm, looking over at the newcomer with interest. Both of them were wearing their brand new insulation collars. "Those collars..." Namyis said, staring at Tava. "Did Ariom really...?" "He really did." Bero set the coil of rope on top of the golem and turned to give her a knowing smile. "Come on, Ice Queen. Let''s go introduce you to our Dragon Princess. She''s a bit shy, but I think the two of you are going to get along very well." He led the way over to the porch. "Hi, ice cream lady!" Iggy waved as they approached. Then he stuck out his chest to show off his new green collar. "Look! Ariom made us collars to wear to make your magic not scary! So we can play together without the window, okay?" "Hi, Iggy!" Namyis called, beaming and waving back. "That''s a beautiful collar. You look very handsome." Iggy stuck out his chest even further in response to her praise and waved his tail enthusiastically. "Namyis, this is Seyli Ayerin, my cousin''s daughter, and her pre-familiar, Tava," Bero said, gesturing toward Seyli. "Seyli, this is Namyis Ivoren. Also known as Ice Queen." "I''m very pleased to meet you," Seyli said with a smile and a small curtsey. As expected, the princess mask was back on today. She was wearing a cream-colored dress with pink and yellow flowers embroidered around the bottom of the skirt, and she had her hair pulled up in an elegant twist that was held in place by the wooden comb Eteon had made. "Same!" Namyis said with a happy smile. She gave Tava a small wave. "Nice to meet you, too, Tava!" Tava chirped and waved her tail in response. Namyis'' eyes widened a little. "She understood that? She''s so smart! And so pretty! How come your family has so many adorable dragons in it? I''m really jealous...." Seyli blinked, looking a little surprised by her enthusiasm. "Well, my grandparents own a dragon hatchery. Most of the dragons in the family come from there." "Wow! That sounds amazing! There must be so many cute little dragons to play with in a place like that...." Namyis'' eyes sparkled as she looked at Tava admiringly. Although, Thenio noticed, she was staying a few steps back, in spite of Tava''s blue insulation collar being clearly visible. Namyis seemed to have developed a strong habit of keeping her distance from any magic beasts she saw. It was a bit sad to watch.... Seyli also seemed to notice that Namyis was reluctant to approach. "You can pet her if you want," she said, stepping forward and holding the arm that Tava was sitting on out a little. Namyis'' expression turned hesitant. "Really? Is that okay? I don''t want to make her uncomfortable." "It''s fine." Seyli looked at her dragon. "She''s not acting uncomfortable at all. She''s curious about you." It did seem that way. Thenio was still far from an expert at reading dragon body language, but Tava was clearly less nervous about the meeting than Seyli was. She''d been watching Namyis with a relaxed but interested expression. "Oh. Well...if you think it''s all right...." Namyis moved forward and cautiously raised her hand toward the purple dragon. "Tell me if she starts getting upset, okay? I know I''m scary to most magic beasts, so it''s really all right to say something...." "I''ll tell you. Don''t worry." Seyli gave her an encouraging smile. "Okay...." Namyis held her hand in front of Tava, holding very still as the dragon stretched out her neck to sniff at it. She didn''t move even after Tava had finished assessing her scent and looked up at her. The purple dragon tilted her head to the side, apparently wondering why the woman in front of her was frozen in place like that. "I''m going to pet you...okay?" Namyis told her. Tava chirped and lowered her head a little, indicating that she had no objections. Namyis finally moved again, tentatively brushing her fingertips against the top of Tava''s head. When the dragon didn''t protest or pull away, she grew a little more confident and started lightly stroking her forehead. "Wow..." she said in a small voice. "She''s not cowering or trying to get away. She doesn''t look scared of me at all. These collars really work!" Her whole face lit up, and she bounced up and down a little in excitement. "This is amazing! This is so amazing! You''re the best, Ariom!" As she continued petting Tava with a brilliant smile on her face, Thenio glanced over at Ariom. He was surprised to see that the enchanter had gone rigid and was staring at Namyis with a slightly bemused expression. His normally greyish complexion had turned a light shade of pink. Chapter 51 - Magic Ice Cream Party After the introductions were finished, Ariom suggested that they all stay out in the front garden for a while, since Namyis'' magic would dissipate more quickly outdoors. They could move inside after he''d made sure the insulation collars were functioning properly. No one had any objections to that. Namyis and Seyli took the dragons over to play on the lawn on one side of the driveway, while Ariom sat on a nearby bench and alternated between studying a thick book on flesh enchantments and keeping an eye on Iggy and Tava. Humerus was also sporting a brand new collar made of red leather, but his wasn''t enchanted. Thenio had actually made that one. Ariom decided to use the collar-making project as an opportunity to teach him the basics of leatherworking, and Humerus'' collar was one of several simple projects he''d done so far for practice. Ariom thought the revenant would feel left out if he didn''t get one, even if he didn''t need the insulating effect. When they''d given it to him, Humerus had acted annoyed and said he was only going to wear it because Thenio had worked so hard on it...but later, Thenio happened to catch a glimpse of him wearing the collar and floating in front of the large mirror in Iggy''s bathroom, clearly admiring himself.... While everyone else went over to play around on the grass, Thenio and Bero went back to the golem to continue their riding lesson. Bero had Thenio practice trotting in a circle for another ten minutes or so before having him do a few laps around the house, moving from a walk to a trot and back again, to make sure he could control the golem properly throughout the process. "Good. I think that''s enough for today," Bero said, smiling and nodding as Thenio slowed the golem to a halt in front of him. "You and Ariom are supposed to be resting up for a couple of days, so let''s not overdo it. Why don''t you go put the golem away and then join the others? I''m going to head inside to start on lunch." Thenio turned the golem around and rode it to the storage shed, where he removed the riding tack and put it away, then wiped down the golem with a cleaning cloth and steered it into its charging stall. In addition to riding, Bero had also been teaching him about basic golem operation and maintenance. Thenio was grateful for that, since it was the kind of thing that a normal magic assistant ought to be able to do. He liked having another way he could be useful to Ariom. When he got back to the garden, Seyli and Namyis were sitting together on a blanket under the shade of a tree, watching Iggy and Humerus chasing one of Iggy''s toys across the grass¡ªa little enchanted bird holding a worm in its beak that hopped around in random patterns. If you simply caught the bird or knocked it over, nothing happened. But if you pulled the worm out while the bird was still hopping, it would stop and sing a short song. It was quite fast, so getting hold of the worm without disturbing the bird was difficult, but Iggy enjoyed the challenge. Humerus could easily cheat by pulling the worm out with magic, of course. But he usually played fair for Iggy''s sake. ...usually. Tava had apparently gotten tired of playing and was sitting on Namyis'' lap. Namyis was stroking her with a happy expression while she chatted with Seyli. Her friendly manner and enthusiasm for dragons seemed to have won the shy princess over already, since Seyli was looking much more relaxed than she had earlier. Ariom was still sitting on the bench, seemingly trying to focus on his book. But unlike Seyli, he was looking rather uncomfortable. When Thenio got close enough to hear the conversation, he understood why. The girls seemed to be talking about their favorite cosmetics and hair styling tools. It was quite the daunting subject. It wasn''t really surprising, though. They''d been expecting the two of them to get along largely because they seemed to have a lot of common interests. Like cute magic beasts and pretty clothes and accessories. They both waved at Thenio as he approached. He waved back but decided it was better to leave the girl talk alone and headed over to the bench to sit next to Ariom. "They''re...uh...getting along well, aren''t they?" "They are. Probably too well," Ariom replied gloomily. "What was I thinking...letting a battlemage corrupt my poor cousin...?" Thenio gave an awkward laugh. "Well...I mean...it''s not that bad, is it? Doesn''t Seyli have a hard time getting close to other people? So it''s good if she can make a friend, isn''t it? She looks pretty happy right now. They both do." "Yeah...I guess they do...." Ariom stared silently at the group on the blanket for a moment. Then he sighed and looked back down at his book. "The collars are looking reasonably good so far. Iggy says it''s still a little uncomfortable when the ice mage touches him, so the design obviously needs some more work. But Tava seems to be fine with direct contact, since her magic power is higher. We''ll see how well they hold out through the afternoon, but even this much is enough to call it a successful first attempt." "That''s good. Namyis seemed really happy to finally be able to pet a dragon." "...right. She did." Ariom cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Your riding practice looked very good," he said after a moment, clearly trying to change the subject. "I knew your acrobatics training would give you an advantage, but I still didn''t expect you to pick it up quite so quickly. You really don''t have any riding experience?" "Well...." Thenio hesitated. "Only a little. And not on a horse. Or a golem." Ariom looked surprised. "Oh? Have you ridden a hippogryph or something?" "No...uh...." Thenio scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. "Dream beast." "Say what?" Ariom''s eyebrows shot up. "Ki''shiu let you ride on his back? A mythic beast did that? Seriously?" "Well...yeah. I told you he usually meets me in my dream forest and then takes me somewhere else for our magic lessons, right? That''s how we get there. He lets me climb on his back, and then we fly to wherever he wants to take me that night. It''s...." Thenio looked away. "...it''s really fun. The flying is my favorite part of having lessons with him. It''s one of the reasons I wanted to learn to ride your golem...." Ariom stared at him for a long moment. "''Born to fly,'' huh...?" he muttered. Thenio blinked. "What?" "Nothing." Ariom shook his head. "It''s just something that Jasel told me the first time he came here. He said it was a pity you weren''t born with a wind affinity, since you''d obviously be good at flying." "Oh." Thenio wasn''t quite sure what to say to that. "Um...when Ki''shiu noticed that I enjoyed flying a lot, he pointed out that if I learn to control my chaos magic and change it to different attributes, I should eventually be able to use wind magic. So maybe...well...I might be able to try flying with magic someday...." He tried to say it casually, so as not to trigger Ariom''s aversion to magic acrobatics too much. "That makes sense." Ariom let out a short, bitter laugh. "I''m sure Jasel would be thrilled. He might try to recruit you for the Magic Corps." "Wouldn''t you kick me out if I joined the Magic Corps?" "Probably. Though if your magic gets stable enough for you to do that, you wouldn''t really need to stay here anyway." "I guess that''s true...." They both fell silent, watching Iggy and Humerus chase after the toy bird. A few minutes later, Iggy finally managed to snag the worm out of the bird''s beak. He pranced triumphantly around it as it sang its song, holding the rubbery pink worm in his own mouth. When the song was finished, he jumped up and flew over to the bench, landing in between Thenio and Ariom and setting the worm down like a mighty hunter bringing home his prey. "Ariom, Thenio, look!" Iggy stuck his chest out, his tail waving wildly. "I did it! I got the worm!" Ariom patted his head. "Well done, little guy." Thenio also reached over to give him a congratulatory pat. "You''re really good at that game, aren''t you? It must be because you practice chasing birds so much." "Mmm!" the little dragon agreed happily. "Chasing birds is super fun!" He picked up the worm again and flew over to where the girls were sitting so he could show them his prize. "Tava, Seyli, ice cream lady! Look! I got the worm!" While Seyli and Namyis were also taking their turns praising the little dragon, Ariom glanced over at Thenio. "Well..." he said slowly. "I guess Iggy would be pretty upset if I kicked you out. I still hate the Magic Corps, though." Thenio raised an eyebrow. Why did it feel like Ariom was trying to remind himself of that fact, more than he was trying to remind Thenio...?
They had lunch on the patio in the atrium. Bero had made an assortment of small sandwiches, so everyone could pick and choose the flavors they wanted. Iggy and Tava each got a plate of some of the same meats, cheeses, and vegetables that the sandwiches were filled with, cut up into small pieces. There was also a large platter of sliced fruit for everyone to share. Humerus, as usual, was going to have his meal separately, so he sat on the side and watched as everyone else ate. That always worried Tava a little, but Seyli reassured her that he would get his food later, and she finally turned and started daintily picking pieces of roast beef and boiled egg off her own plate. Iggy, who was better able to understand Humerus'' unusual eating habits, already had his face buried in a small pile of flaked salmon. "Don''t worry, Humerus. I brought something special for you," Namyis told him with a wink. "Some special spicy ice cream." "You can make spicy ice cream?" Iggy raised his head, ears perked up with interest. There were little bits of fish all over his snout. "Right! I can!" Namyis said, nodding happily. "I know how to make all kinds of ice cream! I said I would bring dessert today, didn''t I? And Ariom said he wanted to test out your new collars with a little bit of active magic use. So I brought ingredients to make ice cream. We can do both at once!" "I want to help make ice cream!" Iggy''s tail waved enthusiastically for a moment. Then it stopped, and he flattened his ears. "But we''re not making ice cream out of Thenio, okay? I told you before¡ªThenio will not be tasty as ice cream!" "Right. No Thenio ice cream. I promise." Namyis said solemnly. She looked at Ariom. "I''m not sure if it''s safe for Thenio to help out or not. It doesn''t take a lot of magic power, and the ingredients are all non-magic, apart from the premade stuff I brought for Humerus. It should be safe for him to eat, though. He didn''t have any problem with the sorbet I brought over the other day, did he?" "No, that was fine." Ariom looked at Thenio thoughtfully. "It might be all right for him to help. Depends on just how much magic you''re putting out. Worst case, he can watch from the dragon box in the kitchen while you''re doing the freezing part." Thenio made an awkward expression. He was used to the dragons watching him from their box while he cooked, but he wasn''t sure how he felt about the situation being reversed.... After they finished eating, everyone helped clean up and then assembled in the dining room to wait for Namyis'' instructions. "First of all, I''ll give you these." She pulled a stack of several covered paper cups out of her space pocket and set them on the table. "I brought over a few different flavors for Humerus to try. These are more concentrated versions of the spiced ice cream I usually make for humans. The ingredients are written on the sides, so you can check them and make sure they''re safe before he eats them." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Looks tasty..." Humerus said, eyeing the cups with great anticipation from his perch on Bero''s shoulder, his tail waving behind him. "You''re not eating those all at once," Bero told him sternly. "You can try one at a time. Do you want to go eat now? Or do you want to help the others make their ice cream first?" "Oh...." Humerus looked indecisively between the stack of cups and Iggy, who was sitting on Thenio''s shoulder. "Uh...I guess...I want to help...." "All right. We''ll go put them in the storage room, and you can have one in a little while. Now, you should thank Namyis properly. It was very kind of her to bring these for you." "Right. Uh...thanks, Namyis," Humerus said, fidgeting awkwardly. "You''re welcome," she replied with a happy smile. "I hope you like them." Bero passed Humerus over to Thenio and then went to go put the ice cream away. Thenio and Seyli took all the dragons into the kitchen and started giving them a thorough paw-washing. "I have things partly prepared already, so there''s not that much for them to help with," Namyis told them apologetically as she took a box of ingredients out of her space pocket and started setting them out on the counter. "But they can help mix things together. Dragons can do that, can''t they? I''ve never cooked with any before...." She was obviously excited about the prospect of it. "Yes, as long as it doesn''t require too much force," Seyli said, nodding. "And all three of them can handle pretty high temperatures, so it''s fine to let them stir things while they''re cooking." "Good. They can help while we make the bases, then." Namyis turned to Ariom, who had been getting out a saucepan and several mixing bowls and spoons, and gave him a bright smile. "Thanks, Ariom. Those are perfect." Ariom gave her an annoyed look. "Was there anything else you needed?" She shook her head. "No. I have everything measured out already, so we just have to dump and mix." He glanced at the ingredients she''d placed on the counter, which included eggs and cream. "You must have a stasis pocket if you can carry around things like that." "Yep! Perks of having a crystal primary! I helped one of the enchanters at the military''s equipment workshop make several of them and got to keep one as payment. It''s really great for carrying meals with me when I go out on longer missions. That dried military food is okay once in a while, but it really does get old in a hurry...." A stasis pocket was a more advanced version of a space pocket, which could both store items and apply stasis magic to them. A well-made one could preserve things like food indefinitely as long as it had a constant supply of magic, which obviously wasn''t a problem for someone like Namyis. It was almost impossible to make one without the help of a crystal mage, though. Even Ariom couldn''t do it, as far as Thenio knew. He could make space pockets and stasis containers, but he couldn''t combine the two like that. And naturally, it was astronomically expensive to buy one.... "I can help you make some too, if you want!" Namyis'' smile turned a bit sly. "Especially if you''re willing to design some better dampening cuffs for me...." "No. I don''t want," Ariom said firmly, glaring at her. "I don''t take jobs from the military. How many times do I have to tell you that? And I''m a grandmaster enchanter. I''m perfectly capable of hiring a crystal mage if I need one, thank you very much." "Aww...too bad...." Namyis let out a disappointed sigh. "It was worth a try...." Ariom rolled his eyes. "I''ll be in the next room. Tell me before you start using any magic." He turned and walked out to the dining room, where he sat down at the table, pulled his flesh enchantment book back out of his space pocket, and began reading with a slight scowl on his face. "What did you do to annoy him this time?" Bero asked mildly, walking out of the doorway that led into the pantry area. Namyis made a pathetic face. "I''m just trying to hire him to make something for me...." "Ah." Bero nodded with a small, understanding smile. "Well...I wish you luck." Her expression brightened again. "Thanks!" Bero chuckled a little. "It looks like you have the ice cream making operation well in hand, so I guess I''ll go do some studying with Ariom." He went out to the dining room, sat down across from his nephew, and pulled out a book of his own. "All right, then." Namyis set the saucepan on the stove and turned on the heat. Then she poured in the jar of cream she''d gotten out and picked up a mixing spoon. "Who wants to stir first?" The three dragons happily took turns moving the spoon around the saucepan while Namyis added in the ingredients to make a basic custard sauce. Once everything was mixed in, they kept stirring it over a low heat for a few minutes to let it thicken. "That looks good," Namyis said, dipping the spoon into the liquid to check the texture. She lifted the pan off the stove and poured the contents into a waiting bowl. "This will be our sweet ice cream base. Next, we''ll make a savory one." "A...savory ice cream base?" Thenio asked, wondering if he''d heard correctly. "Yep! Aren''t a lot of the recipes for creamy soups similar to recipes for ice cream? You just have to modify them a little and then freeze them like you do ice cream, and you end up with all kinds of interesting flavors. Iggy and Tava both really like fish, don''t they? So we''re going to make them some fish ice cream." Thenio stared at her. "Fish ice cream...?" "Right, fish! We''ll make some other meat flavors, too. Chicken''s quite good." "I''ve heard of people making meat-flavored ice cream for magic beasts," Seyli said thoughtfully. "But I''ve never tried it." "Well, you see, Isia.... Ah, that''s my trainer. You probably know her as Sword Queen. She''s a metal mage, right? But she''s a crystal primary, like I am, and over the years she''s become kind of an expert on training people to use crystal magic. That''s one of the reasons I was assigned to her. Anyway, she has some pretty unusual training techniques. One of the things she made me do when I was younger was to work in the cafeteria at the training center. My job was to make frozen desserts. Here, rinse this out for me, will you?" Thenio took the saucepan that Namyis handed him and carried it over to the sink. "So you had to make ice cream as part of your training?" "Right! It sounds crazy, I know, but I really did! That''s why it was so funny when Iggy started calling me the ice cream lady." Namyis laughed as she started getting out another set of ingredients. "I didn''t start out with that, though. Using ice magic to make ice cream is actually a lot harder than it sounds. I had to practice for a long time before I could get the texture right. I actually started by just making plain ice cubes. Then I moved up to shaved ice. Then sorbet. Then finally things like ice cream." Seyli tilted her head curiously. "What''s harder about ice cream, exactly? Is it because you have to churn it while you''re freezing it?" "That''s the thing¡ªI don''t churn it. The point of the training was to help me learn to control the crystalline structures that form when I freeze things. To get a smoother texture, you need smaller crystals." "Ah, that makes sense." Seyli nodded. "Directly controlling the texture like that does sound difficult." "It was horrible at first." Namyis made a face as she took the clean saucepan back from Thenio and put it on the stove again. "I thought I''d never be able to do it. But, well, after years and years of practicing, now it''s easy." She laughed a little. "Sometimes I look back and wonder how I ever managed to get to this point, when it seemed so impossible in the beginning." Thenio was quiet as he watched her starting to pour ingredients into the pot again, with the dragons eagerly stirring them together. Namyis wasn''t obviously addressing him as she told her story. She wasn''t even looking at him most of the time. But somehow he felt like she was telling it on purpose for him to hear.... Maybe he was just overthinking things. "All right, we have both our bases ready," Namyis said a short time later, after the second pan of sauce had been poured into a bowl. "Now it''s time for the fun part!" She pulled yet another box out of her stasis pocket. This one held a number of small glass jars that held what looked like jams and syrups. "Here are all our flavorings!" she announced, setting the box down in front of the waiting dragons with a flourish. "One of the advantages of making ice cream with magic is that it''s easy to make really small batches, so you can try out a lot of different flavors." She looked over toward the dining room. "Why don''t we take everything out there so Ariom and Bero can join in?" A few minutes later, they were all seated around the dining room table, with the bowls of ice cream base, the jars of flavorings, and several stacks of tiny paper bowls set out in front of them. The ice cream tasting party began. Everyone took turns choosing a flavor to try and mixing a small amount of it into a spoonful of the appropriate base, then passing it over to Namyis for her to freeze. It was similar to watching her make stasis crystals. All she had to do was tap the bowl lightly with her finger, and the liquid inside was instantly frozen, with a perfect, creamy texture. She made it look so easy.... If she hadn''t told them about the extensive training she''d had to go through to be able to do it, Thenio never would have realized what an impressive feat of magic control it was. Seyli picked out flavors for Tava to try and helped her mix them together. Thenio was in charge of helping Iggy, with Ariom keeping an eye on him to make sure Namyis'' magic didn''t affect him too much. Bero stayed long enough to try a few different flavors, but Humerus was clearly getting restless watching everyone else enjoying their ice cream. The two of them soon excused themselves and went upstairs so that the revenant could try out one of his own frozen treats. Thenio wasn''t surprised to discover that he really wasn''t a fan of meat-flavored ice cream. But Iggy and Tava both enjoyed it. They especially liked the fish flavor, so Namyis used the leftover savory base to make a larger batch of it, which Ariom stored in the ice box for later. "I guess I should get going soon," Namyis said when everyone had eaten their fill of ice cream and finished cleaning up. "My train leaves in a few hours, and I need to go do one last check to make sure I''ve packed everything." She shot a playful grin in Ariom''s direction. "The amazing grandmaster is going to scold me if I don''t do a good job picking up our research materials." The atmosphere in the room immediately became more sober. Yesterday''s practice had gone well enough that they had decided it was time to go ahead with the real analysis. It was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Ariom and Thenio had two full days off to rest. But Namyis was leaving the city tonight to go prepare for the raid on the hideout where their research subject was currently staying. Seyli looked at her new friend with concern. She still didn''t know the details of the job, but she knew Namyis was leaving for a mission, and she was smart enough to read between the lines and figure out that it was going to be a dangerous one. Ariom glanced at Namyis with a complicated expression before looking away again. And Thenio couldn''t help feeling a bit guilty that his part in the project was so much safer than theirs. Even Tava noticed something was wrong. She looked back and forth at the tense faces around the room and whined softly. "Hey, don''t look so worried," Namyis said, giving them a reassuring smile. "I''ve done this kind of thing before. And I''ll be with a really good team. We''ll be fine." "Well, there''s no reason to doubt your abilities," Bero said with a gentle smile. He and Humerus had returned to the dining room a few minutes before. "I missed most of your magic display, but I saw more than enough to be impressed. Still...take care of yourself, all right?" He closed one hand in a fist and held it out to her. "Fight well." Namyis'' smile widened when she saw the gesture. She reached out and lightly hit her fist against his. "I''ll do my best." It was a sort of ritual that members of the Magic Corps did before a mission. It was quite famous. Thenio had seen children doing it when they pretended to be battlemages. He hesitated briefly and then held his own fist out. Namyis gave him a playful wink and hit her fist against his as well. Seyli also repeated the gesture and then looked at her dragon. "Tava, paw." Tava obediently held one of her front paws out. Namyis'' eyes lit up with delight. "Thanks, Tava," she said, bumping her fist gently against the small violet paw and then patting Tava''s head. "Me too! Me too!" Iggy had been starting to doze off after eating so much ice cream, but now he jumped up excitedly, trotting across the table and holding out his paw to receive a fistbump and pats. "Hmph. Well...I guess if everyone else is doing it...." Humerus made a reluctant expression, but he, too, held out his paw. When Namyis finished patting the revenant''s head, she turned to Ariom with a teasing smile and held out her fist. "You too? Wish me a good fight?" But Ariom simply scowled at her. "Don''t be stupid. I''m not doing that. Come on. I''ll walk you out." He turned and headed toward the door. "Aww...he''s always so stingy..." Namyis said, pouting and lowering her hand. But her expression brightened as she looked back at the others. "See you again soon," she said with a smile and a little wave. Then she followed Ariom outside.
The two of them walked out to the front of the house and down the driveway. Ariom didn''t look at Namyis, and neither of them spoke until they were almost to where her golem carriage was parked. "Hey...Ariom?" He paused and turned around. Namyis had stopped walking and was looking at him with an unusually serious expression. "Thank you for today. Really. It meant a lot to me." He looked away. "It''s not like I did it just for you, you know. It was part of the research I''ve been doing for Thenio. And Iggy''s very sensitive to magic, so those collars should be useful for him in the future." "I know that. But you still let me come and help test them out instead of finding another high-ranker to do it. And you let me play around with Iggy and meet Seyli and Tava. I had a really wonderful time. So thank you for that." Ariom glanced at her. It was a mistake. The brilliant smile on her face almost blinded him. He quickly looked away again and was irritated to feel his own face growing slightly warm. Really. She was just thanking him for the work he''d done. What was wrong with him today? He must still be tired from the long practice session yesterday. So annoying.... "Well, that''s all I had to say. I''d better get going. Have a good rest, and I''ll see you in a couple of days, all right?" Namyis started walking again, moving past Ariom and over to the door of her carriage. Ariom glanced at her again. "Don''t do anything reckless. It''s going to be a real hassle if we have to delay the job because you get injured...." For some inexplicable reason, Namyis laughed at that and turned to give him a playful smile. "Thanks. I''ll be careful." She waved and got into the carriage. Ariom moved off to the side as she steered the white gryphon golem around and down the driveway. There was a deep scowl on his face as he watched the carriage disappear through the front gate. Why did he feel like he''d just lost somehow...? Chapter 52 - The Night Before It was a few hours before dawn, and Emiel, the large moon, was sinking down below the horizon. Theimi had already set some time ago. Namyis was sitting on a large wooden crate in an alleyway in one of the outer districts of the city of Gojir. The area wasn''t bad enough to be called a slum, but it was definitely run-down. The alleyway was littered with foul-smelling trash, and Namyis had to resist the temptation to use some water magic to give it a good washing out. That would attract too much attention. But they weren''t going to be here much longer. And she''d endured worse. At least there was a clean place to sit this time. "The other teams are in position," the woman sitting next to her said in a low voice, tapping the telepathic communication device attached to her helmet. "We''ll start as soon as the moon sets and it gets a bit darker¡ªanother ten or fifteen minutes." "Sounds good." Everyone on their strike force could use some form of magesight and was comfortable working in the dark. It was possible that some of their enemies were the same, but it should at least give them some advantage. The two women waited silently. They were both seasoned professionals, so neither of them were particularly tense. The other woman''s name was Ziryi. Her call name was Darkbolt. She was a sixth-rank lightning sorcerer and was technically a member of the Magic Corps, but she was on semi-permanent loan to the Royal Guard, since she was much better at hunting down criminals than she was at fighting demons or magic beasts. The reason for that was mostly her physique. She was tiny. The top of her head barely came up to Namyis'' shoulders. Like the ice mage, Ziryi had been a child sorcerer and was taken in by the Magic Corps when she was young. But she hadn''t been able to manage the standard physical combat training. She hadn''t given up, though. She''d switched to stealth training, which was much better suited to her small frame, and had started studying enchanting, especially trap and barrier formations. Lightning magic tended to be showy and not suitable for stealth missions, but after years of hard work, Ziryi had managed to overcome that disadvantage and developed the specialized magic style that her call name was based on: a deep purple lightning that was nearly invisible in the dark and was perfect for taking down enemy agents quickly and quietly. She might not be much good in a fistfight, but if you wanted to break into a criminal base without anyone noticing and capture a target without setting off any traps, she was definitely the best wizard for the job. Namyis liked Ziryi. The two of them had worked together quite a lot, and they''d always gotten along well. "It''s time," Ziryi said after a while. She jumped lightly down from the crate and stretched. "Let''s get ready." Namyis also stood and stretched her arms and legs for a moment before following Ziryi along the alleyway. They walked carefully and quietly, picking their way around the debris. At the end of the alley, they paused, peering cautiously around the corner. The building they were targeting was a short distance away¡ªa large house with a high brick wall around it. There were metal spikes on top of the wall, which was normal for a rough neighborhood like this one. The two burly men standing in the shadows next to the gate were less normal. They were dressed in ordinary clothes and acting casual, but they were obviously guarding the place. Ziryi looked at Namyis, who nodded. Ziryi tapped her communication device to let Namyis know she was telling the mission leader that they were ready. Then both of them tensed, waiting for the signal to start. Another team on the other side of the street would be causing a distraction to help them get through the gate. A moment later, loud barks and snarls came from somewhere nearby. It sounded like several stray dogs had just started fighting, but it was actually a small group of Royal Guard familiars playacting and making noise. As soon as the barking started, Ziryi dashed out of the alley and toward the gate, with Namyis following closely behind her. Their dark grey combat suits had stealth and silencing enchantments on them, so it would have been difficult enough to notice them coming even if the guards had been paying attention. But both of them had just turned their heads in the direction of the ''dogfight.'' Namyis frowned a little when she saw that. The guards weren''t very well-trained. The one closest to the sound should have checked on it, while the other one increased his vigilance of their immediate surroundings, in case the noise was a diversion. That lack of coordination matched what the Guard''s scouts had said about the guards here, and it made their job much easier. But it was still a bit strange for one of the Order''s hideouts. They were usually pretty paranoid about security. Well. The person hiding out in this place was literally a walking explosive. Maybe they didn''t want to assign anyone too valuable to guard him, just in case of accidents.... A few seconds later, they came within striking range, and Ziryi held out her hands. Even with her heat-sensitive magesight, Namyis could only faintly see the two small lightning bolts that shot out toward the guards, since Ziryi was able to hide the heat and light from them amazingly well. The effects were as good as ever, though. With a gasp and a muffled groan, both men collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly. Ziryi immediately began disarming the enchantments on the gate while Namyis stood watch. They didn''t stop to check whether the guards were still alive or not. The cleanup team would take care of that later. The instructions for this mission were ''sure down.'' Don''t deliberately kill anyone, since living captives were more useful. But make sure they go down and stay down. If you happen to use a little too much power and the Order member happens to be unlucky...well, too bad for him. Better than letting him sound the alarm and ruin the operation. But Ziryi was much better than Namyis was at subduing people without causing permanent damage. That was one reason she was doing the attacking. The other reason was that once Namyis formed the stasis crystal on their target, she''d have to keep maintaining it constantly until the enchantment analysis was done. With her massive power reserves, that shouldn''t be a problem, but...it was best to save her strength where she could. Just in case. It took a few minutes for Ziryi to analyze and deactivate the enchantment matrix on the gate. While she waited and stayed vigilant for any unexpected movement or sounds, Namyis couldn''t help wondering how long it would have taken Ariom to do the same thing. She didn''t doubt that he would be able to do it, of course. He should have much better overall knowledge of enchanting than Ziryi, who only had an artisan-level certification and had exclusively focused on enchantment types that were related to her work. But it was hard to say whether Ariom could beat her in her area of expertise. Namyis was just thinking of ways she might be able to convince the two of them to have some kind of competition, when Ziryi signaled to her that it was safe to proceed and cautiously pushed the gate open, using a little magic on the hinges to be sure they swung silently. Namyis pushed her idle thoughts aside. There would be plenty of time to think about how to play with her favorite enchanters later. Now she needed to focus on the task at hand. They slipped in and closed the gate behind them. There was a small garden area inside, but it was neglected and overgrown. The scouts had said there would be a few guards patrolling around the property. The two combat wizards used that to their advantage, crouching down in the shadow of a scraggly juniper bush to wait for the patrols to come by. Then Ziryi shocked them into unconsciousness, and Namyis helped her hide them in the tall grass. When the outside guards were all accounted for, they made their way around the yard, relying on Ziryi''s keen senses to avoid any traps hidden along the way, and eventually reached a side door that wasn''t in view of any of the house''s windows. After a few more minutes checking for traps and disabling enchantment formations, Ziryi slowly pushed the door open enough to look for any signs of life on the other side. A moment later, she gave Namyis an all-clear sign, and they entered the house. They found a pair of guards patrolling the ground floor and another pair stationed in the second floor corridor. That was fairly standard for a criminal lair, and none of them seemed to be particularly skilled, so it wasn''t hard to take care of them. There weren''t any more traps inside the house, but when they reached the stairway to the third floor, they found a heavy magic barrier blocking their way. But considering who was living on the third floor, this was to be expected. The barrier was probably more for the safety of the other people in the house, rather than the man inside it.... Ziryi calmly got to work, and about ten minutes later, she''d made a hole in the barrier that was large enough for them to pass through. They moved carefully and quietly up the stairs and along the hallway and came to a stop in front of a closed set of double doors. Ziryi tapped her communication device again. She''d been doing that periodically as they progressed through the house, sending updates to the mission leader. You didn''t technically need to tap the device to use it, but it was a common practice, especially on stealth missions like this, to make some gesture to let your team members know you were either sending or receiving a message. Namyis actually had a communication device attached to her helmet as well, but it was just there in case of an emergency and was turned off at the moment. It caused problems to have too many telepathic devices connected together at once. Unless Hydra was around, of course. But there was no need to call the field commander over for a small raid like this. After she finished sending her update, Ziryi started examining the doors. She signaled to Namyis to let her know there were enchantments to disarm. Namyis nodded and took up a lookout position. This enchantment was obviously more complex than the previous ones. It took almost twenty minutes for Ziryi to finally turn and signal to Namyis that she was finished. Then she eased the right side door open and checked the room. After a long moment, she turned and made a few more hand signals. ''One enemy. Asleep. Possible traps.'' Namyis nodded to show she understood. Then she followed Ziryi inside and stood still, just inside the door, while Ziryi silently checked around the room for traps. She avoided the large bed standing against the far wall, though, having been warned multiple times during the pre-mission briefing not to use any kind of analysis magic on their target. Avoiding the entire bed he was sleeping on was safest. And it didn''t really matter if the bed was trapped, since Namyis was planning to freeze the whole thing at once. She could take her time separating the target from his bed once the building was secured. Namyis kept her eyes on the man in the bed while Ziryi scouted out the rest of the room. He was sleeping peacefully, completely oblivious to the intruders who had just entered his bedroom. She frowned a little as she watched him. It was hard to see him clearly in the dark, but he seemed to be just an average-looking middle-aged man. The kind of person you might pass in the street anywhere on the continent. But he was also...wrong, somehow. Namyis felt strongly that there was something off about that man, even though she couldn''t quite tell what it was. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After a few minutes Ziryi stopped and gestured to get Namyis'' attention. She pointed to a desk standing against one wall of the room and signaled, ''Trap.'' Then she pointed at a locked bookcase next to it. ''Trap.'' Then at a wardrobe against the opposite wall. ''Trap.'' Finally, she indicated the path between the door and the bed. ''Safe. Go ahead.'' Namyis nodded and made her way carefully across the room. She paused for a moment next to the bed, closed her eyes, and took a few slow breaths, focusing her mind. Then she opened her eyes and let out a rush of magic. A second later, it was all over. The bed and its sleeping occupant were safely enclosed in a large stasis crystal. But Namyis only felt slightly relieved. She kept staring at the frozen man, frowning. Ziryi joined her by the bed. She, too, stared down at their captured target in silence. "Is this really the right guy?" Namyis asked quietly. "It should be. I can''t scan him with magic to be sure, but he looks the same. I helped with the pre-mission intelligence gathering, so I''ve seen him before." "I don''t like it. Something feels wrong here." "I know. It was too easy. I guess it''s possible that they weren''t expecting your level of stasis magic and were relying on those explosive traps to take out anyone who came sniffing around. But...." Ziryi trailed off and looked around the room. "I guess we''ll see what the mission leader says. I''ll check the room again while we''re waiting for them to get here. It''s possible I missed something...." She did another scan around the room but didn''t seem to find anything else. She looked at Namyis and shrugged her shoulders, then started working on deactivating the trap enchantment on the desk. Namyis waited patiently next to her stasis crystal and watched her, while also keeping an eye on the door and listening to the sounds of the support team approaching. Since Ziryi had already knocked all the guards unconscious, they shouldn''t be having much trouble securing the building. But there were a few distant shouts and sounds of fighting. Apparently some of the other people sleeping in the house had woken up and realized they were under attack. No reason to be worried, though. They had a good team with good equipment. And the most dangerous enemy was already taken care of. Namyis looked back at the man inside the crystal. Keeping him nice and frozen was the only thing she needed to worry about right now. Whatever strangeness there was about him, she knew Ariom would be able to figure it out. She just needed to properly deliver the research materials. The genius grandmaster could take care of the rest.
"We''re not doing a lesson tonight?" Ki''shiu shook his head. It''s better if you rest tonight. You''re probably in for another long day tomorrow. You should save your mental energy. "That last practice was pretty hard...." Thenio sighed. "Ariom said they made it as close to the real thing as they could, so tomorrow shouldn''t be any worse than that. But I guess you''re right. It''s better to be prepared." He looked up at the dream beast hopefully. "But since you still came tonight, does that mean we''re going somewhere?" This was the first time they''d skipped Thenio''s magic lesson altogether, but on the nights when he''d been extra tired from his daytime practices, Ki''shiu had kept the lesson short and spent the rest of the time taking Thenio flying to some interesting location. They''d gone to the Pabas Islands the night before last since Thenio was curious about where Amisi had come from. The ocean scenery was amazingly beautiful. That''s right. The air shimmered a little as Ki''shiu chuckled. Is there a place you want to visit? "Not a place, exactly...." Thenio hesitated. "You can create animals with dream magic, can''t you?" Yes and no. The animals you''ve seen on our trips so far have been illusions, not actual living creatures. But I can summon a living spirit into a dream if I need to. "It doesn''t hurt them or anything, does it?" Not if it''s done correctly. The summoned creature simply experiences it as a normal dream. Ki''shiu tilted his head, looking at Thenio curiously. Are you asking because there''s an animal you want to see? "Well, only if it''s not too much trouble. I told you that Bero was teaching me to ride Ariom''s horse golem, right? He said it was fine to learn the basics on a golem but that I really ought to try riding real horses eventually. And he has some on his farm, but Ariom doesn''t think it''s safe for me to visit there yet because of how many magic creatures there are. So I was just wondering whether it would be possible to ride a horse in a dream." Ah. I understand. Ki''shiu nodded. Then he paused for a moment, apparently considering Thenio''s request. Yes, it''s possible. Though rather than a normal horse...I think a slightly different creature might be better for your first attempt.... Yes. I think that place would be a good choice. He knelt down in front of Thenio. Climb on. Thenio had no trouble getting onto the dream beast''s back by this time. He pulled himself up and held on while Ki''shiu cantered a short distance and then leapt into the air, his huge wings carrying them up and out of the forest clearing where they''d been standing. The dream forest looked a bit different now. It was still covered in mist, and Thenio hadn''t found any paths leading out of it yet. But the snow was gone. And after several attempts at deliberately changing the scenery by using his newly acquired dream magic skills, Thenio had eventually made some wildflowers sprout up here and there, so the forest seemed a little more cheerful than it had a couple of weeks ago. But he still enjoyed flying out of it and watching the trees fade away as Ki''shiu''s strong wings carried them up through the clouds and into the sunlight. When the clouds parted again to reveal a new landscape below, Thenio recognized the Odrin Mountains, which separated Kafron from the rest of the continent. The Drakesil Mountains that surrounded Kamari were an offshoot of the Odrins. They''d flown over these mountains several times before. Ki''shiu could easily take them straight to whatever destination he had in mind, but he knew Thenio loved flying, so he''d been stretching their nightly trips out to cover more distance. They cut through the mountain range in a zigzag pattern, passing between the jagged, snow capped peaks. It was summer, but the tallest mountains were high enough that they were white on top all year round. The snow gleamed brightly in the sunlight, contrasting against the dark green of the alpine forests growing further down. Looking down at the canyons below, Thenio spotted a rocky river and several impressive-looking waterfalls. They''d gone to see waterfalls like those on one of their previous trips. But tonight they flew past them and on through to the other side of the mountain range. On the east side of the Odrins, the mountains turned into low, rolling hills that were barely visible underneath the vast, dense forest growing on top of them. Thenio recognized this place as well. "Ket''qe? Is that where we''re going?" That''s right. "Are there horses in...no, wait...." ''A slightly different creature,'' was what Ki''shiu had said earlier. "You want me to ride a unicorn?" Yes. Unicorns are very similar to horses, but they''re gentler and more intelligent, so they''re usually better-behaved. It should be a bit easier for you than riding a horse. "That''s only if they like you, though, isn''t it?" Thenio said doubtfully. "Will a unicorn like me enough to let me ride it? Don''t they dislike most humans?" Ki''shiu actually threw his head back and laughed at that, making golden sparkles light up the air all around them. Believe me, that won''t be a problem for you.... Thenio blinked. "Oh." Apparently unicorns were attracted to chaos magic like other magic beasts.... They glided down and landed in a familiar-looking meadow with a stream running through it. The usual herd of unicorns was grazing nearby. None of them seemed to notice the large creature landing in the clearing and walking over to them. Thenio guessed that meant that they were just an illusion. Ki''shiu came to a stop near the edge of the group and waved his horn toward a light gold mare a short distance away. Her body seemed to shimmer a little. Then she suddenly raised her head and looked around, focusing almost immediately on the dream beast, then the boy sitting on his back. Thenio could see her nostrils twitching as she scented the air. There was a moment of silence. Then the mare tossed her head, let out a happy whinny, and trotted eagerly over to them. You see? Ki''shiu sounded amused. She likes you already. "She''s excited to see me? Not you?" Ki''shiu laughed again. Yes, you. Unicorns like me well enough. But they adore chaos morphs. "Oh...." Thenio couldn''t really argue with that, since the unicorn had reached them now and was snuffling at his leg with obvious enthusiasm. Ki''shiu was a lot bigger than she was, so she had to stretch her neck up to reach. She didn''t seem to be afraid of the larger dream beast, but Thenio was clearly the one she was excited about. "All right, all right..." he said, still feeling a little incredulous. He reached down to pat her nose. "Step back for a minute so I can get off, okay?" He wasn''t sure if she knew what he said because they were in a dream or because unicorns could really understand human speech. Either way, she obediently moved a few steps away and waited while he jumped down from Ki''shiu''s back. When he was standing on the ground, she immediately came forward again and started nuzzling his face. "Hey, that tickles!" Thenio laughed and reached up to stroke the silky hair on the bridge of her nose. The unicorn nickered softly and then held still to let him pet her, apparently enjoying the attention. Thenio heard Ki''shiu moving behind him, and turned to see the dream beast wave his horn again and conjure up a long wooden bench with riding tack and a set of grooming tools laid out neatly on it. There was also a silver bowl full of small red and yellow apples. That should be everything you need. You should groom her before you put the tack on. Golems stay clean in their shed between uses, but horses and unicorns will be out grazing and rolling on the ground. So you need to clean the dirt off first. "Even in a dream?" You wanted to experience the real thing, didn''t you? "Oh. Right. I guess I did...." Thenio knew he''d said that, but he hadn''t expected Ki''shiu to actually go to the trouble of making his prospective mount dirty just for the sake of realism. "Uh...I''ve never groomed a real horse before, though. Or a unicorn...." That''s fine. I''ll help you. Following the dream beast''s instructions, Thenio brushed the unicorn''s coat, combed her mane and tail, and cleaned out her hooves. He could understand now why Ki''shiu thought it would be better for him to start with a unicorn, rather than a horse. Since he was doing everything for the first time, his movements were slow and awkward. But the unicorn seemed to understand what he was trying to do and was very cooperative and patient. He showed his thanks by rewarding her with an apple from the bowl after he finished each step. Finally, it was time to put the saddle and bridle on. This part was easier, since it was almost the same as tacking up Ariom''s golem. "Has she even been trained to carry a rider?" he asked as he tightened the saddle strap. "Don''t unicorns just live wild in the forest?" Not entirely wild. They''re usually allowed to roam free, but unicorns are very precious to the Forest People, so they watch over the herds. Most unicorns are used to interacting with people, and many of them have been trained for riding or pulling carts. I made sure to bring in a trained one. Well, that was probably to be expected. He''d been thorough enough to put mud on her legs and tangles in her tail, after all.... "Okay, then." Thenio patted the unicorn''s neck. "I''m going to get on now, all right?" She tossed her head a little and then stood very still while he climbed into the saddle and got settled. "Good girl." He patted her again. "Well, so far, so good. Let''s try walking a little." He nudged her forward, and the two of them set off across the meadow at a gentle walking pace.
Ki''shiu stood quietly at the edge of the clearing, watching Thenio riding the unicorn. It had taken him a few minutes to get used to steering a living creature, rather than a mechanical one, but now they were working well together and seemed to be having fun. Good. That poor boy could certainly use a little more fun in his life.... As he watched them, the dream beast''s ears suddenly twitched, and he turned to look into the forest. Two figures were standing in the shadows, far enough back that Thenio wouldn''t notice them. "It''s all right if we watch for a few minutes, isn''t it?" one of the figures said softly. "It''s been a long time.... We won''t let him know we''re here." "It''s fine. I know you''ve been worried about him, too." Ki''shiu looked at the other figure. "I hope you don''t mind that I borrowed one of your unicorns." "Of course not. I know you won''t hurt her. She seems to be having a very pleasant dream." "Yes, they both look like they''re enjoying themselves," the first figure said with a soft chuckle. "Thenio seems to be doing well. I''m glad. If there''s anything we can do to help...." "I know." Ki''shiu lowered his head. "Thank you, Peqeran. Ciresi. I couldn''t do this without the two of you." "There''s no need to bow your head like that," Ciresi told him gently. "You''ve helped us so much already. We''re happy to do what we can to help you, as well. Besides...it''s wonderful to see him smile like that again...." Ki''shiu turned back to look at Thenio, who had a broad smile on his face as the unicorn jumped lightly back and forth over the stream. He shouldn''t have practiced jumping yet during his riding lessons, but he kept his seat perfectly, as though he''d been doing it for years. "Yes," Ki''shiu agreed, very softly. "It really is wonderful...." The three of them fell silent, watching contentedly from the side while the boy and the unicorn played together. Chapter 53 - Mistaken Assumptions When Thenio left his bedroom early the next morning, wearing his training clothes, Ariom was waiting for him in the hallway, holding a sleepy-looking Iggy in his arms. "I got a message from Mideis a few minutes ago. The raid last night was successful, and the ice mage is on her way back to the capital with the research subject. We''re going to do a light training session and have breakfast, then head over to the Guard headquarters." "Oh...okay." That was pretty much what they''d been expecting, and it was only a little different from their schedule for the past few practice days. But Thenio couldn''t help feeling a bit nervous as he followed Ariom down to the training room. After spending so much time practicing, it felt strange to think they were finally doing the real thing. "How was your magic lesson last night?" "We didn''t really have one. Ki''shiu said he didn''t want me to be tired out for today. So we just talked for a while, and then he showed me part of the Ket''qe Forest." Thenio decided not to mention that they''d gone there so he could ride a unicorn. Considering Ariom''s unfortunate history with Sano, it probably wouldn''t improve his mood any to hear how much unicorns seemed to like chaos magic.... Ariom frowned slightly. "Does he live in Ket''qe or something? That place seems to keep coming up in connection with him." "I''m not sure. He does seem to like it there, since he goes by the title the Forest People gave him. And I''ve gotten the impression that he''s close to Ket''shiu and Ket''yia. But I think he actually spends most of his time in the dream world." Thenio paused. "Actually...I guess I don''t know for sure that he even has a physical body. I know he can see the physical world, since he keeps showing me places from his memories. But I''ve only ever heard of him interacting with people in dreams. Do you think he could be something more like a spectral beast?" "I suppose that''s possible," Ariom said with a shrug. "I think it''s generally accepted that mythic beasts have physical bodies. But that might just be because the ones without physical bodies avoid contact with humans, so we don''t know about them yet. You''d have to ask Ki''shiu himself to know for sure." "I would if I thought he''d tell me.... I understand he''s trying to protect me and all, but not being allowed to learn about mythic beasts when I''m spending so much time with one is kind of frustrating." Thenio sighed and looked down at the bands on his wrists. "Do you think these new insulation bands are strong enough to let me visit a place like Ket''qe? There''s a lot of ambient magic there, right?" Ariom raised an eyebrow. "I guess you haven''t looked at those records from the Wizard Association on past chaos morphs?" Thenio shook his head. "Well, I don''t blame you. They''re a bit depressing. I wasn''t planning to give them to you at all, but Uncle Bero thought it was better to let you choose whether to read them or not.... Well, anyway...the ambient magic in Ket''qe is different than in other places. It doesn''t seem to be a problem for chaos morphs. One of the previous ones actually lived there." "Wait, really?" "Really. The records they gave me didn''t have much information about him. Not even his name. He was one of the more recent ones, and the Association seems to heavily restrict information on any chaos morphs who still have living family members. All the records really say is that he lived in Ket''qe almost a century ago. And it''s pretty clear that the ambient magic there didn''t have a negative impact on him because he was also the longest-lived chaos morph on record. He''s the one that made it to nineteen before he died." Thenio had stopped walking. One of the other chaos morphs lived in Ket''qe.... That fact sent a strange chill through him. The dream he''d had about sitting in the forest, petting a unicorn and watching someone carve wood...the forest clearing that Ki''shiu kept taking him to and the peaceful feeling he had when he was there.... Like he''d come home.... Then there was that other dream. The one that Ki''shiu had told him was a mix of his memories and someone else''s. Whose memories? A previous chaos morph''s? He''d assumed the dreams about Ket''qe were just normal dreams because a chaos morph would never really be able to go there. But if that wasn''t the case, and one had been there...that meant.... ...what did that mean? Did it mean anything? "Thenio?" Thenio looked up. Ariom had noticed he wasn''t following anymore and had stopped to look back at him. "Hey, are you all right? Your magic is starting to act up...." Thenio shook his head a little, trying to straighten out his thoughts. "I just...get a weird feeling sometimes when I hear about other chaos morphs. It''s sort of like they were people I knew. Or like...." He shook his head again. "I don''t know. Maybe I''m just imagining it. But it sort of feels like I have some kind of connection to them. Something more than just having the same affinity." Ariom looked at him with a concerned expression for a moment. Then he took a step closer and held Iggy out. "Here. Take him. Holding a magic beast always seems to help you calm down." Thenio was a bit surprised but obediently took the little dragon. Iggy was also looking at him worriedly. Seeing that Thenio was upset about something seemed to have finally finished waking him up. Once he was in Thenio''s arms, he stretched his neck up to lick his cheek a few times. "Thenio is sad? Sad about the other people who had sparkly magic?" Thenio patted the dragon''s head. "Not sad, exactly. More like...confused? Unsettled, maybe? I''m not sure how to describe it...." "Well, let''s go down and do our morning run," Ariom said, turning back toward the last flight of stairs. "Moving your body will help clear out your mind." Thenio nodded and started walking again. Right. This really wasn''t the time for that kind of thing. They had an important job to do today. He could think about the other chaos morphs later.
When they arrived at the Royal Guard headquarters, Mideis met them at the entrance, already wearing his protective combat suit. "Have you been waiting for us?" Bero asked him. Mideis shook his head. "Not really. Amisi and I came in a little early because I had to do some paperwork for another project, and I was afraid I wouldn''t have time later in the day. Namyis just got here a few minutes ago, and the team is still setting things up. Grandmaster Sephior hasn''t arrived yet, but he should be on his way." They followed him inside. As they passed through the observation area, they saw Namyis sitting in the analysis room next to the examination table. The table was covered with a white sheet, but there was the clear outline of a human body underneath it. Namyis saw them through the window and waved with a cheerful smile on her face. "What''s wrong with that woman?" Ariom asked, scowling. "She''s sitting next to an explosive corpse. Why does she look so happy?" "Well, he''s not technically a corpse yet," Bero pointed out as he waved back at Namyis. "She''s skilled enough with stasis magic that she can bring people back out of it alive most of the time, you know." "So what if she can?" Ariom retorted. "He''d just explode and die anyway. That guy''s been a walking corpse ever since he got that enchantment put on him. It was just a matter of time." "Fair point." "Hi, ice cream lady!" Iggy waved his paws at Namyis, completely oblivious to the rather morbid conversation going on next to him. Thenio, who was carrying the little dragon, smiled awkwardly and also gave a small wave. Humerus simply snorted disdainfully, though it wasn''t clear exactly who or what his disdain was directed at. Probably no one in particular. He often did things like that just because he felt like it. "Ariom needs to get suited up, so why don''t you go in with Mideis?" Bero told him, lifting the revenant off his shoulder and holding him out to Mideis. Humerus was wearing his favorite red scales today, like he had been for all their practice sessions at the Guard headquarters. Mideis had assured him that it was all right to relax more, but he insisted on keeping his skin on and acting like a normal dragon whenever the Guard staff were around. He seemed to dislike a few of them and didn''t want to let them see his real appearance. Bero had just shrugged and told the others to let the revenant do what he wanted as long as he wasn''t causing trouble. "Sure. Come on, Humerus. Let''s go say hello to Namyis and get settled in." Mideis held his arm out so Humerus could climb on. Then he nodded toward the door into the room where Thenio did his transcribing. "Amisi is napping in the other room. You may need to help her wake up a bit. Coax her with a snack or something." "No problem," Bero said, grinning playfully. "We''ll just let Iggy chase her around the room for a few minutes. She''ll be wide awake in no time." After separating from the others, Thenio, Bero, and Iggy went into the transcription room, where they found Amisi curled up inside a blanket on her padded bench. Thenio had shown Mideis how to make the same type of blanket nest he''d made for Amisi to warm up in after the ice magic incident, and it was now one of her favorite ways to take naps. They didn''t actually let Iggy chase her around to wake her up, of course. Instead, Thenio went over to gently scratch her ears and talk to her until she was awake enough to crawl out of her blanket. By the time Grandmaster Sephior arrived a few minutes later, Thenio was sitting on the bench with a taua on his lap and a dragon on his shoulder, feeding the two of them some of the little fish treats that the Royal Guard had provided. The staff had set up a table in the corner of the transcription room that was well-stocked with snacks and drinks for both humans and familiars. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Always popular with the magic beasts, aren''t you, boy?" Grandmaster Sephior said with a chuckle. "After this job is finished, we need to arrange a time for you to come meet the unicorns. It''ll be a sight to see if they end up climbing all over you, too." Thenio scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward. "Um...I asked Ki''shiu about that, actually. And he said that unicorns really like chaos magic. So I don''t know if they''ll try to climb on me...I mean, it would be kind of a problem if they really did that...but...they probably won''t hate me, at least?" "Oh? He said that, did he?" Grandmaster Sephior raised his eyebrows a little. "Well, I suppose he would know." "I guess you know that one of the previous chaos morphs lived in Ket''qe?" Thenio asked hesitantly. "Ariom just told me about that this morning." The doctor nodded. "Yes, I saw that in the files the Association sent. But there wasn''t any information on how the magic beasts native to the forest reacted to him, so I''ve been quite curious about it. The time that boy would have been living in Ket''qe was after Relisa and I left and came here to Kafron. But none of the people we''re still in contact with there could tell us anything about him either, so he must not have stood out very much." "He was the one who lived the longest, wasn''t he?" Bero said thoughtfully. "Perhaps he was being very well-protected." "That''s possible," Grandmaster Sephior agreed. "Maybe the Dream Lord was more directly involved with that boy''s case. If he asked the Lord and Lady of the Forest for their help, it would be easy enough to hide a chaos morph away in a quiet corner of the woods." Like maybe in a peaceful meadow, with a small stream running through it, and a herd of unicorns living nearby...? Thenio bit his lip uncertainly but decided against voicing his suspicions about that particular chaos morph. He was just speculating at this point, after all. Maybe he''d talk to someone about it after he had a chance to think things through a little more.
"Good morning, Mideis! Hi, Humerus!" Namyis waved at the two of them as they entered the analysis room. "Good morning," Mideis said with a wry smile. "You''re awfully energetic for having been up raiding Order bases all night." Namyis shrugged. "Only half the night. My part didn''t start until later, so I got to sleep until about midnight. And with body strengthening magic, I can keep going for a week straight if I need to. So just this much is no problem." "The crazy world of high-rankers...." Mideis shook his head. "I can''t even imagine working without rest for a whole week." "Well, mental magic and ice magic are different. It''s not fair to compare the two. Your magic obviously requires a lot more mental exertion than mine does, so it''s only natural that you''d need to stop and sleep more often. Hydra says that''s probably why mental mages rarely become high-rankers. It''s too much mental strain. He says he wouldn''t be able to handle it if he didn''t have Riven to help him." "I''m sure having a few extra brains does make things easier," Mideis said with a laugh. "But a Prismatic Hydra agreeing to form a familiar contract is incredibly rare. Tauas are a bit friendlier, but even convincing one of them is quite difficult. I was very fortunate that Amisi took a liking to me early on." "I think I''d rather have a taua, personally. Amisi''s a sweetheart, and she''s much nicer to cuddle than Riven is. Though he is really pretty when he changes colors...." "Hmph." Humerus had been busy staring at the body under the sheet. He hadn''t even acknowledged Namyis'' greeting earlier. But now he turned his head and huffed in annoyance. "What''s so good about that dumb lizard? He can''t even talk right. I can change colors, too, you know. And controlling puppets is sort of like having extra heads...." "Right! Revenants are amazing!" Namyis said, smiling and nodding agreeably. "You can even turn fluffy when you want to, so you''re good for cuddling, too!" Humerus flattened his ears. "What is it with you and cuddling? I like wearing scales, and I don''t want to cuddle! Leave me alone!" He jumped off Mideis'' arm and flew over to the cushion that had been placed on one end of the low, protective wall for him to sit on. "He seems to be a bit on edge this morning," Mideis said in a low voice, watching Humerus with a concerned expression. "I''m not sure why. Maybe he''s nervous about the analysis for some reason? Though all he''s done during the practices is sit there and watch...." "Humerus is Humerus," Namyis said with a laugh. "He''s just grouchy like that sometimes." "If you say so," Mideis said, looking a bit doubtful. "Well, Ariom should be here soon. I''d better go check over the supplies and get ready to start." He went around to the other side of the protective wall, carefully avoiding the grumpy revenant, and started looking over the tables that were set up there. One had things that they might need to be more comfortable during the analysis, like snacks, cushions, towels, and water, as well as emergency medical supplies. The other table had stacks of paper and a box full of pencils, just in case Thenio couldn''t keep up his transcribing the entire time and Mideis needed to take over for him. Namyis watched him for a moment. Then she stood up and moved over to where Humerus was lying with his head on his front paws, staring at the frozen body on the examination table again. "I won''t try to cuddle you today. But can I at least pet you a little?" Humerus sniffed. "I guess." Namyis reached out and started gently stroking his head. As she did, she glanced over at Mideis. He had his back to them and was busy checking over the medical supplies. Seeing that, Namyis leaned in closer to Humerus. "Hey, you feel it too, don''t you?" she said, very softly. "There''s something strange about our research subject." Humerus'' eyes turned to her, and he nodded a little. "I don''t really know what it is¡ªI just have a bad feeling. So if Ariom and Mideis don''t notice...I''m not sure if we ought to say anything. If we don''t actually know what''s wrong, it probably won''t help, and it might just make them nervous and more likely to make mistakes." "Mmm." Humerus nodded again. "But if something goes wrong during the analysis.... Well, I''ll be counting on you, all right?" Humerus raised his head, finally looking at her directly. "You can make barriers, can''t you?" "Yep! My magic barriers aren''t as good as Ariom''s, but I can make really strong physical barriers with some magic protection added on." "That''s probably enough." Humerus looked back at the body under the sheet. His expression was unusually serious. "If you see green flames jumping onto that body, stop whatever you''re doing, and focus on protecting Ariom and Mideis. Put up the strongest barrier you can and don''t lower it until Bero comes to help. Understand?" "I understand." Namyis nodded solemnly. Then she patted Humerus'' back. "I meant what I said before, you know? Revenants really are amazing." "Hmph." Humerus huffed again, but his tail was waving a little, and he seemed to be in a better mood than before. Ariom entered the room a minute later, wearing his protective suit. He frowned when he saw Namyis still petting Humerus. "What are you doing? If you get distracted and let this guy explode...." "Calm down. I wouldn''t do something like that," she reassured him. "It''s not hard to just hold a stasis crystal steady. I only really need to focus when I form it or change the shape." "That doesn''t mean you can afford to be careless," he snapped back. Namyis raised an eyebrow. Apparently Ariom was feeling a bit grouchy this morning, too. Maybe.... She looked more closely at him. He already had his helmet on, so she couldn''t see his entire face. But once she was paying attention, it was clear that the muscles under his eyes were tighter than usual. Riomel''s face tensed up that same way before a difficult mission. Like they were trying to put on a mask to not let anyone see how nervous they were. It was really kind of cute. Namyis gave him a gentle smile. "You don''t need to worry. I''m paying proper attention, I promise. Humerus was just feeling a bit grumpy, so I was petting him and telling him how wonderful he is to help him feel better." Humerus shot her a glare, clearly annoyed that she was putting the blame on him. She leaned over again and whispered in his ear, "If everyone comes out of this safely, I''ll buy you a nice treat later. You like gryphon eggs, don''t you?" His tail immediately started waving again. Namyis gave him one last pat and then went back over to the examination table. "All right. I''m ready to start whenever you are." Ariom was still frowning, but he apparently couldn''t think of anything else to complain about, so he sighed and turned to Mideis. "How are things over there?" "The supplies are all in order, so I''m ready to start too," Mideis said, sitting down in his chair between the two tables, where he was within easy reach of whatever might be needed. "As for Thenio''s side...yes, Amisi says they can start anytime." "Good." Ariom looked over to the observation window and nodded at Vice-Captain Ranior, who was standing on the other side, watching them. He nodded back and then tapped on a control panel next to the window. The glass darkened and became almost opaque from inside the room, although the people on the outside should still be able to see them clearly. That was to help prevent them from being distracted by whatever was going on in the next room. The glass was also sound-proofed for the same reason. Ariom sat down next to the examination table. Then he closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, the tight, anxious look was gone, and he was his usual focused, professional self. He really did have a lot of self-discipline when his work was involved. Namyis was quite impressed. Ariom pulled the sheet off the table and spent a long moment staring silently at the figure lying underneath it. The man''s face was still relaxed as though he were sleeping, but the rest of him looked a bit different. Namyis had spent a while working with one of the Royal Guard''s doctors to carefully release the man''s clothing from the stasis crystal a bit at a time and cut it off him, so he was now completely naked. They''d argued a fair bit about that the other day. Ariom had shown his gentlemanly side and objected to Namyis having to spend all day looking at a naked demon fanatic, but she''d eventually gotten him to admit that removing the clothing would make the analysis easier. And after she described a few of the equally revealing and much more disturbing scenes she''d already witnessed during her work for the Royal Guard, he finally relented. Ariom spent a few minutes looking over the man''s body, his eyes tracing the magic formations inscribed onto his skin using some kind of shimmering, iridescent ink. They''d found a ring with an illusion enchantment on the man''s bedside table. It was similar to the ones sorcerers sometimes used to hide their stigmas. He presumably wore it during the day to hide the inscription. Ariom frowned as he looked over the visible part of the enchantment matrix. "Is something wrong?" Namyis asked in a quiet voice, watching his expression closely. "Not exactly. Just...this enchanting style is a little different from the examples I''ve seen before. Not so different that it should cause us trouble, but...." Ariom paused briefly and then shook his head. "Well, maybe it was just done by a different enchanter who decided to alter it to match his own style. Or maybe it''s a newer version of the enchantment, since it looks a bit more sophisticated. Either way, it''s fine. I can adapt to it." He finished his initial inspection and draped the sheet back over the man''s lower half. Then he looked at Namyis. "We''ll start with the left hand, like normal." "Okay." Namyis gave him a small smile and held her fist out. "Fight well, Ariom." He glared at her for a long moment. Then he gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Whatever." He reached out across the frozen body and hit his fist lightly against hers. "There. You happy?" "I''m happy," she said, beaming at him. "Good. Now focus." They both focused. Just like they''d done over and over in their practice sessions, they began at one of the frozen fingers, working slowly and carefully to undo and analyze a single magic formation at a time. Everyone knew their role in the process, so for a while, they worked in silence. Everything went smoothly, and they finished with the hand after about twenty minutes. But rather than moving on to the wrist, Ariom unexpectedly signaled that he wanted to take a break. Namyis made sure the edge of the stasis crystal was secure and then looked up. "Ariom? What is it?" Ariom was staring down at the hand they''d just been working on, a deep crease between his brows. "That''s exactly what I want to know. What is this?" "What''s wrong?" Mideis asked, looking over at them with concern. "Is there a problem with the enchantment?" "Yeah...I''d say there''s a problem...." Ariom turned to look at him. "This is a completely different enchantment than the ones you showed me before." Chapter 54 - The Corpse is a Lie "A completely different enchantment? Are you sure?" Mideis asked. "I was more focused on passing the information to Amisi than I was on trying to piece together what the enchantment''s about. I did notice that some of the formations were unfamiliar...but is analyzing one hand really enough to tell?" Ariom nodded. "The enchantment we were expecting has quite a distinctive structure¡ªthat''s how I could recognize it from the fragments you showed me. This has some similar elements, including the same kind of explosive traps. But the overall structure is different." "How so?" "The power distribution structure and overflow relay are missing. The magic circuit enhancement can''t function without those. And there is a layer of reinforcement, but it''s for the physical body, not the magic circuit. Looks like some kind of longevity charm." "A longevity charm?" Mideis frowned. "That''s strange.... One of the reasons we picked this guy out as probably being part of the Order''s experiment was because there were signs he''d recently gotten a lot of money from an unknown source. So you''d expect him to splurge on a few luxuries like that. But getting a longevity charm and explosive traps put on your body at the same time? Why bother?" "Is it possible they didn''t tell him about the traps?" Namyis suggested. "It''s possible," Ariom said slowly. "But the body reinforcement is part of the same matrix. It wasn''t added separately. So I think it''s more likely that it had another purpose." Mideis looked confused. "What else would you use it for? I''ve read quite a lot about flesh enchantments for this project, and I don''t remember seeing any other uses for longevity charms." "Well, no. You wouldn''t have seen them if you were only reading about flesh enchantments. You''d have to study other areas of necromancy." Ariom glanced at Humerus. "Spectral beasts, for example. Revenants that have formed familiar contracts typically have preservation and reinforcement charms placed on their vessels to protect them from damage and prevent decay. Longevity charms were actually adapted from enchantments like those. That''s one reason they don''t work particularly well. They were originally intended for preserving corpses, not living bodies." "Are you saying this guy might be a revenant?" Namyis asked, looking curiously at the man lying on the table. "He looked like a normal person before I froze him. His body was warm, and he was breathing and everything." Ariom shook his head. "That was just an example. It''s not impossible that he''s a revenant, but it''s not likely. I need to see more of the enchantment matrix before I can tell exactly what''s going on." "So you want to keep going, then?" "That''s the only way to know for sure what we''re dealing with here. It''s a bit dangerous, though. I don''t really know what to expect, so I''m more likely to trigger one of the traps by accident. And from the looks of it, the explosive formations might be even higher-powered than the ones we''ve practiced with." Namyis looked up at him and smiled. "I''m okay with it if you are. I trust your judgment." Ariom raised an eyebrow. Just where did that confidence come from...? He sighed a little and turned back to Mideis. "What do you think?" "Well, if you honestly think it''s too dangerous, I won''t blame you for quitting. But if you''re willing, I''d prefer to keep going. The more information we have about what the Order''s up to, the better." Ariom hesitated for a moment, considering. It was true there was some risk. But the worst traps would probably be in the torso area, where the main part of the enchantment matrix was. He and Namyis were working well together by now, so if they went slowly, just finishing the arm shouldn''t be a problem, and that ought to give him enough information to know whether his hunch about this enchantment was accurate or not. They could decide how to proceed from there. "All right," he said finally, nodding. "Let''s do the rest of this arm and see how it looks. We''ll go a little more slowly, just to be safe." He bent over the frozen body again and reformed his small magic blade. Namyis also got back into position, following his lead as he began cautiously picking apart the inscriptions on the wrist. Her weird antics aside, she really was good in a supporting role. She paid close attention and responded quickly, often predicting what he wanted before he asked. He might have actually enjoyed working with her if she didn''t annoy him quite so much. And if she weren''t a battlemage, of course. It was hard to get past that part. It took them about a half hour to finish the forearm and a bit longer than that for the upper arm, since there was a tricky section at the shoulder. Finally, they reached a relatively good stopping point. Ariom signaled for another break and then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I see what you mean about that reinforcement enchantment," Mideis said, his brow furrowed. "It does resemble a longevity charm, but it''s a bit strange. Do you have an idea of what its purpose is by now?" "Yeah, I do. I''m not sure about the details yet, but I understand basically what it is we have on our hands here. And I guess I''ll have to take back what I said earlier." Mideis blinked. "Which part?" "Remember when I called this guy a walking corpse? He''s not. You have to be dead to be a corpse, and this thing was never alive in the first place." Ariom gestured at the body with his chin. "This isn''t a human body. It''s a flesh golem."
"A flesh golem?" Thenio repeated. "You mean like the practice dummies we''ve been using?" "No, not quite." Bero shook his head, staring down at the papers with magic formations drawn on them that he''d spread out over the table. "The term is a little confusing because it''s used to refer to a few different things. The things we''ve been using for practicing are technically ''flesh dolls.'' They''re artificial cadavers, basically. Just a replica of a body, with no life or function. The wooden dolls Ariom makes are a simpler version of them. They''re used a lot for research and education. I saw tons of them when I was studying healing magic." Grandmaster Sephior nodded. "Yes, we use them for training at the Stability Center. There''s a magic workshop here in Kamari that specializes in making them. I believe the Royal Academy gets theirs from the same place." "True flesh golems are something different, though," Bero continued, tapping one of the papers thoughtfully. "They''re actual golems, made with either an artificial body or a dead one. They can be programmed to do various things, just like any other golem. Not too many people use them nowadays, but they were quite common during the Great War. You''ve probably heard of the Guardian''s White Army, haven''t you? Those are bone golems, a type of flesh golem." "Ah, right. I know about that," Thenio said, nodding. "That''s why his other nickname is the Last True Necromancer, right? Because he''s the only modern necromancer who can control a whole army like that?" "Well, that''s not the only reason. But it''s a big part of it, yes." Yohlom Idarin''s White Army was legendary. It was said that his skeletons were a major factor in keeping the First Rift under control, since they weren''t affected by the thick miasma surrounding it like humans were. Grandmaster Sephior had been giving Thenio''s hand and wrist a light treatment with healing magic to help keep them from getting sore, but now he stood up and went over to the table. "Let me take a look." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Bero moved to the side to let him see the papers more easily. The two of them stood and looked down at the scattered formations in silence. Thenio turned to Amisi. "Are Ariom and Mideis still talking?" The taua nodded. "They stepped out to tell the vice-captain what Ariom''s learned so far and discuss what to do." She paused, looking at Bero and Grandmaster Sephior. "Since you two are both high-level necromancers, they''d like to hear your opinions once you''re done looking over those drawings." "I should probably go out and talk to them," Bero said. "Flesh golems aren''t really your thing, are they? I''m no expert, but I''ve studied them a little. And I am an expert on revenants. Their vessels could be considered a type of flesh puppet." Grandmaster Sephior nodded without taking his eyes off the table. "Yes, you have more experience. Especially since I think this actually is a flesh puppet, rather than a true golem." "Oh? What makes you think so?" "That." The doctor pointed to one of the magic formations. "That''s a heat enchantment, presumably to simulate a human''s body temperature. Doesn''t that mean they wanted to impersonate a living human? That''s very difficult to do with a golem." "Hmm...that''s a good point." Bero nodded slowly. "That would mean they have quite a skilled necromancer working for them. Flesh puppets aren''t easy to control...not for humans, anyway." He paused and gave a rather grim smile. "I actually noticed the heat enchantment, but my interpretation of it was a bit different. I thought it was likely to be a trap." Grandmaster Sephior raised an eyebrow. "A trap for the Royal Guard, you mean?" "Yes. For the analysis team, specifically. People with skills like theirs aren''t easy to find. If you could take them by surprise with a more dangerous explosive enchantment than they were expecting and injure or kill at least one, it would severely hinder the investigation." "So you think there''s a mole?" "I think it''s worth considering the possibility." "Yes, I suppose it is." Grandmaster Sephior seemed to think for a moment, then he pulled a number of small bottles out of his space pocket and set them on the table in front of Bero. Three looked like the bottle of ambrosia that Ariom had given Thenio. The other six had a silvery white liquid in them. "Here. Give these to the others to keep on hand if they decide they want to go ahead with the analysis. Relisa and the unicorns made them, so I can guarantee the quality." Bero''s eyes widened a little as he picked up one of the white bottles and checked the label. "Moondust? That''s some good stuff. You''re sure you want to give away this much?" Thenio''s jaw dropped. Moondust was the common name for a top quality magic recovery medicine. It could restore a large amount of magic power in a few minutes with barely any side effects. Only a small number of high-level alchemists could make it, so it was difficult to come by. And very expensive, obviously. Even more than ambrosia was. Grandmaster Sephior chuckled a little when he saw the shocked look on Thenio''s face. "It''s fine. Medicine is worthless if you don''t use it when you need it. And I can always get more. I live with a grandmaster alchemist and two unicorns, after all." "Relisa keeps a low profile, so you might not be aware, but she''s one of the best pharmaceutical alchemists on the continent," Bero explained to Thenio. "My son was very fortunate to be able to do his apprenticeship with her." He put the bottles into his own space pocket and gave Grandmaster Sephior a grateful nod. "Thank you. This will help me feel a little more at ease if they decide to be reckless and go ahead with analyzing the rest of that golem''s enchantment...which they probably will, knowing Ariom...." He sighed and shook his head. Then he left the room to go find Ariom and Mideis. "Ariom is going to do something dangerous?" Iggy asked after Bero closed the door behind him. The little dragon had been sitting on a corner of the table, alternating between playing quietly with Obby and looking at the magic formations that Bero was laying out. But now he came over and jumped onto the desk, looking concerned. "It''s a little dangerous, but I''m sure Ariom will be really careful," Thenio told him, reaching up to stroke his back. "He''s wearing that combat suit to protect him, remember? And Namyis and Humerus are in there with him. They''re both really strong, right? They won''t let Ariom or Mideis get hurt. And Grandmaster Sephior was really nice just now and sent over some special medicine for them to use if they need it. So everyone will be fine. Okay?" Thenio actually wasn''t entirely sure about that last part. But he knew Ariom wouldn''t take stupid risks, and there were a lot of precautions in place. What good would it do to let Iggy worry, anyway? "Mmm. Okay." Iggy seemed satisfied with those reassurances. His half-flattened ears relaxed, and his tail even waved a little. Amisi probably wasn''t fooled by Thenio''s optimism, but she seemed to think it was better to play along. "They''ll probably be talking for a little while longer," she said, standing up and stretching herself in an arch. "Do you want to play ball for a few minutes, Iggy?" "Mmm!" Iggy jumped from the desk over to Amisi''s bench. At the same time, he triggered Obby''s float charm, so the plush chicken rose up off the table and drifted over to him. "Obby will play with us, too, okay? He can play as our ball!" The two familiars started hitting the floating chicken back and forth through the air. Thenio watched them for a minute, then decided to follow Amisi''s suggestion and move around a little. He stood up and stretched before going over to the refreshment table to pour himself a cup of water. "Do you want anything?" he asked Grandmaster Sephior, who was still looking at the magic formations that were spread across the table. The doctor glanced up and smiled appreciatively. "Some water for me, too, please." Thenio poured another cup and carried it back over. "Uh...thank you," he said a bit awkwardly as he handed the water over. "For sharing that medicine with everyone. And for helping us with this job in general." "You''re very welcome, boy," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. He took a sip of the water and then looked at Thenio thoughtfully. "Though, if anything, I really ought to be thanking you for the opportunity. It''s a chance to help out some old friends of mine and to observe some very interesting magic. Plus...well...I don''t think you quite realize just how valuable your connection to Ki''shiu is. Plenty of people would jump at the chance to earn a bit of favor from someone like him, you know? I don''t recommend that you deliberately try to take advantage of him, of course, but you should certainly view your relationship with him as a precious asset." "That...I mean...I do value my relationship with him. And Eteon. They''ve helped me out a lot. But I guess I hadn''t really thought about other people valuing it, too. Ariom and Mideis both seem to be kind of scared of them...." Grandmaster Sephior gave a wry smile. "As they should be. Mythic beasts generally have a tolerant attitude toward humans, but it''s rare for a mythic beast to treat a human as kindly as Ki''shiu treats you." "Oh." Thenio wasn''t quite sure what to say to that. Eteon had said that they were helping him simply because they liked him. But the more he learned about mythic beasts from other people, the stranger that seemed. He didn''t think Eteon had lied to him, exactly...they did act like they liked him, after all. But it couldn''t be quite that simple. Not when Ki''shiu seemed to have been equally interested in all the other chaos morphs. Thenio sat back down at the desk, sipping his water and puzzling over the strange situation. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Bero reentered the room. "Break time''s over, everyone," he announced, giving the playing familiars an apologetic smile. "As expected, they decided to keep going, so it''s time to get back to work." He turned to Thenio. "They know there''s the possibility of some nasty traps being hidden inside that thing, so they''re going to be as careful as possible. Which means going at a much slower pace than our practice sessions have been. If they successfully avoid setting off any traps that way...well, it will be a good thing, but it also might mean we''re in for a very long day. Thenio, you should keep going as long as you can, but you shouldn''t push yourself to the point of breaking. Mideis can take over if you need him to, so be sure to let us know if you start feeling uncomfortable, all right?" "I understand." Thenio nodded and picked his pencil back up.
"Well, what did you decide?" Namyis asked when Ariom and Mideis returned to the analysis room. "We''re going to continue," Ariom said. "I''m not sure how far we can go without setting off a trap, but we''ll do as much as we can." He looked at Mideis. "Can you give her a summary of the conversation just now? I need to talk to Humerus for a minute." While Mideis started explaining to Namyis about everything they''d been discussing with the vice-captain and Uncle Bero, Ariom went over to where Humerus was still lying quietly on his cushion. "Did Uncle Bero tell you everything?" Ariom asked, reaching out to stroke the revenant''s back. Humerus nodded. "If he''s right, and the guy we intended to bring in was swapped out for this golem to try to put us in a dangerous situation...well...are you going to be all right?" "Of course I will," Humerus scoffed. "Who do you think I am? That ugly golem is no match for my greatness." He glanced toward the observation window. "And I told you I had a bad feeling about some of those people. That''s why I''ve been trying not to let them see what I am." "I know...that was smart. Now the Mighty Humerus can fly in out of nowhere and ruin all their plans." Ariom smiled wryly and patted the revenant''s head. "Thanks, Humerus. I''m really glad you''re here." Humerus sniffed. "You''d better make me something nice later." "I will. I promise." Ariom gave him another pat and then turned back toward the examination table. "All right. Let''s see if we can uncover a few of the Order''s secrets." Chapter 55 - Work and More Work "So you think the Order might have switched our real target with a golem that looks like him to lure us into a trap?" Namyis didn''t seem surprised by the idea, but she frowned a little as she looked down at the frozen golem lying in front of her. "I''ve felt like something was off ever since we started the raid last night. The base''s security was relatively light, and the guards weren''t well-trained. We got in and caught this guy...this thing? Whatever. We caught him much too easily. But if it''s a trap, it''s not a very good one. It''s too obvious, isn''t it?" "Well, yes. That''s part of why we''re not sure," Mideis said. "If they knew about our plans, they should have known that Ariom was going to be in charge of the analysis and that someone like him would notice the enchantment was different right away. So it doesn''t really make sense for it to be a trap. But it doesn''t make sense for it not to be a trap, either." "That''s why we''re going to continue with the analysis. We need more information." Ariom walked back over to the examination table. "But we''ll do it as carefully as possible. If this is like a typical golem, the most important parts of the enchantment will be in the center of the body. So that should also be where the most dangerous traps are. I honestly doubt we can get through the whole thing without setting one off. So we''ll do the limbs first. They should be easier and will let me get more familiar with the enchantment style. And disarming the traps in those parts will decrease the power of the eventual explosion. It will take longer, but it''s the safest method." "You''re the boss!" Namyis said cheerfully. "We''ll do it however you think is best." She glanced at the observation window and added in a lower voice, "I suppose Garem is looking into the possibility of there being a spy among the researchers?" Mideis nodded. "Yes. He''s going to contact Captain Lysien about doing a thorough check of everyone who could have leaked information about last night''s raid. And he and a few other Guard members that he knows he can trust will stay around to keep a close watch on the research team while we''re working." "Good." Namyis gave him a sympathetic smile. "I hope for your sake that we''re wrong about that part. It must be hard to have to suspect your own coworkers...." "It is. But it''s not the first time I''ve experienced it," Mideis said with a sigh. "You always have to be vigilant in this line of work. But I definitely trust the vice-captain. And Ariom is confident that his uncle and Grandmaster Sephior can look after Thenio, so we shouldn''t have anything to worry about while we''re working." "Ah, right." Namyis nodded in agreement. "I''ve heard that Grandmaster Sephior can make really strong barriers. Strong enough that even high-rankers have trouble breaking through them. So they should be fine." "Right. So let''s focus on the problem in front of us. Figuring out this enchantment should help us figure out where this golem came from and how we ended up with it." Ariom sat down in his seat by the table. "Let''s get back to work. We''ll do the right arm next."
One hour...two hours...three hours.... By the time they''d finished the analysis of both arms and one leg, they''d been working for more than four hours. They took a break for lunch, and after eating, Amisi curled back up inside her blanket to take a short nap, and Bero took Iggy out of the room to go find a place where the restless little dragon could fly around and work off some of his extra energy before the afternoon analysis session started. Grandmaster Sephior produced a bedroll and blanket from his space pocket, and Thenio used them to also take a quick nap on the floor next to Amisi''s bench, assisted by a little bit of sleep magic. Healing magic could take care of his headaches and the soreness in his wrist and hand, as well as helping to replenish his magic power. But for relieving mental fatigue, there was no good substitute for actual sleep. Thenio had a pleasant dream. He dreamt that he was lying on the branch of an enormous tree with dark brown bark and green and gold leaves that grew in long, weeping clusters. Bits of sunlight filtered down through the branches, and a soft breeze made the hanging leaves sway and spread a gentle, familiar scent through the air. Where had he smelled this before? It was a bit like vanilla, with hints of cedar. A nice scent. It made Thenio feel relaxed and safe. He was sure he''d smelled this somewhere before. But he couldn''t think where.... As he gazed up through the sunlit leaves, trying to remember, he heard what sounded like a hooved creature walking down on the ground below him. A deer? A horse? Maybe a unicorn? Thenio sat up and looked down over the side of the thick branch he''d been lying on, trying to see what was making the sound. But just as he caught sight of movement down below, he felt something tapping at his cheek. He opened his eyes and found himself back at the Royal Guard headquarters. He was lying on Grandmaster Sephior''s bedroll, and Iggy was standing on his chest, patting Thenio''s cheek with his tiny paw. "Thenio, wake up! Uncle Bero says that Humerus says that Ariom says that it''s time to start working again!" Thenio blinked for a moment, trying to work out the meaning of that confusing sentence. It was time to get up. He could understand that much, at least. He lifted Iggy off his chest and sat up slowly, looking around. "How long was I asleep?" "About half an hour." Grandmaster Sephior was standing nearby. He seemed to have lifted the blanket off Amisi and was gently scratching her head and neck to help her wake up. "Did you have a good rest, boy?" "Yeah, I did." Thenio set Iggy on the end of Amisi''s bench, then got to his feet and stretched his arms out in front of him. He did feel well-rested, in spite of only sleeping for a short time. His head had cleared, and he felt alert and energetic. "I''m glad to hear that," Grandmaster Sephior said with a wrinkly smile. Thenio gave him a slightly suspicious look. Why did it feel like the doctor had something to do with his restful nap? Was it just the sleep magic he''d used? Or had he done something else after Thenio was asleep? Come to think of it...didn''t that tree in his dream look like a much bigger version of the one Thenio had unintentionally drawn the other day when he''d been using dream magic to draw Sano? The tree that Bero said was in Grandmaster Sephior''s garden? Was that just a coincidence...? "Here, drink this." Thenio turned to see Bero handing him a cup of water. He took the cup automatically and stared at it blankly for a moment before taking a drink. "Humerus says Ariom wants to start again in a few minutes," Bero continued. "So move around a little and finish waking up, all right? They''ll start working on the second leg as soon as you and Amisi are ready." Thenio nodded and took another drink of his water before setting the cup on the desk and bending down to roll up the bedroll and blanket. He''d have to wait and ask Grandmaster Sephior about trees later. Right now it was time to get back to work.
Garem Ranior stood in front of the window in the observation room, arms folded across his chest. He was wearing his usual gloomy expression, but right now it matched his actual mood much more than it normally did. He''d been in his current position at the Royal Guard for almost thirty years, and he''d worked as an inspector before that. Plus a stint as a combat wizard in the Magic Corps when he was young. He''d spent most of his life dealing with demons and the type of vermin that were attracted to their power. Of those, the Order of the Ravener was by far the worst. Fighting against actual demons had been much easier than trying to fight against those underhanded parasites. It wasn''t really a surprise that they''d infiltrated the research team and messed with the investigation. They were always playing nasty tricks like that. But it was annoying. He''d been so careful, put so many checks and precautions in place.... This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. But the bugs had still found a way in. They always did. No matter how hard he worked, he was always a step behind. So annoying.... He heard a faint whine next to him and felt Kino''s large, shaggy body press lightly against his leg. Garem unfolded his arms and patted the storm hound''s head. I''m all right. Just frustrated. Have you smelled anything strange? No. No one seems unusually nervous. The people that Bero warned us about are acting normal. Well, they wouldn''t expose themselves that easily. Just keep watching for now. Getting through this analysis safely is the most important thing. We can worry about hunting down all the rats later. Why is there always so much work? I like work. But I want to go play with the black dragon and the chaos boy again.... I know. But the boy is working right now, too. You can take a break and visit him for a few minutes after he''s done, all right? Garem patted Kino''s head again and turned his attention back to what was happening in the analysis room. They''d been working on the golem''s right leg for the past couple of hours, and it looked like they were nearly finished. They''d probably take a break and then finally start on the head and torso¡ªthe most important and difficult parts. Garem watched the three people inside the room working for a few minutes, his brows slightly furrowed. He wasn''t an enchanter or a crystal mage, so he couldn''t tell exactly what they were doing, but he could more or less tell how the analysis was going from the expressions on their faces. They were getting tired. The analysis strategy that Ariom had chosen prioritized safety, but it made for a very long day. They''d been here for more than seven hours already, and the worst was still ahead. Namyis had the ridiculous stamina of a sixth-rank battlemage, so she was still doing all right. But it was harder for the other two. They were professionals, of course, so they were able to maintain their focus. And the medicines that Grandmaster Sephior had contributed were helping. Ariom and Mideis had both been drinking small amounts of moondust during their breaks to keep their magic power levels up. And the ambrosia was helping everyone stave off physical fatigue. But it was hard to say how much more they could get done before Ariom''s mind or hand slipped and he set off one of the golem''s traps. Not that it was anything to criticize him for. Most enchanters wouldn''t have even made it this far. And every bit of information they could glean from this unexpected research subject was valuable. They''d take whatever they could get. Garem felt someone enter the observation room and turned his head toward the door. He didn''t have Kino''s keen sense of smell, but as a wind mage, he was very sensitive to movement and the flow of the air around him. The man who had just entered was Rimeus Telven, the doctor who was in charge of the medical team. Garem had asked him to make some additional preparations, since it looked like the enchantment they were dealing with was more dangerous than they had expected. Ariom and Bero both seemed sure that Bero''s revenant could deal with it, but...well, it never hurt to be prepared. Revenants were dangerous in their own way, after all. Rimeus came over to where Garem was standing. "We just finished making the arrangements you asked for," he said in a low voice. "The military hospital sent over a couple of transport vehicles, along with the appropriate staff. They''ll be waiting in case there are any injuries we can''t deal with here. And I double-checked the recovery rooms to make sure everything was in order and then locked them to make sure no one can tamper with them while they aren''t being used." "Good," Garem said with a nod of approval. "Hopefully the protective gear does its job and we don''t need the transports. But at least this way we should be ready for whatever happens." "Well, I think we''ve done everything we can for now. And we can be glad that the head of the Stability Center decided to join us." Rimeus looked over at the door leading into the transcription room. "It''s quite a comfort to know that one of the best doctors in the country is here. And the medical staff were all thrilled to be able to meet him." He turned back to Garem with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Focilo Sephior is a bit of a hero in the world of healing magic, you know. I''ve been hearing stories about him for years." "Yes, it was quite lucky that Ariom''s assistant turned out to be one of his patients." "That boy is rather interesting himself." Rimeus looked at the door again. "How did a kid that young end up as a grandmaster enchanter''s assistant, anyway? Shouldn''t he still be in magic school?" "There were...circumstances. Grandmaster Denifor is actually his guardian. The assistant part is mostly for show, I think. Though the boy does seem to be quite talented." "I see." Rimeus continued looking thoughtfully at the door for a moment. Then he turned to Garem again. "Well, feel free to let me know if there''s anything else you''d like me to do. Otherwise...we just wait, I guess." "Yes. That''s really all we can do for now." Garem looked back at the two wizards bending over the examination table with looks of intense concentration on their faces. "Watch and wait."
They''d finally reached a stopping point on the second leg. Ariom signaled for a break and then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "There. That''s all four limbs done. Let''s take ten minutes or so. Stretch your legs and get something to drink, everyone. I have no idea how long it will take us to reach another safe place to stop once we start again." Namyis stood up and stretched, while Mideis poured two cups of health juice, added in a small amount of ambrosia, and brought them over. "Thanks," Ariom said, taking the cup Mideis handed him. "How are you and Amisi holding out?" "A little tired, but not too bad. The moondust and ambrosia that Grandmaster Sephior gave us have been helping a lot. It''s much better quality than the stuff I normally use. He gave Amisi some as well, and your uncle''s been feeding it to her a little at a time. Makes you wonder just how much precious medicine that guy''s carrying around with him...." Mideis shook his head. "Anyway, we''ll probably need to take tomorrow off to recover, but I think we can last the rest of the day. What about you?" "About the same. Tired, but I can keep going." Ariom took a sip of his juice and wrinkled his nose at the taste. Health juice was a thick drink made from a mix of fruit, vegetables, and grain, and it was popular among crafting wizards as a quick and easy substitute for meals during long work sessions. It was reasonably palatable, and Ariom had relied on it a lot in the past. But he''d gotten a bit spoiled lately because of having Thenio around to cook and bring food trays up to the workroom for him. Toflyn had only cared about cooking when it came to dragon food. The meals he made for humans were...a little questionable. Health juice had seemed like a relatively good alternative back then. "Is Thenio still doing all right?" Ariom asked, glancing at Mideis, who had gone back to the supply table to get a cup of juice and ambrosia for himself. "Yes. Napping a little during the lunch break seems to have helped him a lot. He didn''t even get a headache during this last section. Though I''m not sure how well he''ll hold out if the next one takes much longer. I may have to take over partway through. I can''t do it as fast as he can, but since you''ve been going at a slower pace than we did in the practices, I think I can keep up well enough. Have you decided what part to start on next?" "We''ll do the head next. That''s usually where a golem''s sensory mechanisms are located, so it will be more complicated than the limbs were. But the traps probably won''t be much worse, and there''s likely to be a good break point somewhere in the neck." "Makes sense. It''s a good thing you know so much about golems." Mideis sighed. "That''s one more topic to add to my neverending study list for this project. I want to go back to my Pre-War artifacts...." "Just study Pre-War golems, then. Look up the Brelioc Clan¡ªthey built some pretty impressive ones. This guy''s design is more like those than it is like a modern golem''s. Though the basic structure is pretty much the same for all of them." "Hasn''t one of the professors in the research group been studying that clan? I remember there was a presentation about them in one of the meetings I went to a year or two ago...." "Right. Professor Hibien. Her research isn''t focused on golems, but she could probably help you find some materials on them. She recommended a few references to me when I was doing a job for the Delmao Workshop a while back." "Ah, good idea. I''ll ask her. Assuming I can ever find the time...." Mideis sighed again. Ariom drank the last of his health juice and stood up to take the cup back over to the supply table. He also went around the protective wall to check on Humerus, who had jumped down behind the wall, out of sight from the window, to pretend he was eating a snack. He''d been doing the same thing during all their breaks. "Are you doing all right, Humerus?" Ariom asked, bending down to stroke the revenant''s back. "No," Humerus said in a sulky voice. His back was to Ariom, but he turned his head around to glare at him. "I''m hungry." Besides not having snacks, Humerus actually hadn''t eaten anything since the day before, in preparation for today. It was normal for wild revenants to go for days at a time without eating, and as long as Humerus limited his magic use, it wouldn''t hurt him. But it was also normal for revenants to be anxious about their food supply, so skipping meals always put him in a very bad mood. "I know," Ariom told him soothingly. "I''m sorry. I didn''t know this was going to be such a difficult job. Just hang in there a little longer. You''ll be able to have a nice, big meal later." Humerus made an annoyed huffing sound and turned away. Ariom patted him, smiling wryly. He knew that Humerus was doing this of his own free will. Uncle Bero had asked him to, but he hadn''t forced him into it. He was also aware that it was a difficult task for the revenant, though, and he was grateful. "We should probably pay a visit to Thenio''s friend Eteon again soon. How about I commission him to make you a new puppet? Then I''ll put some enchantments on it for you. Any kind of puppet you want. Would you like that?" Humerus huffed again. But the tip of his tail waved a little. Ariom rubbed the revenant''s head affectionately. "All right. You think about what kind of puppet you want. We''ll talk more about it later." Having successfully appeased the cranky Humerus, Ariom straightened up and headed back to the examination table. Break time was almost over. There was still a lot of work to be done. Chapter 56 - Menacing Shadows The golem''s head was a relatively small area, but it was densely packed with magic formations. It took around three and a half hours from the time they started working on it until they finally reached a good place to stop, at the base of the neck. They took another long break when it was over, to give everyone a chance to eat dinner and to allow all the exhausted mental magic users to rest and recover a little. Thenio had been able to keep transcribing the entire time, as it turned out, but he apparently had quite a bad headache by the time it was over and needed to lie down for a while. Amisi also said she needed another nap before she could continue. Even Mideis, who had the best stamina of the three of them, excused himself after eating to go relax and meditate in one of the recovery rooms the medical team had prepared for them. Ariom was planning to rest a little as well, but before that, he went to go check on Iggy. According to the telepathic reports they''d gotten from Uncle Bero and Amisi, the little dragon had been behaving himself very well so far today. But he was only a baby, after all, and being away from Ariom for too long at a time made him anxious. It made Ariom a bit anxious as well, if he was being honest.... He could sense that Iggy wasn''t in the transcription room, and after asking a couple of research team members that he met in the observation area, Ariom finally located his familiar, along with Uncle Bero and Kino the storm hound, in a courtyard that separated the building dedicated to their project from the Royal Guard''s main research building. It was early evening now, and the sun was hanging low over the western mountains. But there was still an hour or so of daytime left, and the walls of the courtyard were glowing with golden evening sunlight. "Ariom!" As expected, Iggy came hurtling through the air toward Ariom as soon as he stepped outside. He quickly held up his arm. Iggy landed on it, folded his wings, and then jumped onto Ariom''s chest, clinging to the front of his shirt. Smiling wryly, Ariom held the little dragon up with one hand and stroked his back with the other. "Hi there, little guy. Have you been good for Uncle Bero?" "Mmm," Iggy replied in a muffled voice, his face buried in Ariom''s shirt. "I have! I''ve been super good! But I missed Ariom...." "I know. I missed you, too." Ariom gently scratched the dragon''s ears. "I can''t stay out here for too long, but I wanted to make sure you were doing all right." He glanced over at Kino, who was watching them with Obby hovering next to him, held up by the dog''s wind magic. "Were you playing with Kino and Obby?" "Mmm! We were playing bird! The wind-dog is really good at playing bird!" "Good. I''m glad you''re having fun." Ariom patted Iggy, then looked back at the storm hound. "Thanks for playing with him, Kino. It''s hard for him to be cooped up all day like this." Kino simply nodded silently. He never talked much. "How are you feeling?" Uncle Bero asked, coming over and looking Ariom up and down with concern. "Having to concentrate on enchantment inscriptions for so many hours at a time must be hard on you. Your eyes are red from using magesight for too long." "I''m...yeah...I''m a bit tired. But it''s not like I''ve never had a long workday before. And I have some healing drops for my eyes. I''m going to use some and then rest in one of the recovery rooms for a little while. I just wanted to check on Iggy first." Uncle Bero looked at him silently for a moment, wearing a complicated expression. Finally he sighed and patted Ariom''s shoulder. "I see.... Take your time, Ariom. There''s no need to rush. Namyis is strong enough to hold out for a few extra hours if you need her to." "I know that," Ariom snapped, his tone a little more aggressive than he''d intended. He looked away, avoiding his uncle''s gaze. "She''s a lot stronger than I am. I know that. And...it''s annoying." Uncle Bero chuckled. "Well, there are different kinds of strength.... But it''s true that it''s hard to get around a difference in sorcerer rank. Power always comes with a price, though. Remember that before you start feeling envious." "Yeah...I know...." Ariom was quiet for a bit, still stroking Iggy''s back. The thing that was really bothering him wasn''t his tired eyes or Namyis'' strength, of course. His uncle probably knew that. He''d been the one organizing the magic formations that Thenio was transcribing, so he should have noticed the real problem. But Ariom didn''t want to talk about it in front of Iggy and Kino, and Uncle Bero seemed to be following his lead by not mentioning it directly. Ariom sighed. "I guess I should go back inside." He looked down at his dragon. "Can you be good and stay with Uncle Bero for a few more hours? Our break won''t end for a while, so it''s okay to stay out here and play with Kino a little longer." "Mmm...okay..." Iggy agreed reluctantly. Ariom scratched the little dragon''s drooping ears. "Just a few more hours. Then we can go home. You can sleep in my room tonight if you want to. And I''m going to take tomorrow off, so we can stay together the whole day. Okay?" Iggy''s ears perked back up a little. "Mmm! Okay." "Good boy." Ariom patted his head. Then he walked over to where Kino was standing and patted his head as well. "You too, Kino. I know you and Garem are doing your best to keep us all safe. Thanks for that. And for being friends with Iggy." He set the little dragon down on Kino''s shaggy red back, patted them both one more time, and then turned to go back into the building. "Ariom." Ariom stopped and looked back at his uncle. "Don''t try to take on everything all by yourself." Uncle Bero gave him a gentle smile. "You''re intelligent and talented and dedicated. But you''re still young. And you''re only one person. Nobody expects you to handle everything alone. Just do your best, and ask for help when you need it. All right?" Ariom hesitated for a moment before nodding silently. Then he turned and went inside.
When he returned to the analysis room, Ariom found Namyis sitting in Mideis'' chair with Humerus on her lap. He paused just inside the door, watching the two of them. Namyis had taken her helmet off and was sitting in a relaxed pose, chatting with the revenant and stroking his back. Her long, pale violet hair had originally been pulled up into a tidy, braided chignon, but a few shorter strands had come loose during the day and were now hanging down on the sides of her face. It gave her a delicate, feminine look, which contrasted oddly with the severity of the dark grey combat suit she was wearing. As Ariom hesitated, Humerus noticed he was there and turned to look at him. Namyis, following the revenant''s gaze, also turned her head. "Welcome back!" She gave Ariom a brilliant smile and a little wave. "Are you feeling better?" "Yeah...a little." Ariom walked slowly over to them. "Sorry to make you stay here and take care of things while we went to rest." "Don''t worry about it. Humerus and I have been entertaining each other. And this is my part of the job, right? You analyze the enchantment and disarm the traps. I keep the fake corpse frozen." "...right." Ariom leaned against the low wall and looked over at the golem, which had been covered with the white sheet again. There was a long moment of silence. "I messed up," Ariom said quietly, still staring at the golem. "Towards the end of that last session. I made a mistake. I would have set off a trap if you hadn''t noticed and kept holding the stasis on that formation." "I know. But that''s what teammates do, right? We cover for each other." Namyis'' voice was calm, and when Ariom finally turned away from the golem and looked back at her, she was still wearing a pleasant smile. "It''s not like anyone''s upset about it, you know? You told us in the beginning that it was going to be difficult and that we probably wouldn''t be able to make it through the entire enchantment." "I know...I know that, but...." Ariom broke off, scowling. Why was he trying to talk to her about this, anyway? He hadn''t even felt comfortable bringing it up with Uncle Bero. And someone like her, one of the most powerful wizards in the country, couldn''t possibly understand how he was feeling right now.... Namyis tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Is it really that scary?" "What?" Ariom stared at her, startled by the question. "The enchantment on that golem. You seem kind of scared of it. Especially since we did the head. Is it really that amazing?" Ariom''s expression darkened. "What makes you think I''m scared?" Namyis blinked innocently. "You really want to know?" "Yes, I do!" he said, annoyed. She pointed at his face. "Because the look on your face when we got about half an hour into the analysis on the head was just like the one Riomel had when we fought an armored behemoth together." He glowered at her for a moment and then turned away angrily. There was another long silence. "...yeah...it really is that amazing..." Ariom finally said, very reluctantly. He looked over at the covered body on the table and let out a long sigh. "That golem...is one of the most brilliant pieces of necromancy I''ve ever seen. If you told me Yohlom Idarin made it, I''d believe you. No...if you told me someone better than him made it, I''d believe you." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Namyis also looked at the golem. "Really? It''s that good?" "It''s that good. I knew it was pretty high-level when I saw the limbs, but that sensory matrix...." Ariom shook his head and then let out a bitter laugh. "It''s better than anything I could make. Maybe better than anything I''ll ever be able to make." "Well, it''s hard to say about that last part.... But I understand what you''re getting at. If they would put an enchantment that amazing on what''s essentially a disposable tool...." "Right. Then what kinds of things can this guy make when he''s really trying? And someone like that is working with the Order of the Ravener? Why wouldn''t I be scared? This is even worse than finding out there''s a mythic beast watching how well I take care of Thenio." "I don''t suppose there''s any possibility that a mythic beast made the golem?" Ariom shook his head. "I doubt it. Not if the rumors are true that all the mythics hate demons and are trying to close the rifts. There''s no way they''d be working with the Order if that''s the case." "It is true, based on what Essu told me." Namyis looked thoughtful. "But what about the Order getting hold of a design that a mythic made and repurposing it?" "I guess that''s not impossible. But it''s not just the design that''s amazing. It''s also the scribing work. It''s not easy putting an enchantment on a living body¡ªeven an artificial one. Even if the design was already done, you''d need a life mage at least on Focilo''s level to do a scribing job as beautiful as this one. Plus...based on the complexity of the sensory functions...I''m fairly sure that Focilo was right about this thing. It''s actually a flesh puppet, not a true golem. And it takes a pretty skilled necromancer to control one of those properly." "So you''re saying the Order of the Ravener has a necromancer who''s as strong as Yohlom?" "Well, someone who''s as good at making flesh puppets as he is, at least. Probably not as strong as he is in other areas, though. If they had someone like that, why would the Order be hiding in the shadows? They could just straight-up conquer one or more of the eastern countries." "Hmm...true. Yohlom could probably do something like that if he wanted to." "You''ve met him, haven''t you?" Namyis nodded. "Yes. I''ve worked with him during Rift duty. He''s pretty aloof, but he does cooperate with the other combat wizards there. Usually." "What''s he like?" Ariom was a bit curious in spite of himself. "Scary." Namyis'' face became unusually sober. "Really scary. He''s a lot stronger than I am. A lot stronger than Hurricane and Bubbles, even. I think all our demon hunters would have to team up if they wanted to defeat him." Ariom raised his eyebrows. "That is scary." Maybe she could understand a little of how he felt about the Order''s unknown necromancer after all.... "Yohlom definitely isn''t working with the Order, though," Namyis went on. "He hates demons. Absolutely hates them. Probably even more than the mythic beasts do." "Ah...yes. I''ve heard some of the stories about him." Yohlom Idarin was an odd character. He was unaffiliated with any country and rarely left the Northern Wastelands where the First Rift was located. And he seemed to be completely obsessed with fighting demons. There were even rumors that he would kill any allies who hindered his efforts and add their bones to his White Army. The story went that a joint group of combat wizards from Kafron and the Wizard Association were scouting out the area north of the Odrin mountains in year 143 of the Rift Era, when they''d come across Yohlom, alone with his skeletons, fighting a neverending battle against the demons in the frozen wilderness. No one was sure how long he''d been there or what his background was. There were rumors that the city he lived in had been destroyed by demons and he had devoted the rest of his life to revenge against them. Rumors that he was actually a mythic beast in disguise. Rumors that he was a lich who had been alive since long before the Great War. Rumors that he was a spectral beast who had taken control of a human body. Even rumors that he was the one who had caused the Rift Crisis and that he was trying to rid the world of demons as penance. But all anyone really knew was that he was a necromancer with tremendous power, a large army of enchanted skeletons, and a serious grudge against demons. The thought that there might be another person in the world like him was worrying enough by itself. But if such a person was working for the Order of the Ravener? That was a terrifying prospect. "Have you talked to Mideis about this already?" Namyis asked, distracting Ariom from his grim thoughts. He shook his head. "No. He seemed really tired when we were having dinner, so I thought it was better to just let him finish eating and go rest. We can talk about it when we''re going over the transcriptions in a couple of days. But Mideis has been seeing the enchantment through me this whole time, so he''s probably realized it by now. He is a master enchanter, after all, even if he hasn''t studied necromancy as much as I have." "So...you want to keep going with the analysis?" "We have to, don''t we?" Ariom said, feeling frustrated by the seemingly pointless question. "How can we quit when there''s a monster like that running around? Shouldn''t we try to get all the information we can?" Namyis shrugged. "Just finding out the Order might have a really skilled necromancer is already valuable information, isn''t it? If you pass that on to the Royal Guard, they can investigate further. That''s their job. Your job was just to deal with one enchantment, and it''s not even the one you''re currently working on. Nobody will blame you if you want to quit here." She paused and then added matter-of-factly, "Especially since you''re just going to slip up and set off a trap right away if you go into the next part of the analysis upset like this." Ariom glared at her but didn''t say anything. He hated to admit it, but she was probably right. He was getting much too worked up. He wouldn''t be able to concentrate at all if he stayed like this. "Why does it bother you so much, anyway?" Namyis asked. "Just because he''s more skilled than you are? He''s probably a lot older and has a lot more experience than you do. Maybe he was lucky enough to find a stash of Pre-War necromancy books or something else that gave him an unfair advantage. It''s not like you have to take the difference in skill as a personal attack." "I know that. There are lots of enchanters and necromancers in the world that are more skilled than I am. That''s not the part that bothers me. It''s just that...." Ariom fell silent for a moment. He stared at the frozen puppet under the sheet, frowning and trying to put his thoughts into words. "I feel like he''s laughing at us," he said finally. "I feel like he dangled this puppet in front of us just to taunt us and show off how good he is." He looked down at Humerus. "Sorry to say this, Humerus, but it feels a bit like the sort of thing you would do. A prank just to see how we react." The revenant flattened his ears, and his tail flicked angrily. "I don''t put explosive traps in my pranks. I don''t try to hurt people." "We know that," Namyis told him, rubbing his head soothingly. "You''re a very nice revenant. Ariom just meant it was the same general idea." Humerus sniffed irritably but didn''t argue any further. Namyis patted his back and then looked at Ariom again. "So, you feel like this guy is playing with us and testing our reaction...and that scares you. You''re intimidated by his superior skills. But at the same time, you don''t want to give up because that would feel like letting him win? Is that what you''re saying?" Ariom scowled at her. "Have you been taking lessons from Mideis or something? Stay out of my head." Namyis laughed. "Well, I''m in the Magic Corps, remember? I see this sort of thing a lot. Combat wizards are a competitive bunch. There are always lots of rivalries going on. It''s not a bad thing as long as you don''t get carried away." She gave him a playful grin. "You can use this as motivation to advance your necromancy rank. Maybe you''ll be a dual grandmaster someday!" "I''m not a combat wizard. Don''t lump me in with brutes like that," Ariom scoffed. Naturally, he would never admit to her that he''d already been thinking it was time to start taking his necromancy studies more seriously....
By the time Mideis returned to the analysis room a few minutes later, Ariom had calmed down again. Voicing his concerns to someone had helped...even if that someone was an annoying ice mage. It was hard to keep feeling intimidated by some unknown necromancer when he was busy feeling irritated by Namyis'' teasing instead. Mideis seemed to be feeling much better after his rest, and they soon got word that Amisi and Thenio had woken up and were ready to start again as well. Everyone got back into their positions, and Ariom pulled the sheet down to reveal the golem''s torso. "We''re going to pick up where we left off, at the base of the neck." Ariom looked around at the others. "Everyone''s held out really well, but this is probably the last session we can manage today. So we''re going to go straight into the main control matrix. Hopefully we can get a few useful pieces of information from it before it blows up on us." The other three nodded. They all knew it was likely that a trap would go off soon, and they were prepared. Ariom took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he reformed his magic blade, bent over the puppet on the table, and got back to work. Carefully...carefully.... Don''t rush. Don''t worry about what''s ahead. Just focus on this single formation. Then the next. Then the next. One formation at a time. Half an hour passed. Then an hour. An hour and a half. They made it through the junction at the sternum, where the sensory matrix in the head connected to the artificial nerves that ran in from the arms. The control formation was below that, in the heart area, and Ariom spent a while working around the outside of it, trying to figure out its basic structure and find a safe route to go further in. Two hours. At a little past the two hour mark, Ariom''s hand slipped a little, cutting a bit deeper into the inscription than he''d intended. And Namyis didn''t catch it this time. But they were lucky. The two formations he disturbed were part of a motor control relay, not a trap. Not yet. "You okay?" Namyis asked quietly, glancing up at him. It wasn''t really a safe spot for a break, but she was able to hold the stasis for a short time while Ariom collected himself. "My hand''s tired. It''s getting harder to hold the blade steady.... Just give me a minute." Ariom took a small jar of healing salve out of his space pocket and massaged a generous amount of it into the skin of his hand and forearm. It wouldn''t completely fix the problem, but it would help some. "All right." He put the salve jar away and took a few deep breaths before forming his blade again. "Let''s keep going." Two and a half hours. The central motor control matrix seemed to be a pretty standard design. Nothing that interesting. There were only so many ways to make a golem move with magic, after all. After a cursory analysis, Ariom skipped the rest of it and moved on. The part he most wanted to take a look at was the communication interface. This was the matrix that was used to connect to a flesh puppet and control it remotely. There was likely to be information there about how and from where the necromancer had been controlling the puppet, which might give them some hints about the identity of the man himself. Ariom continued moving very slowly and cautiously, investigating the channels that linked the communication matrix to the rest of the enchantment. Then he carefully probed around the matrix to determine its overall structure. He found what seemed to be a safe point to enter, through a thin layer of¡ª Ariom suddenly froze. What had appeared to be a layer of insulating formations put there to protect the communication matrix from interference had started rapidly charging with magic power when he''d cut into it. It wasn''t insulation. He''d just hit a very cleverly disguised trap formation. Ariom spent a split second assessing whether he could control the flow of magic before decisively abandoning the idea. "Trap!" he shouted, letting go of his magic blade and pushing himself away from the puppet. Before the word had even left his mouth, he saw green fire flaring up in front of him, obscuring the golem from view. Ariom hastily stood up and started moving away from the table. But perhaps because he''d been sitting for so long, his legs didn''t quite move the way he told them to. He stumbled and started to fall. Before he hit the floor, something grabbed hold of him and jerked him to the side. A second later, a thunderous explosion shook the room. Extra - Character List (Through Chapter 56) This is a list of characters that have been introduced or referenced in the story so far, along with what we know (or think we know) about them. It should be spoiler-free if you''ve read up through chapter 56, apart from a few minor details. For example, I went ahead and included some of the magic affinities that weren''t specifically mentioned but were implied by context, so they''re not especially spoilery. Brackets indicate a name that we haven''t learned yet.
Name Species Affinity/Domain Description
Alashan Iffea Human Saklo Renquis'' assistant. Works for the Merioc Research Alliance.
Alula Revenant (Cockatrice) Puppetry [Bero''s Oldest Daughter]''s familiar.
Amisi Taua Mental Mideis Jidarin''s familiar.
Araela Valin Human Researcher for the Wizard Association''s Research Institute.
Ariom Denifor Human Void The secondary main character. Thenio Iterune''s guardian. Grandmaster enchanter. Also certified in necromancy, alchemy, and elementalism. Specializes in enchantment restoration and tailoring.
[Ariom''s Mother] Human Void Battlemage. Died from magic instability as a result of participating in the Magic Corps'' Amplification Project.
Bauto [ ] Human Teselin Rhimari''s apprentice. Works in the Royal Academy''s Magic Affinity Research Lab.
Bero Denifor Human Life Ariom Denifor''s uncle. Master necromancer. Also certified in healing and magic zoology. Used to work as a doctor at the Stability Center but left to start a spectral beast farm. Raised Ariom after his mother died.
[Bero''s Oldest Daughter] Human Life Master necromancer. Manages the family farm when Bero is away.
[Bero''s Son] Human Pharmaceutical alchemist. Did his apprenticeship with Relisa Sephior.
[ ] (Bubbles) Human Demon hunter. Second most powerful wizard in Kafron. Married to (Hurricane).
Butterfly Cat ¡ª Thenio Iterune''s cat when he was a child. A short-haired calico with a split-colored face and a butterfly-shaped spot on her side.
Casturi Parrot Gryphon Storm Jasel Yaron''s familiar. A retired circus gryphon.
Chanea [ ] Human Life Focilo Sephior''s apprentice. Works at the Stability Center.
Ciresi Mythic? One of the two figures that appeared in Ki''shiu''s dream in chapter 52.
Essu Mythic Snow Mythic beast who lives in the Northern Wasteland and monitors the First Rift. A large white wolf with red eyes.
Eteon Idarin Human ? / Dream Thenio Iterune''s long-time friend. Uncertified magician and mythic beast''s agent. A mysterious woodcarver who sells his carvings in the park near Thenio''s house.
Falco Dragon Saklo Renquis'' familiar. A bronze-colored dragon.
Focilo Sephior Human Life Grandmaster healer and necromancer. Head of the Stability Center. Thenio''s doctor. Phoenix child.
Garem Ranior Human Wind Vice-Captain of Kafron''s Royal Guard. Head of the Demon Crimes Division. Former combat wizard.
[ ] Hibien Human Professor who participates in the Pre-War Era research group at the Royal Academy.
Humerus Revenant (Dragon) Puppetry Bero Denifor''s familiar. A snarky spectral beast who lives in a dragon skeleton and loves pranks, puns, and pygmy gryphon eggs.
[ ] (Hurricane) Human Demon hunter. Most powerful wizard in Kafron. Married to (Bubbles).
[ ] (Hydra) Human Mental Kafron Magic Corps'' Field Commander and Central Division Commander. Fifth-rank battlemage. One of the greatest successes from the Amplification Project.
Iggy (Igneous) Dragon (Morphed Violet Flare) Void Everyone''s favorite little black dragon. Ariom Denifor''s familiar. Hatched from a silent egg. Loves toys and spicy fish balls.
Isia [ ] (Sword Queen) Human Metal Demon hunter. Namyis Ivoren''s trainer/adoptive mother.
[ ] (Jackal) Human Demon hunter. One of the greatest successes from the Amplification Project.
Jasel Yaron Human Wind Acrobatics trainer for Kafron''s Magic Corps. Former circus performer. Helped with Riomel Denifor''s rehabilitation training.
Kalion Obarin (Sunfall) Human Fire General and head of Kafron''s Magic Corps. Former battlemage who retired from active duty when he developed a severe case of magic instability. Trained Ariom Denifor''s parents.
[ ] (Ket''shiu) Mythic "Lord of the Forest." A mythic beast who lives in Ket''qe.
[ ] (Ket''yia) Mythic "Lady of the Forest." A mythic beast who lives in Ket''qe.
[ ] (Ki''shiu) Mythic (Dream Beast) Dream "Lord of Dreams." A mythic beast who''s been watching over Thenio Iterune and trying to find a way to stabilize chaos magic.
Kino Storm Hound (Bloodwind) Storm Garem Ranior''s familiar.
Kleyo Iterune Human Wood Thenio Iterune''s youngest brother. Loves golems and wants to become an enchanter.
Kymia Larinos Human Guildmaster of the Kamari Branch of the Enchanter''s Guild. Grandmaster enchanter. Specializes in aesthetic enchanting and magical luthiery.
Lem Iterune Human Clay Thenio Iterune''s younger brother. Loves cooking and wants to become an alchemist. A loner who dislikes being touched.
Lerian [ ] Human Life Focilo Sephior''s apprentice. Works at the Stability Center.
Lunon Iterune Human Earth Thenio Iterune''s father. Works at the Perinith Workshop as a scribing assistant.
[ ] Lysien Human Captain of Kafron''s Royal Guard.
Mala [Squirrel-like Magic Beast] Sholi Nidom''s familiar. A large green squirrel.
Melea Nistren Human Life Grandmaster necromancer. Professor and head of the necromancy department at the Royal Academy.
Melinei Mythic? Mentioned by Ki''shiu in chapter 37.
Mideis Jidarin Human Mental Royal Guard Inspector. Master enchanter. Specializes in Pre-War artifacts.
Myshan Fronir Human Second king of Kafron. Also known as Myshan the Orderly.
Namyis Ivoren Stolen story; please report.(Ice Queen) Human Ice Sixth-rank battlemage. Member of the First Squad of the Central Division of the Kafron Magic Corps. Trained under (Sword Queen). Loves cute magic beasts, even though they don''t love her.
Nari Unicorn Life Relisa Sephior''s familiar.
Naslunal Mythic (Zaratan) An enormous sea turtle whose shell forms the base of a floating island full of rare plants and magic beasts.
[Naslunal''s Agent] Human Lives on Naslunal''s shell and controls who is allowed to come on and harvest materials.
Nelias [ ] Human Kalion Obarin''s secretary.
Nelina Erish Human Journeyman enchanter and enchanting professor. Daughter of an earl. Thenio Iterune''s scribing teacher at the Royal Academy of Magic.
Nilo [ ] Human Kleyo Iterune''s classmate.
Obby (Obsidian) Plushie (Chicken) ¡ª Iggy''s second favorite toy. A black plush chicken with numerous enchantments. Made by Ariom Denifor and Toflyn Ayerin.
Otker Perinith Human Head of the Perinith Workshop. Lunon and Siora Iterune''s employer.
Peqeran Mythic? One of the "nobles" mentioned by the phoenix in chapter 37. One of the two figures that appeared in Ki''shiu''s dream in chapter 52.
[Phoenix] Mythic A mythic beast who hasn''t been seen by humans for several centuries. Seems to have a close relationship with Ki''shiu.
Relisa Sephior Human Grandmaster alchemist. Married to Focilo Sephior.
Rimeus Telven Human Life Doctor working for the Royal Guard. Head of the medical team assisting with the explosive enchantment analysis.
Riomel Denifor (Emberhawk) Human Firestorm Ariom Denifor''s father. Bero Denifor''s older brother. A sixth-rank battlemage on the First Squad of the Central Division of the Kafron Magic Corps. Trained under Kalion Obarin and Jasel Yaron.
Riven Prismatic Hydra Mental (Hydra)''s familiar.
Saklo Renquis Human Coordinator for the Merioc Research Alliance.
Sano Unicorn Life Focilo Sephior''s familiar.
Sayomi [ ] Human Bero Denifor''s youngest daughter.
Seyli Ayerin Human Life Ariom Denifor''s second cousin. Student at the Royal Academy of Magic. Phoenix child. A shy girl who uses fashion and formal manners as a mask to hide her social anxiety. Loves dragons and wants to become a magic beast veterinarian.
Sholi Nidom Human Araela Valin''s apprentice. Works at the Wizard Association''s Research Institute.
Siora Iterune Human Clay Thenio Iterune''s mother. Works at the Perinith Workshop as an alchemy assistant.
Suliya [ ] Human Water Thenio Iterune''s aunt. Siora Iterune''s older sister. Married to the third son of a baron.
Sundog Dragon (Azure Flare) Flare Toflyn Ayerin''s familiar.
Tamon Imp (Fire) Fire Kalion Obarin''s familiar. He formed a contract with Kalion in order to stabilize his magic and save his life.
Tava Dragon (Atavistic Violet Flare) Flare Seyli Ayerin''s pre-familiar. An orchid-colored dragon with a motherly nature. Her parents rejected her egg, so she was hatched in an incubator and hand-raised by Seyli.
Teselin Rhimari Human Necromancy professor. Head of the Royal Academy''s Magic Affinity Research Lab.
Thenio Iterune Human Chaos The main character. Ariom Denifor''s assistant. A boy with a mysterious, unstable magic affinity.
Tilia Denifor Human Ariom Denifor''s aunt. Married to Bero Denifor. Raised Ariom after his mother died.
Toflyn Ayerin Human Seyli Ayerin''s older brother. Ariom Denifor''s second cousin and former apprentice. Journeyman enchanter and magic zoologist. Designs enchanted products for magic beasts.
Vielle [Wolf-like Magic Beast] Kymia Larinos'' familiar. A small white and brown wolf.
Yohlom Idarin Human? Life? A mysterious and powerful necromancer. Also known as the Guardian of the First Rift and the Last True Necromancer. Controls a large group of enchanted skeletons known as the Guardian''s White Army. Known for his hatred of demons.
Ziryi [ ] (Darkbolt) Human Lightning A sixth-rank battlemage who''s a member of Kafron''s Magic Corps but usually works with the Royal Guard. Specializes in stealth operations and trap enchantments.
Chapter 57 - The Dark Side of a Revenant The sound of the explosion was deafening, and the force rocked the entire room, in spite of the barriers protecting it. Thenio''s desk jolted and slid to the side. His chair tipped, and he would have fallen over if Grandmaster Sephior hadn''t quickly put an arm around him to hold him up. Amisi yowled and dug her claws into the cushion of her bench to stop herself from falling off, while Iggy tumbled off the table with a squawk, followed by a flutter of papers. When the shaking stopped, they could hear shouts and movement coming from the observation area. "Is anyone hurt?" Grandmaster Sephior asked, looking around the room. His expression was serious but calm, and he was still holding his arm protectively around Thenio''s shoulders. It felt much stronger than his frail appearance would suggest. Maybe he was using some kind of body strengthening magic. "I''m okay...I think," Amisi said uncertainly. Her ears were flattened, and her fur was standing on end, but she looked all right otherwise. "I''m fine. But I need to go check on Humerus." Bero had gotten to his feet, and he had a concerned frown on his face. He moved around the table to where Iggy had fallen. "Iggy? Are you all right?" There was a rustling sound as the little dragon crawled out from under the papers that had fallen on top of him. Once he was free, he stood and looked around anxiously, like he was trying to find something. Was he looking for Obby? The plush chicken had also fallen on the floor and rolled off somewhere. Thenio couldn''t see it from where he was sitting. Iggy didn''t seem to be thinking about chickens, though. "Where''s Ariom?" he asked in a panicky voice, still looking all around him. "I can''t feel where Ariom is. Why can''t I feel where he is?!" "Iggy, calm down." Amisi jumped off her bench and went over to him. "They put extra barriers up just before the explosion went off. I''m sure Ariom is fine. You just can''t feel him because he''s low on magic power and is inside a lot of barrier layers. I can''t feel Mideis right now, either." But Iggy wasn''t listening. He ran to the door and leapt at the handle, trying to grab onto it. His paws slid off the smooth metal, and he fell to the floor. Undaunted, he jumped at the door again, beating his wings and scrabbling wildly at the wood around the door handle with his claws. "I need to go! I need to go find Ariom!" "Iggy, stop," Bero said, walking over to the door. "I''ll go take care of Ariom. You need to stay here." "No! I have to find him!" Iggy landed back on the floor and immediately leapt up again to continue attacking the door. He managed to hold onto the handle this time, but his tiny body was too light to turn it. With a look of desperation, he bit at the metal handle, hitting the wood on either side with his wings. "Igneous!" Bero said sternly. The little dragon immediately froze in place. When he did, he slipped off the door handle again and fell in a heap on the floor. Instead of jumping back up, he turned his head and looked up at Bero with a piteous whine. "I''ll take care of Ariom," Bero repeated, his voice firm. "You need to stay here. You promised Ariom that you''d help look after Thenio, remember?" "Mmm...." Iggy made a small noise that was half acknowledgement and half protest, his ears hanging low. Bero leaned down and picked him up, then carried him back over to the desk and handed him to Thenio. "I''ll go take care of things," he said once again. "Focilo, can I leave these three to you?" "Of course. Go do whatever you need to do." Bero gave a nod of thanks. He patted Iggy''s head and then turned and left the room. Iggy silently watched him go. After the door closed again, he let out a miserable whimper and burrowed into Thenio''s arms, pressing his face into the fabric of his shirt and gripping it tightly with his claws. His tiny body was shivering. "It''s okay," Thenio told him soothingly, stroking his back. "Ariom will be fine. Everything''s going to be okay." In spite of his reassurances to Iggy, Thenio couldn''t help feeling a little worried himself. He knew Ariom was a highly skilled wizard and that he and the Royal Guard had put a lot of safety precautions in place. But that explosion had sounded pretty bad.... And if something happened to Ariom, what was going to happen to him...? Amisi came over and jumped up onto Thenio''s lap. He stopped petting Iggy for a minute to give her head and ears a light scratch. She could probably sense that he was anxious. And she was probably a little anxious herself, although Mideis should have been the safest out of everyone in the other room. Grandmaster Sephior patted Thenio''s shoulder before finally moving his arm away. "Don''t worry too much, you three. Humerus was there to protect them. That sassy little skeleton is much more competent than he usually lets on." The doctor began tidying up Thenio''s desk. The stack of clean paper had slid across it, and the box of extra pencils had tipped over and spilled its contents. Thenio''s hand had hit against the desk when the explosion went off, and the pencil he''d been holding had made a long, thin gouge in the desk''s surface before snapping in half. Grandmaster Sephior inspected the damage for a moment and then touched the wood lightly with his finger. The area around the scratch glowed briefly. When the light faded, the surface was smooth again. He fixed the broken pencil in the same way, fitting the jagged ends together and then making the wood melt back into a solid piece. He put the pencil in the box with the others and began gathering up the scattered papers. "How did you do that?" Thenio asked, looking curiously at the newly repaired pencil. "You''re a life mage, aren''t you?" "I am. But I''ve done some additional attribute training, so I can use a bit of wood magic." It wasn''t like a person was completely limited by their magic affinity. It simply determined which type of magic came most naturally to them. With enough training, most wizards were able to learn to use one or two other attributes, albeit with much less proficiency than the ones they originally had an affinity for. In this case, it meant that Grandmaster Sephior had trained to be able to use earth and crystal magic. It wasn''t anything that surprising for a double grandmaster, but it was still impressive. When the desk was cleared, the doctor took a small earthenware jar out of his space pocket, set it down, and removed the lid. A familiar, comforting scent began wafting out. "That smell...." Thenio stared at the jar. "Were you using that when I was asleep?" It was the same thing he''d smelled when he was dreaming about that tree earlier. "Oh, you noticed? Yes, it''s a healing potpourri made by the Shiu''tanas in Ket''qe. It has a calming effect, and all three of you look like you could use a little of that right now.... They don''t normally allow anyone to use it outside of the forest, since the ingredients are quite special. So it''s a bit of a secret that I have some." Grandmaster Sephior gave them a small wink. "I can trust you not to tell on me, can''t I? Well...telling Ariom and Mideis is all right. And Bero already knows about it." "Oh...sure. I won''t tell anyone else," Thenio agreed, nodding. Amisi also nodded. Iggy still had his face buried in Thenio''s shirt and didn''t seem to be paying much attention to what they were saying. But as the gentle scent drifted around them, Thenio felt the little dragon''s body stop trembling. "Good." Grandmaster Sephior smiled, looking pleased by their response. "I know you''re all concerned about what''s going on outside, but we need to stay in here until it''s safe for Thenio to leave the barrier. Do your best to be patient for now."
Namyis hadn''t forgotten what Humerus had told her. When Ariom suddenly stiffened up during the analysis, she immediately activated her body strengthening magic and got ready to move. And when the green flames flared up around the flesh golem, she didn''t hesitate to drop her stasis magic and leap over the table to get to Ariom. She reached his side just as he stumbled and managed to catch him before he fell. She unceremoniously scooped him up and carried him as she dashed toward the protective wall, throwing up a few sheets of ice behind her to help block the force of the explosion in case they weren''t fast enough. Mideis was already on his feet with his hand on the control panel for the extra barrier that had been installed into the low wall. He activated it as soon as they were on the other side. Namyis also spun around, still holding Ariom, to put out as much ice as she could manage before the explosion hit them. It was enough...but barely. Humerus managed to redirect the main blast away from them, but there was still enough force to shatter all the ice walls Namyis had put up. Fortunately, they absorbed enough of the impact that the magical barrier was able to block the rest and hold steady. The room shook heavily as the large explosion tore through it, and the noise was painfully loud. But the combat suits were enough to prevent them from being injured by any falling debris, and the helmets had enchantments to protect their ears. As the shockwave passed and the room stilled again, Namyis let out a small sigh of relief and lowered Ariom to the ground. But he was far from relaxed. "Put up another ice wall! Hurry!" he said urgently, moving away from her and toward the cushion where Humerus'' bones were lying, abandoned and motionless. Namyis didn''t question him and immediately started reforming her shattered wall. As she did, she kept one eye on what Ariom was doing and the other on the rest of the room. The dust and magic flames generated by the explosion were obscuring her view at the moment, but they were slowly clearing away. Ariom pulled a leather bag out of his space pocket. It had a simple design, but it was heavily tooled with what looked like an enchantment inscription. He opened the top flap on the bag and started quickly transferring Humerus'' bones into it. Namyis watched with interest. Ariom had said that Humerus would help take care of the explosion and he and Bero would take care of things after that. But he hadn''t specified exactly what that meant, so she didn''t really know what he was trying to do. It seemed to be important, though, judging from Ariom''s serious expression. He hadn''t even taken the time to be embarrassed about her carrying him to safety. Ariom finally collected the last of the dragon bones and closed the bag''s flap again. Then he fastened the latch that held it down. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. As if in response, a hoarse, piercing shriek came from where the examination table had been. A wave of magic power followed it, sweeping through the room and crashing against Namyis'' ice barrier. It wasn''t as strong as the previous explosion, and her newly created ice wall, which she''d been able to form a little more slowly and carefully than the earlier ones, was able to withstand it. But it was strong enough that Namyis frowned and started pushing out her magic a little faster to reinforce the barrier as much as possible. The magic wave had cleared out the rest of the dust hanging in the air, allowing her to see that one wall of the room had been almost completely destroyed. It was an outside wall, fortunately, with an open area on the other side. Humerus had probably directed the blast that way on purpose. Namyis couldn''t help feeling a slight chill when she saw it. If they''d been hit straight on by that much magic power.... She''d probably survive it. But it was hard to say about Ariom and Mideis. Or Thenio, since there likely would have been enough force to reach all the way through to the next room. She could also see what was left of the examination table...which wasn''t much. The golem was lying in the rubble, blackened and twisted. There were still flames burning on it. But rather than the rich leaf green color that Humerus'' fire usually was, this was a sickly shade of greenish yellow, with a few streaks of dark red. As she watched the flames flickering, Namyis'' eyes suddenly widened. The golem was moving. It pushed itself up off the ground with one hand. Then it started to get to its feet, but the hand it was bracing itself with slipped, and it fell. It lay still on the floor for a moment before it moved the hand back underneath it and slowly pushed itself up again. This time, it managed to stagger awkwardly to its feet. As it turned to face them, Namyis saw why it was only using one hand to get up. The other arm, shoulder, and a large chunk of the torso had been blown off by the explosion. Green-tinged fire licked the edges of the gaping hole. The golem''s eyes seemed to have been burned away, and small flames were dancing inside the empty sockets. The golem stared at them blankly, standing in a slumped, lopsided pose, like a broken marionette. Then it opened its mouth and let out another long, unearthly scream. Namyis braced herself as another wave of magic power hit her barrier. Before she had a chance to recover, the golem itself suddenly dashed toward them at a terrifying speed, its three remaining limbs flailing unnaturally. There was a loud thud as it hit the ice wall. It screamed again and started clawing at the wall with fingers covered in dark red fire. Namyis was startled to see that they actually left deep gouges in the surface of her ice. She hurriedly channeled her magic to that area, doing her best to reform the ice as quickly as it was being destroyed. "My bones!" the golem howled, its voice rough and distorted. "Give me my bones!" Namyis stared at it. "...Humerus? Is that really Humerus?" "He''s rampaging," Ariom said grimly. "He absorbed too much magic power from the explosion." He handed the leather bag to Mideis. "Hold that. We have to keep it away from him until he calms down. He can''t use his full strength if he''s separated from his vessel." "That isn''t his full strength?!" Mideis was watching the golem with a horrified expression. He took the bag of bones from Ariom with obvious reluctance. "No. Far from it. But stay calm. We just have to hold him off for a few minutes until my uncle gets here." That was easier said than done. Namyis probably would have been fine if she hadn''t been maintaining a high level stasis crystal for more than twenty hours straight that day. She still had a decent amount of magic power left, but the mental fatigue was enough to make her magic use a bit sluggish, and she was having a hard time fending off Humerus'' frenzied attacks. "Those are my bones! They''re mine! Give them back to me!" "Get a hold of yourself, you idiot!" Ariom snapped back at him, joining Namyis at the barrier. "You''re going to burn them up if we give them back to you now. Just look what you''re doing to that golem." Looking more closely, Namyis could see that the golem was indeed slowly burning away. Bits of ash and charred flesh were being knocked off every time Humerus hit the ice. As she watched, his wild flailing made the remaining arm break off at the shoulder. But it only dropped halfway to the floor before it floated up and started attacking another spot on the barrier. The rest of the golem lurched forward and began gnawing at the ice with its blackened teeth. "Stop that, you greedy revenant," Ariom scolded. "You''ve already eaten more than enough." He put his hands up and sent out a stream of dark grey magic that spread out and covered Namyis'' ice with an intricate pattern. As the void magic coated it, the golem''s fingers and teeth stopped digging into the barrier and slipped off, as though the ice had a layer of water over it. The golem stopped moving. The arm hung in midair, and the body froze in an awkward, bent position. The head twisted weirdly, and the burning eyes seemed to focus on the dark grey magic lines. Namyis could have sworn that the fire in them turned a shade greener. "A...ri...om?" The voice was different this time. It was much closer to Humerus'' normal voice, although it sounded confused and hesitant. The golem''s mouth didn''t move, and Namyis realized that the rough, distorted voice from before had been Humerus making sound physically, by forcing air through the golem''s throat, rather than speaking with magic like he usually did. "That''s...Ariom''s magic." Humerus'' voice came again, sounding a little stronger. "Ariom''s in there...." He was silent for a moment. Then the golem''s mouth opened again. "My bones!" it roared. "I want my bones!" "No! Get back!" Humerus'' voice shouted. The golem''s body and arm suddenly jerked straight backwards, like they''d been pulled with a rope. They fell in a twisted heap on the floor. "Ariom''s my family. I won''t hurt him!" "He''s my...my...my..." the golem said in a raspy, halting voice. "...my...mine...." The flames in its eyes suddenly flared red. "Mine! He''s mine!" It rose up again and flew straight back toward the barrier, crashing hard against the ice. One of its legs came off at the knee, but Humerus didn''t seem to notice or care. He began repeatedly smashing the pieces of the golem against the ice wall, along with turbulent waves of magic power. "Mine! Mine! It''s mine! Give it to me! It''s mine!" he screeched. There were large cracks starting to spread through the ice where he was hitting it.... "Humerus!" another voice suddenly shouted from the other side of the room. "Over here!" The golem froze again. Its head was only attached by a thin rope of charred muscle now, allowing it to twist all the way around to look in the direction the voice had come from. Bero was standing in front of the gaping hole where the explosion had blown through the wall. He was holding something blue in his hand. "You''re looking for this, aren''t you?" He held up the object. It seemed to be a realistic-looking dragon doll, a little larger than Iggy, with bright blue scales. When Humerus saw it, red flames burst out all over the golem, which by this time was little more than a broken, burned skeleton. "You!" he howled, rushing toward Bero. Bero threw the doll out in front of him, and Humerus pounced on it, burning, biting, and tearing at it mercilessly. "You''re dead! You''re dead! Those are my bones now! They''re mine! Bero is mine! You can''t have him! You can''t have him!" While Humerus was caught up in his attempts to murder the dragon doll, Bero held up his hands and began sending out strands of shining golden magic, weaving them together to form an intricate cage around the rampaging revenant. "Keep that barrier up!" he shouted over Humerus'' angry shrieks, glancing toward Ariom and Namyis. "I''ll tell you when it''s safe to come out." Then he turned his attention back to the magical cage he was creating, his brow furrowed in concentration. He continued weaving new strands of magic into it, and it gradually became thicker and denser. Humerus was so focused on the doll that he didn''t notice what Bero was doing at all.... Not at first. But then his frenzied movements finally made the golem''s skull break off from what was left of the body. The skull flew toward the golden barrier, bounced off it, and then hovered in midair and swiveled in all directions, presumably looking at the cage it was now enclosed in. The other crumbling pieces of the golem''s body paused their assault on the dragon doll, which had now been burned black by Humerus'' flames. There was a moment of silence. Then Humerus let out a furious howl and started attacking the barrier, throwing all the golem parts he still had control over against it over and over. Bero gritted his teeth and his face paled a little as he continued reinforcing the barrier. But the golden cage held. Ariom stopped putting out his own magic and slumped against the closest table. He looked exhausted. "It''s...probably all right now," he said, panting a little. "We shouldn''t remove our barriers yet...but I''m going to stop increasing my reinforcement. I''m almost out of magic." He looked at Namyis. "You still have some moondust, don''t you?" "Yes. But I''m not giving you any. You''ve already gone through two bottles today. You''re going to get recovery sickness." "Better that than get a faceful of revenant fire." "But best not to get either one." Namyis nodded toward Bero''s golden cage. "That''s a parasitic barrier, isn''t it? If Humerus is losing strength, I should be able to hold him off, even if he does break out. And the reinforcement you already put on my ice is still there. You''ve done enough." Ariom glared at her for a moment before looking away and letting out a sigh. "Fine." He must really be tired if he was admitting defeat that easily.... But no wonder. Today''s analysis had lasted almost twice as long as any of their practices had, and Ariom''s part of it had been the hardest. It would be strange if he weren''t tired by now. Mideis seemed to be having similar thoughts. He pushed his chair toward Ariom. "Here. You look like you need this more than I do." "...thanks." Ariom was clearly annoyed by his own fatigue, but he accepted the chair and sank into it without further comment. Mideis looked back at Humerus, who was still doing his best to attack Bero''s barrier, even though the golem he''d been possessing was rapidly falling apart. "What was that doll your uncle threw out?" "It''s an imitation of the dragon that Humerus'' bones came from," Ariom replied, also watching the struggling revenant. "His name was Kamu. He was an Azure Flare from the dragon hatchery our relatives run. One of Iggy''s distant cousins." "But why was he attacking it like that? I get that he wants his vessel back, but he seems to really hate that dragon...." "Revenants are always terrified of two things: First, that they won''t have enough food. And second, that the original owner of their body is somehow going to come back and take it away from them. And probably take everything else they have in the process¡ªtheir home, their friends, their contract partner.... I think Humerus is even afraid that Kamu will steal his puppet collection someday." Mideis blinked, looking confused. "But...he''s dead, right? There''s no way he''s going to come back." "I know that. And Humerus knows that. He knows it doesn''t make sense. But revenants are just insecure like that. They can''t help it." Ariom sighed. "And it''s even worse in Humerus'' case because he knows that Uncle Bero was considering forming a familiar contract with Kamu before he died. He''s afraid that Uncle Bero secretly wishes Kamu were his familiar instead. That''s why Humerus never turns himself blue. And he tends to pick fights whenever he meets any other Azure Flares...we''ve had some issues in the family because of that...." "Ah...I''d wondered a little why I never saw him wearing blue scales." Namyis nodded in understanding. "So, does Bero wish Kamu were his familiar? Have you asked him?" "I have. And no, he doesn''t. He''s always liked skeletons. He was an orthopedic doctor before he went into magic circuit alteration. So he actually wanted a revenant from the time he was in magic school. That''s why he studied necromancy and magic zoology along with healing magic¡ªso he could get a spectral beast license. But Kamu was born with some severe health problems, including a couple of malformed legs, and Uncle Bero ended up helping with parts of his treatment. He got pretty attached to him during that time. He still feels sorry that he couldn''t do more to help him. But he''s not sorry he ended up with Humerus as his familiar instead. He loves that silly revenant." While they''d been talking, Humerus had finally given up on the golem, which had been burned and broken down into unrecognizable fragments. His flames left it, allowing the pieces to fall to the ground, and went into the dragon doll instead. Its blue skin was already scorched and mostly black from the earlier attack. And it continued to burn and flake away after Humerus possessed the doll, allowing the skeleton underneath to show through. "Are those real bones?" Namyis asked, looking at them curiously. "They''re bones, but they''re artificially created," Ariom explained. "Like the flesh golem''s. Having a copy of Kamu''s bones inside the doll helps Humerus recognize it as him, so it works better as bait when he''s out of his mind like this." "So your uncle just keeps fake dragon corpses on hand, for when Humerus goes crazy?" Mideis asked incredulously. "Is that normal for people who have revenant familiars?" Ariom shrugged. "Pretty normal. Using a replica doll as bait is a standard containment strategy. I have another one in my space pocket. I was going to use it to distract Humerus if he managed to get through our barriers. They don''t work as well on all revenants as they do on him. But like I said, most of them feel some kind of fear and resentment toward the former owner of their vessels. " "Revenants are so weird...." "Yeah. They are," Ariom agreed. Then he pointed toward the large hole in the wall of the analysis room. "But one of them just willingly blocked a huge magic explosion and sent himself into a rampage in order to protect us from that. You can''t complain too much about someone who just saved your life, you know. Even if he is weird." Chapter 58 - Unsettling Arguments "Let me out! Let me out of here!" "He can''t let you out. You have to stay inside a barrier until you finish burning off all that magic." "I don''t like this magic! It tastes bad...." "Let me out!" "I know you don''t like it. But you already absorbed it, so spitting it out will be even worse. Just finish burning it and get it over with." "Let me out! Give back my bones!" "I hate this barrier! Bero...stop picking on me!" "He''s not picking on you. He''s stopping you from hurting anyone. You know that." Listening to Humerus arguing with himself was always a surreal experience. He didn''t do it often¡ªusually just when he''d eaten too much. Though Uncle Bero said he used to do it a lot more. It was also pretty rare for him to get three voices going at once. That seemed to be a result of possessing the golem for a short time, since the additional voice resembled its rough shouts. The other two were a petulant tone of his normal voice and what Uncle Bero called his ''Voice of Reason''¡ªthe deeper, older-sounding voice that Humerus was using to try to calm himself down. It was apparently the voice of the wizard who''d taken care of him at the Association''s Revenant Sanctuary, after he was captured from the wild and before he became a familiar. As unsettling as it was to listen to, Humerus'' weird self-argument was actually a good sign. It meant that his rampage was almost over. He was no longer attacking the golden barrier surrounding him and was simply rolling around on the ground like a sulky child. The replica skeleton he was currently possessing crumbled away a little more whenever he moved, as it gradually burnt down to ashes. He was going to need to switch to a new body soon. But that wasn''t a problem. Ariom knew that Uncle Bero had come prepared with several temporary vessels. "Bero, these bones aren''t comfortable," Humerus'' normal voice whined. "I want my real bones! My real bones are better. I don''t like these phony boneys...." "You haven''t gotten control over your fire again yet," his Voice of Reason answered before Uncle Bero could say anything. "You''ll damage your real vessel if you go back to it now." "I won''t! I''m fine! I want my bones back...I want my backbones! And if I light them on fire...we''ll have a nice bone-fire!" The revenant cackled at his own joke. Ariom made a face. It was good that Humerus was coming back to his senses enough to start making jokes, but his puns were even worse than usual.... "You can''t have your real bones back yet," Uncle Bero said patiently. "But I''ll give you a new temporary set if you go in your box." Humerus stopped laughing and the burnt skull turned toward Uncle Bero in alarm. "What? No! I''m not going in the box. I hate the box!" "Hate the box!" the golem voice echoed. "I hate the box!" "The box isn''t really any worse than this barrier," the Voice of Reason said. "You know it''s difficult for Bero to keep a parasitic barrier up. And you also know you''ll have to go in the box eventually. Why not be good and go in now, to make things easier on him?" "Keh!" Humerus made an annoyed sound and turned his head. "I won''t! I won''t go in there!" "You''re sure? Those bones you''re in won''t last much longer. Wouldn''t you like some fresh ones?" Uncle Bero leaned down and held his hand out toward the floor. With a shimmer of magic particles, a large black metal box appeared underneath it. A spectral trap. It was made using special materials and enchantments for the purpose of containing and transporting spectral beasts. Humerus glanced at it before turning away again. "No! I hate that thing!" "Come on, Humerus...." Uncle Bero unfastened the door on the front of the trap, pulled it up, and then slid the box forward until it was inside the golden barrier. "Look, there''s a nice, clean set of bones in there." "I don''t want them," Humerus said grumpily, not looking at Uncle Bero or the metal box. "Your tail just fell off," his Voice of Reason gently pointed out. "I don''t care! I don''t need a tail...." "Don''t care!" "Well, all right. You stay there, then. I can keep holding this barrier for a while." Uncle Bero paused meaningfully. "But...you know...it''s not just me that has to keep up a barrier if you don''t cooperate. Ariom and Namyis have to keep theirs up, too. And they''ve been working hard all day, so I''m sure they''re very tired. They''re probably wishing they could stop waiting and go rest...." Humerus huffed irritably and didn''t reply. "Thenio''s waiting for you, too. He can''t leave the transcription room until all the magic out here has been cleared away, remember? And we can''t do that until you''re safely in your box. Iggy and Amisi and Focilo are all in there, too.... Iggy was really upset after the explosion went off, you know? He can''t feel Ariom''s presence through all the extra barriers. He''s just a baby, and he and Ariom formed their contract before he even hatched, so he''s never been through anything like that before. It really scared him." Ariom frowned. He''d warned Iggy that the protective barriers might interfere with their magic connection, but the little dragon must not have fully understood what that meant and panicked when he actually experienced it. Humerus'' head turned slowly to look at Ariom, then at Uncle Bero. "Iggy...was scared?" "Yes, he was." Uncle Bero nodded, his expression solemn. "He was clawing at the door to try to get out and come look for Ariom." "Oh..." Humerus said in a small voice. He lowered his head and stared at the floor. There was a long pause. Then slowly, reluctantly, Humerus stood up and walked over to the box. His one remaining horn and half of his left hind leg fell off along the way, but he didn''t seem to notice. He stood and glared sulkily at the spectral trap for a moment. Then the blackened remains of his temporary skeleton fell to the ground, and his flames¡ªnow mostly green again¡ªwent into the box. As soon as he was inside, the door of the trap closed by itself with a sharp clang. Uncle Bero gave a sigh of relief and released his barrier. Then he leaned down and patted the top of the box. "That''s a good boy. You did really well today, Humerus. I promise I''ll give you some nice treats later." He straightened up and looked over at Ariom and the others. "All right. It''s safe to lower your barriers now." He then turned toward the large hole in the wall and called out, "The revenant''s contained! Everyone can relax!" There must be some Royal Guard members standing guard outside the building to make sure Humerus didn''t escape that way. Namyis glanced at Ariom, who nodded and held out a hand to remove the layer of reinforcement he''d placed over her ice wall. After it was gone, Namyis flicked her hand, and the ice shattered into tiny, sparkling fragments that drifted through the air for a moment before fading away. Then she used the control panel on the low wall to disable the barrier attached to it. As soon as the barriers had disappeared, Ariom felt Iggy start tugging urgently at him through their magic bond. He sent a couple of tugs back along with a few reassuring thoughts. The words themselves probably didn''t get through, but Iggy obviously got the general idea because his frantic energy settled down, and the tugging stopped. Mideis must have realized what they were doing because he leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Amisi is telling the others what happened. I asked her to let Iggy and Thenio know that you''re all right, so they can stop worrying." Ariom blinked. Iggy...and Thenio? It hadn''t even occurred to him that Thenio would be worried about him.... "Is everyone all right?" Uncle Bero asked, walking over to them. He was looking the three of them up and down, presumably checking for signs of injury. "I think we''re fine?" Namyis also looked at the other two appraisingly. "We made it over here and got the barriers up right before the golem exploded. So no serious injuries, at least. Just a bit of magic exhaustion." "Yes, I can see that...." Uncle Bero looked at Ariom with one eyebrow raised. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Well, at least everyone made it out in one piece. Apart from Humerus, of course, but that''s normal for him. I''ll take that, by the way." He pointed at the bag containing Humerus'' bones. Mideis seemed quite happy to hand it over. "How is he?" Ariom asked, glancing over at the spectral trap that Uncle Bero had left sitting in the middle of the floor. A few people in Royal Guard uniforms had appeared at the opening in the wall and were looking at the black box warily. "Did he get hurt at all?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Since they''d been protecting his vessel, Humerus would have been immune to any kind of physical injury. But his flame form could still be damaged by magic, so he might have gotten hurt in the explosion. There was also a chance of him injuring himself when he lost control during his rampage. "A little. It''s hard to make an accurate assessment when he''s in rampage mode, but I don''t think it''s very bad. I''ll take him over to the necromancy guild for an examination and treatment if he needs any. We need to go make a report and get him checked anyway, since he rampaged in public." "Humerus won''t get in trouble, will he?" Namyis asked, looking concerned. Bero shook his head. "No, he shouldn''t. He didn''t hurt anyone, and the damage to the building wasn''t his fault. I also gave the guild advance notice that we were working on a project that might result in a rampage, and the vice-captain said he''d send someone with us to give a verification statement. So it''s just a matter of filling out some paperwork." He looked at Ariom. "Will you be all right if I leave? It will probably take a few hours." "Is Focilo going to stay?" "Yes. He said he''d look after Thenio until you''re recovered enough to take him home." "Then I should be fine." Ariom nodded toward the burnt remnants of the golem. "The main threat is already gone, and Garem is keeping a close watch on his people. I''m just planning to go pass out in one of the recovery rooms for a while, so there''s no real reason you need to be here." "All right. You get some rest, then." Uncle Bero leaned over the wall and patted Ariom''s shoulder. Then he shot Namyis a playful grin. "Keep an eye on him while I''m gone, will you?" "I''ll do my best!" she replied cheerfully. Ariom frowned. "And just why are you asking her to do that?" "Because the person who arranged for that golem to end up here is still running around someplace, and Humerus won''t be able to protect you for a while," Uncle Bero said soberly. "Namyis is the strongest and most trustworthy person here, next to Focilo. And he''s already busy taking care of Thenio. So isn''t it obvious that I would ask her?" It was hard to argue with that logic. Unable to think of a good response, Ariom simply scowled and looked away. "You take care of yourself as well, Mideis," Uncle Bero added. "I will. Thank you." Uncle Bero turned and went back to where Humerus was waiting in the spectral trap. Several Royal Guard members had entered the room now and were starting to survey the damage caused by the explosion, but they were keeping well away from the black box. Except for one young man, who was standing near the box, looking at it with interest. "Are you the one that''s supposed to escort us to the necromancy guild?" Uncle Bero asked him. The young man looked up. "Ah...yes! I''m Criso Gildar. I''m a forensic necromancer." "Bero Denifor," Uncle Bero said, giving him a nod. "Do you have any experience with revenants?" "Yes. My grandfather has one. That''s why the vice-captain asked me to be your escort." Criso glanced meaningfully at his colleagues, who were all keeping their distance. "Since not everyone is comfortable around spectral beasts." "Tell me about it...." Uncle Bero sighed and reached down to take hold of the handle on the top of the spectral trap. "Come on, Humerus. We need to take you to see the doctor." There was no reply from inside the box. Either Humerus was sulking, or he''d fallen asleep. He''d used up a lot of energy during his rampage, and most spectral traps had sedation enchantments on them. Uncle Bero lifted the box, waved at Ariom and the others, and followed Criso out of the room.
"Are you seriously planning to stay here the entire time?" Namyis smiled pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to the glare Ariom was giving her. "Your uncle asked me to keep an eye on you, right? So I''m keeping an eye on you!" "That doesn''t mean you have to watch me change clothes...." "You''re just taking off the combat suit, right? Aren''t you wearing something underneath?" "Of course I am. But it''s the principle of the thing!" "Don''t worry so much. I see male combat wizards taking their suits off all the time. It''s not a big deal." "Just because it doesn''t bother you doesn''t mean it doesn''t bother me!" Rimeus Telven, the doctor who''d come to help Ariom to one of the recovery rooms and was waiting to check him for injuries after the combat suit was off, was standing nearby, listening to them argue with an amused smile on his face. But the young armory assistant who was supposed to be helping Ariom take the suit off was looking between him and Namyis anxiously, clearly worried about the prospect of a grandmaster and a battlemage getting into a serious fight. Not that Ariom would stand a chance against Namyis, even at the best of times. And right now he was so exhausted that he doubted he could even win against Seyli. He could probably still take on Thenio. But that wasn''t much comfort.... ...and Eteon and Ki''shiu would come after him if he beat up Thenio anyway. So he''d lose even if he won.... That discouraging line of thought only made Ariom feel more irritated. "I don''t want you to watch me change," he growled at Namyis. "Please leave." "Okay, okay." She held her hands up in surrender. "I won''t watch." Ariom felt a small thrill of victory as Namyis turned around. But it faded again when she simply stood there, without leaving the room. "There you go!" she said cheerfully. "Now I can''t see you. The doctor can watch me to make sure I don''t cheat. So you''re free to go ahead and take your suit off." "You...." Ariom rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation. He hated giving in to her silly whims. But he was tired. His head was starting to ache. There were other people watching. And he really...really...just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.... "Fine. Whatever." He sighed and looked at the assistant. "Just ignore her and go ahead." "Ah...okay...." The young man timidly stepped forward and started unfastening the straps that held the suit in place around Ariom''s chest. Rimeus chuckled a little. But he did keep watching Namyis until the assistant had removed the last piece of Ariom''s suit and placed it on the cart he''d brought with him. "I''ll take this back to the workshop, and we''ll get it all fixed up for you," he told Ariom, looking much happier now that his task was nearly done. "You can pick it up at the armory office in a couple of days or contact us to have it delivered. All right?" "Fine. Thank you." Ariom did his best to be polite to the young man, but his tone was unenthusiastic. When would he ever need to wear a combat suit again? The dangerous part of this job was over already, and the vice-captain had told him that the enchantment research project was going to be temporarily put on hold while they did a thorough investigation to figure out where the golem had come from and whether there really were any spies in their group or not. But the suit had been custom-made to fit Ariom''s body and magic power. It was easier to build a whole new suit than to repurpose one for someone else. It would just get scrapped for materials if Ariom didn''t keep it, so it was a waste not to, even if he''d probably never wear it again. The assistant left the room, pushing the cart in front of him. "There, you''re changed. I can look at you again now, can''t I?" Namyis asked, peering over her shoulder at Ariom. She was still wearing her combat suit. She''d politely refused when the assistant had offered to take it to be repaired as well, saying that the damage was only minor and she would get it taken care of during her regular suit maintenance at the Magic Corps'' armor workshop. "Do whatever you want," Ariom said irritably as he slumped down onto the bed. "It''s not like I can stop you anyway." "Now, now..." Rimeus said soothingly, going over to the bed to start checking Ariom''s body for wounds or irregularities. "She''s probably just following her training. I believe it''s standard military procedure not to leave a person who''s suffering from magic exhaustion alone." "Right, it is!" Namyis nodded. "It can mess with your senses and cloud your thinking, so it''s dangerous." "I know that," Ariom said testily. "But I''m not alone, am I? There''s a doctor right here." She smiled sweetly at him. "I meant it''s dangerous for me. Bero told me to look after you, right? So if I leave, and by some chance something happens to you, it will be my fault. Do you realize how many scary people will come after me in that case? There''s Bero and Humerus, for a start. And Grandmaster Sephior. And General Obarin. And...." She hesitated. "He won''t come after you. I doubt he''d care at all if something happened to me." Ariom''s tone was bitter. "Hmm...I wonder...." Namyis looked thoughtful. "But I know some of the other battlemages would be upset about it. Ones that worked with your grandfather. And I can''t imagine that the enchanter''s guild will be happy if my negligence costs them one of their grandmasters. People have warned me not to get on the Kamari guild master''s bad side, you know?" "Well...that''s a fair point. Kymia is really scary when she''s mad. And she and I apprenticed with the same wizard, so she got it into her head that she has to take care of me." "Right! See? I have to be careful!" Ariom sighed. "Fine. Just promise you''ll be quiet and let me sleep after this check-up is over." "I promise," Namyis said, nodding solemnly. She pointed at a chair on one side of the room. "I''ll just sit there and stay quiet while you rest." "Good." True to her word, Namyis sat down in the chair and watched quietly while Rimeus finished his examination. "You have a couple of bruises," he said after a few minutes. "And a bit of muscle strain in your neck and shoulders¡ªprobably from bending over that examination table for so many hours. Plus mid-grade magic exhaustion, of course. But I don''t see anything more serious than that. Sleeping under the healing lamp for a few hours should mostly take care of it." He nodded at the lamp hanging over the bed, which was emitting a gentle golden glow. If Ariom had enough power left to use his magesight properly, he would presumably also be able to see it emitting a constant stream of healing magic. These lamps were commonly used in hospitals. They weren''t very powerful, but they helped speed up the body''s natural recovery process. "But you should try to take it easy for the next few days," Rimeus went on. "And if you notice any lingering symptoms, let us know. We''ll arrange for more thorough testing." Ariom nodded tiredly. "I understand." "Good. Then I''ll leave you to get some rest. Oh, and I''ll let your companions know that your examination is over. I think your familiar is quite anxious to see you." The doctor chuckled a little as he left the room. "I''m sure he is...." Ariom sighed and fell back onto the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment, then forced them back open and looked at Namyis. "Hey. I changed my mind. Help me stay awake for a few more minutes, will you? I''ll sleep after Iggy gets here." "Sure thing!" Namyis said brightly. "Will talking to you be good enough? Or should we jump straight to the ice water?" Chapter 59 - A Painful Memory There was a soft knock on the door, and Focilo entered Ariom''s recovery room. Thenio appeared behind him in the doorway but stopped short as the little black dragon he was carrying spotted Ariom and started flapping his wings and squirming frantically, trying to get out of Thenio''s arms. "Wait...Iggy!" Poor Thenio received several wing slaps in the face before Iggy finally worked himself free and flew haphazardly across the room. He narrowly avoided the lamp hanging over the bed and crashed down on top of Ariom, who was lying back against the pillows. "Hey, be careful, will you? Crazy little guy..." Ariom scolded him gently, stroking the dragon''s back soothingly as Iggy burrowed into his arms. "Are you all right, Thenio?" Focilo asked, looking at the boy with concern. Thenio tentatively touched his face where Iggy''s wings had hit him. "Uh...I think so? He just surprised me. He was acting pretty calm a minute ago." "He''s had a difficult day too, in his own way," Focilo said, looking over at Iggy with one of his wrinkled smiles. "I suppose he finally reached his limit. He''s still a child, after all." Thenio nodded. "Yeah. I know he''s been trying really hard to be good today. It''s actually pretty impressive that he didn''t start acting up until the explosion happened." "Hear that? Thenio says you''ve been a really good boy," Ariom told Iggy, rubbing his head in between his tiny horns. "We''ll have to reward you with a special treat. Since Thenio''s insulation bands are working better now, maybe we can go to The Kraken''s Kitchen for spicy fish balls. Would you like that?" "Mmm," Iggy said in a muffled voice. His face was buried in the crook of Ariom''s arm, and he was clinging onto his forearm with all four paws. Even his tail was wrapped tightly around Ariom''s hand. "Good. We''ll talk about it after we get home." Ariom patted Iggy''s back. Then he glanced over at Namyis, who was still sitting over on the side of the room. "Ah, right. Since the ice mage keeps insisting on staying here, I''d better put your new collar on." He touched Iggy''s harness and sent out a bit of magic power to access the space pocket attached to it. He was able to get into the pocket, but when he started looking for the collar, his magic faltered, making the objects inside feel like a fuzzy, indistinguishable mass. Ariom frowned and tried again, but the result was the same. His magic exhaustion seemed to be too severe for him to use the space pocket properly. Iggy could normally use it himself, but looking at how he was acting right now.... "Why don''t I give you a hand?" Focilo said, coming over to the bed. He reached out his hand toward the harness. "You said you wanted a collar?" "Yes. It''s made of green leather." It was annoying that he had to ask for help with something so simple, but forcing it would probably damage the pocket. Ariom didn''t value space pockets as much as most people did, since he could make his own, but recklessly destroying them was a bit much, even for him. So he gave up and let the doctor handle it. Fortunately, Iggy''s pocket wasn''t locked right now. While Focilo searched for the collar, Ariom looked back at Thenio, who had finally come into the room and was closing the door behind him. Ariom blinked a couple of times and then frowned a little. He felt like there was something...different about the boy. Something off. But he couldn''t quite figure out what it was. He shook his head. He was probably just tired. Focilo had been watching Thenio all day. He definitely would have noticed if there were anything wrong with him. Ariom looked back down at Iggy. Focilo had found the collar and was slipping the leather band around the dragon''s neck. He fastened it in place, and Ariom felt Iggy''s grip on his arm relax a little as the insulation enchantment took effect. "How are you feeling?" Focilo asked, looking Ariom up and down. "Your magic power is quite low, but you don''t look too bad otherwise." "I''m okay. Just tired." Ariom shot a glare in Namyis'' direction. "And cold." She put on an innocent expression. "You asked me to help you stay awake until Iggy got here, didn''t you? So I was helping, just like you wanted! And I dried you off again...." "I told you not to use ice water," Ariom growled. "No, you said ''no ice.''" Namyis smiled sweetly at him. "You didn''t say anything about the water." Ariom snorted. Leave it to that crazy woman to take advantage of a little slip of the tongue. He''d have to be more careful in the future. Assuming he ever had to work with her again, of course. For all he knew, this might be the last time they saw each other.... Well, that would be a good thing, wouldn''t it? She was annoying. And she was a battlemage. And she''d splashed freezing cold water on him a few minutes ago, just because he''d started dozing¡ª Ariom''s mental complaints about Namyis were suddenly interrupted by Thenio walking over to the bed while sliding a canvas bag off his shoulder. "It looks like Iggy wants to stay with you, so I''ll leave this here. It''s the extra toys and things we brought for him. Plus some leftovers from the snacks that the staff here gave us." Ariom involuntarily stiffened as Thenio came closer, and a chill ran along his spine. There was definitely something wrong with that kid. He stared as Thenio placed the bag down on the bedside table, trying to activate his magesight. But his magic was weak and sluggish. He couldn''t get it to move how he wanted. He glanced around at Namyis and Focilo. How could neither of them have noticed that sinister feeling that Thenio was giving off? Namyis had noticed Ariom''s stiff expression and was looking at him questioningly. But she didn''t seem at all concerned about Thenio. Feeling increasingly anxious, Ariom looked back at the boy, trying once again to force his magesight to activate. He should be able to tell what was wrong if he could just take a proper look. But his magic power was still too low to¡ª Wait. Low magic power...? Ariom''s eyes widened as he finally realized what was going on. "Ariom?" Thenio had also noticed his unusual behavior and was looking at him uncertainly. "Are you okay?" Ariom swallowed as he looked up at the boy in front of him. He somehow seemed much taller and more imposing than usual, with a slightly dangerous air about him. It was like looking at a bicorn or a wild fellwolf. "So this is how non-magic people see you," Ariom said quietly. "You really do seem like a monster...." He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Thenio''s eyes widened in shock, and he hastily moved a few steps back. "That...I...I''m sorry...." He continued backing away from the bed. "I was just bringing Iggy here...and I know you need to rest, so...I...uh...I''ll wait in the hall!" He said the last part in Focilo''s direction as he spun around and half ran toward the door. Before Ariom could say anything to stop him, he''d disappeared into the hallway. Focilo gave Ariom a disapproving look, but his voice was still calm when he spoke. "I shouldn''t leave the boy on his own¡ªthere''s too much going on in this place. They assigned him the room at the end of this hall. We''ll stay there until you or Bero are able to take him home. Get some sleep, Ariom. You obviously need it." He followed Thenio out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. There was a long moment of silence. "Be sure you apologize to him later, all right?" When Ariom turned to look at her, Namyis gave him a sad but understanding smile. "I know you didn''t mean it how it sounded. Thenio should know that, too. He knows you don''t really think he''s a monster. But still...it hurts to hear something like that from someone you''re close to. To feel rejected by someone you trust. So apologize properly the next time you see him. Okay?" Ariom lowered his gaze, staring down at the little black dragon still hugging his arm. "Yeah...okay...."
Thenio stood rigidly against the wall outside Ariom''s recovery room, staring unseeingly at a door on the opposite side of the hallway. Several people walked past, but he barely noticed them. He knew he shouldn''t be that shocked. It was hardly the first time someone had acted uncomfortable around him or thought he was strange or scary. But when Ariom was the one doing it, it was...different, somehow. Thenio looked down at his arms. There were several thin red scratches on them from Iggy''s claws. Seeing them dampened his mood even further. He knew the little dragon had been rushing to get to Ariom, not to get away from him. But still.... A wrinkled hand reached out and touched the scratches on Thenio''s right arm, and there was a soft glow of healing magic. When it faded, the scratches were gone. Thenio looked up and saw Grandmaster Sephior standing beside him. "Thanks..." he said quietly as the doctor moved his hand to the other arm and healed the scratches on it as well. "Don''t read too much into what Ariom said just now," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. "He''s had a long, difficult day, and he''s very tired and is suffering from magic exhaustion. So he''s not his usual self." "Yeah...I know. I shouldn''t have let it upset me so much. I just...." Thenio trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. "I guess I''m tired, too." "Well, it''s no wonder. You''ve been working hard." Grandmaster Sephior patted Thenio''s shoulder. "Let''s go to your recovery room so you can rest for a while." Thenio nodded and followed the doctor down the hallway and into the room at the end. The medical staff had said they would set up a barrier around this room to make it safer for him to rest there. "Try to get a little sleep," Grandmaster Sephior said, gesturing toward the bed. "I''ll wake you when Bero gets back." "Are you really okay just sitting here until then?" Thenio asked uncertainly. "It''s pretty late. And you''ve been here all day, too...." Grandmaster Sephior chuckled a little. "Don''t worry about me, boy. I''m sturdier than I look. And I''m a doctor, so I''m used to long work days. I''ll be fine." Thenio was a little skeptical. He knew Grandmaster Sephior was a life mage and a sixth-rank sorcerer, both of which would boost his physical stamina. But he was also more than a hundred and fifty years old.... Well. He was one of the best doctors in Kafron. He probably didn''t need any health advice from a sixteen-year-old magic assistant. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Thenio took his shoes off and lay down on the bed. Grandmaster Sephior dimmed the light for him, and then went to sit in one of the chairs on the side of the room. After pulling a blanket over himself, Thenio glanced over at the doctor. "Uh...Ariom will be back to normal after he rests, right? My magic won''t keep affecting him like that forever...will it?" Grandmaster Sephior gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "That''s right. If it functions like a normal ranking effect does, then Ariom is only experiencing it because his magic power is too low to resist yours right now. It should disappear after he recovers. You don''t need to worry." Right. If it functioned like a normal ranking effect.... The answer didn''t entirely ease his anxiety, but it was enough for Thenio to put his head down and close his eyes. He thought he might have trouble sleeping, either because of his worries about Ariom or because of the awkwardness of having someone else in the room with him. But he must have been even more tired than he realized, because once he finally relaxed, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Thenio found himself standing in a large ceremonial hall. Unlike many of his recent dreams, there was no sense of familiarity about the place. And he was surrounded by people he didn''t recognize. Most of them were dressed in formal uniforms and were standing at attention. Looking up, he saw a line of flags hanging at one end of the hall. In the center was the Kafron flag, and on either side were banners with the crests of the Kafron military and the Magic Corps. All the uniformed people were facing that direction. This must be some kind of military ceremony, then. Why was he dreaming about something like this? Puzzled, Thenio moved toward the front of the hall, where the flags were hanging, looking around for some hint as to what kind of ceremony he''d landed in the middle of. None of the people he passed paid any attention to him. They didn''t seem to notice he was there at all. Apparently he was a spectator in this dream, not a participant. As he got closer to the front, he saw a number of chairs set up in neat rows. The people sitting in them were quiet, their expressions solemn. Rather than military uniforms, most of them were wearing...mourning clothes? Thenio frowned. He looked toward the front of the hall. Ahead of the rows of seated people was a smaller group that was standing in a loose semi-circle. And in front of them.... Yes, there it was. A casket made of ash-colored wood, surrounded by flowers and draped with a cloth that had the crest of the Kafron Magic Corps on it. This was a military funeral. Thenio''s frown deepened. He had some idea where he was now, but he still didn''t know why he was having this kind of dream. He''d had dreams about the Magic Corps, of course¡ªthings like meeting famous battlemages or becoming a combat wizard and fighting demons. But...a funeral? He walked toward the group standing around the casket. Those should be the family members of the deceased, saying their final goodbyes before the casket was taken away to be buried. Maybe he would understand what was going on if he saw who they were. As he got closer, he didn''t immediately recognize any of them, although some of them were standing with their backs to him, so he couldn''t see their faces. But there were two men at the front that seemed somewhat familiar. One was standing next to the casket, staring silently at it. The second was behind him and a little to the side, as though he were watching over the first man. Both of them were wearing formal military uniforms, and they both had copper-tinted skin and flame-colored hair. Fire mages? No, the one in front was probably flare or firestorm, since his hair was a brighter shade of orange, with gold streaks in it. The other man had darker red and orange hair, mixed with grey. As he watched them, the second man turned his head to look at his companion, allowing Thenio to see his face clearly. His eyes widened in surprise. He recognized that face. He''d seen pictures of it. That was Kalion Obarin, General of the Magic Corps. Or rather...it was a younger version of him. In the recent pictures Thenio had seen, the general''s hair was mostly white. He was looking at the man next to him with a tender, concerned expression. The two of them seemed to have a close relationship. Was the younger man General Obarin''s relative? Or maybe one of his trainees? Thenio still felt like he''d seen the other man somewhere before. His back definitely had a familiar look to it. But he didn''t remember ever meeting any fire-type combat wizards. He started circling around the mourning family so he could get a look at the man''s face. But he paused after a few steps, his attention focusing on one of the children standing with the group. It was a boy around Kleyo''s age¡ªseven or eight years old¡ªwith reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. An older woman standing next to him had just bent down and said something quietly in his ear, and he''d turned to give her a slightly panicked look in response. "Go on," she said. Her voice was a little louder this time, so Thenio could just make out the words. "Go stand next to your father." She put her hand on the boy''s back to push him forward, and he reluctantly walked toward the two men at the front. The younger man was still staring down at the casket and didn''t seem to notice as the boy moved quietly up to his side. The boy paused, looking uncertainly up at him. Then he slowly reached out to touch his father''s hand with his own small one. The man started at the touch, jerking away from his son and spinning around to face him. "Don''t touch me!" he snarled. "I told you not to come near me!" General Obarin reacted immediately, stepping forward and putting his arm out to hold the other man back. "Riomel, stop," he said in a stern voice. The younger man didn''t reply. His yellow-orange eyes were focused on a third man who''d just hurried forward to put his arms protectively around the boy, who had frozen in fear. A man with golden hair, green eyes, and a familiar face. Riomel Denifor glared at his younger brother. "Bero! You keep that boy away from me!" Bero looked up at him with a pained expression. "I understand," he said quietly. "I will." He lifted the boy into his arms and carried him out of the circle of family members, pausing briefly to look over at a green-haired woman who was standing with two other children¡ªa girl who looked about ten years old and a boy who was probably four or five. The woman gave Bero a small, sad smile and a nod, presumably telling him to go ahead. That must be Tilia, Bero''s wife, and two of their children. Maybe the youngest one hadn''t been born yet when this happened? The girl was holding a dark red dragon with green eyes that Thenio recognized as Humerus. He looked up and said something to her, then jumped out of her arms and flew over to land on Bero''s shoulder as he walked toward the side of the hall. Bero approached a man who seemed to be an usher. "Is there a quiet room we could borrow for a few minutes?" he asked softly. "I think my nephew needs some time to calm down...." The man nodded. "Yes, of course. Right this way." Before he followed them out of the hall, Thenio glanced back at Riomel. He''d turned his head and was staring at the casket again. So that was why he''d seemed so familiar.... Namyis was right. Apart from their sorcerer''s stigmas giving them different coloring, Ariom really did look a lot like his father. The usher led them to a small sitting room a little ways off the main hall. It had a sofa and a couple of chairs arranged in front of a fireplace. The room was a bit cold, but the usher went over and started the fire by using a control panel set into the wall. It was apparently a magic fireplace similar to the ones Ariom had in his house. "Can I get you anything?" the usher asked, looking at Bero and the young Ariom with sympathy. Bero shook his head. "No. Thank you. We just need a little quiet time." "I see. Then I''ll leave you alone for now. There''s a call button next to the door if you need anything." After the usher had left the room, Bero went over to the sofa and sat down with a sigh. "You''re getting about too big for me to carry around like this." He shifted Ariom''s position so the boy was sitting on his lap and then rubbed his back soothingly. "But I guess you''re not too big quite yet." Ariom, who had his arms around his uncle''s neck and his face pressed against his shoulder, didn''t respond. "Hey...Ariom...look at me for a minute?" Ariom slowly lifted his head. There were tears in his eyes. "It wasn''t your fault, Ariom," Bero said gently, looking into his nephew''s face and stroking his hair. "You didn''t do anything wrong. Your grandmother should have known better than to push you forward like that. And your father...." He let out another sigh. "Well...how do I explain...?" He exchanged a long look with Humerus, who had jumped off his shoulder and was sitting next to them on the sofa. Maybe he was asking the revenant for advice. After a moment, Bero turned back to Ariom. "Look...you miss your mother, don''t you? Doesn''t it hurt to know she''s not here with us anymore?" Ariom nodded and sniffed a little. His tears were threatening to spill over. "Your father feels that way, too. He misses her, and he''s hurting a lot right now. And sometimes...when people are feeling a lot of pain like that...well...they can go a little crazy. They might say and do things they don''t really mean. Your father doesn''t hate you, and he didn''t mean to hurt you. He''s just kind of crazy right now. Crazy from all the pain he''s feeling." Bero gave Ariom an apologetic smile. "Maybe that''s hard for you to understand. But it should make more sense when you''re older." Ariom lowered his gaze. His expression was a bit skeptical, but he seemed to be thinking over his uncle''s words. Bero glanced at Humerus again. The revenant stood up, and his body shimmered a little. His red scales changed and morphed into soft-looking fur. He looked a bit like a red Storm dragon. The now-fluffy Humerus jumped onto Ariom''s lap, stood up on his back legs, and put his front paws on the boy''s chest. Ariom lifted the revenant into his arms and held him tightly, burying his face in the dark red fur. Humerus flattened his ears briefly, looking discontented. Then he let out a small sigh and laid his head on Ariom''s shoulder, apparently resigning himself to being squeezed. Bero smiled and gave Humerus'' head a grateful pat. Then he rubbed Ariom''s back again. "We''re here for you, Ariom. I don''t know when your father will be back to normal again. It might take a long time.... But you''re not alone. We''re your family, and we love you. Your Aunt Tilia and I will take care of you as long as you need us to. So you don''t have to worry. Okay?" Ariom nodded a little without raising his head. Bero put his arms around the boy and revenant, and the three of them sat quietly together. Thenio couldn''t help feeling a little guilty about watching such an intimate scene, even though he hadn''t come into this dream on purpose. He also wasn''t sure how to leave.... As he stood there, fidgeting a little and wondering what he ought to do now, he suddenly sensed something behind him and turned around. Part of the dream seemed to have faded away, so that one wall of the sitting room now opened onto Thenio''s usual misty dream forest. Ki''shiu was standing a short distance away, watching him. Relieved, Thenio walked over to the dream beast. "What happened?" he asked, instinctively keeping his voice low, even though he was fairly sure the two people and revenant behind him couldn''t hear it. "This is one of Ariom''s memories, isn''t it? How was I dreaming about something like this?" You weren''t. That wasn''t your dream. Thenio''s eyes widened. "You mean...is Ariom dreaming about this right now? So I was seeing his dream?" Yes. Dream magic allows you to access more than just your own dream world. Haven''t I been coming into your dreams recently? And taking you into mine? "Well...yeah. But you''re a mythic beast. I never thought I''d be able to do something like that...." Normally, you wouldn''t. Getting past another person''s mental defenses to enter their dreams is beyond your current skill level. Especially Ariom. His mind is quite guarded most of the time. But his fatigue and magic exhaustion are making him much more vulnerable than usual. Plus...this dream had some connection to you to begin with. "A connection? What...?" Thenio blinked. "Oh." Being rejected. Having someone you thought you were close to suddenly pull away. Ariom''s earlier reaction to Thenio''s magic must have made him recall his memories of his mother''s funeral and how his father treated him at the time. Thenio was quiet for a minute, thinking. "Ariom''s father..." he said slowly. "He was wearing suppression bands, wasn''t he?" They''d been hidden by the long sleeves of the military uniform, but Thenio had caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking leather band on Riomel''s wrist when he''d pulled his hand away from Ariom. Yes, he was. He didn''t become an inpatient at the Stability Center until after his wife died, but he was struggling with magic instability for some time before that, due to the stress. "Then was what Bero told Ariom right? Did his father push him away like that because he''d gone crazy from grief? Or...." Thenio trailed off. He didn''t really know much about Riomel Denifor. He''d never even met the man, and it wasn''t a safe topic to ask about when Ariom was around. But seeing that suppression band, he''d felt a sudden suspicion that Riomel''s actions weren''t quite what they appeared to be. Ki''shiu tilted his head, apparently considering the question. I think...it''s both right and wrong. Ariom''s father has certainly done some irrational things out of grief and anger. But...it''s also true that there are times when staying away from someone you care about is the only way to keep them safe. His ears fell, and there was a look of deep sorrow in his eyes. I''ve been through that kind of thing myself.... Thenio wasn''t sure how to respond to that. Ki''shiu was obviously recalling some kind of painful memories, but he probably wouldn''t talk about them, even if Thenio asked him. So rather than saying anything, he stepped closer and reached up to stroke the dream beast''s soft white mane. Ki''shiu lowered his head and lightly nuzzled Thenio''s hair in response. It was quiet for a moment. Then suddenly, Ki''shiu''s body stiffened, and he raised his head in alarm. "What?" Startled, Thenio turned to see what he was looking at. Ariom''s dream was still going on in the background, with Bero and Humerus quietly comforting the young Ariom. But some kind of strange smoke had started coming out of the fireplace. It was a dark greenish-purple color, and it swirled and writhed in unsettling patterns. "Corruption..." Ki''shiu hissed out loud, flattening his ears. He looked down with an urgent expression. "Thenio, hide!" The power of his voice hit Thenio like a crashing wave. He felt it wrapping around him, drowning him. There was a brief choking sensation.... Then everything went black. Chapter 60 - Bloodstained Puppet Namyis yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. She hadn''t lied when she''d told Mideis that she could keep working for a week straight, but using high-concentration magic all day had been mentally tiring, and holding off an explosion and a rampaging revenant had drained quite a bit of her magic power. The combination made her feel a little sleepy. She glanced enviously over at Ariom, who was sleeping deeply. He''d kept himself awake for a little while by brooding over what had happened with Thenio, but his exhaustion had won out before long. Iggy was asleep on a pillow next to him, still hugging one of Ariom''s hands. Namyis smiled as she watched them. The two of them really were cute sleeping together like that. She stifled another yawn and turned her attention back to the book that was lying open on her lap. She could drink some magic recovery medicine to perk herself back up if she needed to¡ªshe hadn''t used any yet today. But it put less strain on the magic circuit to let power recover naturally. She should feel better in an hour or two. She could put up with it until then. To pass the time, she''d been reading a book on ice affinity magic beasts that Seyli had recommended to her. She''d had a little free time yesterday while she was in Gojir waiting for the raid mission to start, so she''d stopped by a bookstore and found a copy. It was a nice book, with lots of beautiful pictures. Namyis lingered for a while on a page that showed a pair of Arctic Gryphons. She''d always loved that breed. They had such beautiful white fur and feathers. Gryphons tended to be more tolerant of high-level sorcerers than most magic beasts were, and she''d seriously considered trying to convince one to form a familiar contract with her. But a mount didn''t really suit her combat style, and it would be cruel to get a familiar only to make it stay in the military aviary whenever she was working. In the end, she''d settled for just buying a carriage golem that was modeled after an Arctic Gryphon. Owning a golem wasn''t at all the same as having a familiar, of course. But at least it wasn''t bothered by her magic, and it didn''t get bored staying in its storage shed most of the time. Namyis flipped through the book until she found the chapter on ice-type dragons. One of these would make a perfect familiar. A dragon would be small enough to travel with easily but still have enough power and maneuverability to help her out during combat. A few ice dragon breeds also had crystal primaries, which were rare among magic beasts. Of these, Namyis wasn''t terribly fond of Glacier Dragons, which had heavy builds and thick plates instead of scales. And the spiky Hoarfrost Dragons looked even less cuddly than Humerus'' skeleton. But Frostfeathers were beautiful, with slender, graceful bodies and crystalline scales and feathers that sparkled in the light. If only dragons weren''t so sensitive to magic power.... It was almost unheard of for one to be willing to form a familiar contract with a high-ranking sorcerer. Namyis looked at a picture of an adorably fluffy Blizzard Dragon for a moment before sighing and flipping through the pages again. She turned to a section on snow foxes. These were low-level magic beasts that weren''t really suited for becoming familiars, so it was easier to think about them without feeling envious of other wizards. She yawned again as she started reading. Snow foxes lived on the outskirts of the Northern Wastelands. Namyis had seen a few from a distance when she''d gone to the north for Rift duty. Driving animals and magic beasts away from the area so they wouldn''t come in contact with the miasma and turn into demons was one of the routine tasks that combat wizards were assigned to do while they were working there. It was one of the few times when being scary to magic beasts was useful. Namyis noticed her eyelids starting to droop a little. She shook her head and refocused on the words in the book. Reading seemed to be making her feel even sleepier. Maybe she should find something else to do once she finished this part about the foxes. Snow foxes didn''t really have enough magic power to create snow on their own, but they could manipulate natural snow. They used it to build dens and also created funnel traps to help them hunt, much like Namyis herself used ice walls to steer demon swarms during a subjugation. Their need for snow must be why the foxes kept trying to move back into the Wastelands, even though they should be able to sense that it was dangerous.... Namyis shook her head again, trying to blink the sting of tiredness out of her eyes. She''d gotten distracted while reading about the foxes'' diet and hunting habits. She started to reread the paragraph. But before she finished it, she''d lost her focus again. Her vision blurred, and her eyelids closed.... The next thing she was aware of was the feeling of something shaking her hand. She forced her eyes open a crack. Her head had fallen forward onto her chest. It felt terribly heavy, but she managed to lift it enough to see that her book had dropped to the floor, and there was a small black dragon on her lap. He was standing with his front legs on her hand, shaking it urgently. "Iggy?" she murmured sleepily. "What...?" He looked up at the sound of her voice. "Ice cream lady, wake up! You need to help! Ariom won''t wake up, and there''s nasty magic coming out! I don''t want it to hurt him!" Namyis blinked groggily. Nasty magic? What was he...? Her eyes suddenly opened wide as she realized what was happening. She lifted the hand Iggy wasn''t standing on and slapped her own cheek several times, forcing herself out of her unnatural drowsiness. Then she scooped up the little dragon and got to her feet. She stumbled over to the bed and mercilessly dumped a large amount of cold water onto Ariom''s sleeping form. "Ariom! Wake up! We''re under attack!"
Focilo sat quietly, watching Thenio. At first glance, it seemed like the boy was merely sleeping peacefully. But Focilo''s magesight was sensitive enough to pick up the subtle movement of his magic power. Thenio was using dream magic. It was a bit different than what he''d been doing during the day, when he was drawing magic formations. Was this what it looked like when he accessed the dream forest that he''d mentioned? Was he possibly meeting with...? Focilo''s brow furrowed a little. It was still difficult to believe that the Consort himself was giving a human child private magic lessons. Focilo had actually met Ki''shiu before, many years ago. While he wasn''t hostile toward humans, he didn''t seem to be especially fond of them, either. And considering all the other responsibilities he had...Focilo had been quite shocked to hear how much time he and his agent were devoting to helping Thenio. He''d already been taking his duty as Thenio''s doctor seriously. But now.... Bero had told him that Ariom was feeling pressured by the knowledge that a mythic beast was watching over the boy he''d taken in. Focilo could definitely empathize with that. If Ariom found out who Ki''shiu really was...he''d probably back out of the whole thing and wash his hands of Thenio as soon as possible. That would be a pity for both of them. The Consort probably wouldn''t do anything to him in retaliation. But there had already been some small signs of Ariom changing for the better as a result of taking responsibility for Thenio. He was a little more willing to come out of his shell and deal with difficult things when it was for the boy''s sake. Was that another effect of chaos magic? Focilo himself had felt a strong desire to help and protect Thenio, even before he''d learned about the Consort''s interest in him. And magic beasts were obviously drawn to him. Was it possible that the effect even extended to mythic beasts? Could that be why the Consort was so determined to save the chaos morphs? It seemed ridiculous to think that a weak-looking child like Thenio could have that much of an effect on such a powerful creature, but.... Focilo paused his contemplation and turned his head toward the door. A moment later, there was a quiet knock. Then the door opened, and a man wearing the Royal Guard''s medical staff uniform entered the room. "I''m sorry to disturb you," he said in a soft voice, smiling apologetically. "I was with another patient when you two came over to the infirmary. I''m sure the boy is in good hands with a grandmaster healer like you taking care of him. But I just wanted to check and see if he needed any¡ª" He broke off, blinking at Focilo in confusion. "What are you doing?" Focilo had gotten to his feet and moved swiftly over to the bed, positioning himself between the man and Thenio. With a wave of his hand, he threw up a thick golden barrier. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Who are you?" he asked, eyes narrowed at the newcomer. "I''m...Rimeus Telven. The head of the medical team." The other man was still wearing a bewildered expression. "What''s wrong? Don''t you remember me?" "I remember Rimeus Telven," Focilo said quietly. "And yes, you look like him. But you''re most certainly not him." There was a brief silence, while the man continued staring at Focilo, looking disconcerted. Then his expression suddenly changed. He threw back his head and laughed. "Hey, you''re not bad for a modern wizard," he said, giving Focilo a playful smirk. "Modern...?" Focilo''s eyes widened in horror. "You''re¡ª!" He desperately sent more magic into his barrier, trying to reinforce it. But it wasn''t enough. The man wearing Rimeus Telven''s face gave a lazy flick of his hand and sent a wave of dark-colored magic crashing against the golden wall. Focilo''s barrier, which even a demon hunter would have struggled to break through, shattered with a single blow. At the same time, magic formations started glowing all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The space inside the room began warping and turning. Focilo had been knocked back by the force of the barrier breaking. He stumbled a little, then regained his footing and turned toward the bed, pulling Thenio, who had just woken up, close to him and shielding him with his own body. If Focilo''s guess about that man''s true identity was correct, then the Consort, powerful as he might be, wouldn''t be able to help them right now. It was up to him to protect the boy.
Thenio woke up with a start, coughing and gasping for breath. The feeling of Ki''shiu''s magic being wrapped around him was still there. It was a sensation similar to high-level magic suppression, but even more uncomfortable. It felt like his whole body had been swaddled in a heavy blanket. Was there something wrong with his eyes, too? The room in front of him was strangely distorted, like the space itself was being sucked into a whirlpool. And...were those magic formations glowing on the walls? There was movement nearby, and something pulled him upward. Was that...Grandmaster Sephior? He was wrapping his arms protectively around Thenio, shielding him from...what, exactly? Something above them fell with a crash, and Thenio saw the doctor wince a little as it hit his shoulder. What was that? What was going on? A minute later, everything came to a stop. The room became still and quiet, though it was suddenly much brighter than it had been before. Then someone else started coughing. A harsh, wet cough. Grandmaster Sephior loosened his hold and moved to the side, allowing Thenio to sit up and look past him, toward the sound. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the man who was making it. It was the doctor in charge of the medical team that had been helping out with the analysis project. Rimeus Telven. He''d come to the transcription room several times during their practice sessions to consult with Bero and Grandmaster Sephior. He was standing a short distance away from the bed, coughing up blood. "Ah...such a shoddy puppet...." Rimeus wiped his mouth off and looked down at his bloodstained hand in disgust. "Was the teleportation magic too much for it? I guess that''s what I get for doing such a rushed job...." He coughed again, bringing up a fresh splatter of red. "Ebihan!" he shouted, turning to look behind him. "Where are you?" "Here, my lord!" a slightly panicked voice called back. "I''m here!" An anxious-looking man with greying blonde hair and green eyes hurried over from.... ...where exactly had he come from? Thenio blinked in confusion, then looked around, trying to understand what he was seeing. He was still in the same bed he''d fallen asleep in. The bedside table was also there, as were the chairs over on the side. Even the healing lamp that had been hanging above him was there, though it had fallen down onto the bed. That was probably what had made the crashing sound. All the furniture was the same. But the room itself had changed. The cream-colored walls of the recovery room had somehow turned into what looked like slabs of grey stone, with intricate magic formations inscribed all over them. Bright lights shone down from the ceiling, replacing the dimmed lighting from before. And the wall where the door had been was missing entirely. One side of the room now opened onto a wide corridor made of the same grey stone. No. It wasn''t open. When Thenio looked more closely, he saw the faint sheen of a magic barrier there. The man called Ebihan had appeared from the right side of the corridor. He stood in front of the barrier and made a small bow to Rimeus. "Congratulations on the success of your plan, my lord. Not that there was any doubt you''d succeed, of course." He straightened up and looked over at where Grandmaster Sephior was sitting on the edge of the bed, still holding one arm protectively in front of Thenio and watching the two men warily. "Is that...Focilo Sephior? You brought him, too?" Rimeus shrugged. "It looked like it was going to be a hassle to separate him from the boy. And I don''t mind having another toy around to play with. Though it''s a pity I couldn''t get that enchanter instead...he would have been more entertaining...." "Is it really safe to keep the head of the Stability Center here? The Magic Corps won''t be happy about losing one of their best healers...." Rimeus snorted, causing a small amount of blood to trickle out of his nose. "Who put the security enchantments around this base, Ebihan?" "That...you did, my lord. You did." Ebihan nervously lowered his head again. "I apologize. I didn''t mean to doubt¡ª" Rimeus waved a hand to silence him, and Ebihan stopped talking immediately. "So you were after Thenio?" Grandmaster Sephior said quietly. "Why? What do you want with him?" "Well, nothing much." Rimeus gave him a pleasant smile. Or at least a smile that might have been pleasant if he didn''t have blood smeared around his mouth. "I heard that a new chaos morph had turned up in Kamari, and I was curious. So I wanted to have a look at him. That''s all." Grandmaster Sephior frowned. "What kind of ''look''?" "Oh, you know. The usual. Scans. Tests. Maybe some dissection if he looks interesting enough to be worth the trouble." Rimeus'' smile widened a little. Then his gaze shifted to Thenio, and the smile faded. "Though I must say he doesn''t look that interesting so far. I expected chaos morphs to be something special, since no one''s been able to figure them out yet. But isn''t he just a common chimera? How disappointing...." Thenio''s eyebrows went up in surprise. A chimera? Him? "What? You didn''t know?" Rimeus smirked. "Necromancers these days really are pathetic...." He gave Grandmaster Sephior a scornful look. "Don''t tell me you can''t even recognize a chimera when you see one? And you''re supposed to be a grandmaster necromancer?" Grandmaster Sephior didn''t say anything, and his expression didn''t change. But Thenio could feel the hand on his shoulder tighten its grip slightly. "Well...I suppose I shouldn''t be too hard on you. You''re just a modern wizard, after all," Rimeus went on in a mocking tone. Then his expression became more serious, and he looked at Thenio appraisingly. "Let''s see...it looks like he has two magic circuits. One is life affinity, and the other...." He paused, frowning. "Is that a null affinity? Hmm.... The way they''re fused together is a little strange. It makes it difficult to see clearly." He was silent for a long moment, staring intently at Thenio. His eyes were already bloodshot, and as he continued his examination, red tears began slowly running down his face. "This useless body...." Rimeus blinked and wiped the tears away with a scowl. "I''ll have to bring over a decent puppet if I want to examine him properly." Then he laughed. "But it''s no wonder your magic is unstable, boy. I''ve never seen a chimera with such tangled circuits. I guess you''re interesting enough to be worth studying a little after all." Thenio swallowed. He really didn''t want that guy studying him any further. The bloody grin Rimeus was giving him wasn''t at all reassuring.... "It''s all right, boy," Grandmaster Sephior said softly. "I won''t let him hurt you." Rimeus threw his head back, chortling. "You won''t, huh? A little baby necromancer like you actually thinks he can stop me? How amusing. Maybe getting you instead of the enchanter wasn''t so bad." He stepped closer to them. "Now come along. Let''s move you to a cell of your own. Then we can¡ª" He was interrupted by a brilliant flash of light, bright enough that Thenio had to close his eyes. There were rustling and creaking sounds all around him, like tree branches blowing in a high wind. Then he smelled that scent again. That comforting, vanilla-like scent. The light faded, and Thenio opened his eyes. He blinked for a moment, then stared in disbelief. There were dark brown branches and green and gold leaves all around him, woven into a thick cage that surrounded him, Grandmaster Sephior, and the bed they were sitting on. The branches were a little thinner in front of them, thin enough that Thenio could still see Rimeus and Ebihan through the gaps. Though he wished he couldn''t.... Ebihan simply looked startled and confused. But Rimeus was glaring at them with a terrifyingly dark expression on his face. His eyes were once again dripping bloody tears, and this time he didn''t bother to wipe them away. "So you''re one of his people," he said in a quiet, poisonous voice. "I see. I''ll admit I wasn''t expecting that." There was a long silence, as he and Grandmaster Sephior stared at each other through the dark branches. Then, Rimeus suddenly laughed again. "That''s fine, that''s fine.... It would be boring if it were too easy, wouldn''t it?" He was smiling playfully again, but the look in his bloodied eyes made the hair on the back of Thenio''s neck stand on end. "Still easy enough, though.... All I have to do is wait you out." He turned to look at Ebihan. "Turn on the full suppression barrier. Those branches of his should be weak enough for me to break through by the time I get back here with a decent puppet." "Uh...my lord...the boy''s probably going to die if we leave him under full suppression for that long..." Ebihan said, glancing uncertainly at Thenio. "I know that, you idiot," Rimeus snapped. "Are you questioning me?" "No, my lord!" Ebihan said hastily. "Of course not! I would never! I simply wanted to make sure I understood your intentions...." "It doesn''t matter if he dies. Better for him to die from magic suppression than to destabilize and explode. As long as his body is intact, I can still examine his magic circuits well enough. And if I need him alive for some reason...well...I can always call his spirit back. I''m a proper necromancer, after all. Unlike the two of you." Rimeus shot Grandmaster Sephior a derisive sneer before turning back to Ebihan. "I''m leaving now. Increase the suppression as soon as I''m gone. Then keep an eye on them to make sure the tree man doesn''t play any more tricks." "Yes, my lord. I understand." Ebihan bowed again. Rimeus gave Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior one last smirk. Then his body collapsed, and he lay lifeless on the ground, his eyes open and staring and his lips still curled up on one side. Like a marionette whose strings had just been cut.... Thenio stared at the abandoned body in horror, only dimly aware of Ebihan moving to one side of the cell entrance and touching something on the wall. The barrier shimmered. Thenio''s feeling of suffocation suddenly became overpowering. The strength left his body, and he slumped against Grandmaster Sephior''s side. "Grandmaster..." he whispered. "I can''t...." His vision was growing dark. "It''s all right, boy," he heard Grandmaster Sephior''s voice say. "Go ahead and rest for now. I''ll protect you. I promise." The doctor gently laid him back down on the bed. Thenio tried to thank him, but his mouth wouldn''t form the words. And before he could try a second time, the world had gone black once again. Chapter 61 - Midnight Fires Ariom found himself being woken up by freezing cold water for the second time that night. He spluttered and coughed, wiping the water off his face, then glared up at Namyis. But he held back his complaints when he heard the urgent tone of her voice. "Ariom! Wake up! We''re under attack!" "Attack? What?" He tried to sit up, but he felt strangely dizzy and fell back onto one elbow. "What are you...? What''s going on?" "Iggy, where''s the nasty magic coming from?" Namyis asked, looking down at the dragon she was holding. "From there!" Iggy pointed at the lamp hanging over the bed with one of his tiny claws. "It''s leaking out from that light! I woke up and smelled it, so I breathed out my magic to make it stay away from Ariom. But some of the nasty magic is still coming out!" Ariom looked up at the healing lamp. It was surrounded by a hazy cloud of grey magic. That...should be Iggy''s? He tried activating his magesight to look for the ''nasty magic,'' but he still couldn''t make it work properly. Namyis simply took Iggy''s word for it and flicked her hand at the lamp, coating it in a thick layer of magic ice. "That should do for now." She produced a small bottle of dark amber liquid from her stasis pocket and held it out to Ariom. "Here, drink this." He blinked at it, still feeling groggy and confused. "Why? What is that?" "Tree blood. The magic Iggy sensed is probably what we call a ''poison lullaby''¡ªsleep magic mixed with demon poison to make it more potent. You have low-level poisoning, and your magic exhaustion will make it hard to fight it off by yourself." Namyis put Iggy down on the bed and twisted the lid off the bottle. Then she held it close to Ariom''s mouth. "Drink it. Hurry!" Ariom''s head was spinning, making it difficult to process what she was saying. He didn''t entirely understand what was going on or what that stuff in the bottle was. But he could at least grasp that Namyis was trying to help him. He took the bottle from her, but his hand was shaking, and she had to help him drink it. The amber liquid had a strange taste¡ªsweet but also somewhat metallic. Ariom could feel the effects almost as soon as it went down his throat. Magic power started seeping into his body. His head cleared, and he could finally sit up properly. "What is that stuff...?" He''d never had any recovery medicine quite like it before. The feel of the magic power in it was as strange as the taste. "Tree blood," Namyis repeated. "Anti-demon medicine." She picked Iggy back up, used some magic to dry Ariom off, and then pulled urgently on his arm. "Now come on! We need to go make sure that Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior are all right!"
After leaving the half-destroyed analysis room, Mideis had gone around to the neighboring room to pick up Amisi and collect the enchantment transcription papers. Then he went straight to the records room. An assistant was already waiting there to help him make copies. Ariom had asked to get the original drawings back, since there might be traces of Thenio''s dream magic on them, and he didn''t want anyone besides Mideis and Garem to find out about it. But they needed to give him a copy to analyze anyway, so there was no problem with that. Mideis would also get a copy, and they would send one over to the Royal Guard''s main archives for safekeeping, in addition to leaving one here for the research team. "Are you sure you''re all right, Inspector?" the assistant, Baslu, asked, looking at Mideis with concern. "No. I''m not," Mideis said flatly. "I''m exhausted, and my head is aching. But I want to get this done before any more crazy things happen. Then I''ll be able to sleep without worrying about it...." He put Amisi down on the desk that stood at the entrance to the records area. He also took a yellow cushion out of his space pocket and set it down next to her. "Go ahead and sleep if you want to," he told her, lightly rubbing her head and shoulders. "This will take a little while.... But we''ll go home as soon as I''m done here, all right?" Amisi nodded and climbed onto the cushion, where she tucked herself into a tight loaf shape. Mideis patted her back. Then he took out the large stack of magic formation drawings that Thenio had made and carried them over to the work table in the middle of the room, where Baslu was waiting. There were two document copying devices sitting on the table in front of him. Mideis split the stack of paper in two and handed half to Baslu. "We need three copies. The necromancers that were helping with the transcribing already sorted through these, so let''s leave the pages in their current order." "Understood," Baslu said, nodding and taking his half of the stack. The two of them got to work, duplicating each page and stacking the copies into separate piles to keep them in order. Mideis was too tired to talk much, so the room was quiet apart from the shuffling of paper. Amisi closed her eyes and started dozing off, her head drooping down toward the cushion. They''d been working for a little over an hour and were about two thirds of the way through when the door opened, and a woman wearing a staff uniform walked in. Mideis didn''t know her name, but he recognized her as one of the people who worked here in the records area. "I heard you were in here copying the enchantment transcriptions. Can I do anything to help?" she asked, giving them a pleasant smile. Mideis raised an eyebrow. "It''s after midnight, isn''t it? I thought all the records staff had left for the day." "I was working on something over at the main archives. I just finished and came back over to pick up my things. But I don''t mind staying a little longer if you want some help." "Thank you. I''d appreciate that." Mideis gave her a tired smile. "Then would you.... Amisi? What''s wrong?" The taua had suddenly sat bolt upright and was staring blankly into space, eyes wide and pupils dilated. The fur along her back and tail was slowly puffing up. Her clairvoyance had just activated. Mideis stood up and started toward the desk. But he''d only taken a couple of steps when Amisi came out of her trance and launched herself at the records worker with an angry shriek. The woman yelped as the taua''s claws raked her face and neck. "What are you doing?! Get off me!" "Baslu, protect the papers!" Mideis shouted behind him as he rushed forward, pulling an enchanted metal rod out of his space pocket. He didn''t know what Amisi had seen, but she had clearly decided that the woman was an enemy. And Mideis had complete trust in his familiar''s judgment. The woman apparently noticed he was holding a weapon and decided it was pointless to continue acting friendly. She grabbed onto Amisi, who was still clawing and biting ferociously at her face, and magic fire burst out of both her hands. The taua howled with pain and loosened her grip, allowing the woman to pull her off and hurl her to the side. "Amisi!" Mideis altered his path, trying to get to the injured Amisi before the woman attacked her again. He was almost there when he saw the woman pull something out of a pocket on her uniform and throw it to the ground. The entire records room erupted into flames.
The sound of an explosion echoed through the building as Ariom and Namyis hurried down the hallway. "Don''t stop!" Namyis warned as Ariom paused and looked in the direction of the noise. "I''ll go see what''s happening in the rest of the building after you''re safe with Grandmaster Sephior and Thenio." He couldn''t help scowling a little at her words. He didn''t really appreciate the implication that he couldn''t take care of himself and needed protection. But he obediently followed along beside her without saying anything. It was pretty hard to argue the point when he was still staggering a little due to the effects of the demon poison. And the ''tree blood'' or whatever it was that Namyis made him drink had mostly relieved his magic exhaustion, but it had also given him a mild case of recovery sickness, which made him feel achy and a bit nauseated. The two of them continued down the hall, ignoring the shouts in the distance and the medical staff members running past. They had nearly reached Thenio''s room when a huge wave of magic power suddenly surged out of it, making the building all around them shudder and screech as the walls twisted unnaturally. Ariom and Namyis both immediately halted, and Namyis threw a protective ice shield up around them. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Iggy, who she was still carrying because of Ariom being so unsteady, let out a frightened whimper and flattened his ears, shrinking down into her arms. "That''s spatial magic, isn''t it?" Namyis asked, staring wide-eyed at the last door in the hall. "Yeah...it is...." Ariom blinked, trying to see more clearly. His magesight was working again, but it was still a little weaker than normal. "It''s...probably a teleportation array...." He was trying not to let the panic he was feeling come through in his voice. What was this?! Was the Order of the Ravener trying to kidnap Focilo? But Thenio should be in there with him! Or...was Thenio actually the target to begin with? What would they want with him? Did they know about his chaos magic? How had they found out about it? And if they didn''t know...if they hadn''t done anything to protect him from that surge of magic just now.... If Thenio died because of a job that Ariom had allowed him to participate in, how was he supposed to face Ki''shiu and Eteon? Or Thenio''s family? Or Iggy? Or even himself...? A thousand fears and questions rushed through Ariom''s mind as he stood there, stunned, trying to figure out what to do. But a moment later, it was over. The strange warping stopped, and there was something like a small explosion on the other side of the door. The sound stirred Ariom out of his shock. "It had a self-destruct function! Hurry! We need to stop the formation from burning up!" Namyis ran to the door, cradling Iggy with one hand and coating her other hand with a layer of water. She used the water-gloved hand to open the door, took a look inside, and then made a quick gesture. A second later, the room was encased in a giant stasis crystal. There was a brief silence. "I really hope there was no one in there...." Ariom said weakly. Standing behind Namyis, he could only see a small portion of the room. She glanced back at him. "See for yourself." She stepped away from the doorway, allowing Ariom to look inside. The room was completely empty. Nevermind people, there wasn''t even any furniture. The only thing left was the enchantment inscription covering the walls, floor, and ceiling. One of the walls had a large burned area, which was presumably where the self-destruct formation had been. And most likely the teleportation coordinates.... Ariom put a hand over his face and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he lowered his hand and looked at Namyis. "Can you take out the middle portion of the crystal so I can go in there and look around?" Namyis nodded. "Give me a minute." She handed Iggy over to him. Then she focused on the room again, slowly releasing the center of the crystal a piece at a time, until most of it had disappeared, leaving a large hollow in the middle. "There you go. It''s safe to walk on, but try not to touch it with your bare skin. It''s hard for me to control that much surface area perfectly, so it might burn you." Ariom nodded and slipped his fingers through Iggy''s harness to be sure the little dragon wouldn''t get away from him before he walked slowly into the room, looking around. Teleportation arrays¡ªat least the ones currently in use¡ªwere terribly inefficient, requiring a huge amount of power to move things any significant distance. Aside from a few specialized use cases, regular transportation methods were much more practical. Because of that, Ariom hadn''t worked with teleportation magic very much, so he only had a basic understanding of it. But that was fine. He didn''t need to understand the entire array right now. He just needed to figure out where it had sent Thenio. While he studied the lines of the inscription, Ariom felt a breeze move through the room, brushing lightly at his hair and clothing. Wind magic. A very specific kind of wind magic. He turned toward the door. "Kino?" As he''d expected, the storm hound''s mournful red face appeared in the doorway next to Namyis. "Where''s Garem? There was a teleportation array hidden in this room. Thenio and Focilo may have been kidnapped by the Order!" Kino stared at Ariom for a moment, his pale yellow eyes unblinking. "Garem went to the records room," he said in a soft voice that didn''t match his large size and intimidating appearance. "There was an attack there. He sent me to check on you." "Was that the explosion we heard a few minutes ago?" Namyis asked. "How serious was it?" "Just one attacker. But she had a magic firebomb. Lots of damage. Probably some injuries.... That''s all I know right now. They''re still sorting it out." Ariom frowned. The records room? Wasn''t Mideis going to take the enchantment transcriptions there to make copies...? He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, then shook his head a little. Garem was dealing with that. He needed to focus on what was in front of him. "What did you smell in here?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking at Kino again. "Can you tell who was in the room when the teleportation happened?" "I''m not sure." Kino looked around the room. "The stasis magic makes it hard to smell. But the scents of the chaos boy and the doctors came down the hall and into this room." "Doctors? More than one?" The storm hound nodded. "The doctor that came to take care of the chaos boy. The one that smells like wood. And Rimeus, too." "Rimeus Telven? The head of the medical team?" Ariom''s brow furrowed. "Is it possible he''s one of the Order''s people?" "I don''t know. We''ve worked with him a long time. Garem was sure he was one of the people we could trust. But...." Kino hesitated, and his perpetually sorrowful expression turned even gloomier. "...he was the one who checked all the recovery rooms. He said he locked them so no one could tamper with them.... So I don''t know...." "Well, under the circumstances...I''m afraid we at least need to consider the possibility." Ariom sighed. "Not that it will really matter if we can''t find them.... Would you check the hallway one more time, just to be sure none of them went into one of the other rooms? I need to study this enchantment a little more. It might be safe to take the stasis magic off so you can smell this room better." Kino obligingly went back down the hall to check the scent trails more carefully. While he was doing that, Ariom examined what was left of the inscription around the self-destruct formation. He didn''t see anything that would make it reignite once the stasis was removed. But there was always the chance that there was a hidden inscription. Magesight didn''t usually work through stasis magic, and his magesight wasn''t in top form right now, anyway, so he could be missing something. He looked down at Iggy. "What do you think, little guy? Is it safe for the ice mage to take her magic away?" "Um...I think it''s safe?" Iggy turned his head in all directions, looking at the magic formations. "I don''t see any pictures that feel not-safe." "Good." Ariom patted him and then left the room. "Go ahead and try removing the stasis," he told Namyis. "It looks like the self-destruct was a one-time function, so it should be deactivated now. But be careful, just in case...." Namyis nodded and covered most of the doorway with a wall of ice as a precaution before finally releasing the rest of the stasis crystal. Then they both waited, watching the room for any sign of magic activity. Nothing happened. Ariom let out a small sigh of relief and went back into the room. Looking around with his magesight active, he didn''t see any hidden inscriptions anywhere. Whoever had made this array must not have been expecting anyone to come into the room before the rest of it burned up. And they wouldn''t have gotten there in time if it hadn''t been for Iggy''s unusual ability to sense the sleeping magic and stop it from diffusing out of the lamp like it was supposed to. In fact, considering the timing...the sleeping magic in his recovery room and the attack on the records room may very well have been deliberate distractions.... Ariom frowned at that thought before pushing it away. Later. They''d worry about the enemy''s intentions later. Right now he needed to gather all the information he could from this room. He heard the clicking of claws on the floorboards and turned to see Kino entering the room, his nose close to the ground. The fur on his face stirred lightly as he used his wind magic to collect scents and bring them to him. He circled around the room a couple of times and then stopped and looked up at Ariom. "The chaos boy and the two doctors should have been in here when the teleportation went off. The smells of other people are older, and there aren''t any trails from those three going anywhere else. Garem will come as soon as he can. He''s contacting Captain Lysien and General Obarin. He wants you to stay here and keep looking for clues. Namyis and I will stay to protect you." "I understand." Ariom reached over and patted the dog''s shaggy head. "Thanks, Kino." He resumed his inspection of the teleportation array. As he''d feared, the destination coordinates had been completely destroyed, so it was impossible to determine exactly where Thenio and the others had been sent. But if he could figure out the amount of power the array had used and the efficiency level, he should at least be able to calculate the approximate distance and narrow their search radius. It was better than nothing....
As it turned out, the man who showed up ten minutes later with several uniformed guards following behind him wasn''t Garem Ranior. It was Captain Janton Lysien, the head of the Royal Guard. He was a tall man with iron grey hair and an imposing stare. Like many of the people in high-ranking government positions in Kafron, he was from a noble family¡ªthe son of a duke and the grandson of a former king. But apart from being rather fastidious in his appearance and manners, he was surprisingly down-to-earth for someone with such an impressive pedigree. According to Garem, that was because his father hadn''t allowed him to be appointed directly to an administrative position but had insisted that he work his way up through the ranks of the Royal Guard like an ordinary person would. That experience seemed to make him much more aware of the world outside the aristocratic sphere. Ariom liked and respected him. That and his connection with Mideis were the reasons he was willing to accept occasional jobs for the Royal Guard. Though he was starting to regret taking on this particular one.... Captain Lysien listened quietly while Namyis explained everything that had happened, from Iggy noticing the poison lullaby and waking them up, to arriving just in time to see the teleportation magic activating, to Kino''s conclusions about who had been in the room at the time. Then he surveyed the empty room and its elaborate inscriptions with a deep sigh. "What a mess...." He turned to Ariom. "Do you need more time to examine the teleportation array?" Ariom shook his head. "Not now. There''s more I could learn from it, of course, but as far as information that might help us find the people that were teleported...I think I''ve gotten everything I can." "All right. Then we''ll secure the area for now." Captain Lysien looked at the guards he''d brought with him. "Seal off this entire room. No one enters without my express permission." "Yes, sir." The guards saluted and then began setting up a protective barrier in front of the door. "Then, the three of you...sorry, four of you..." Captain Lysien corrected himself with a nod at Iggy, who was perched on Ariom''s shoulder. "The four of you, come with me. An officer from the Magic Corps just arrived, and he and Vice-Captain Ranior should be waiting in my office. We need to review the information we currently have and decide on a course of action." A dangerous glint entered his eyes as he turned to head back down the corridor. "This attack and kidnapping are a direct affront to both the Royal Guard and the Magic Corps. We''ll show these Ravener fools what happens when you mess with our people...." Chapter 62 - Beginning the Search Captain Lysien led them over to the main building of the Royal Guard headquarters. Along the way, they met a harried-looking Garem, who traded places with Kino and followed them to the captain''s office while the storm hound went to the records area to monitor the clean-up efforts and pass along updates. A few minutes later, they reached the office and went into a meeting room directly adjacent to it. Namyis entered the room ahead of Ariom and paused just inside the door. "Wow..." she said softly, her eyes wide. Ariom followed her gaze and also raised his eyebrows a little in surprise. The captain''s office and this meeting room were both built so that their back walls could be opened up, connecting the rooms to a small grassy atrium where Captain Lysien''s familiar stayed while he was working. There was a very unusual gathering in that atrium right now. A sky steed, two unicorns, and a large white lizard were standing together on the grass. They looked like they''d been having a conversation, but they all stopped and turned their heads toward the group who had just entered the room. The sky steed was Firion, Captain Lysien''s familiar. He was a large silver dapple horse with enormous feathered wings and was quite a rare sight just by himself. Sky steeds had nearly gone extinct during the Great War. Kafron had the only remaining herd, which was under the protection of the royal family. They''d become a symbol of the country and were featured on the national flag and royal crest. It wasn''t easy to get one as a familiar. Captain Lysien had presumably managed it through his family connections. The unicorns had to be Sano and Nari, although it was hard to tell just by looking at them, since their bodies were almost entirely covered by dark green caparisons and boots. The two of them usually wore things like this when they went out in public. They had insulating enchantments on them which protected the sensitive unicorns from types of magic that they found unpleasant. This specialized protective gear was partly what had given Ariom the idea to make insulation bands for Thenio. But as rare as sky steeds and unicorns were, it was the white lizard that was the most surprising. He was about five feet long and had a slender, snake-like body, with a long neck and short legs. His white scales had a pearlescent sheen and showed hints of color that changed depending on how the light hit them. That was Riven, the Prismatic Hydra. And if he was here, then the officer the Magic Corps had sent.... "Commander? I wasn''t expecting you to be the one handling this." Apparently Namyis was also surprised to see the man who was sitting at one end of the long conference table, near where the familiars were gathered. Soteran Myrel, Commander of the Magic Corps'' Central Division. More commonly known as Hydra. He was an athletic, middle-aged man with white hair. Similar to Riven''s scales, his eyes were strangely opalescent and seemed to change color whenever they moved. And the fact that he was here meant that the Magic Corps was preparing to unleash some serious force to deal with this situation. "The general asked me to handle it personally," Hydra said, giving Namyis a nod of acknowledgement. "He''s...quite upset about this incident. Since it involves one of his long-time friends and an extremely valuable member of our support staff. Plus a military charge who the general has a particular interest in." A military charge who also had a mythic beast watching over him. Ariom didn''t know whether or not Hydra was aware of Ki''shiu''s involvement with Thenio. But General Obarin definitely was. Surely that had something to do with the Magic Corps'' strong response. So did the elderly woman sitting next to Hydra. Relisa Sephior, Focilo''s wife and one of the best alchemists in the world. She was, if anything, even more valuable to the Magic Corps than he was, since she was heavily involved in the production of their medical supplies. It was likely that she or one of her apprentices had made the anti-demon medicine Ariom had taken earlier. And she presumably wouldn''t be happy if the Magic Corps didn''t put their best efforts into rescuing her husband. Ariom glanced over at the unicorns. For the three of them to have gotten here this quickly, Focilo must have been able to pass some kind of message on to Sano to let him know that something was wrong. He might even know where the teleportation magic had taken them. It was the first time in ages that Ariom was actually glad to see the grumpy golden pony. "I think you two are acquainted with Ariom Denifor?" Captain Lysien asked Relisa and Hydra, gesturing toward Ariom. They both nodded. "Good. Then we can skip the introductions. Sit down. Garem, give us a summary of what''s going on." "I think everyone here is aware of the investigation my team has been working on," Garem began as they all took seats at the conference table. "During the enchantment analysis we were doing today, we found signs that members of the Order of the Ravener were messing with our operation and had possibly infiltrated the team. I did my best to take appropriate precautions, and we were able to finish the analysis safely. But then...." He broke off, and his face briefly contorted with frustration. Captain Lysien reached over and put a steadying hand on his shoulder. Garem closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and managed to regain his professional demeanor. "The precautions obviously weren''t enough," he continued in a bitter tone. "Our research building was attacked about half an hour ago. There were several sleep magic traps placed in the medical area, including in Ariom''s recovery room. Fortunately, Iggy here detected the trap and alerted Namyis, who was able to neutralize it." Garem nodded at Iggy, who was sitting on the table in front of Ariom. The little dragon had been frightened by all the unfamiliar and hostile magic and worried about Thenio''s disappearance, so he''d been acting very subdued. But when Garem acknowledged him, he managed to wave his tail and look proud of himself for a moment. Ariom gave him an encouraging pat. "About that same time, our records room was also attacked," Garem went on. "One of the staff members revealed herself to be an enemy agent. She attacked one of our inspectors and his assistant, who were making copies of the information we gathered during the enchantment analysis. She''d somehow managed to smuggle in a rather powerful firebomb. The inspector was able to subdue her, and she''s now in custody. But he and his familiar were both seriously injured in the process. They''ve been transferred over to the military hospital. The assistant received minor injuries and is being treated on-site. They were able to protect some of the analysis documents, but some were damaged in the attack...we don''t know exactly how much information was lost...." He gave Ariom an apologetic look. Ariom let out a long sigh. He was relieved that no one had been killed, of course. But hearing that some of those hard-earned enchantment transcriptions were probably lost in the attack made his head hurt. "I''ll sort through the remaining papers later and reconstruct as much as I can. But that''s not the most pressing issue right now." "No. The reason we''re all here is to discuss the third attack: Focilo Sephior and Thenio Iterune, Ariom''s assistant, were both abducted via a teleportation array that had been hidden in Thenio''s recovery room. We''re not sure which one of them was the real target." Garem''s expression darkened. "And...it seems the head of our medical team, Rimeus Telven, was involved. There''s a good chance he''s also a traitor...." "Actually...that might not be the case," Ariom said quietly. Everyone turned to give him a questioning look. "You really think it was just a coincidence that Rimeus was there when the teleportation array went off?" Garem asked, looking skeptical. Ariom shook his head. "That''s not what I meant. I don''t think it was a coincidence. But I also don''t think that was the real Rimeus Telven." "What do you mean?" Captain Lysien frowned. "You think he was an imposter? It would take an incredibly good disguise to fool the whole research team like that, though. Illusion magic wouldn''t be enough." "No, it wasn''t illusion magic. It was...." Ariom hesitated. Garem seemed to be fairly close to Rimeus Telven, so this theory would be painful for him to hear. But he had to say it. Lives were at stake. "I was just looking over what''s left of the teleportation array in Thenio''s room. It had a self-destruct formation, so part of it was burned, and I didn''t have time to study it thoroughly, but...well. I saw enough to get a feel for the enchanting style. It was very similar to the flesh golem we were analyzing earlier. And if the same person made both of them...he should be more than skilled enough to create and control a corpse puppet." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. A brief silence followed his words. As expected, Garem had gone rather pale and was staring at Ariom with a grim expression. Namyis tilted her head to the side, looking a little confused. "Wait...are you saying that the scary necromancer we were talking about earlier killed the doctor and then made a puppet out of his corpse? So when he came to give you a check-up...that was really the necromancer controlling the doctor''s body?" "Yes. Probably. I can''t be sure without more direct evidence. But if he''s the one who set up that teleportation array, then it''s the most likely explanation. That''s not the sort of thing you can just copy from a diagram. It would require high-level scribing skills. Especially to hide it from someone like Focilo...I can''t even guarantee that I''d be able to do that." "Yes...as horrible as that sounds, it does make sense," Relisa said, nodding in agreement. "And it fits with what Focilo communicated to Sano just before he was captured." She looked over at the two unicorns. "Tell them everything that happened, dear." One of the unicorns stepped closer to the table. Ariom could tell it was Sano because the bits of his face that were visible under the caparison were a rich honey color. Nari''s were a light shade of cream. "Nari and I were asleep in our stable. I woke up because I could feel that Focilo was alarmed by something. He wasn''t too upset at first, though. It seemed like there was a problem but he thought he could handle it. Then something changed, and he was afraid." Hydra raised an eyebrow. "Focilo was afraid? It would take a pretty powerful threat to frighten that guy.... Did he tell you what it was?" "He tried. He seemed to be inside a thick barrier, because the telepathy wasn''t clear. All I really heard was, ''He''s one of them.'' Then something disrupted Focilo''s magic, and our communication got cut off." "''One of them''?" Captain Lysien repeated. He looked at Relisa. "Does that mean what I think it does?" "Probably. Especially considering what Ariom was saying about an extremely skilled necromancer and flesh puppets." The worry in Relisa''s eyes grew more pronounced. "I think it was one of the Old Ones." The room fell silent again. Ariom glanced around. Judging from the solemn looks on everyone''s faces, they all knew what that term meant. And it wasn''t anything good. "Hey," he finally spoke up. "Am I allowed to know who or what the ''Old Ones'' are?" Garem and Captain Lysien exchanged looks. "It''s...technically classified," Captain Lysien said slowly. "But that''s mostly to avoid alarming the public. Since you''re already involved, and I think we can trust you not to spread information around...." He sighed. "The Old Ones are the leaders of the Order of the Ravener. That name is what the Order members call them. We''re not completely sure what it means¡ªwhether they''re simply older compared to the other members or whether they have a method of living past a normal human''s lifespan. It''s possible they''re not even human at all. They never seem to interact with their underlings in person. They always send messages or use puppets. So even the other higher-ups in the Order don''t know exactly who they are." "The ones we''ve encountered all seem to have extraordinary skills in necromancy," Garem added. "So when you told me about the crazy ability of the person who made that golem, I knew it was possible that we''d somehow gotten hold of an Old One''s puppet. But I never expected the monster himself to actually show up...and especially to take over Rimeus'' body...." He let out a long sigh, his expression becoming despondent. "There''s no reason you should have expected it," Captain Lysien said, shaking his head. "It''s rare for them to get directly involved like that. Try not to blame yourself, Garem." "Just how many of these Old Ones are there?" Ariom asked. It was scary enough to know that there was one person with that kind of power running around. But a whole group of them...? "We don''t know exactly," Captain Lysien told him. "Like I said, it''s actually very unusual for them to show themselves like this, so most of what we know about them, we had to piece together from small bits of information that we got from other Order members. We''ve only been able to identify four or five individual Old Ones, but we think there are maybe ten or fifteen of them in total." Fifteen? Ariom stared at him in horror. There might be fifteen of those monsters...? "They''re not all equally powerful," Hydra said in a reassuring voice. "And they can''t use their full strength when they''re working through a puppet. We''re currently mobilizing some of our best people, including members of the first squad. We should have enough power to deal with the kidnapper, whoever he turns out to be. But that''s assuming we can find him in the first place." He turned to Sano. "Are you able to sense Focilo''s current location?" The unicorn shook his head. "I had a vague sense of it right after they were teleported, but he seems to be inside a stronger barrier now¡ªprobably a full suppression one. I can''t feel him at all." Iggy shivered a little. He was probably remembering when he and Ariom had been in a similar situation a few hours ago. Ariom rubbed the dragon''s head soothingly. "Can you give us a general direction, at least?" Captain Lysien asked. "It was somewhere to the southwest of our house. I couldn''t tell the exact direction or distance...." "It should be within about eight miles of here," Ariom said. "Based on the amount of power the array was designed to use, that''s the maximum distance the teleportation could have been. So they''re probably still in the city." "Gyris, give me a map of Kamari," Captain Lysien said, looking over at a man who had been standing quietly on one side of the room, listening to the discussion. That was Gyris Nirune, his secretary. Gyris walked over to the table, took a large sheet of paper out of a space pocket, and set it down in front of Captain Lysien, along with a small box filled with writing tools. "Thank you." Captain Lysien picked up a pen from the box and leaned over the map. "Let''s see...we''re right here. And the Sephior estate is here." He made two red dots on the map. "So southwest from there...and eight miles from here...." He used a measuring stick to draw a line going southwest from one of the dots. Then he measured out eight miles from the other dot and used a compass to draw a circle around it. "So...somewhere in there?" Garem asked, gesturing at the area where the line and the circle overlapped. "Probably." Captain Lysien frowned at the lines he''d just drawn. "It''s still quite a large area, isn''t it? We''ll search it all if we have to, but it will take time." He glanced between Sano and Ariom. "Is there any more information we can use to narrow it down?" Ariom stared at the map, scowling and trying to push his tired brain to think through everything he''d learned about their opponent from studying his enchantment matrices. There had to be something else. Some little bit of information that would.... Wait...information? Ariom''s eyes suddenly widened. If they needed information.... "I think I know someone who can help us," he said, hastily pulling out his message book and a pen. "Though all I can do is send him a message. I don''t know how quickly he''ll respond...." He flipped the book open to the tab labeled ''Eteon Idarin.'' "That''s not necessary," a quiet voice said behind him. "I''m here." Everyone in the room jumped at the sound and turned to face the man who''d just appeared on the side of the room. Namyis and Hydra were both on their feet and in combat stances in an instant, while Gyris put a protective arm out in front of Captain Lysien. "Stop!" Relisa said urgently. "He''s not an enemy! Don''t attack him!" Hydra glanced at her. "You know him?" "Not personally. But I know who he is." She looked back at the new arrival. "You''re Eteon, aren''t you? The one who''s been watching over the boy?" Eteon inclined his head slightly. "Yes." He looked around the room, his gaze lingering on Captain Lysien and Gyris. "I suppose it''s all right to come out and say that I''m a mythic beast''s agent? Most of you already know, anyway. And yes, I''m here because of Thenio." He turned to Ariom, who swallowed nervously. Eteon''s expression was calm, but there was a cold fire in his eyes that sent chills down Ariom''s spine. He was clearly upset about Thenio being kidnapped. "I''m sorry..." Ariom began in a low voice. "I should have been watching him more carefully. I didn''t¡ª" Eteon held up a hand, cutting off his apology. "I understand why you weren''t with him. You look terrible. I''m not here to place blame. I just want to find him." He walked over to the table and reached out to lightly touch Ariom''s shoulder. Ariom felt a cool, refreshing feeling spread through him, relieving the lingering symptoms of his demon poisoning and recovery sickness and completely restoring his physical and magical energy. He suddenly felt like he''d just woken up from a restful sleep. He blinked, a little disoriented by the sudden change in his condition. That definitely wasn''t normal healing magic.... Could you heal people with dream magic? And how exactly had Eteon gotten in here, anyway? This was the Royal Guard headquarters. They obviously had heavy security. And he seemed like he already knew what was going on.... Had he been here the whole time and only just revealed himself? No...if he had, wouldn''t he have stopped Thenio from being abducted? Ariom held back his questions for the moment. Eteon had already turned away from him and was looking down at the map with a slight frown on his face. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he reached out and touched his fingertips against the paper. Blotches of what looked like greenish-purple ink blossomed here and there across the map. "Those are all the places in Kamari that have significant amounts of demon magic. That includes the military''s research labs, so they''re not all enemy locations. But...." Eteon scanned the map silently for a moment. Then he pointed at one of the blotches. It was larger and darker than most of the others. And it was located inside the circle Captain Lysien had drawn and a little to the side of the line coming from Focilo''s house. "There. They should be there." Chapter 63 - Paying the Price Captain Lysien looked at the spot Eteon had pointed to on the map. Then he glanced back up at the elderly woodcarver. "Are you sure? How are you able to detect demon magic like that?" Rather than answering directly, Eteon gave a nod in Ariom''s direction. "Why don''t you ask the person who was about to send me a message to ask for information?" Ariom grimaced a little at having the question thrown to him like that. As the only person there who''d met Eteon before, it made sense for him to be the one to vouch for his abilities. But it meant that he had to figure out how much he could safely tell the others. "The mythic beast he''s contracted with has a domain that''s similar to mental magic," he said cautiously. "So Eteon is able to use a type of clairvoyance. I don''t exactly know how it works, but I''ve seen it in action before, and it''s quite impressive. You can trust any information he gives us." Most of the dream magic he''d seen was actually Thenio''s, of course. But that was impressive enough, and obviously Eteon''s skill with it would be much higher. And Ariom had witnessed several examples of Eteon knowing information he shouldn''t have, such as the fact that Uncle Bero had the ability of a grandmaster level necromancer but didn''t want to take the rank exam. Or the uncannily accurate wood carvings he''d made of Alula and Amisi. "Yes, I know a little bit about that mythic beast," Relisa said, nodding. "Any agents of his should be highly skilled in information gathering." Right. She and Focilo used to live in Ket''qe. And Focilo had already known who Ki''shiu was when Thenio and Uncle Bero had gone to talk to him, so it made sense for Relisa to be aware of him as well. "Mideis also had a brief encounter with him, and was...very impressed," Garem said. "He didn''t tell me too many details, but I can at least confirm that the magic domain involves the use of clairvoyance." "Clairvoyance, huh...?" Hydra looked like he wanted to ask more about that, but instead, he turned to Captain Lysien. "The general told me that there''s a mythic agent who''s been keeping an eye on the boy and might turn up to help us find him. Though I wasn''t expecting him to appear quite so suddenly..." he added in a wry tone. "I think we can rely on his information." "All right. If no one has any objections...." Captain Lysien looked more closely at the map. "That spot is in the warehouse district. Gyris...." Gyris had already pulled another map out of his space pocket. He set it down next to the first one. Captain Lysien spent a moment comparing the two, then he drew a thick red line around one of the building complexes shown on the district map. "Pull up all the information we have about that property," he said, handing the map back to Gyris. "And send a team over to scout out the area." "Yes, sir." Gyris took the map and walked swiftly out of the room. Captain Lysien turned to Hydra. "We''ll gather as much information as we can and then leave it to you to plan out the raid strategy, since most of the firepower will be coming from your side." Hydra gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Do you know what Thenio''s current condition is?" Ariom asked, looking at Eteon. "I''m not sure if his insulation bands were enough to protect him from that teleportation magic. And even if they were, if we have battlemages raiding the base and fighting around him...they''re going to kill him off before they can save him." Eteon shook his head. "He''s all right for now. And he should be all right during the raid. Ki''shiu was with him in the dream realm just before the attack. He...wasn''t able to protect the two of them physically...." His face twisted with frustration. "But he sealed Thenio''s magic circuit, to protect him from the influence of outside magic." "Sealed it? Is that like putting full suppression cuffs on him?" "It''s similar. But the full suppression enchantments that humans normally use only block the emission of magic. Ki''shiu''s seal can completely isolate his magic circuit. It will prevent him from destabilizing due to external magic, so he''s safe for the moment. But...." Eteon trailed off, his brow furrowing. "But...he doesn''t have much time?" Eteon nodded silently. There was a reason why suppression bands couldn''t be used as a permanent solution for magic instability. A magic circuit needed to breathe¡ªto absorb mana and release magic. If something interfered with that process, the person would gradually weaken and die, like dying from hunger or dehydration. A high-ranking sorcerer could last for a couple of months under full suppression. But for a low-powered magic user like Thenio...and with emission and absorption completely blocked.... "How long does he have?" Hydra asked, frowning. "I''m not exactly sure," Eteon said quietly. "A day? Two days at most." Hydra exchanged looks with Captain Lysien. "I guess we''d better hurry, then." Captain Lysien turned back to Eteon and tapped the map with his finger. "Is there anything else you can tell us about this location? The building layout? How many Order members are stationed there? What kind of defenses they have installed? Anything will help. The less time we have to spend on scouting things out, the faster we can start our rescue mission." Eteon stared silently down at the map. Once again, he seemed to be hesitating. Was there a reason why he was reluctant to use his magic? Even if it was to help save Thenio? Knowledge can be dangerous.... Ariom thought back to the warning that Ki''shiu had given them, along with the instructions to not let Thenio learn too much about certain subjects. Including demons. At the time, he''d assumed that warning only applied to Thenio, since he was still new to using dream magic. But maybe Eteon...or even Ki''shiu...also had to be careful what kind of knowledge they sought out? Almost in answer to Ariom''s unspoken question, Eteon sighed and muttered, "I really shouldn''t...but...if it''s for Thenio...." He glanced up at Captain Lysien. "I''ll give you as much as I can." He leaned forward, pressing his hands against the table, and closed his eyes. There was a soft glow of magic, and large sheets of paper, similar to Gyris'' maps, appeared across the surface of the table, covering all the available space. Iggy scooted backwards as a piece of paper appeared right at his feet. He stared at it for a few seconds, ears pricked up and eyes wide, before lowering his head and sniffing furiously at it. The familiars in the atrium all moved closer, watching with great interest. Riven stood up on his hind legs to see better, his long neck and body swaying a little to stay balanced. The humans sitting around the table also stared wide-eyed as ink started spreading over the papers, like it had when Eteon had marked the areas with demon magic on the map. But rather than just making blotches, this ink was forming into lines, figures, and even words. Ariom saw what looked like part of an enchantment diagram being drawn on the paper Iggy was sniffing, and across the table were several sheets of what seemed to be blueprints. But he was more interested in watching Eteon. He''d been hoping for a chance to see what dream magic looked like when it was being used by an expert. So he activated his magesight and kept his eyes on the old woodcarver. There were definitely some similarities to watching Thenio use dream magic. But there was a huge difference in the skill level. Eteon''s magic control was phenomenal¡ªeven better than Namyis with her beautiful stasis crystals. It was amazing enough that he was generating a whole tableful of intricately detailed physical manifestations, all at the same time. But the flow of his magic was also incredibly smooth and efficient. Ariom''s own magic control was much better than the average wizard''s, but even he had uneven spots in his magic flow and small amounts of wasted power here and there. But he couldn''t see anything like that in Eteon''s fantastic display. It was no wonder he''d been able to hide his power so well before. Since he was watching Eteon so closely, Ariom seemed to be the only one who noticed when the woodcarver suddenly breathed in sharply, like something had hurt him. He didn''t open his eyes, and his work on the papers didn''t stop, but a slightly pained expression appeared on his face. Was his magic use causing some kind of backlash? Ariom looked him up and down, trying to figure out what was bothering him. It didn''t take long to spot. Several dark, purplish-green patches had appeared on Eteon''s hands and were slowly growing larger. Ariom blinked, staring at them. Was that what he thought it was...? He glanced around the room. Everyone else was watching the progress of the charts and diagrams being drawn in front of them and hadn''t seemed to notice that there was anything wrong with Eteon yet. Ariom looked at Namyis. She, too, was watching Eteon''s drawings, but she noticed Ariom''s gaze and turned to look at him questioningly. He silently pointed toward Eteon''s hands. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Namyis looked where he was indicating, and her eyebrows went up in surprise before lowering into a frown. She touched the edge of the table near Ariom, and a layer of white frost appeared on it, forming the words, That''s demon poisoning. Don''t touch him. Ariom nodded and carefully pushed his chair away from the table. Then he got to his feet and picked up Iggy, still being as quiet as possible. There was no way Eteon wasn''t aware that he had demon poison spreading over his hands. If he wanted to keep going with his drawings in spite of that, it was better not to disturb him. The others noticed the movement and turned to look at him. Iggy also twisted around in Ariom''s hands to give him a confused look, although he seemed to sense that something was wrong because he didn''t complain or struggle. Namyis waved her hand a little to attract everyone''s attention. Then she pointed at Eteon and made several hand signals. Hydra, Garem, and Captain Lysien all apparently understood what they meant, because they looked at Eteon with concern and then nodded. Hydra turned to look at Relisa. He didn''t say anything out loud, but he was probably speaking to her telepathically, because after a moment, she nodded as well, frowning a little. Then Hydra looked at Ariom. He seems to know what he''s doing, so we''ll just observe for now. But move away from him, just in case. Relisa will handle it. Ariom scowled a little. He didn''t mind the little mental tugs and impressions he got from Iggy, but telepathy from other humans always irritated him. Still, he obediently backed away from Eteon, moving to Namyis'' other side. Out of everyone there, he knew the least about demon magic, and he and Iggy were the most vulnerable to poisoning. Well...no...maybe Eteon was actually the most vulnerable one. The greenish-purple patches had mostly covered his hands now, and were starting to creep up his wrists. Everyone waited and watched quietly, now focused on the dark stains spreading across Eteon''s skin, rather than the papers and diagrams he was creating. Over the next few minutes, the speed of his ink drawings gradually decreased, and the discomfort visible on his face gradually increased. The greenish-purple color was nearly to his elbows when he finally opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the table, letting out a long, painful hiss. "Here." Relisa stood up and hurried over to him. She put her hands on Eteon''s forearms and started letting out some kind of healing magic. "Really...that was terribly reckless of you," she scolded him gently as she treated his arms. "I realize it''s going to help them find Focilo, and I''m grateful for that. But if the corruption spreads to Ki''shiu...." "Don''t worry about that. I stopped before it got really dangerous." Eteon''s face was pale, and his breathing was a bit rough. He looked regretfully at the papers spread out over the table. "I''m sorry I can''t do any more than this...." "Don''t apologize. This will be tremendously helpful." Captain Lysien had been looking over the papers, but he paused and looked up at Eteon. "It would have taken us days to find them on our own. With this, we can probably get the raid underway within a few hours." Eteon nodded tiredly. "Good. I''m afraid I can''t participate directly, but I''ll be on hand to undo Thenio''s seal as soon as he''s out of there." "Only if you can get this poisoning taken care of first," Relisa said, frowning at his discolored arms. "I''ve temporarily neutralized it to stop it from spreading any further, but you need to get some proper treatment. Drink some neutralizing tonic, at the very least." She held up a small bottle of amber-colored liquid. Ariom recognized it as the same anti-demon medicine that Namyis had given him earlier. But Eteon shook his head. "No need for that. I can go to the source. He''ll help me get rid of it." He paused and glanced around the room, his gaze finally resting on Hydra. "I''ll be back as soon as I can. Just...please...find him...." "I understand." Hydra nodded solemnly. "We''ll do everything in our power. I promise." "Thank you." Eteon lowered his head. Then he simply faded away, disappearing like an illusion being released. Or like a dream ending.... Everyone stood and stared at the spot where Eteon had vanished for a moment. Ariom was the first to speak. "What did he mean by ''going to the source''?" he asked Relisa. "Ket''shiu," she said quietly, not moving her gaze from the empty spot where Eteon had just been standing. "Demon neutralizing tonic is made using Ket''shiu''s sap." "Oh." Ariom blinked. "Is that why Namyis called it ''tree blood''?" "Right. That''s the nickname the Magic Corps uses for it." So he''d actually drunk a mythic beast''s blood? No wonder the magic in it felt so strange.... "So you''re saying he teleported to Ket''qe just now?" Garem asked, looking a bit stunned. "All that way? How?" "Yes. He went to Ket''qe to have Ket''shiu treat his demon poison," Relisa said patiently. "I don''t know exactly how, but it''s a different method than the teleportation magic that we use. His contractor can travel long distances like that, too, so Eteon must have gained the ability from him." Hydra raised an eyebrow. "Scary guy.... I don''t think I want to find out what he''ll do if we can''t find that boy in time." He shook his head. "So let''s get to work. Janton, Garem, help me look through these building plans. We need to find where the captives are likely to be held. Then we''ll work out entry routes. Ariom, would you sort through the enchantment diagrams? I assume they''re things like barriers and other defensive enchantments. I asked for one of our barrier specialists to come over, but it will save some time if you can at least figure out what they are first." "It will save even more time if I come along and help deal with the barriers myself." The room fell silent as everyone looked at Ariom in surprise. He was a bit surprised himself by what he''d just said, but he didn''t take the words back. "You''re saying you want to participate in the raid?" Hydra asked slowly. "Of course I don''t want to...." Ariom sighed. Then he pointed to one of the nearby enchanting diagrams. It was done in a style that was quite unusual but that Ariom was starting to become quite familiar with. "Some of these barriers were probably designed by that necromancer...that ''Old One'' or whatever he''s called. He uses a very sophisticated and atypical enchanting style. Most enchanters are going to have a hard time figuring it out. But I happen to have just spent an entire day examining his work, so I think I can deal with it reasonably well. And if we need to move as quickly as possible...." He sighed again and looked down at the dragon he was still holding in his arms. "Thenio is my assistant. And Focilo is a long-time family friend. I just...want to do whatever I can for them." There was another moment of silence, while Hydra regarded Ariom appraisingly. "Have you been keeping up on your archery practice?" he asked finally. "Yes. I''ll have to go home and pick up my equipment. But that should only take about half an hour." "Do you have suitable protective gear?" "The Royal Guard made me a combat suit for this analysis job." Ariom glanced at Garem. "Though it''s currently being repaired...." "I''ll contact the armory," Garem said, nodding. "We can rush the repairs and get the suit back here for you." "All right." Hydra fixed Ariom with a serious stare. "Then...can you keep a professional attitude and follow orders? No matter who you have to work with?" Ariom sighed yet again. He knew he was going to hate himself for this later.... But he''d hate himself even more if he didn''t do it and they couldn''t save Thenio as a result. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "I can."
Namyis drove Ariom back to his house in her golem carriage. She didn''t want to break her promise to Bero, who still hadn''t returned from the necromancy guild by the time they left the Guard headquarters. And Hydra had agreed that it was better for Ariom to have a guard with him, just in case he was targeted by the Order again. It was a quiet trip. Ariom was studying a copy of the enchantment diagrams they''d gotten from Eteon, a faint scowl of concentration on his face. Iggy was perched on his shoulder and was studying them along with him. It was really cute. It was too bad the urgent circumstances didn''t allow Namyis to fully enjoy the sight. When they arrived at the house, Ariom instructed her to drive the carriage around to the side door. Then he led the way inside and down the stairs to the basement. It was Namyis'' first time seeing the training rooms, and she was quite impressed. They weren''t as good as the facilities she used over at the Magic Corps'' training center, of course. But they were better than she''d expected, considering that Ariom was a non-combat wizard who hated the military. There was a large equipment room on one side of the long archery training room. Namyis followed Ariom into it and then paused, her eyes widening in surprise. It would have been an impressive collection, even for a battlemage. Let alone for the military-hating Ariom.... On one wall was a long rack that held around two dozen different bows of various shapes and sizes. The opposite wall had smaller racks and shelves that held an assortment of arrows, quivers, targets, and protective gear. But Ariom ignored all these. He walked past them to a large wooden cabinet at the end of the room. It was closed, with a sturdy-looking magic lock on the door. "Here, hold him for a minute." Ariom handed Iggy over to Namyis. Then he put his hand on the magic lock panel. There was a soft clicking sound, and Ariom pulled the cabinet doors open. "Oh, it''s Ariom''s pretty bows!" Iggy said happily, waving his tail. Inside the cabinet was another bow rack. But this one only held two bows: a longbow made of ash grey wood and a recurve bow that was stained a light sage green. Ariom stared at them for a moment with a discontented look on his face. "Why am I doing this...?" "Because you''re a good guy who wants to help the people he cares about," Namyis said promptly He gave her a cynical look. She responded with a pleasant smile. "Don''t think about it too much. Just pick up your weapons, and we''ll go fight the baddies. You can worry about all the meaning behind it later." "Is that how battlemages do it?" "That''s how we do it. Aside from the ones who just like fighting and don''t care if it means anything or not." Ariom sighed and turned back to the cabinet. He ignored the bows for a moment and instead pulled out a drawer underneath them. There were two leather cuffs inside. They were both engraved with what looked like enchantment formations, but one was a pale grey color, and the other was dark grey. These were most likely armament storage devices. Probably one for bows and one for arrows. The different colors were to make it easy to tell which one was which. Ariom picked up the dark grey cuff and held it for a moment, presumably checking its contents. Then he fastened it on his left forearm. He did the same with the light grey one, which he put on his right arm. He pushed the drawer closed again. Then he finally took down the bows. He picked up the green one first and made it disappear into the light grey cuff. Then he took the grey bow. With this one, he paused for a moment, staring at it and running his thumb lightly along the worn surface of the wood. Finally, he put the bow into the light grey armament pocket, closed the cabinet, and turned around. "Are you ready?" Namyis asked, smiling. Ariom scowled. "No. But I never will be. So like you said...let''s just go fight the baddies already." Chapter 64 - A Glimpse of Truth Thenio knelt on a bench next to the window in his room, leaning close to the glass. The window overlooked an enclosed garden. There was an open, grassy area just outside Thenio''s room with a large bird bath and several feeding stations mounted on poles. There were also bird houses and feeders hung in most of the trees in the garden, so there were always birds around, no matter the time of year. Thenio loved watching the birds. That''s why the feeders and things were all there. Even the garden itself was there because of him. A flock of sparrows was visiting the garden right now. Thenio watched happily while they splashed in the water and took turns at the feeders. Though he couldn''t help feeling a little envious at how easily they swooped from the feeders up to the tree branches and back again. He wished he could fly like a bird. It looked like so much fun.... Thenio heard the sound of a door opening off to his right, and he turned his head to see a man enter the room. His face was oddly blurred, so Thenio couldn''t see it properly. But he still knew who it was. "Dad!" Thenio''s own face lit up, and he scrambled off the bench and ran toward the door. It took longer than he expected to cross the room. Had his legs always been this short...? "Thenio...." The man stepped forward and caught him, lifting Thenio up into his arms and giving him a warm hug. "Were you good for Melinei and Araela while I was gone?" "I was! I did everything they told me. And I worked hard on my magic practice!" "Good boy." His father.... That was his father...right? The idea felt a little strange somehow...but Thenio was sure it was right. His father tousled his hair affectionately. "It''s almost time for your afternoon lesson, isn''t it? Why don''t we go to the training room together, and you can show me how much you''ve learned. Okay?" Thenio beamed up at the face he still couldn''t see. "Okay!" The two of them left the room together, walking hand in hand. The training rooms were on the other side of the garden, so they went down a covered walkway that ran along one side of it. Thenio''s father moved slowly, keeping pace with his short strides. It was nice to not have to run to keep up with him for once. No...didn''t his father always slow down for him? When had he ever made Thenio run to keep up? Thenio blinked and then shook his head. He wasn''t sure why he kept thinking about strange things like that. He looked out at the garden. The sparrows were still fluttering around, filling the air with lively chirping. It reminded Thenio of something he''d been meaning to ask his father the next time he came to the research center. "Dad, when can I go outside with you?" "We can spend some time in the garden after your magic lesson, if you want." "No, not the garden." Thenio shook his head. "I mean when can I go to the real outside? I want to go see the city! And visit the shop where Melinei buys those berry pastries!" His father stopped walking. He looked down at Thenio quietly for a moment. Thenio still couldn''t see his face, but he somehow knew that the expression on it was sorrowful. Then his father slowly knelt down in front of him so that the two of them were face to face. "I''m sorry, Thenio," he said softly, stroking Thenio''s cheek. "I don''t want to make you stay here. I really don''t. I know it''s hard to be cooped up all the time like this.... But it''s dangerous for you to go outside. Especially here in Telophi. There are too many wizards and too much magic. You''ll go out of control right away." "I know...I know that...but...." Thenio trailed off and looked down at the ground. He knew everyone was just trying to keep him safe. And they did their best to make living in the research center more interesting. They''d built the playroom and the garden for him, and his father and Melinei told him stories about the outside world and were always bringing him books and toys and new foods to try. But he wished he could see the things in their stories for himself. He wished he could be free to come and go like his father was. Like the birds were.... His father sighed and ruffled his hair. "Maybe we can go somewhere outside the city. Somewhere without much ambient magic. I''ll talk to Melinei about it later. Okay?" Thenio was a bit disappointed by that response, but he still forced himself to smile. "Okay." His father patted his head and then stood back up. They started walking again, but they''d only gone a short distance when Thenio saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye and paused, turning toward the garden to see what it was. At first, he didn''t notice anything strange. Just the usual grass and flowers and the birds flitting through the trees up above. But a moment later, he spotted movement at the base of a lilac bush. A furry white fox face was peering out at him. Thenio frowned. Where had he seen that fox before? It looked so familiar.... The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Then the fox turned and ran off across the grass. "Hey, wait!" Almost before he realized it, Thenio had jumped off the walkway and was chasing after the fluffy white tail. But the fox was much faster than he was, and it soon disappeared behind another bush. By the time Thenio had reached the bush and circled around it, the fox was nowhere in sight. He stopped and looked around, biting his lip. An uneasy feeling was rising in his chest. He felt like something terrible was going to happen if he kept chasing that fox.... Besides, he was supposed to be going to his magic lesson. His father was waiting for him. Thenio turned and retraced his steps back to the walkway on the edge of the garden, prepared to apologize to his father for suddenly running off like that. But he couldn''t see his father anywhere. He pushed back a twinge of panic. His father had probably just gone ahead to the training room. Hadn''t he said that he was going to talk to Melinei? Right. He''d just gone to talk to her.... Thenio hurried down the walkway and through the doorway at the end of it. There was no one in the lobby on the other side, so he headed for the door to his training room. But just before he reached it, Thenio felt the floor suddenly give way under his feet. He fell down into the wide, dark pit that had just opened up beneath him, landing hard against an unseen surface some distance below. It didn''t hurt, but he felt stunned and disoriented, and he simply lay still for a few minutes, trying to understand what was happening. Finally, he raised his head and looked around. Darkness. Complete darkness. Even when Thenio looked back up to the place he''d fallen from, he couldn''t see anything at all. "Dad?" he called out in a quavering voice. "Melinei? Are you there?" Silence. No answering voices. No sign that anyone had noticed his fall or was coming to help him. Thenio slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his body shivering as fear started spreading through him. "Dad!" he called more loudly. "Dad, where are you?" Still nothing. Thenio''s breathing quickened, and his lower lip began to tremble. "Dad!" he shouted. "Dad! Mom! Where are you?! Come back!" There was no reply. Of course there was no reply.... They were gone. They''d left him. He''d done something terrible, and his parents had abandoned him. He was all alone. Tears began streaming down Thenio''s cheeks. He curled himself up into a ball, huddled in the silent, empty darkness. "Mom...Dad.... I''m sorry! It was my fault! Please don''t leave me! I didn''t mean to! I promise I won''t ever do it again! Come back! Please...don''t leave me.... I''m sorry.... I''m sorry...." He wasn''t sure how long he stayed like that, crying and apologizing over and over. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. Maybe even years.... But finally, there was a response. Something like a vine moved through the darkness, wrapping around the sobbing boy and gently lifting him up. There was the sound of rustling leaves, and a comforting smell, like a mix of cedar and vanilla, filled the air. Don''t cry, little one. You''re safe. Everything will be all right. Thenio looked up, sniffing and blinking away his tears. Sunlight was filtering down through a canopy of gold and green leaves that stirred lightly in the breeze, spreading their scent all around him. We''re here. We''ll take care of you until your parents come back. So don''t cry. The soft, deep voice came again. It wasn''t an audible voice, but one that seemed to seep into Thenio from the surrounding air, resonating through the sunlit leaves and the dark brown branches that were cradling him, rocking him lightly. Thenio didn''t know whose voice that was. But he somehow knew that he could trust it. His small body relaxed, his eyes closed, and he drifted into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
"The boy seems to have passed out from the magic suppression, but the old man might still have some tricks up his sleeve. Watch him carefully. And let me know immediately if he does anything suspicious. Don''t try to deal with it yourselves. He''s a high sixth-ranker and a dual grandmaster. You won''t stand a chance if he gets free. Understood?" "Yes, Doctor." "Understood." The two guards that the man called Ebihan had called over both nodded solemnly and took up their positions in front of the cell where Focilo and Thenio were being held. Focilo watched silently, his eyes slightly narrowed, as Ebihan disappeared down the corridor in the direction he''d come from just after they first arrived. The Old One who''d been controlling Rimeus'' body was arrogant and domineering, relying heavily on his superior strength to get what he wanted. But this Ebihan fellow seemed much more cautious, which made him even more difficult to deal with, in a way. The guards seemed competent, though not especially powerful. They probably weren''t a direct threat, but it looked like they would be paying attention, and it was hard to say what kind of backup they might be able to call in. So even though it was a relief to have the Old One and Ebihan gone for the time being, Focilo would have to be careful of his actions. Rimeus'' body was still lying on the floor where it had fallen. It was hard to be sure without examining it, but that was probably a corpse puppet. Meaning that the Old One''s scheme had cost the real Rimeus Telven his life. Poor, unlucky fellow.... It was very unusual for an Old One to take direct action like this. Rimeus had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though the fact that the necromancer puppeting his body had thought he was the best choice to infiltrate the Royal Guard was at least a testament to the late doctor''s character...whatever comfort that was.... Focilo frowned a little as he looked at the crumpled body. Based on his attitude and behavior, the Old One behind all this was probably the man known as ''Vehnkir the Brash.'' He was a lunatic researcher with an impulsive nature and an utter disregard for any harm he caused while satisfying his curiosity. Vehnkir was the best known of the Old Ones, just because he was the one most likely to show up and cause trouble. But his recklessness was also his weakness. He had the gall to carry out a daring plan like this, but he also had a tendency to overlook things and make foolish mistakes. Such as assuming that Focilo, a lowly ''modern wizard,'' would be helpless inside a magic suppression barrier. But like most suppression barriers, this one had a serious flaw. It was something that only a few certain people would be able to take advantage of. But fortunately, Focilo was one of those people. And Vehnkir the Brash, confident of his superiority, hadn''t noticed. Though maybe that was understandable, given how poorly Focilo had handled the situation so far.... He sighed and turned to look at Thenio, feeling a painful stab of regret. If only he''d used his full power to protect the boy from the beginning.... He''d had good reasons for holding back, of course. And there was no way he could have known that he was up against an Old One, not when they only showed themselves once every few decades. But those excuses wouldn''t count for much if the Royal Guard and Magic Corps couldn''t find them in time and Thenio died of magic suffocation. Or if they did come in time but the attack on the base resulted in him being exposed to too much magic and exploding. Focilo sighed again. The situation wasn''t hopeless, but it didn''t look good, either.... Come to think of it...why hadn''t Vehnkir said anything about Thenio''s ability to absorb magic? That was the sort of thing that members of the Order would normally go crazy over, since there was a good chance it could help them in their goal of using demon magic to increase their power. Had he wanted to hide it from Ebihan? Since Vehnkir had known he would have to leave and come back with a better puppet in order to examine Thenio properly, maybe he was afraid that his underling would take advantage of his absence to study Thenio ahead of him. Or did he really not notice? Certainly Vehnkir could be careless at times...but how could he have missed it when he''d examined Thenio''s magic circuit closely enough to be able to see that he was actually a chimera? Even Focilo, a grandmaster necromancer, hadn''t been able to see that. Assuming it was actually true, of course. Focilo hadn''t confirmed it yet. But it would explain some things, including Thenio''s instability and his strange magic circuit scans. If he was a chimera, though, he definitely wasn''t a ''common'' one, as Vehnkir had called him. Focilo was perfectly capable of recognizing a normal chimera, contrary to Vehnkir''s taunts. He''d treated several of them during his time at the Stability Center. A chimera was a person or magic beast who was born with at least two separate magic circuits. It generally happened in one of two cases: First, if the child inherited more than three different magic types from its parents. Or second, if the child inherited two incompatible types, such as fire and crystal. Those situations rarely happened with humans, and magic beast breeders knew to avoid risky pairings, so the vast majority of chimeras were wild magic beasts. Human ones were born occasionally, though. And they usually didn''t live long. Chimeras were highly unstable as a rule, and there weren''t many treatment options available for them. So very few survived until adulthood, no matter their species. That much seemed to fit with chaos morphs. But why did they have such distinct differences from other chimeras, in that case? What combination of magic affinities could give a human the ability to absorb magic? Focilo threw a casual glance over at the guards. They were still watching him, but there was some distance between them, and his wooden barrier was partially obstructing their view. They probably wouldn''t notice him using a little magic, as long as he was careful. He turned back to Thenio and pretended to fuss over him, pulling up his blanket, manually checking his pulse and temperature, and smoothing his hair. But while he did all that, he cautiously activated his magesight and took a look at the boy''s magic circuit. He immediately frowned at what he saw. Thenio had a mild case of demon poisoning. When had that happened? When Vehnkir broke the barrier? Or during the teleportation? Focilo had been doing his best to protect the boy from the Old One''s magic, but some must have gotten through while he was briefly distracted. It was also possible that Thenio was particularly vulnerable to poisoning because of his ability to use dream magic, just like the Consort was more vulnerable than other mythic beasts. He''d ordinarily have enough magic power to fight off such a small amount of poison. But with the chaos affinity and dream magic complicating things.... Well. Focilo could help neutralize it if he needed to, although that would be difficult to do without the guards noticing anything. He''d just monitor it for now. Focilo moved on to examining the magic circuit itself. But that only caused his frown to deepen. What was going on...? He understood why Vehnkir had shown such contempt at their surprise when he''d said Thenio was a chimera. Focilo could see it now. The magic circuits were twisted and partially fused together in a way he''d never seen before, but it was quite clear that there were two of them. How had he never spotted that? He''d examined Thenio plenty of times by now. If it had always been this easy to see, there was no way he would have missed it. What was different about the boy''s magic circuits right now? After another glance at the guards, Focilo carefully began putting out a little more magic power, using it to test and prod at Thenio''s tangled circuits. It didn''t take him long to find the answer. But it wasn''t an answer he was happy about. Thenio''s magic circuits were completely sealed. He wasn''t able to absorb any mana or magic power, and he couldn''t emit any, either. No wonder Vehnkir hadn''t noticed he could absorb magic.... The seal should also be why the two circuits were more distinct than usual. It formed a thin coating over them, enhancing the lines and eliminating the low-level magic emissions that would normally interfere with magesight or machine scans. So where had the seal come from? It hadn''t been there when Focilo had examined Thenio a couple of hours ago, after he''d finished doing the enchantment transcriptions. And it wasn''t the sort of thing that just anyone could create. The Consort. It had to have been the Consort. Focilo thought back to when Thenio was asleep, before Vehnkir had entered the recovery room. He''d been using dream magic then. He must have been meeting with the Consort, who placed the seal on him when he realized that Thenio had come in contact with an Old One. The seal was both good and bad. It had protected Thenio from destabilizing during the teleportation, and it had prevented Vehnkir from noticing his ability to absorb magic. And though it was hard to say whether it had been the Consort''s intention or not, revealing Thenio to be a chimera had definitely lessened the crazy researcher''s interest in him. But those were just the short term effects. Long term.... Well, there wasn''t going to be a long term. A total seal like that would kill the boy even faster than the full suppression barrier. Was the Consort determined to keep chaos magic¡ªwhatever it really was¡ªout of the Order''s hands, no matter the cost? Or was he confident that Thenio would be saved in time? Was he planning to do something to speed up the rescue efforts? That would be comforting in a way, since it meant Focilo would be rescued more quickly as well. But it was also terrifying. He knew it was incredibly dangerous for the dream beast to get involved with anything related to demons. If a creature that powerful became corrupted.... Focilo shook his head a little. No. There was no way the Consort would risk destroying the entire world just to save one human boy. He must have some kind of plan. While Focilo was pondering what the Consort might have had in mind, Thenio started stirring restlessly in his sleep. His breathing became uneven, and his lips were twitching, as though he was trying to say something. Was he having a nightmare? Well, it was no wonder, after everything he''d been through today.... Focilo didn''t dare to take out his jar of calming potpourri while the guards were watching. But he reached out and lightly touched one of the branches in his barrier. A thin tendril grew out of it, snaking down toward Thenio''s pillow. Several green and gold leaves sprouted from it, releasing a light, gentle scent. The effect was immediate. Thenio''s face stopped twitching, his breathing and heart rate slowed down, and his body relaxed. Good. At least Focilo was able to do something to help him.... "It''s all right, boy," he said softly, stroking Thenio''s hair. "Everything will be all right." Focilo wasn''t sure he really believed that. But giving into pessimism wouldn''t help anything right now. He activated his magesight again and checked on the status of Thenio''s demon poisoning. It had decreased a little. Good. That meant he was able to fight it off on his own. Focilo would need to keep watching it, but it should be¡ª Wait. Was he seeing that correctly? Focilo blinked and looked again. It was as he''d thought. The demon poisoning had decreased. But Thenio''s magic power had also increased. That was odd. With his circuits sealed, he couldn''t generate or emit magic right now, so his power level shouldn''t be changing. Something strange was going on. Heedless of the watching guards, Focilo activated his magesight as fully as possible, causing his green eyes to glow faintly in the dim light inside the cage of branches. He stared fixedly at the sleeping boy in front of him, watching the magic in his body closely. A minute passed. Two minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes later, Focilo was still staring at Thenio, unable to believe what he was seeing. A normal human''s magic would naturally surround and isolate demon poison until it decayed, preventing it from harming the rest of the body. That was why people with more magic power could resist poisoning more easily. A few high-level healers could also learn to neutralize demon poison, which didn''t destroy it but could help stop it from spreading and slow down the corruption process, giving the infected body time to finish expelling it. But Thenio wasn''t doing either of those things. His magic...was doing exactly what it always did. It was converting the foreign magic into its own type and absorbing it. He was eating it. The boy was eating demon poison. So...that was it.... The reason the Consort himself was watching over the chaos morphs. The reason the Wizard Association was so protective of the information they had about them. The reason the Shiu''tanas had trained so many magic stability doctors, including Focilo. It was all because of this.... Thenio could purify demon magic. Chapter 65 - Who Do You Think You Are? "Hydra told me you asked to participate in the raid. Are you really all right with this, Ariom? You''re sure?" Ariom sighed. He''d already made up his mind, but the deep concern in his uncle''s voice still made him hesitate a little. "I''m sure. Thenio doesn''t have much time, and we''ll be able to get to him faster if I go and help with the barriers and traps. I''ll admit that it makes me uncomfortable...but if I just sit back and watch, and they can''t get to him in time.... I don''t want to have to deal with that. So this is the better of two bad options. That''s all." Uncle Bero stared silently at him for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "I understand. Just don''t do anything reckless, all right? Humerus will never forgive you if you go off and get yourself killed after he worked so hard to protect you." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "You mean he''ll never forgive me if I get myself killed before he gets the new puppet I promised him." "Well...yes. That, too," Uncle Bero admitted with a wry smile. Then he turned to Namyis. "Hydra said he assigned you to be on the rescue team with Ariom. So I guess I''ll have to ask you to keep looking after him for a little while longer." "Leave it to me!" she said brightly. "I''ll bring him back in one piece¡ªI promise. Maybe a little frozen...but definitely in one piece!" "You...." Ariom gave her an exasperated look before turning back to his uncle. "How is Humerus? He didn''t come back with you?" "They were still finishing his treatment when I got your message. He wasn''t badly hurt, so he should be fine once it''s over. But he''ll need to rest for a while. I decided it was better to just leave him at the guild to sleep until this mess gets sorted out. And speaking of sleep...." Uncle Bero looked dubiously at the groggy little dragon in Ariom''s arms. "Iggy''s not going on the raid, is he? I''m going to go see if Relisa needs any help distributing potions. I can take him with me." Iggy¡¯s eyes were half-closed, and his head was resting against Ariom''s arm. But he suddenly lifted it at Uncle Bero''s words, his ears pricked in alarm. "No! I want to stay with Ariom! I want to help save Thenio!" "I''m sorry, little guy. But you need to stay here," Ariom said, patting his back apologetically. "You''re tired. You barely got any sleep. And do you remember how scary the ice mage''s magic is when you''re not wearing your collar? There are going to be lots and lots of battlemages with scary magic like hers¡ªway too many for your collar to handle. It''ll be really awful for you." Iggy let out a whimper of protest, staring up at him with a miserable expression. "You can keep helping me for a while, though," Ariom went on, rubbing the little dragon''s head soothingly. "I need to go meet with the other enchanters to plan out how we''re going to get through all those barriers. You can help us with that, all right?" "Mmm...." Iggy''s ears drooped, but he didn''t argue any further. "Good boy." Ariom gave the sad ears a gentle scratch. Then he looked back at Uncle Bero. "I''ll bring him over to the supply distribution area before we leave." After they parted with Uncle Bero, Ariom and Namyis continued following the Royal Guard staff member who had met them at the entrance. He led them to a room down the hall from the conference room they''d been in earlier. The door was closed, but the staff member knocked softly and then opened it, standing aside to let them enter and closing it quietly behind them. It was a small meeting room with several people seated around a table that had familiar-looking enchantment diagrams spread out over it. Namyis'' expression brightened when she saw the room''s occupants. "Ziryi! I wondered if you''d be here." She was looking at a very petite woman with lemon yellow eyes and short, dark purple hair that spiked out in all directions. Did she have a lightning affinity? High-ranking lightning mages often had wildly misbehaved hair. There were also three men in the room¡ªtwo older ones and one who looked around Ariom''s age. They were all wearing black combat suits with the Royal Guard''s crest on them. They didn''t seem surprised to see Namyis, but they looked curiously at Ariom. The younger man raised a cynical eyebrow as he looked at the sleepy Iggy. "Crazy day isn''t it?" The woman called Ziryi greeted Namyis with a wry smile and a small wave. She was wearing a Magic Corps-style combat suit¡ªdark purple with a golden lightning bolt on the front. "I really wasn''t planning to go on raids two nights in a row. But at least I got to go home and sleep after we got back to the capital. Have you been working all day?" "Pretty much. And it''s been fun, let me tell you." Namyis stuck out her tongue. "Exploding corpse...rampaging revenant...we even got hit with a poison lullaby. But I had a little bit of downtime and took some recovery medicine, so I''m still in okay shape." She turned and gestured toward Ariom. "This is Ariom Denifor, the enchanter I''ve been working with, and his adorable familiar, Iggy. Ariom, this is Ziryi Borosen. She''s a battlemage, but she specializes in stealth missions and dealing with stuff like traps and barriers, so she works with the Royal Guard most of the time. She helped me go pick up our research materials last night." "You''re the one whose assistant was kidnapped along with Grandmaster Sephior, right?" Ziryi asked, giving Ariom a sympathetic look. "The commander told me you were going to be part of our rescue team." She nodded at the three men seated across the table from her. "These are Jahon Kobin, Tremis Nuronil, and Darios Okron. They''re all Royal Guard barrier experts. They''ll be on different teams during the raid, since we''re going to be entering from a few different directions at once to divide their forces. But we''re all here to compare notes on these enchantments. Have you had a chance to look over them?" "Yes, I have." Ariom went to an empty chair and set Iggy down on the table in front of it. Then he sat down himself and pulled out his copy of the enchantment diagrams. Namyis sat down in the chair next to his, in between him and Ziryi. Ariom glanced around the table. "If the four of you work for the Royal Guard, then can I assume you''re all familiar with the enchanting style that the Order of the Ravener typically uses?" Ziryi and the two older men all nodded. Darios, the younger man, scowled. "Of course we are. And the barriers and traps that are done in that style won''t give us any problems. But most of these diagrams are done in a different style, in case you hadn''t noticed. It''s similar, but it''s a lot more advanced." "I had noticed, actually," Ariom said drily. "I''m just making sure that we all have the same basic understanding." He flipped through his papers. "I think we should start by looking at one of the simpler barriers, just to get everyone familiarized with the style. Then we can move on to some of the more complex ones." Darios'' scowl deepened. "What are you, a magic school professor? Are you some kind of high-level barrier expert? What makes you think you can lecture us about how to do our jobs?" "Darios!" Jahon said in a chiding tone. He looked at Ariom. "I''m sorry. He''s a talented enchanter, but he''s a bit hotheaded...." "He''s just a civilian consultant, isn''t he?" Darios snapped. "I get that his assistant got caught up in the kidnapping, but how does that give him the right to worm his way onto a raid team? Or to come in here and take charge of our meeting? Just who does he think he is?" Ariom sighed. He really didn''t have time for this.... He took out his certification badge and set it down on the table with a deliberately loud clack, making sure to place it so that the grandmaster''s sigil would be clearly visible from where Darios was sitting. There was a moment of silence while everyone stared at it. Even Iggy woke up enough to look between Ariom and the badge with a confused expression, obviously wondering what was going on. "You want to know who I am?" Ariom said quietly. "Fine. I''ll tell you. Grandmaster enchanter. Artisan necromancer. Artisan alchemist. Journeyman elementalist. I''m not a professor, but I do lecture at the Royal Academy a few times a year. And I''m not an expert on barriers, but I am an expert on Pre-War enchanting, and I''ve been studying the Order''s enchanting techniques intensively for the past month." He tapped his finger on the enchanting diagram in front of him. "And I happen to have spent all day today analyzing this particular man''s style. I won''t pretend that I understand everything about it. But I still have more experience with it than anyone else here. So yes, I think I''m qualified to lead this discussion. Do you disagree?" There was another silence. Darios was still staring at Ariom''s badge with an awkward look on his face. "As for how I ended up joining the raid team...well, I asked Hydra if I could participate, and he said yes. Simple as that. If you want to know exactly what his reasons were for agreeing, you''ll have to ask him. But...." Ariom hesitated and glanced sideways at Namyis. He really didn''t want to say this next part in front of her. But he needed to put an end to this nonsense so they could get to work. He let out a small sigh. "It was probably because he knows that I''ve practiced magic archery ever since I was a young child. And that I went through a pre-military combat training program. It was a long time ago, and I wouldn''t say that I''m on the level of a combat wizard, but...well...let''s just say that I''ve kept up on my training enough that I don''t think I''ll be a burden on the rest of the team." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Pre-military training?" As expected, the annoying ice mage picked up on those words. "You...wanted to join the Magic Corps?" "Yes. I did," Ariom said flatly, not looking at her. "But it didn''t work out, and I went into enchanting instead. You have a problem with that?" "No." Even without looking, he could tell from her voice that she was giving him one of her gentle smiles. "It''s just reassuring to know that you have some previous training. I was a little worried about you going with us, since I''ve never seen you fight before." Ariom snorted. Who did she think she was fooling? She was definitely going to pester him about this later.... "But speaking of fighting..." Namyis went on. "You really should get on with your barrier discussion, shouldn''t you? We need to be ready to move out as soon as the team leaders finish their strategy meeting. Ariom''s already proved his qualifications well enough, hasn''t he? So you shouldn''t need to question him any further?" She fixed Darios with a particularly sweet smile. "I mean...it would be a shame if I had to freeze somebody''s mouth shut, now wouldn''t it?" Darios swallowed and gave a very forced-looking smile of his own. "Uh...yes...a shame...well." He cleared his throat and looked at Ariom. "So...we''ll start with one of the simpler barriers, then? Which one do you recommend...?" As they all shuffled through their papers to find the diagram that Ariom directed them to, Ariom himself glanced sideways at Namyis again. She was irritating. And she liked to dump ice water on people. And threaten them with that creepy smile of hers. And he was dreading how much she was probably going to badger and tease him about his former military aspirations. But...he had to admit that it really was useful to have her around sometimes....
Namyis was practically buzzing with curiosity about that little piece of information Ariom had let slip. He had wanted to join the Magic Corps? Him? Ariom, the hater of all things military? It was hard to believe. But she didn''t think he''d say something like that if it weren''t true. So what happened? ''It didn''t work out,'' he''d said. What did that mean? Whatever it was, it must have been pretty traumatic for him if he''d gone from being a hopeful recruit to not wanting anything to do with the military at all. It wasn''t easy to hold back all the questions she wanted to ask, but Namyis managed somehow. It really wasn''t the time for that. Thenio''s life was on the line, after all. Besides...the look on Ariom''s face told her that it was a very difficult topic for him. It needed to be approached carefully. She liked to tease him. But she didn''t want to hurt him. The enchanters finally settled in and started going through the diagrams they''d gotten from Eteon. Letting Ariom take charge of the meeting wasn''t a mistake. He could be a surprisingly good teacher when he felt like it. He led them through a careful analysis of the first, easier enchantment, explaining everything he''d learned about the Old One''s techniques so far and inviting the others to share their ideas about parts he was still unsure of. He even asked Iggy''s opinion on several things. At first, the others seemed doubtful that a sleepy, half-grown dragon could give them any useful insights. And Ariom did have to translate whatever strange things he said into terms they could understand.... But they gradually started showing respect for the little dragon''s magic instincts and taking his words more seriously. Of course, Namyis didn''t know that much about enchanting, so there was a lot of their conversation that she couldn''t understand. But the dynamics of the group were interesting enough that she kept half-listening while she studied several maps of their target site that Ziryi had given her. On the surface, it was a processing and distribution center for alchemical materials derived from low-level magic beasts. That wasn''t much of a surprise. After demons, what the Order of the Ravener loved most was magic materials. They were heavily involved in illegal harvesting, poaching, and smuggling operations all over the continent. And a lot of their bases were built near alchemical markets or processing facilities. The Royal Guard carried out strict inspections of such places, of course, which helped cut down on any illegal activities. But they still discovered large bases like this from time to time. The demon fanatics were a tenacious lot. A base this size right in the capital city, though.... It was probably only possible because an Old One had been directly involved. But it was still a major headache for the Royal Guard. Poor Garem would be doing a lot of overtime work for the next few months. Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior being kidnapped was actually a good thing for the Guard, in a way. With both Eteon and the Magic Corps taking such major roles, the base was discovered much sooner and would probably be cleared out much more easily than it would have otherwise. The Guard staff had added the information they had on file to Eteon''s magic drawings and had managed to compile a fairly complete layout of the building complex. Having this much information ahead of time was quite a luxury. The Order liked hiding their bases underground, making it difficult to scout them out. Most raids involved going in blind and hoping for the best. It made Namyis wish she could have help from a mythic beast on all her missions. They''d get more details on their assigned roles once the strategy meeting finished and their team assembled for a pre-mission briefing. But the general plan was for several larger teams to start attacking the base to draw the enemy to certain points, clearing a path for a small team of elites to rush into the area where Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior were probably being held¡ªan underground research center. The building diagram showed that one floor of that facility had a number of small rooms that looked suspiciously like holding cells. There was a good chance that there were more captives who needed rescuing in that place. But the two they knew about were their top priority. No one wanted to find out what Eteon and Ki''shiu might do if they couldn''t get Thenio out in time.... After about an hour, the door opened, causing everyone to stop talking and turn their heads toward it. But rather than a person, a large white tiger with silver stripes strolled elegantly into the room, followed by Kino the storm hound. Poor, tired Iggy had been nodding off again, but he perked up at the sight of the two magic beasts. "Oh, it''s Sala-cat. And the wind-dog." "Sala?" Ariom sounded surprised. Then a look of realization crossed his face. "Ah...is Kathia on the rescue team?" The tiger nodded. "Kathia is the team leader," she said in a deep, musical voice. "There aren''t that many battlemages who''ve fought together with a proper magic archer. Hydra said he wanted to put you with someone who would understand your abilities." Ariom made a face. "So that''s who he was talking about..." he muttered. "What''s wrong with Kathia?" Namyis asked him, tilting her head. "She''s nice, isn''t she?" Kathia Taiyal was one of her seniors in the first squad. She was a fifth-rank mirage mage, a bit low in power compared to most of the others. But her unusual fighting style made her quite a difficult opponent, even for higher-ranked battlemages. And her gentle, motherly personality made her well-liked by the rest of the squad. Sala, a mist tiger, was Kathia''s familiar. "There''s nothing wrong with her, exactly...." Ariom looked uncomfortable. "It''s just...awkward." He sighed and turned back to Sala. "Is the strategy meeting over?" "Not yet. They sent me to ask if you''d figured out a method to break through the outer barrier yet." Sala glanced over her shoulder at the storm hound standing quietly behind her. "Kino''s going to be on the rescue team too, so he came with me." "We''ve looked at most of the inner barrier types, but we haven''t discussed the outer one yet." Ariom flipped through his papers, pulling out a large, complex-looking diagram. "I took a look at it earlier, though. And there are really only two ways to attack a high-powered barrier like this. The first one would be to overwhelm it with force. That''s probably doable, but there are several downsides. It will take a lot of time, for one thing, which is something we can''t really afford right now. And it will let the enemy know we''re coming and give them a chance to prepare. It will also exhaust a lot of the battlemages'' power. And there''s a risk of damage to the surrounding properties." Namyis nodded silently at his assessment. That would be the typical approach to getting through a high-powered perimeter barrier. And it was always a huge hassle. "The second approach is better, though it''s more difficult to pull off. That would be to hit the barrier in just the right way and temporarily disable it, then send a team in to take out the power supply. That''s in the center of the property¡ªit''s marked on one of the maps Eteon gave us. But I don''t think it will be too hard to get to as long as we have some aerial units." "We do. We have a team that''s going to provide support from the air while the raid is going on. We can send in a few of them." Sala fixed Ariom with her vivid blue eyes. "So, can you disable the barrier?" Ariom nodded. "Yes. I think I can." "You can? By yourself?" Darios gave him a skeptical look. "I realize you''re a grandmaster enchanter and a magic archer and all...but enchanted arrows can only hold so much power. It won''t be enough to take down a barrier of this size, even if you can figure out where to hit it." Sala turned to him, narrowing her eyes and flattening her ears a little. "Didn''t you hear what I said before? He''s a proper magic archer. The real thing. Not one of those cheap imitations." Darios blinked. "What''s the difference...?" The tiger flicked her striped tail in annoyance. "If you don''t know, then be quiet. Maybe someone will be kind enough to explain it to you later." She turned back to Ariom. "So can we rely on you for this? You''re confident?" Ariom stared down at the enchantment diagram and didn''t answer right away. There was a moment of silence. Then he looked at Iggy. "What do you think will happen if I cut this line, little guy?" he asked, pointing to a spot on the diagram. Iggy looked at the paper, tilting his head and blinking sleepily. "Um...I think...that picture will fall down. And it will pull that one. And that one. Like a train, okay? They''ll all fall down! But. It will get caught over here." He patted the diagram with one of his tiny paws. "And then they''ll stop falling." "Hmm." Ariom stared at the diagram again. Then he pointed to another spot. "What about this one? How long will the train go if it starts here?" "I think...it will go...there. And then there. And then over there...." The little dragon craned his head, looking all around the diagram. "That train will go for a long time!" he said finally, looking up at Ariom and waving his tail a little. "Lots of pictures will fall down! Lots and lots!" "Good." Ariom nodded and patted Iggy''s back. Then he turned to Sala. "Yes. I''ll definitely bring it down." Chapter 66 - Being Brave Sala passed Ariom''s recommendation for dealing with the base''s outer barrier on to Aunt Kat, who would relay it to Hydra and the other team leaders. Then she sat down on the side of the room with Kino to wait while the enchanters resumed their discussion. Iggy kept glancing over at the two larger familiars. He was probably wishing that he could go curl up and fall asleep in Sala''s thick, soft fur. The two of them often napped together whenever she and Aunt Kat came by to visit. Sala could have a bit of a temper when she was dealing with adults, but she was always kind and patient with children. Iggy liked her a lot. Well...Ariom''s relationship with Aunt Kat was similar. She was one of the few military-associated people that he''d never been able to bring himself to dislike. He''d been secretly relieved to hear that she was the leader of the rescue team, even though the idea of working with her was a little uncomfortable at the same time. She wasn''t really his aunt, but she''d been a close friend of his mother''s, and she and Sala had helped take care of him a lot when he was young. Ariom didn''t even want to think about how many of his embarrassing childhood and teenage moments they could potentially reveal to a certain annoying ice mage...who would then be able to use them for endless teasing fodder.... After another ten minutes or so, Sala announced that the strategy meeting had just ended, so they needed to finish up and go join their assigned teams. "Kathia says she''ll meet you at the distribution area," she told Ariom and the two female battlemages. "She''s picking up potions for the team." "And Garem says Ariom''s combat suit is there. You should ask for it at one of the armory counters," Kino added in his usual soft voice. They all packed away their diagrams and maps and filed out of the meeting room. "This was a very helpful discussion. Thank you for your insights, little one," Jahon said, giving Iggy a warm smile. Iggy was lying limply in Ariom''s arms, clearly struggling to stay awake. But he managed to wave his tail a little in response. Jahon looked up at Ariom, his expression becoming more serious. "I wish you good fortune with your part of the mission. I hope you''re able to get your assistant back safely." "Thank you. I wish you and your companions a safe mission as well." Jahon seemed to be the most senior of the three Royal Guard enchanters, and he''d also been the most respectful and most knowledgeable one among them. Ariom didn''t think it would be a bad idea to stay in contact with him. Tremis also exchanged well-wishes with them before he left. But Darios simply gave them a nod, looking rather uncomfortable, before turning and walking down the hall with his two colleagues. No need to keep in touch with that one.... Ariom and the other rescue team members turned a different direction from the Royal Guard enchanters. The three of them were headed over to the Magic Corps assembly grounds, where most of the attack teams were gathering. But the rescue team had been instructed to assemble here at the Guard headquarters, since half of them had been participating in the planning meetings. Kino and Ziryi¡ªthe official and unofficial Royal Guard members¡ªled the way to the supply distribution area. This was a large room that ran down the center of the Guard''s enormous workshop building, in between the armory and the alchemy center. Both sides of the room were lined with pickup counters¡ªpotions and medical supplies on one side and armor and equipment on the other. Most of the counters were busy with Guard members who were hurrying to get their allotted supplies for the raid. But the preparations had been going on for nearly two hours by this point, so it wasn''t as crowded as Ariom had been afraid it would be. It was more than enough for Iggy, though. He burrowed deeper into Ariom''s arms, clearly uncomfortable with the high levels of noise and ambient magic present. "See? This is why you need to stay with Uncle Bero while we go help Thenio," Ariom told him, stroking his back soothingly. "It will be even worse than this once we start fighting." Iggy had his face buried in Ariom''s shirt and didn''t answer. "Relisa should have a barrier set up for the unicorns," Sala said, giving the little dragon a sympathetic look. "He''ll feel better if he gets inside it." "Unicorns hate void magic," Ariom pointed out cynically. "You really think they''ll let him in?" "They will if someone persuades them." The mist tiger flashed her large white teeth. She''d once had a run-in with Sano and had had a bit of a grudge against unicorns ever since, just like Ariom. They found Relisa at the far end of the row of alchemy counters. She and Aunt Kat were checking over a number of wooden racks filled with potion bottles that were lined up on the counter between them. Sano and Nari were behind the adjacent, unused counter, doing something with a large golden cauldron. Uncle Bero seemed to be helping them. And as Sala had predicted, they were surrounded by a thick barrier that was preventing the ambient magic from bothering them. They all turned to look at the approaching group, apart from Nari, who had her head lowered and was busy stirring the contents of the cauldron with her horn. Aunt Kat smiled and waved at them. "Good, you''re here. Come pick up your allotted potions, you three. One rack per person." She was a tall, middle-aged woman with silver-blue hair that shimmered oddly in the light. Her eyes were the same vivid blue as Sala''s, and she was wearing a blue combat suit with silver tiger stripes. "What about the familiars?" Ariom asked, looking at Sala and Kino. "I''m carrying theirs. Our medic will have extras of everything, too, just in case. What you''re getting is your personal supply. You can keep whatever you don''t use." Ariom nodded. He was aware of that policy. The military and Royal Guard both considered pharmaceutical supplies to be part of the salary for performing a mission. You were expected to use them if you needed them, but if you didn''t, you were allowed to keep them after the mission was over. This was to prevent the possibility of medicines being tampered with and then returned to the general stock. It was possible to check them, of course, but with the huge quantities the organizations dealt with on a regular basis, it was more efficient to just produce new ones. Relisa pushed three of the wooden racks over as Ariom, Namyis, and Ziryi approached the counter. "There are three bottles of ambrosia, two of moondust, and one demon neutralizing tonic." "We get moondust?" Ziryi''s eyes widened a little in surprise. "That''s good stuff. The higher-ups are taking this raid really seriously, aren''t they?" "Well...they are," Relisa said. "But I actually volunteered to provide the medical supplies for the rescue team myself. My husband is one of the people you''re going to rescue, after all...." "I see." Ziryi''s expression turned sober. She looked at the racks full of bottles for a moment before picking one up. "Thank you. We''ll do our best not to disappoint you." Relisa smiled at her. Then she looked at Ariom, who was also picking up a rack. "It looks like you''ve already taken some neutralizing tonic recently. But go ahead and take that bottle anyway. You''ll need a second dose if you happen to be exposed to a large amount of poison." Apparently noticing Ariom''s puzzled expression, she added, "It can stay active in the body for several days, depending on how much poison it comes in contact with. The amount you got from that sleeping trap wasn''t enough to use up the tonic, so you still have some protection." "Ah. I understand." Ariom looked down at the little bottle of dark gold liquid. "Strange stuff.... If it lingers in the body, why not take it before being exposed to demon poison?" "You can. And occasionally people do. But mid- and high-rankers can usually fight off poison on their own, and the supply of tonic is limited, so we try not to waste it. It''s used all over the continent, but Ket''shiu is the only source we have for it. He can only donate so much sap before it starts to have a negative effect on him." Ariom frowned a little. "Aren''t any of the other mythic beasts resistant to demon poison?" Relisa shook her head. "Only Ket''shiu and the phoenix have enough resistance to provide material for anti-demon medicine. And the phoenix...isn''t available right now." ''Isn''t available''? What did that mean? And why would Relisa know about the phoenix''s status? No one had seen her for centuries. As much as he wanted to question her further, Ariom decided to drop the subject for now. He could ask about phoenixes later. There were more urgent things to think about at the moment. He put the potions into his space pocket and then looked down at Iggy, who was still huddled miserably against his chest. Ariom glanced over at the unicorns. Sano was now the one stirring whatever was in the cauldron. Nari had moved behind him and was watching them timidly over his back. Ariom sighed and looked back at Relisa. "Can Iggy stay inside your barrier for a little while? He''s very sensitive to magic, so this place is getting to him. And I need to go get my combat suit from the armory." "Oh. Of course." Relisa nodded and gave the little dragon a sympathetic smile. "Poor little fellow.... I certainly understand how difficult magic sensitivity can be." She glanced meaningfully at the unicorns. Sano lifted his head and turned toward them, golden liquid dripping off his horn and making a dark patch on the fabric of his caparison. "That dragon has void magic!" he protested, flattening his ears and stamping one of his hooves. "Sano, don''t be rude," Relisa scolded him. "I know you''re on edge because you''re worried about Focilo. But Iggy''s just a baby. You need to be nice to him." "That argument''s never worked on him before..." Ariom muttered, rolling his eyes. Relisa gave him an apologetic look before turning back to the petulant unicorn. "Come on, Sano. His magic power isn''t that high. You''re wearing your clothes, so you''ll barely even feel it. And it''s only for a little while. Nari doesn''t mind it, do you, dear?" Nari glanced at Sano and then silently shook her head. Sano glared at her. "Traitor." He let out an angry snort and turned his head away, sticking his horn back into the pot full of what Ariom guessed was partially finished ambrosia. Relisa sighed and looked at Ariom. "Go ahead. He just likes to complain. He won''t really do anything about it." This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ariom raised a skeptical eyebrow at that but still carried Iggy over to where Uncle Bero was standing. Sano gave them an annoyed look and swished his tail as they entered the barrier, but as Relisa had said, he didn''t do anything to stop them. Iggy lifted his head and looked around dazedly. He seemed relieved to no longer feel the oppressive magic swirling around the room, but by this point he was too exhausted to really understand why it had suddenly disappeared. Uncle Bero left the empty potion bottles he''d been lining up in racks, ready to hold the soon-to-be-finished ambrosia, and came over to lift the little dragon out of Ariom''s arms. "Come here, Iggy. You can stay with me for a while." "No!" Iggy was too tired to react in time and missed his chance to cling onto Ariom. He scrabbled wildly at the air, trying to get back to him. "I want to stay with Ariom! I don''t want him to leave me behind!" "Iggy...." Ariom stared helplessly at the unhappy little dragon, not sure what to do. Fortunately his uncle had plenty of experience dealing with both children and magic creatures. He slid his fingers into Iggy''s harness to prevent him from escaping and held him out far enough to avoid being scratched or slapped by his wings. Then he simply waited, allowing the tired baby dragon to finish wearing himself out. It didn''t take long. After thrashing around for a minute or two, Iggy went limp, panting heavily. Before he could catch his breath and start struggling again, Uncle Bero took a small green blanket out of his space pocket and quickly swaddled the dragon with it, pinning his legs and wings to his sides. "Noooo!" Iggy howled, trying to wriggle his way out. "Let me go! I want to stay with Ariom!" "I know you do," Uncle Bero said gently, holding Iggy securely against his chest with one arm and rubbing his ears to soothe and distract him. "I know it''s hard to be left behind like this. When I was young, I used to watch my father put his combat suit on and go off to fight, just like Ariom''s doing now. And I hated it. I hated that he was gone so much of the time. I hated that I could never go with him. I hated being afraid that he might not come back again. But I didn''t tell him that. I just smiled and wished him a good fight and watched him go. Again and again. Do you know why?" Iggy was still squirming a little and didn''t answer. But he was no longer howling, and Ariom knew he was listening to Uncle Bero''s story. "It was because I knew my father was a good person. I knew it was really important to him to be able to help other people. He was proud that he was able to protect people who weren''t strong enough to protect themselves. And it always hurt him a lot whenever he wasn''t fast enough or strong enough to protect everyone. I knew that if I stopped him from leaving, he wouldn''t be able to protect people. And that would hurt him. So I had to be brave and let him go. Do you understand?" The little dragon still didn''t answer, but he''d stopped struggling. "It''s like that with Ariom right now. Going to rescue Thenio is really important to him. If he isn''t able to help Thenio...it''s going to hurt him a lot. And we don''t want Ariom to be hurt, do we? So we need to be brave and let him go, no matter how much we hate it. All right? Can you be brave for Ariom?" Iggy looked at Ariom and let out a pitiful whimper. But then he slowly nodded his head. Ariom''s throat suddenly felt rather tight. He swallowed and reached out to stroke Iggy''s tiny head. "That''s a good boy. You''re such a big, strong, brave dragon. I''m really proud of you...." He paused and swallowed again. "You stay here with Uncle Bero. I''ll be back soon." He patted Iggy''s head and then quietly turned and walked away from the alchemy counters without looking back. He was about halfway across the room when he became aware that Namyis was walking beside him. Ariom raised an eyebrow at her without saying anything. She gave him a pleasant smile. "I need to change into my other combat suit, so I''m going to borrow one of the changing rooms." She pointed at the dark grey suit she was still wearing. "This is my stealth suit, see? We''re supposed to be wearing our standard suits for this mission. So I need to change to my purple one." Ariom simply grunted in acknowledgement and looked away from her. There was a brief pause. "Hey...did you ever go through anything like that?" Namyis said suddenly. Ariom looked sideways at her. "Like what?" "Like what Bero was describing. Watching his father put on a combat suit and go off to fight. Worrying about whether he''d come home again or not. It just occurred to me that maybe...when you were young...you still...." She trailed off, looking uncharacteristically awkward. He glared at her. "And why would you wonder about a stupid thing like that?" "I don''t know. Maybe because it kind of bothers me that I didn''t experience it?" She shrugged. "I mean...I watched Isia go off to fight a lot. But I never worried about whether or not she''d come back. She''s a demon hunter. She can take out a behemoth all by herself. So why would I be worried about her? I was more worried about what she''d do if I accidentally destroyed part of the house while she was gone." Ariom didn''t say anything. "And I left my real parents early enough that I don''t remember much about living with them. I don''t remember if I ever watched my father leave for work or not. He''s a water elementalist and works for a sea transport company, so he should have been gone quite a lot. And I might have been worried about his ship being caught in a storm or getting attacked by sea serpents and him not coming home...but I don''t remember." Namyis tilted her head to the side, looking a bit wistful. "I mostly remember them locking me in my room to keep me away from my younger sister...and shouting at me whenever I accidentally froze something...." Ariom still didn''t speak, but his annoyed expression had turned complicated. He wasn''t really surprised by what she said. It was common for child sorcerers to experience some form of abuse. It wasn''t always malicious or even intentional. As often as not, it was just their family making desperate attempts to keep their overflowing power under control. But there was a reason why most of them were taken into military custody. It wasn''t surprising. But hearing the normally playful and upbeat...and annoying...ice mage talk about things like that was...a little jarring. They''d reached a couple of unoccupied armory counters. Ariom stopped in front of one of them but didn''t walk up to it yet. It didn''t quite feel right to not respond to what Namyis had just told him. But he had no idea what to say.... "Well, I''ll just be in the next room," Namyis said with a sunny smile that gave no indication she''d just been talking about her troubled past. "I don''t think the Order would try anything in a place with so many Guard members running around. But if I''m wrong...well, just shout, okay? I''ll break down the wall or something." Ariom scowled. "Would you please stop threatening to destroy things with such a cheerful smile on your face?" He turned and took a step toward the counter but then stopped again. When he looked back, Namyis was looking at him questioningly, her head tilted to the side. "I...." He broke off, took a deep breath, and tried again. "I...remember watching my father suit up and go off to fight. But I was never worried about him. My mother told me he was amazingly strong and could wipe out whole swarms of demons without any trouble. And...I believed her. I mean...it seems silly now...but I was just a child, so...." Ariom looked away, feeling his face grow a little warm. "So I didn''t worry about him. I just...wondered when I''d be able to go with him...." He was silent for a moment and then added in a low voice, "I''m ashamed to say that it took me another ten years to realize the truth: That he wasn''t strong at all. At least not back then. And that I was never going to go with him." He started toward the counter again but stopped a second time when he heard Namyis'' voice. "Are you sure about that last part? I don''t think he''s away on an assignment this week, so he might show up tonight." "He won''t," Ariom said without turning around. "If he knows I''m involved, he''ll definitely come up with an excuse not to be there." He walked quickly away before she could say anything else.
Having been changing in and out of combat suits for years, Namyis was much faster at it than Ariom was, even with help from an armory employee. So by the time he left the changing room, she was already waiting for him, dressed in her lavender snowflake suit. He was starting to regret telling her as much as he had earlier and was afraid she was going to want to continue the topic. But as he walked reluctantly over to where she was standing, she simply gave him a pleasant smile and turned to head back to where the others were. They walked back in silence. When they reached the end of the alchemy counters, they saw Aunt Kat fastening a suit of armor made from lightweight blue cloth around Sala''s body with Ziryi''s help. Kino was already wearing his¡ªa black leather suit that covered his front legs, back, and head. It made him look even more intimidating than usual. The two women turned to look at them as they approached, and Ariom saw both of them raise their eyebrows a little in surprise when they saw him. He scowled. It was obvious what they were thinking.... But at least they both had enough sense not to say it. Ziryi stayed quiet, and Aunt Kat simply smiled and said, "That suit looks good on you, Ariom. It won''t cause you any problems with using your bow, will it?" "I don''t think so. I asked for an archery-compatible suit to begin with, and I tested it out a little just now. It seemed fine after a couple of adjustments." Aunt Kat nodded. "Good. Then I think we''re just about done here. We''ll go meet up with the rest of the team as soon as we get these greaves on." She picked up one of the blue leg protectors that was sitting on the counter next to her and bent down to start fastening it around Sala''s left foreleg. Ziryi took the other one and copied her actions on the opposite side. Ariom went around the counter to where the others were. Relisa had taken Uncle Bero''s place next to the cauldron. The batch of ambrosia seemed to be finished because the unicorns were watching quietly while Relisa magically scooped out measured amounts of the golden liquid and made it stream through the air into the waiting bottles. Ariom glanced over at the two carts against the back wall that were already filled with racks of ambrosia bottles. While the Royal Guard presumably wouldn''t object to getting more of such a useful medicine, they should already have a large stock on hand. He suspected that the potion-making session was less about supplying more ambrosia than it was about Relisa and the unicorns trying to keep themselves busy. They were acting calm, but they must be terribly worried about Focilo. Uncle Bero was sitting in a chair off to the side, still cradling the blanket-wrapped Iggy in his arms. The little dragon was fast asleep. Ariom had half expected that, knowing that Iggy had been fighting to stay awake for the past hour. But as he came closer, he noticed a suspicious swirl of magic around the blanketed bundle. "Did you use sleeping magic on him?" he asked, frowning slightly. Uncle Bero gave him a guilty smile. "A little," he admitted. "It didn''t take much, poor guy.... I just thought it would be a bit cruel to make him watch you leave all over again. But I''ll let him wake up if you want." Ariom shook his head. "No, it''s fine. You''re right¡ªit''s better if he just sleeps until we get back." He gave his uncle a look of concern. "You should get some sleep yourself. You''ve had a long day, too." "Ariom." Uncle Bero fixed him with a level stare. "If you honestly think I can sleep while my dear friend and mentor is being held captive by lunatics and my inexperienced child heads off into battle to rescue him, you still have some serious growing up to do. It''s taking me a sizable amount of willpower to not put sleep magic on you and keep you here until the whole thing''s over, you know?" Ariom made a face. He didn''t know how to respond to that.... He heard Relisa chuckle softly and turned his head to see that she''d paused her potion-making and was coming over to them. "And after you gave such an impressive speech earlier..." she said teasingly, shaking her head. "But it''s not like I don''t understand the sentiment." She looked at Ariom thoughtfully for a moment and then took something out of her space pocket and held it out to him. "Here, take this with you. Maybe it will reassure your poor uncle a little." Ariom took the object and looked at it. It was a wooden pendant made from a slice of a tree branch about three inches in diameter. The dark brown bark was still on the outer edge, framing the amber-colored wood. The figure of a tree with weeping branches was carved into the side. His eyes widened a little. "Is this...Ket''shiu?" "That''s right," Relisa said, smiling a little at his reaction. "That''s made from a piece of Ket''shiu''s wood, and it has a fair bit of his magic in it. It''s a protective charm. If you get into a dangerous situation, trigger it with your magic, and it will form a powerful shield around you. Focilo has one of those as well, so as long as he was able to use it...and if he and Thenio are still together...then even an Old One would have a difficult time harming them. So they should be all right." Her smile turned a bit wistful. "Or that''s what I keep telling myself, anyway." "Is it really okay for me to take this?" "Of course. Just do your best to bring everyone back safely in return, all right? Yourself included." "I will." Ariom nodded solemnly. "I promise." He slid the leather cord the pendant was attached to over his head and tucked the wooden circle into the front of his combat suit. He reached down to pat the sleeping Iggy and then looked awkwardly at his uncle. "Well...I guess I should get going before you give into temptation." Uncle Bero simply nodded and then held out a fist. "Fight well, Ariom." Ariom hesitated briefly and then hit his fist against his uncle''s. "I''ll do my best." Relisa also held her fist out, giving him an encouraging smile. He sighed a little before lightly hitting hers, as well. He was going to have to do this a lot tonight, wasn''t he...? He shook his head and went back to where the others were waiting. "Ready?" Aunt Kat asked him. "Yes." "Good. Then let''s get going. We have a lot of work ahead of us." Chapter 67 - Starfalls Inheritance Aunt Kat led them over to the adjoining building, following a stream of Royal Guard members who were also heading there after picking up their supplies. Ariom was fairly sure that this building was where the mission briefing rooms were, although he''d only done research and enchantment design jobs for the Guard in the past, so he''d never used them before. As expected, the inside of the building was one long hallway, with numbered doors set into both walls at regular intervals. The place was swarming with people dressed in the Guard''s black combat suits, making the three battlemages in their colored suits stand out. No one acted surprised to see them, though. Cooperation between the Royal Guard and the Magic Corps was a regular occurrence. Aunt Kat pulled a small piece of paper out of her space pocket and consulted it briefly. "We''re in...room eight. That should be to the left." They went past several doors until they found one with an eight painted on it. Aunt Kat opened it and went inside, with the rest of them trailing in behind her. There were four men in Magic Corps combat suits already in the room. They were standing around a large board on one wall where someone had tacked up a copy of the base maps that Eteon and the Royal Guard had provided. They seemed to have been analyzing and discussing them, but they stopped and looked over at the newcomers. "It looks like everyone''s here. Good. Let''s start with some quick introductions." Aunt Kat gestured toward Ariom. "This is Ariom Denifor. He''s an enchanter and a magic archer, and he''s going to be helping us deal with traps and barriers. His assistant is one of the people who were kidnapped by the Order, so this mission is a personal one for him." She paused and then let out a small sigh. "And just to get this out of the way...yes, he''s Emberhawk''s son. And yes, they look a lot alike, especially when they''re wearing combat suits. But neither of them like to discuss that, so we''re not going to bring it up again, all right?" Ariom gave her an annoyed look. But the four battlemages simply nodded agreeably. He wasn''t sure whether to be relieved that they understood or further irritated because he knew why they understood.... "I''m just going to introduce everyone by their call names, since that''s what we''ll be using during the raid," Aunt Kat went on, ignoring Ariom''s reaction. "First are the twins, Ironfish and Silverwater. Both metal mages. Silver specializes in liquid metal shaping, and Fish uses swarm formations." She nodded at two men who were standing together on one side of the group of four. Their faces were almost identical, but their stigmas were slightly different colors. Both had greyish hair and skin¡ªsimilar to Ariom''s but with a noticeable metallic sheen. But one brother had darker, iron grey hair and eyes, while the other''s were a lighter silver. It was likely that their coloring had been the same originally but had diverged after the twins received their call names. A stigma''s appearance was partially dependent on the person''s mental image of their own magic, so it could shift over time. It was also possible for a stigma to change abruptly, but that was much rarer and was usually the result of some kind of trauma. Ariom had only personally witnessed one case like that, though he''d heard about a few others. "The big guy in the middle is Rockbrawler. He''s a stone mage, and as you can guess from the name, his specialty is body reinforcement and hand-to-hand combat. He''s really sturdy once he gets his rock coating on, so we usually let him handle defense." ''Big'' was an understatement. The man called Rockbrawler was a foot taller than Ariom and at least twice as wide, his body covered in bulging muscles. He smiled and gave a small wave when Aunt Kat introduced him. It was probably an attempt to counteract his imposing appearance, but it mostly served to show off how enormous his hands were, which didn''t really help.... "And lastly...you already know Red, don''t you? He''s our medic." The fourth man nodded. "Yes, Ariom''s uncle is a friend of mine, so we''ve met before. And I''ve worked with some of his other relatives, of course." He was an older man who was on the small side for a combat wizard, especially compared to the giant standing next to him. But it was hard to say which one looked more intimidating. Red''s simple call name had come from his stigma. He had deep crimson hair streaked with grey, ruby-colored eyes, and a web of dark red veins running all over his pale skin. His combat suit was also dark red with a golden droplet shape on the chest. He was a blood mage¡ªa very rare affinity for humans. It was an ideal magic type for a combat medic, but it had quite a negative reputation among the general populace. This was mostly due to the name and the tendency for blood sorcerers to have uncanny-looking stigmas. But it was also because people associated blood magic with chupacabras, an especially pesky species of magic parasites. That was actually how Uncle Bero and Red had become friends. They''d met years ago when Uncle Bero had decided to start keeping a small pack of chupacabras on the farm and needed to research their magic type. Since blood mages tended to work for the military, where their skills were better appreciated, General Obarin had been able to put him in contact with a few, including Red. "All right, then that should do for introductions. Since you''ll be focusing on disabling enchantments, rather than fighting, just giving you a general idea of everyone''s abilities should be good enough. Let''s get on with the mission briefing. Gather around, everybody." Aunt Kat went over to the maps hanging on the wall. The four men moved to the sides to let her through and to allow the female battlemages and familiars to go to the front where they could see better. The top of Namyis'' head was below Rockbrawler''s shoulders, and Ziryi only came up to his elbows, so he could easily see over them. "You should have all had a chance to look over the layout of the base by now. Well, I realize Ariom and Darkbolt were focusing on the barrier and trap diagrams instead. That''s fine. We''re not planning to split up, so you two don''t need to have the entire map memorized. Just so you have a general idea of where we''re going." Aunt Kat turned and tapped her finger on a map showing an overhead view of the base, leaving a green dot of light magic glowing on the spot she touched. "This is where we''ll be entering the building. It''s a delivery entrance that leads down into the research center where we think the captives are being held. It''s quite inconspicuous, and they shouldn''t be aware that we have access to maps of their complex, so it probably won''t be heavily guarded. Especially since the other teams will be causing a major diversion to help us get in more easily." She made another glowing dot¡ªblue this time¡ªon the edge of the map, not far from the entrance she''d just marked. "We''re going to head to this point on the outside of the base and wait out of sight. Once all the teams are in position, Ariom is going to temporarily disrupt the outer barrier, allowing a few aerial units to attack and take out the power supply. That''s here." She made a red dot near the center of the map. "Once the barrier is completely disabled, the other teams will all start their attacks on different parts of the base, drawing away the enemy''s defenses and making a path for us to rush in. The aerial support team will be monitoring the situation and will notify us when we''re clear to enter." Aunt Kat traced a path from the blue dot to the green dot, leaving a glowing yellow line. Then she moved to another sheet of paper that showed the different floors of the research facility. She continued the yellow line there, moving through several floors and ending at the fourth floor down, which had an area of what seemed to be containment cells. She circled the cells in green. "That''s our tentative route, though we may need to detour if we encounter any obstacles that can''t be dealt with quickly. We''ll be passing through some relatively narrow corridors, so we''ll be in a column formation. Rockbrawler will be at the front, defending against any attacks. Darkbolt, you''ll be up there with him, scouting for traps and dealing with barriers. Disable what you can by yourself, and call Ariom whenever you need help." Aunt Kat looked over at Ariom. "Don''t consider it a slight that we''re letting her handle most of the work. Your void magic is a precious resource. We have to save it for when we need it. Understood?" "Understood," Ariom said, nodding. It irritated him, but he did understand her reasoning. There was a huge difference in power reserves between mid-rank and high-rank sorcerers. He would have to use most of his strength just to disable the outer barrier, and he could only go through so many bottles of moondust before recovery sickness made him a burden to the others. "The twins will come next. You two will probably be doing the bulk of the fighting, though I''ll support you with my watermimics as much as I can." The two metal mages nodded in unison. "Ariom, you''ll be in the center with Red and Kino, except when Darkbolt needs you at the front. Sala can help you move back and forth. She''s the most mobile member of the team, so she''ll be moving around outside the formation. Red will be monitoring everyone''s condition and using healing or defensive magic as needed. Kino, you''re in charge of helping us find the captives and alerting us of any approaching enemies. We won''t expect you to do much fighting, but feel free to help out if it seems appropriate. All right?" The storm hound nodded silently. "That''s the same with Ariom. You should save your own magic power for the traps and barriers, but you can use enchanted arrows if you see a need for them. I assume you have a decent supply of them with you?" "Pretty decent, yes. My quiver holds five hundred arrows, and it''s full right now. I have four hundred that are pre-charged with various magic types and a hundred blanks that can be charged as needed or used as regular arrows." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. There was a brief silence as everyone turned to look at him. Their expressions were a mix of admiration and disbelief. "Did this kid seriously just say he''s carrying five hundred enchanted arrows around with him?" Red raised one of his dark crimson eyebrows. "And you call that a ''pretty decent'' supply?" "I think the Royal Guard''s magic archers only carry around twenty enchanted arrows at a time," Ziryi said. "And they''re always reluctant to use them, since they''re so expensive. Though if he''s a grandmaster enchanter, he probably makes his own." "Right. They''re really good for shaping practice, so I make them as part of my regular magic training." Ariom shrugged. "And I don''t use them all that often, so they stack up." "Well, it sounds like you have a few to spare," Aunt Kat said wryly. "So go ahead and use them as you see fit. Just watch where you aim, all right? This is your first time going into a real battle, and it''ll be easy to get confused once the fighting starts. We don''t want any friendly fire, so err on the side of caution." Ariom made a face but nodded to show that he understood. "I''ll be next in line, in a position where I can both guard the back and see what''s going on. But I''ll send some watermimics up to the front to help out, like I said. Ice Queen, you''ll be bringing up the rear. That will make you responsible for handling any attacks from behind, of course. But I also want you there to help secure our escape route. Once we find the captives, we want to get them out of there as soon as possible. Throwing up some good, sturdy ice walls as we go in should cut down on the risk of us being ambushed on our way back out." "Understood!" Namyis said with a cheerful smile. "Leave it to me." "Good. Then are there any questions so far?" Most of the team members shook their heads. This was probably a fairly routine operation for everyone but Ariom, so they didn''t need a lot of detailed instructions to know what to do. "Uh...yes, I have one," he said, feeling a little awkward. "I told Sala I was going to need to move to a higher position to hit the barrier correctly. She passed that on to you, didn''t she?" "Yes, she did," Aunt Kat said, nodding. "Sala can move you to whatever position you need. And since you''re probably not used to shooting arrows while floating in midair, we''ll have Ice Queen go with you to make a stable platform for you to stand on. And...." She glanced at Ziryi. "I think Darkbolt should go along, too. It will be helpful for her to watch and see how you do it. Do you mind?" "I...no, that''s fine." He did mind, actually. But it wasn''t the time or place to complain about things like that. And how much difference would it really make to have one more spectator when so many people would be watching his performance as it was? "All right, then. Any other questions?" No one else spoke up. "Good. Then the briefing is over." Aunt Kat took a couple of potion racks out of her space pocket and handed them to Ironfish and Silverwater. "There should be a transport vehicle waiting for us outside. So as soon as everyone gets their potions, we''ll head out."
The transport dropped them off a short distance away from the Order''s base, and they went the rest of the way on foot, trying to avoid detection. Ariom''s combat suit didn''t have any kind of stealth charms, like the others did, but the armory had given him some enchanted bands to wear around his ankles that silenced his footsteps. It was actually a bit eerie how quiet the area was, considering that there were several hundred combat wizards gathering there, along with support staff. There was supposed to be a command center and a medical tent set up somewhere nearby, but Ariom had no idea where they were hiding. The rescue team reached their designated waiting spot, in a shadowy gap between two buildings. Ariom''s magesight wasn''t really adapted for seeing in the dark, but it worked well enough that he could see Aunt Kat tap on the communication device attached to her helmet, presumably letting Hydra know that they were in position. Then they all stood still and waited. Time passed. It was probably only fifteen or twenty minutes, but in the dark silence, it felt like hours. Ariom noticed Sala''s and Kino''s ears swiveling in different directions, listening to some unknown sounds in the distance. All he could hear was the night breeze moaning softly as it blew between the buildings and the occasional rustle of one of his teammates moving a little. A couple of times he thought he heard the sound of wings flapping overhead and wondered if it was a member of their aerial support team passing by on the back of a gryphon or hippogryph. But it might have just been an owl. Or even his imagination. Finally, Aunt Kat touched her communication device again. Then she turned to Ariom. "All the teams are in position," she said quietly. "It''s your time to shine, Ariom. Sala, take them up." Ariom, Namyis, and Ziryi were all standing together in preparation. The white tigress moved a little closer to them, and Ariom felt a strange lightness come over his body as she used her magic to make them float upwards. Sala had a cloud affinity, which allowed her to control the effect of gravity on the objects or creatures that she targeted. Ariom had loved playing with her when he was a child, floating around in the Stability Center''s garden together. The familiar sensation made him feel oddly nostalgic. Especially considering what he was about to do.... "Tell me where you want to go," Sala said when they''d risen above the buildings. Ariom frowned a little, focusing his attention on the large building complex ahead of them. With his magesight active, he could see the intricate, glowing pattern of the outer barrier. "Keep going up. We need to be a little higher." They kept rising. More of the barrier''s magic formations came slowly into view. "Just a little more.... There. That''s enough. Now move to the right." The upward motion stopped, and they started drifting to the side. "Almost.... Good. Stop here. I can see the spot I need." "Are we close enough?" Ziryi asked doubtfully. "There''s the risk that they''ll spot us if we get any closer, but...that seems like a long way to shoot an arrow...." The barrier was nearly two hundred yards from where they were currently floating. It was a long way to shoot a normal arrow. But Ariom wouldn''t be using an ordinary arrow. "It''s fine," he said, shaking his head. "Magic arrows fly further than physical ones. If I can see it, I can hit it." He looked at Namyis. "Go ahead and make a platform here." She nodded and held out her hand, palm facing down. She released a brief rush of power, and a large slab of ice appeared beneath their feet. Sala gently lowered them onto it and then released her cloud magic. "Is that all right?" Namyis asked. Ariom tested the ice with his foot and then nodded. It was held firmly in place with stasis magic, making it feel as stable as solid ground. And she''d even made the surface textured, so it wasn''t slippery at all. He hated to admit it, but she really was quite useful.... He took the grey longbow out of his armament pocket, tightened the string, and carefully checked the tension. Then he simply held the bow in his hands for a moment, looking down at it. He couldn''t see the bow itself clearly with magesight¡ªwhat he saw were the glowing lines of the enchantment matrix inscribed on it. But he already knew every inch of this bow. He didn''t need to see it. The bow''s name was Ashenstar. Ariom''s mother had used it when she first became a combat wizard, and she''d given it to him when she''d started teaching him archery, even though he was much too young to use it at the time. This bow was the reason he''d never given up on his archery practice, no matter how much he''d wanted to at times. No matter how bitter and angry he''d been when he realized he''d never be able to join the Magic Corps. No matter how much he''d come to resent and hate the military. No matter how pointless it sometimes felt to keep shooting arrows at lifeless targets, alone in his training room. This bow¡ªthe burden and the promise that it represented¡ªhad kept him going, all these years. He''d given up on ever using it for anything besides practicing, but...here he was. About to use his mother''s old bow in a real fight for the very first time. All because of an unstable boy that his dragon had randomly met and taken a liking to. Such a strange twist of fate.... Ariom sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, calming his swirling emotions and focusing his thoughts. Then he opened them and shifted the bow to his left hand, moving into a shooting position. He didn''t take any arrows out of his quiver. Instead, he put the fingers of his right hand lightly on the string, as though he were nocking an invisible arrow. He released several tendrils of magic, carefully weaving them together into a long, thin cylinder. The tip was a variation of the disruption formation he''d learned from Eteon, tailored for the purpose of breaking apart this specific enchantment. The fletching was a formation that would convert part of Ariom''s void magic into wind type, increasing the arrow''s speed and range and ensuring it would fly straight at its target. And the shaft was a dense coil of magic that would act as a power source for the two enchantments. Ariom could feel Ashenstar resonating faintly as it helped him draw out and gather his magic into the form of a single arrow. The bow had been created specifically for this purpose. It could shoot normal arrows well enough, but it was originally made for producing and shooting magic arrows. And not just any magic arrows, either. They were called ''voidshots''¡ªarrows made almost entirely of pure void magic. Those highly-prized arrows that could break through a behemoth''s armor or bring down a powerful magic barrier. They were part of the legacy that Amara Denifor, the battlemage Starfall, had passed down to her son. Beads of sweat appeared on Ariom''s forehead as he poured as much power into the arrow as he could, packing it densely with his grey void magic, until it glowed a bright silver in his hand. Then he fastened off the tightly coiled chain of magic, adjusted his posture, found the spot on the barrier that he needed to hit, and took a slow, deep breath. No need to feel nervous. It was just an arrow. He just had to make it reach the target, the same as he always did. Nock the arrow. Take another breath. Draw the string. Breathe. Aim. And.... ...release. The silver arrow streaked across the dark sky, flying toward the barrier like a shooting star. It sent up a shower of sparks as it hit the magic formation Ariom had aimed at, disrupting the flow of power and starting a chain reaction that pulled formation after formation into disarray, just like Iggy had predicted. Shouts of alarm could be heard coming from the ground underneath the barrier as it crackled and distorted. Ariom lowered his bow and let out a small sigh of relief. He''d done it. The barrier was down. He was just starting to turn to Sala to suggest that they go back down to where the rest of the team was waiting when he suddenly froze, his eyes widening in shock. A tiny flame had just flared up in the sky, high over the center of the barrier. The small fire fell toward the ground, rapidly gaining speed and growing larger and larger, until it turned into a huge plume of orange and yellow flames that hit the building housing the barrier''s power source with a crash that echoed through the surrounding buildings and sent waves of fire spewing out in all directions. Ariom watched it happen in stunned silence. "Huh," he heard Namyis say from somewhere behind him. "It looks like Riomel showed up after all." Chapter 68 - The Battle Commences The sounds of fighting had started spreading through the warehouse district, accompanied by flashes of magic that lit up the surrounding buildings. But as Sala lowered them all back down to the ground, Namyis was much more concerned about Ariom than she was about the nearby chaos. Breaking through the barrier had clearly taken a lot out of him, and the surprise of seeing Emberhawk''s attack on the power supply building right afterward hadn''t helped. He''d talked about wanting to fight alongside his father when he was young and how he''d realized it would never happen. Having his words proven wrong so soon after he''d said them was obviously a bit of a shock. Namyis couldn''t tell if he was happy or upset about it. His expression simply looked...confused. Like he didn''t really know how to feel. Well, the magic exhaustion was probably getting to him, too. Using up a lot of magic power at once like that was much more disorienting than draining it gradually, especially if you weren''t used to it. Ariom stumbled a little as his feet touched the ground, and Namyis quickly held out an arm to help steady him. "Looks like you overdid it a little," Red said, coming over to them. He took out a bottle of moondust, opened the lid, and handed it to Ariom. "Here, drink this." Ariom took the bottle and stared at it for a moment as though he was trying to figure out what to do with it. Then he slowly raised it to his mouth and took a sip. Red looked over at the twins. "Can one of you make a chair or something? I think he needs to sit down for a few minutes." Silverwater obligingly released a stream of silvery metal that formed itself into a chair before solidifying. Red put a hand on Ariom''s shoulder and tried to guide him toward it, but he pulled away. "No, I''m fine," he said, shaking his head distractedly. "I don''t need to sit down. I just¡ª" "Ariom," Kathia cut him off, her voice firm. "Sit down and drink your potion. That''s an order. We''ll be heading into the base in a few minutes. If you haven''t recovered enough to fight by then, we''re going to leave you behind." "Ah." Ariom blinked a few times, and his eyes became a little more focused. "Right. Sorry." He obediently sat down and took another sip of moondust. "Not used to dealing with magic exhaustion, are you?" Red smiled wryly, patting Ariom''s shoulder. "Don''t worry, that''s normal for a newbie. Just sit there quietly for a few minutes. It''ll pass soon." Ariom nodded and continued drinking his recovery medicine, keeping his eyes on the ground. Namyis exchanged glances with Ziryi and then went over to where Kathia was standing. "It''s not just the magic exhaustion," she said in a low voice so that Ariom wouldn''t hear. "He seemed pretty shocked to see Emberhawk here. He was telling me just a little while ago that his father would definitely find an excuse to not participate in the raid once he found out Ariom was involved. So seeing him here so soon after he said that...." Kathia sighed. "I understand. We''ll just hope he snaps out of it soon." She looked back at Ariom and shook her head. "That silly boy. Of course Riomel was going to come...." Namyis raised an eyebrow, but she held back the questions she wanted to ask. Later. She and Kathia were definitely going to have a nice long chat about this later. Namyis moved back to her place at the end of the formation, but she kept watching Ariom. She knew Kathia wasn''t kidding about leaving him behind if he couldn''t pull himself together. It actually wasn''t uncommon for new trainees to have to drop out of their first battle early. And Ariom had already made a huge contribution by helping them get through the outer barrier so quickly, so none of them would shame him if he had to quit here. But Namyis knew he would be furious with himself if he couldn''t see it through to the end after coming this far. Fortunately, Red''s prediction proved to be correct, and Ariom seemed to recover quickly. When Kathia told them to get out their weapons and stand by a few minutes later, he was able to stand up, take out his green bow, and get into formation, with no sign of his previous unsteadiness. Namyis took out her own weapon¡ªa white crystal staff decorated with silver vines and flowers made of violet gemstones. Most of the weapons that battlemages used weren''t really designed for physical combat. They were focus tools, which assisted in channeling and shaping magic power. Some barely even resembled weapons. Ironfish and Silverwater both wore enchanted gauntlets. And Red''s staff was like Namyis''¡ªmore decorative than practical when it came to physical attacks. Ziryi''s petite form wasn''t well-suited for physical attacks in the first place. She carried a long, thin dagger which acted as a sort of reverse lightning rod, helping her direct bolts of lightning through the air. She could also use it to stab enemies and then channel her magic directly into their bodies. Rockbrawler''s magic was generally focused on his own body, so he didn''t use a weapon at all. Instead, his combat suit had a special enchantment on it that allowed him to cover it in thick stone plates, which served as both weapon and protection. Apart from Ariom, the only member of their team who was using a proper weapon was Kathia, who had a blue halberd with curved silver blades that resembled the tiger stripes on her armor. She was good with it, too. Namyis had sparred with her quite a few times and usually lost when they had a straight weapons duel. Being Sword Queen''s adopted daughter, Namyis was naturally a competent swordswoman, and she also carried an enchanted sword in her armament storage. She would have used it if she were in a vanguard position. But her main job tonight was securing their path, and the staff was better for that. An air of tense anticipation came over the team as they all stood in formation, weapons in hand. Waiting. They couldn''t see the Order''s base from where they were, but they could hear the sounds of battle ahead. Shouts. Explosions. The occasional scream of pain. Magic flared up over the buildings here and there. Or fell from the sky as the aerial support team sent down attacks to help their companions on the ground. There was no further sign of Emberhawk''s fire. He''d probably finished destroying the barrier''s power supply and gone back to his assigned team in some other part of the building complex. Hydra should have had enough sense to make sure that he and Ariom were fighting in different locations. Though the fact that the two of them had come together for a brief moment to take down the barrier.... That was quite interesting. Namyis couldn''t help wondering what sort of effect that moment might have on Ariom''s attitude toward battlemages in the future. It would be nice if he could learn to like them a little better.... A few more minutes passed. Then, finally, Kathia touched her communication device again. "They''ve cleared out our path as well as they can," she announced. "It''s time to go. Fight well, everyone!" She raised her fist in the air. "Fight well!" everyone but Ariom and Kino echoed, raising their fists. But when he saw that even the two familiars put their paws in the air, Ariom awkwardly lifted his own fist, a beat behind everyone else. Namyis couldn''t help laughing a little when she saw it. That guy really was cute sometimes. "Rescue team, move out!" Kathia ordered. They all broke into a run, heading toward the battlefield.
Ariom hadn''t had time to study the maps of the base thoroughly, so he only knew the general layout and had to rely on the others to lead the way. He followed closely behind Red as the team ran toward the research center, weaving through various buildings on the outer edge of the base. He could understand now why Aunt Kat had warned him about getting confused during the battle. They hadn''t even started fighting yet, and he already felt disoriented and a bit overwhelmed. Some of it was probably the lingering effects of his attack on the outer barrier. And of seeing...that. But there were also the unfamiliar surroundings, made even less familiar by the way the shapes of everything kept changing under the glow of different magic attacks and the way the sounds of fighting echoed strangely through the buildings, making it difficult to pinpoint where they were coming from. Were the others all used to this kind of thing? Ariom couldn''t see their faces, but they all ran forward without hesitation. Rockbrawler led the formation confidently, seeming to know exactly where he was going. Maybe he''d studied the map extra carefully, assuming that he would be placed in the lead. "Trap on the left!" Ziryi shouted over her shoulder. "We can go around it!" She sent out a bolt of red lightning that formed a circle around the dangerous area, and the team veered to the right in order to avoid it. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As they passed, Ariom glanced at the spot she''d marked and saw what was probably a pitfall trap formation. He remembered seeing traps like that in the diagrams Eteon had given them. But he couldn''t examine it closely enough to be sure. He didn''t dare to keep his eyes off Red''s back for too long. They encountered their first enemies soon after the trap¡ªa group of six or seven guards who suddenly ran out from behind a building ahead of them. "Glory to the Order!" one of them screeched as he sent several large rocks flying in their direction. "Death to our enemies!" "Glory! Death!" his companions shouted in response, throwing out their own magic attacks. Crazy fanatics.... But at least there was no doubt that Eteon had directed them to the right place. The rescue team slowed down but didn''t completely stop. Rockbrawler charged fearlessly toward their opponents, smashing a rock out of the air with one hand and batting a fireball away with the other, while allowing a second rock to shatter uselessly against his stone-plated chest. The enemy seemed to be an earth mage. His rocks were weak compared to those of an actual stone sorcerer. Ziryi ducked behind Rockbrawler when the attacks started, but she popped out just long enough to send a streak of dark purple lightning toward the man who''d thrown the fireballs. Ariom could see it clearly with his magic power-oriented magesight, but it seemed to take the fire mage by surprise, since he didn''t even try to avoid it. He convulsed briefly as the lightning hit him before collapsing to the ground. Silverwater created a large amount of liquid silver, forming a shield that covered him and his brother and was able to repel the rocks and fireballs that came toward them. It even held up against a spiral of wind that slammed into it, trying to knock the two metal mages off balance. In the meantime, Ironfish created a large number of metal shards that passed easily through his brother''s shield and flew toward the enemies. The shard formation twisted in midair to avoid Ziryi and Rockbrawler, like a flock of birds all changing direction together. Then they rained down on the Order members, causing several of them to stagger backwards, howling in pain. Rockbrawler didn''t miss that opportunity, leaping forward and smashing his stone-covered fists into several of the distracted guards. Two of them were sent flying, and a third staggered and fell to his knees. Rockbrawler brought one of his huge hands down on the man''s helmeted head, and he collapsed completely. The last two guards were tackled by large white tigers that looked identical to Sala but were actually Aunt Kat''s watermimics, disguised with a little bit of light magic. The real Sala was floating somewhere overhead, keeping a lookout for other enemies. Aunt Kat had excellent shaping skills and could mimic a variety of different creatures, but replicating her own familiar was her favorite fighting technique. That was how she had gotten her call name: Copycat. Ziryi took advantage of the two guards getting soaked by the watermimics and sent a couple of lightning bolts in their direction. They both fell to the ground a moment later. "That''s all of them," Aunt Kat called out. "Keep going!" The team continued forward, jogging around the fallen guards like they were rocks or fallen tree branches¡ªmere obstacles in the path, nothing more. This indifference unnerved Ariom a little. At least some of the collapsed men were simply unconscious, not dead, and there was no reason to feel guilty about hurting or even killing people who''d been trying to kill them. But he didn''t like to think about how much death his teammates must have seen to be so blas¨¦ about the whole process.... What was it that Namyis had told him earlier? Just pick up your weapon, fight the baddies, and worry about what it all means later? Maybe that was how they did it. They''d simply trained themselves to focus on their goal and not think about anything else until the mission was over. "Trap ahead!" Ziryi called out, bringing Ariom back to the present moment. "It''s across the path. I need to disarm it." "Team, halt!" Aunt Kat ordered. "Cover Darkbolt!" They slowed to a stop. Ziryi continued a short distance ahead, and started working on a trap enchantment that was spread across the gap between two buildings, blocking the way forward. The others grouped around her, watching the surroundings warily. "Above!" Red shouted suddenly, holding up his staff. There was a large quantity of red mist spewing out of it. Something hit the cloud of mist and exploded into flames over their heads. Silverwater quickly created another shield to protect them from the heat, and Namyis pointed her staff at the firebomb, encasing it inside a large chunk of ice, which Kino blew off to the side with a targeted gust of wind. "Sniper to the right, on top of that building!" Aunt Kat waved her halberd, releasing a mass of water, which condensed into the shape of a bird and flew upward, heading toward the roof of a nearby building. Following its trajectory, Ariom saw a man holding a large crossbow and preparing to shoot another bomb at them. He paused when he saw the water bird coming toward him and adjusted his aim to shoot it down instead. But before he could pull the trigger, something large and white fell onto him from above, knocking him to the ground. Sala quickly moved away, leaping back into the sky, and Ariom could see the man starting to get up again. But he only made it halfway before the water bird reached him. Its shape melted away just before it hit its target, and the water wrapped around the man''s body, holding him in place. "Ariom!" Aunt Kat shouted. Understanding what she wanted, Ariom took a page out of Ziryi''s book and pulled an arrow enchanted with lightning magic from his quiver. He raised his bow and shot it toward the man on the roof. It pierced the water surrounding him, lighting the entire thing with a brilliant blue flash. When the light faded, Ariom saw the man fall limply onto the rooftop. "Nicely done," Red said with a grin, reaching over to pat him on the back. Ariom made a face and didn''t reply. He didn''t feel comfortable accepting praise when he knew perfectly well that Aunt Kat could have handled the sniper by herself if she''d wanted to. She''d deliberately held back in order to let him get in a hit, just like she might have with a new trainee. But he couldn''t deny that it felt nice to be able to contribute a little bit.... "Trap''s down!" Ziryi called out a minute later. "Good," Aunt Kat replied with a nod. "Keep going, everyone! We''re almost there!" They started moving again, leaving the gap between the buildings and running along a paved road toward what looked like a large warehouse. Since this area was more open, they were able to catch glimpses of other battlemages fighting in the distance, along with more guards wearing armor similar to the ones they''d just fought. But the other teams had apparently done a good job of luring the Order members away, because no one else intercepted them as they went up to the building and partway along one side. They finally reached their destination¡ªa small loading dock with a simple ramp leading up to a large door. There were no guards in front of the entrance, but Ariom knew from Eteon''s diagrams that there were several layers of enchantments protecting it. This was probably the most difficult barrier they would encounter tonight, apart from the high-powered one that had been protecting the entire base. "I''m going to need your help with this," Ziryi said, turning to look at him as they went up the ramp. Ariom nodded and put his bow back into his armament pocket. Then he moved ahead of the others, joining Ziryi in front of the door. "Everyone else, keep watch," Aunt Kat instructed. The rest of the team circled around the two enchanters, protecting them as they worked. "We should disarm the traps first," Ariom said, looking over the parts of the enchantment that were visible from the outside. He pointed toward one side of the door. "Take care of that alarm trigger, will you? I''ll handle this explosive trap." "You''re sure? Shouldn''t I be doing the more dangerous one?" "Normally, yes." It hurt Ariom''s pride a bit to admit it, but as a sixth-rank sorcerer, Ziryi could handle the force of an explosive trap much better than he could, despite her diminutive size. "But I''ve been dealing with this guy''s explosive traps all day. It''s better if I do it." "Ah, I understand." Ziryi nodded and went over to the alarm formation. It was a relatively simple trap that would set off an alarm in the building if the door was opened without the proper procedure. It was better not to trigger it, but it wouldn''t cause any immediate harm if they did. The explosive trap, on the other hand.... Ariom took a deep breath, focusing his attention on the enchantment in front of him. He took a long, slender knife out of his armament pocket. He''d been using Eteon''s stasis inversion formation without a physical knife because he didn''t want to cut the body they were examining to bits. But there was no problem with poking a few holes in this door. He went over the lines of the inscription, finding the spot where the trigger mechanism connected to the explosion formation and then carefully checking to make sure that cutting through that spot wouldn''t cause any unintended reactions. It was a pity that Iggy couldn''t be here. Ariom didn''t want him to be in danger, of course, but he''d really come to rely on the little dragon''s magic senses for things like this. But there was no helping it. If he wasn''t here, he wasn''t here. Ariom made his decision, coated the knife in magic, gritted his teeth, and cut through the trap formation. He waited a few seconds before letting out a small sigh of relief. No explosion. He''d read the enchantment correctly. He looked over at Ziryi, who seemed to have already finished disarming her trap and was watching him with interest. "You''re good," she said, giving him a nod of approval. "You''re a proper thaumaturgist, aren''t you? I know most void mages study thaumaturgy to some extent, but it''s rare to find someone who can use it at such a high level." Ariom gave her a slightly suspicious look. Why was she suddenly flattering him like that? She seemed to notice because she quickly explained, "Ah, I studied thaumaturgy when I was trying to find a way to hide the heat and light from my lightning. I learned to do just a little, but it was really hard, so I didn''t get very far. So I''m impressed that you can do it so well. That''s all." She turned to look at the door. "There were only those two traps on this layer, right?" Was that why Aunt Kat had wanted her to go along when Ariom had taken down the outer barrier? Because she knew Ziryi was interested in thaumaturgy? That made sense. But this wasn''t really the time for a thaumaturgy discussion. Ariom also turned his attention back to the door. "Yes, that''s right. We''ll have to open this door to get at the next layer." Ziryi nodded. "Leave that to me. I know how to trigger the opening mechanism. You should stand back just in case there are enemies waiting on the other side." Though he was a bit unhappy at needing to be protected by a woman who was more than a foot shorter than he was, Ariom knew her suggestion was a practical one, so he obediently went over to the side and stood behind Red as Ziryi started fiddling with the magic formation that would lift the door. It would normally require some kind of key to activate it, but the lightning mage seemed to have a lot of experience with picking magic locks because she was only working on it for a minute or two before she paused and turned to look at Aunt Kat. "Ready whenever you are." Aunt Kat nodded and looked around the team. "Defenses up, everyone. We don''t know what''s waiting for us in there." Several people nodded in response. Silverwater put up his liquid shield. Red created another cloud of mist to protect himself, Ariom, and Kino. Aunt Kat created a large watermimic that looked rather like Rockbrawler, which stood protectively in front of her and Sala. And the real Rockbrawler stood back to back with Namyis, who was in charge of guarding their rear and was now the only person not facing the door. "All right. Go ahead, Darkbolt." Ziryi turned back to the door and prodded at the opening formation again. There was a clanking sound, and the large door started to rise. Ziryi quickly backed away from it. But she wasn''t quite fast enough. When the door was about a quarter of the way up, a huge wave of sand suddenly burst out through the opening. It hit the tiny lightning mage, knocking her off her feet, and pelted against their defenses. Rockbrawler had to hold up an arm to protect his face. It looked like the Order had quite a powerful sandstorm mage working for them. One who was very determined to not let them pass through that door.... Extra - Magic Affinities I''ll be adding a few more things to this list, especially in the non-human sections, but this is what I have planned out at the moment (minus a few things that I thought were too spoilery). Basic Earth Fire Light Water Wind Variant Cloud Lightning Shade Sound Stone Arcane Chaos - This is currently considered an arcane type, but it might be subject to reclassification once it''s better understood. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Crystal Life Mental Null - Technically, this means no affinity, but it''s considered an arcane type for classification purposes. Void Combination Combinations have a synergistic effect. Magic users with combination type affinities can use each of their component magic types (though not as well as a pure affinity can), as well as using magic unique to their combination. Blizzard (Crystal + Water + Wind) Blood (Life + Water) Clay (Earth + Water) Firestorm (Fire + Wind) Flare (Fire + Light) Ice (Crystal + Water) Lava (Earth + Fire) Metal (Crystal + Earth) Mirage (Light + Water) Sandstorm (Earth + Wind) Snowcloud (Cloud + Crystal) Storm (Water + Wind) Swamp (Earth + Water + Life) Thunderstorm (Lightning + Water + Wind) Wood (Crystal + Earth + Life) Rainstorm - Nickname for storm affinities with a strong water primary. Windstorm - Nickname for storm affinities with a strong wind primary. Spectral Beast Magic Types Replication (Mimics) Puppetry (Revenants) Mythic Beast Domains Dream (Ki''shiu) Forest (Ket''yia) Forest Sanctuary (Ket''shiu) Island Sanctuary (Naslunal) Snow (Essu) (We''ll find out what the "sanctuary" part means later. You''ll have to just speculate about it for now. ?? ) Chapter 69 - Breaking Through The sand attack only lasted for a few seconds before a huge gust of wind rose up, circling around them all and pushing the sand back toward the door, which was now halfway open. After it had sent most of the sand flying back through the opening, the wind died down again. There was a brief silence, which was broken by a loud, guttural growl. Ariom started at the sound and instinctively took a step away from the storm hound standing next to him. The usually placid Kino suddenly looked like a completely different creature. His hackles were sticking up through the gaps in his armor, and his teeth were bared in a ferocious snarl. His yellow eyes shone eerily in the light coming from inside the research center as he stared intently at the widening gap. An even louder growl answered him from the other side of the door, then rose into a deafening roar that sent chills running down Ariom''s spine. A huge, dark shape appeared in the doorway, distorted by the cloud of sand still hanging in the air. Ariom could see it had a cat-like body, but he didn''t have time to make out any more than that before the creature shot toward them with terrifying speed. He felt Red grab his arm and drag him backwards, away from Kino, who let out a loud, deep bark and leapt fearlessly forward to meet the approaching beast. The two of them scuffled for a moment, snarling and snapping their jaws while sand and wind swirled through the air around them. Then they broke apart and stood glaring at each other, both of them half-crouched and ready to attack again. This pause in the fight allowed Ariom to finally get a decent look at the other magic beast. It was larger than Kino and Sala, with a feline body covered in dark gold fur and a thick black mane. But its face was bald and ape-like, and the large black tail that curved up over its back was segmented and had a nasty-looking barb on the end of it. A manticore. Manticores had sandstorm affinities, but the sand attack from earlier looked like human magic, so this was probably the sandstorm mage''s familiar. And almost definitely an illegal one, since forming a legitimate contract with a manticore was nearly impossible. Not that it was so difficult to get permission to keep one¡ªthey were only Class C magic beasts. But they were proud and aggressive creatures who were almost never willing to form familiar contracts. The only proven method was to capture one as a cub and subject it to extremely harsh training so that it grew up broken and submissive. Obviously the Magic Beast Office didn''t give handling licenses to people who did that kind of thing. But before Ariom could feel too much pity for the creature, the manticore snarled and lunged at Kino again, whipping its tail toward his face. Kino pushed it back with a burst of air and twisted to the side so that the tail bounced harmlessly off his armor. Then he tried to bite at the manticore''s shoulder but merely got a mouthful of sand that the manticore had caked over its fur like armor. He jumped backward, growling and shaking his head to get the sand off his teeth. The small bit of compassion Ariom had felt evaporated almost immediately. There was no time for pity when that beast was trying to kill one of Iggy''s friends.... He reached for an arrow to try to help, but before he could pull it out of his quiver, a glowing orange ball hit Red''s mist cloud and exploded, splattering molten rock across Ariom''s vision. Apparently there was a lava mage, too.... None of the flying lava droplets reached him, but the explosion made Ariom realize that he''d gotten distracted by the manticore and lost track of what was happening around him. He hurriedly looked around. There seemed to be a group of Order guards just inside the entrance to the research center, because a flurry of magic attacks were coming out of the doorway, flying in all directions. Silverwater still had his shield up, protecting himself and Ironfish. Ziryi had gotten to her feet and was slowly moving toward the open doorway under the cover of Aunt Kat''s Rockbrawler watermimic, while Aunt Kat and Namyis were both hiding behind the real Rockbrawler. Red was looking around, seemingly monitoring everyone''s status, while he continually put out more red fog to protect himself and Ariom. Everyone seemed to just be focusing on defending against the enemy attacks. Why? Weren''t they going to fight back? Was something wrong? An angry roar pulled Ariom''s attention back to the manticore, and he saw that Sala had come over to help Kino. She had increased the weight of its tail until it was dragging on the ground. The manticore was howling in fury and trying to attack her, but she''d decreased her own weight and was easily leaping out of the way every time it swiped at her with one of its huge paws. It looked like she was deliberately drawing it away from the rest of the team. With its attention focused on her, Kino was free to circle around it, using wind magic to protect Sala from the manticore¡¯s sand attacks and occasionally lunging forward to bite at one of its legs. They seemed to have things more or less under control. Ariom glanced back at the others. Still just defending. Even Ziryi had stopped a short distance away from the door. He looked at the familiars again. Then back toward the stationary figures standing around the doorway. What was he supposed to do...? He should be doing something, shouldn''t he? They were in the middle of a fight, and he was just standing there, being protected. Surely he ought to be doing something to help. But what? He wasn''t sure what was going on with the enemies inside the building. And the familiars kept moving around each other quickly enough that he wasn''t sure he could shoot the manticore without hurting Kino or Sala. "Don''t lose your head, newbie!" Red shouted over the manticore''s roars and the sounds of magic projectiles crashing around them. He''d obviously noticed the confused and slightly panicky expression on Ariom''s face. "Engaging the enemy isn''t your job. Just be patient and wait until we need you." Ariom grimaced and then took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Red was right, of course. He was just here to break through barriers. He should let the experts handle the fighting. He''d only make things worse if he acted in a panic without knowing what to do. But doing nothing in such a chaotic situation was a lot harder than it sounded.... After a few more tense minutes, Ziryi turned around and made several hand gestures to the rest of the team. "The enemies are behind a one-way barrier," Red translated, moving closer so that Ariom could hear without him shouting. "Their attacks can pass through, but ours can''t. That''s why we''ve just been defending. Darkbolt was trying to get close enough to disable it, but they''re concentrating their attacks on her, so it''s too dangerous. Can you break through it from here?" "Probably? One-way barriers are usually pretty fragile if you can find their weak point. Hang on a minute." Red signaled to the others to pass on his words while Ariom took the stack of enchanting diagrams from Eteon out of his space pocket, relieved at finally having something he could understand and deal with. He shuffled through the papers until he found the barrier in question and spent a minute or two looking over its construction. "Right. Got it," he said, nodding and putting the diagrams away again. He took out an arrow and focused on it, frowning a little in concentration. This was a physical version of the voidshot he''d used earlier. Physical arrows couldn''t hold as much power, but they were easier on his magic reserves, since they could be charged with void magic in advance. And a small barrier like this didn''t require nearly as much force to bring down as the large one had. The arrow was already enchanted with wind magic and had a void magic crystal core inside the shaft. It just needed an enchantment on the tip to match the barrier he was breaking through. Ariom used a thin strand of magic to quickly engrave the appropriate magic formations into the steel of the arrowhead. "Can we go a little closer?" he asked Red. "And a little more to the right? I don''t have a clear line of fire from here." "All right. Stay behind me." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. With Red in the lead, they moved cautiously forward in a diagonal line, pausing a few times so that Red could block an attack that flew in their direction. This brought them close to the twins, and Silverwater turned and beckoned to them. "Come stand behind this!" he called out, pointing at his large silver shield. He made a spreading motion in the air with his hands, and the shield grew wider to make more room. Red and Ariom both moved behind it, and Red pointed his staff to their rear, causing his red mist to circle around and protect their backs. Once they were closer, Ariom discovered that the silver liquid was translucent from the back, allowing him to see through to where the barrier was, a few feet inside the building entrance. It interfered with his magesight a little, but he could still see well enough to know where to aim. "This is also a one-way barrier," Silverwater said, nodding at his shield. "They can''t see us from that side, so they won''t know you''re getting ready to shoot. But your arrow should be able to pass through without any problem." "Perfect. Thank you." Ariom nocked the arrow on his bowstring and then looked over at Aunt Kat, checking whether it was all right to shoot it. She noticed his gaze and responded with a hand signal. "Shoot whenever you''re ready," Red translated. Ariom nodded and raised his bow. He drew the string back, took careful aim, and released the arrow. It streaked toward the barrier, its speed increased by the wind magic. For a second, Ariom was sure it would hit. Then a cloud of sand spewed out from behind the barrier, enveloping the arrow and pushing it up and off course. "Tch." Ariom clicked his tongue in annoyance. He''d have to try again. But he''d barely had time to finish that thought before the arrow suddenly spun around in midair, turning back toward the barrier. It flew down through the sand, weaving back and forth like a fish swimming against the current. A shower of sparks went up as the arrow hit its target, and several shouts of alarm came from inside the building as the barrier collapsed, revealing a group of Order guards. "Nice save, Fish!" Aunt Kat shouted. Then she pointed her halberd toward the entrance. "Vanguard, forward!" Silverwater waited just long enough for Red to move his protective mist back around himself and Ariom. Then both brothers headed toward the enemies, following closely behind Rockbrawler. Ariom blinked a few times, trying to figure out what had just happened. Apparently Ironfish had taken control of the arrow''s flight and directed it back toward the barrier? The arrows that Ariom used had metal in both the head and shaft, so it made sense that a skilled metal mage would be able to manipulate them. The impressive part was that Ironfish had known what point on the barrier to aim for. No one had mentioned that he had any kind of enchanting expertise. Which meant that during that second before the arrow was blocked, he had been able to read its trajectory and figure out exactly where it was headed. Scary guy.... Shaking his head a little, Ariom looked back at Aunt Kat. She had sent her Rockbrawler watermimic charging into the building ahead of Ziryi. With a smooth sweep of her halberd, she created another one to continue protecting herself and Namyis and then pivoted around and sent two water tigers over to help Sala and Kino. The manticore saw them coming and turned to face them with a fierce snarl. But Sala was able to use that brief distraction to slam the beast down with her gravity magic, allowing both of the watermimics to jump on top of it. With a quick wave of her staff, Namyis froze them solid, pinning the manticore to the ground. As it thrashed and roared, trying to get free, Kino produced a large leather collar from a space pocket built into his armor and used his wind magic to expertly move it through the air, slipping it around the manticore''s neck and fastening it tightly. The collar obviously had a strong suppression enchantment on it because the manticore stopped struggling almost immediately. Its maned head lolled around drunkenly for a moment before slumping down to the ground and lying still. Ariom watched the process in silence, listening to the magic explosions and screams of the Order guards going on in the background. As expected of an elite team from the Magic Corps'' first squad. They were a bunch of monsters.... He found himself feeling a little sorry for the manticore once again.
Focilo had been sitting quietly inside the holding cell for the past couple of hours. But just because he was quiet didn''t mean he wasn''t doing anything. He was still monitoring Thenio''s condition, of course. The boy had been sleeping peacefully ever since Focilo had created that cluster of leaves for him. He seemed to find the scent of them very soothing. His body had relaxed, and his breathing and heart rate had slowed down. He''d had a similar reaction to the potpourri earlier. During his naps, the scent had put him into a deeper, more restful sleep. And it had noticeably calmed him down when he was worrying about Ariom and the others. Most people found Ket''shiu''s scent pleasant, but it was unusual to see someone respond to it so strongly and consistently. Especially someone who''d never met the Forest Lord in person. It was interesting. But it was hard to say if it actually meant anything or not. Much more important were the startling new revelations about the boy''s magic. Focilo had spent quite a bit of his time in the holding cell trying to understand them. Knowing that Thenio was a chimera would definitely change how they approached his stability treatments in the future. But that raised a very important question: Why had the Consort kept that information hidden? There was no way he didn''t know. And if the previous chaos morphs had also been chimeras, then the Wizard Association''s Research Center was probably aware of it as well. So it was presumably among the information that the Consort had told them to withhold. But why? If stabilizing Thenio''s magic was so important, why would they hide something that could have such a significant impact on the results of his treatment? And what exactly were those two magic circuits? One of them seemed to be a life affinity. It felt similar to Focilo''s own magic. Which should mean that Thenio not only had a life affinity but was also a phoenix child. That would make a lot of sense, actually. It wasn''t common knowledge, but Focilo was aware that phoenix children were simply humans who were able to absorb the tiny fragments of the phoenix''s power that were present in the world''s mana supply, which altered their magic frequency over time. And if anyone could absorb such fragments, it ought to be a chaos morph. Did that have something to do with why Thenio was able to purify demon magic? Very likely. The phoenix was the only mythic beast in this world who had that ability, so it was hard to believe it was a coincidence. Most phoenix children only absorbed enough fragments to give them a somewhat higher resistance to demon poison. But if it was Thenio, who was even able to absorb demon magic itself.... Then what about the second magic circuit? Vehnkir had called it a null affinity, and it did resemble one. But that couldn''t be right. A null affinity circuit would have simply merged together with the more dominant life affinity one, especially with how the two were fused together. And a null affinity wouldn''t account for Thenio''s unusual abilities, such as absorbing magic power and imitating a mythic beast''s magic skills. Null mages could learn to use a lot of different magic types, but they were strictly limited to human magic. The most obvious conclusion was that this unknown circuit was the real chaos affinity circuit, and the life circuit was simply an add-on. It was even possible that previous chaos morphs only had that one circuit, and that Thenio was the only chimera among them. But that didn''t really make sense, either. He was too similar to the others. There was no reason to think his magic was fundamentally different from theirs. And the Consort probably wouldn''t have been involved with so many of them if Thenio were the only one that had developed a purification ability. The Dream Lord seemed to have been interested in chaos morphs for centuries. Ever since the Rift Crisis. Ever since the world started seriously needing another method to purify demon corruption.... As much as he wanted to avoid it, as much as he tried to think of alternative explanations, Focilo''s thoughts inevitably arrived at a grim possibility. What if chaos magic wasn''t a naturally occurring morph at all? What if Thenio and all the others had started off with ordinary life affinities? His younger brother had turned out to have a wood affinity, hadn''t he? So it was possible that life magic ran in their family, even if it hadn''t surfaced for the past few generations. Was it possible to implant a second magic circuit in someone? To create an artificial chimera? Probably, if the Consort were the one doing it. He was a dream beast, after all, with the power to reshape the world. Surely he could create a human magic circuit or two. Or twelve.... That was the problem, wasn''t it? Certainly fighting against the corruption was a worthy cause. And Focilo could see the appeal in trying to create humans who had the phoenix''s purification ability. But the idea of allowing so many children to suffer and die like that.... It was a horrible thought. Focilo really didn''t want to believe that a mythic beast would do something like that. But he had to admit that it would explain a lot of things. Including the reason why the Consort hadn''t wanted anyone to know that Thenio was a chimera. Focilo sighed and shook his head. He could only get so far thinking about things here by himself. He''d have to try to meet with the Consort''s agent and ask him about it. It wouldn''t really change anything¡ªFocilo wasn''t in a position to interfere with whatever the Consort was trying to do. But maybe he could at least get a few answers. Before that, though, they needed to get out of this place. Focilo pushed his troubling speculations aside and turned his attention back to the thing that had been his main activity for the past two hours: trying to break through the holding cell''s barrier. He''d made several thin tree roots grow out of the branches on the bottom of his own barrier, and they were slowly burrowing down into the floor of the cell, making their way through the complex magic formations inscribed there as Focilo patiently examined and puzzled out each one. He wasn''t an enchanter, of course. No doubt Ariom could have figured it out much faster. But Focilo was a grandmaster necromancer, and the two disciplines had many overlapping principles. So he could figure out most enchantments if he studied them long enough. Disabling the entire barrier would be difficult, but making a small hole should be doable, and it would greatly increase the options available to him. They might look thin and weak right now, but if they were given enough time, a tree''s roots could break through almost anything.... Chapter 70 - Where Are They? After the barrier fell, the group guarding the entrance to the research center didn''t last very long. The sandstorm mage was the last to go down. He seemed to be a fifth- or sixth-rank sorcerer, and he clearly had a lot of fighting experience, because he had a full bag of tricks. He was constantly using his swirling clouds of sand to deflect attacks, obscure their vision, and upset their footing. Finally, Kino, Sala, Aunt Kat, and Ziryi all teamed up and went against him. The familiars used a combination of wind and gravity to push his sand back on top of him. Aunt Kat made several watermimics explode on it. And then Ziryi zapped the whole thing with a massive cluster of purple lightning. It was finally enough to make the sandstorm mage¡ªa large man with a shaved head and a sour expression¡ªslump to the ground. But as soon as the lightning had cleared away, Kino ran over to put suppression bands on him, meaning that he was still alive. As expected from someone who would bully a manticore into submission. He was a tenacious one.... The twins took charge of dragging the fallen guards outside to where the unconscious manticore was lying, assisted by Sala''s magic, while Ariom and Ziryi started disabling the next round of enchantments. The outer door had opened onto a sort of security checkpoint, where the guards had been waiting, and there was another large door on the other side of that, complete with another set of traps and barriers. The two enchanters once again divided up the work on the traps. Then Ziryi triggered the door''s opening mechanism while everyone else stood back, protected behind their various shields, in case another attack was waiting on the other side. But no sand or balls of lava came flying through the doorway this time. They waited until the door had opened completely, but no enemies appeared, so Aunt Kat signaled for Rockbrawler to lead the way further in. Past the second door, they found themselves at the entrance to a warehouse area. There were several large magic lifts set into a nearby wall, but they didn''t go toward them. "Block the lifts," Aunt Kat instructed. "We don''t want the enemies circling around behind us." Silverwater raised his hands and shot out two streams of liquid metal that hardened into sheets, covering the lift doors. Then Namyis waved her staff and created a thick wall of ice that held the metal in place. "The intruders are there! Hurry!" Shouts came from the warehouse ahead, and Ariom could see more figures in guard uniforms hurrying toward them. "Darkbolt. Ariom. Go check that door." Aunt Kat gestured toward a plain-looking door set into the wall across from the lifts. "Red and Kino, go with them. Everyone else...." She pointed her halberd toward the approaching guards and gave a grim smile. "Time for the next round!" While the other half of the team went to engage the newest group of enemies, Ariom and Ziryi went over to the door, with Red and Kino following behind them, shielding them from any attacks that came their direction. "It looks like the group that was guarding the entrance already sounded the alarm, so we can just ignore any alarm traps from now on," Ziryi told Ariom, scanning the area around the door. "Let''s see...a basic locking barrier and...a fire trap? All right. I can handle these." "Setting off alarm traps will let them know where we are in the building, won''t it?" Ariom asked, watching as she stepped forward and began disarming the traps. "Probably. But we''re raiding their base a few hours after three people were teleported out of the Royal Guard headquarters," Red pointed out. "They''d have to be stupid not to realize what we''re after. Of course...abducting the head of the Stability Center was a pretty stupid thing to do in the first place, so...." He trailed off with a shrug. Ariom simply frowned and didn''t reply. During the meeting with Hydra and Captain Lysien, they''d all agreed that the official story would be that Focilo had been the real kidnapping target and that Thenio had simply been with him at the time and gotten caught up in it. This seemed like the best option to hide his connection to Ki''shiu and protect him from the attention of other malicious parties. And it was possible that it was true. At this point, they had no way of knowing what the Old One''s intentions were in taking the two of them. But Ariom had a strong suspicion that it had actually been the other way around¡ªthat Thenio was the real target and Focilo was the one who had gotten caught up in it. Well...if anything, kidnapping a boy who was under the protection of both the Magic Corps and a mythic beast was even stupider than kidnapping the head of the Stability Center, so Red''s point still stood. Ziryi finished disabling the enchantments not long afterward and opened the door a crack so that Kino could send some of his magic wind through to check for people on the other side. The group of Order guards that the others had been fighting must not have been very strong, because they finished up their battle at about the same time. Then Namyis and the twins worked together to block off the entrance to the warehouse with a large wall of ice over woven strands of metal, ignoring the guards lying in a heap on the other side. "How does it look?" Aunt Kat asked, coming over with Sala and Rockbrawler behind her. "No fresh smells," Kino said. "And I don''t hear anything." Ziryi nodded and pushed the door fully open. As Kino had said, the corridor on the other side was empty. "Good. Let''s get back in formation." Aunt Kat looked over at the three wall-makers. "We''ll move on as soon as they''re finished. Keep scouting ahead for us, Kino." They lined up again, leaving a space for the twins, who joined them a few minutes later. Then they all filed through the door and down the corridor. After a couple of turns and a few more disarmed traps, they reached a staircase leading downward. They paused briefly in front of it so that Namyis could block off the rest of the corridor with an ice wall and then headed down. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs, along with another layer of enchantments. They waited a few minutes while Ziryi disabled them. She seemed to be getting used to the Old One''s enchanting style, because her speed was gradually increasing. When she was done, she stepped back, and Rockbrawler opened the door a little. Then he looked back at Kino. The storm hound sent out a gust of wind and then stood still for a minute, his nose in the air, before looking up at Rockbrawler and nodding. Rockbrawler opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out. They followed him out of the stairwell and down another empty hallway to another door. Then they paused again so that Ziryi could undo the enchantments and Namyis could create ice walls around their path. A short time later, Ziryi stepped back and let Rockbrawler open the door again, revealing another set of stairs leading down. They repeated the whole process again. And again. They didn''t encounter any more enemies until the third floor down. There, while they were waiting for Ziryi to undo the enchantments on the door, another door opened further down the corridor. A young woman wearing what looked like a laboratory uniform stepped out and turned in their direction. But when she saw the team of battlemages looking back at her, she stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at them blankly for a couple of seconds, her eyes wide. Then she screamed, turned around, and dashed back through the door, slamming it behind her. They let her go. Chasing her down would take too much time, and it probably wasn''t worth the trouble. They could leave the researchers to the teams that would come to clean up this place after they got Thenio and Focilo out. But Namyis made the ice walls on that floor extra thick, just in case the woman came back with reinforcements. Finally, after descending another flight of stairs, they reached their destination¡ªthe fourth underground floor. "Since they seem to be holding research subjects on this floor, the security will probably be heavier here. Pay attention, everyone," Aunt Kat warned as Ziryi finished undoing the enchantments on the door at the bottom of the stairs and moved back to let Rockbrawler take the lead again. Everyone nodded in understanding. Then Rockbrawler eased the door open, and they all fell silent, waiting for Kino''s verdict. He spent quite a lot longer smelling the air this time. "I can smell people," he said finally. "Not close. They''re further ahead. But there are a lot of them." "How many? Can you make a rough estimate?" Aunt Kat asked. Kino was silent for a moment, still sniffing. "I think...at least twenty? They might not all be guards. There''s a lot of doctor smell mixed in." "Doctor smell? So you think there are researchers that have joined in to defend the place?" "Maybe. I don''t know. But they smell like that." "What about demons? Can you smell any of those?" "I think...." Kino paused again, sniffing. "There are some traces. But I think that''s from the doctor people. I don''t think there are any actual demons close by." "All right. That helps. Well done, Kino." Aunt Kat patted the storm hound''s armored head. Then she looked around at the rest of the team. "Looks like we might have a big fight ahead. With any luck, they''ll only be strong in numbers. But be ready for anything. Let''s go secure the corridor outside to start with." They all nodded and then focused toward the front. Rockbrawler pulled the door open, cautiously checked outside, and then went through. The others followed. There was another door nearby, which presumably had another set of stairs behind it. But they didn''t need to go any further down, so Namyis froze it over, along with one end of the corridor. Then the rescue team moved in the direction that was still open. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. When they turned out of that hallway and into an adjoining one, they began moving past large windows that looked into what seemed to be workrooms. Or maybe operating rooms, since the tables in the center of them were about the right size for an adult human to lie on. The rooms also held an assortment of unfamiliar machines and racks of strange tools. Halfway down that hallway, Ariom heard a sneeze next to him and turned to see Kino with his ears flattened and his nose wrinkled, looking disgusted by something. "Kino? Are you all right?" The storm hound sneezed again and shook his head like he was trying to get a fly off his nose. "There are a lot of nasty smells coming from those rooms." "What kind of smells?" Red asked him, frowning a little. "Medicine. Alchemical materials. Blood. Dead bodies." Kino sneezed a third time. "A little demon magic, too. They''ve been doing scary things here." "I''m sure," Red said dryly. "I''ve yet to see an Order research facility where they weren''t doing scary things...." Ariom grimaced. He''d read enough about the Order of the Ravener to know more or less what to expect in a place like this. But seeing it in person was still a bit of a shock. And Garem and Kino had to deal with this kind of thing all the time? No wonder they always looked so gloomy.... Ariom made a mental note to start inviting Kino over to play with Iggy once in a while. The poor dog could probably use an occasional break. In addition to the workrooms with the disturbing smells, they also passed a couple of rooms that looked similar to Ariom''s analysis lab. But there were no people visible in any of the rooms they passed, and after they went a little further, they found out why. According to Eteon''s maps, this floor was divided into two parts. One was the ''medical'' area, including the workrooms and analysis labs. The other was the ''residential'' area, where the holding cells were. One area to keep captives, and the other to do...whatever it was they were doing to them. In between the two was a large, open area. It was very sparsely decorated, so its purpose was probably to make it harder for captives to escape unnoticed, since the exits were all on the other side of the floor. There was also only one entrance to the holding cells¡ªa large archway with security desks on both sides. And currently, all the researchers and guards on this floor seemed to be lined up in front of it, waiting for them. It looked like twenty-five or thirty people in total. As Red had said earlier, it was obvious that the purpose of the raid was to rescue the abducted people, so it was obvious where the rescue team would be heading. The guards here must have decided that gathering everyone up at this entrance was the most efficient way to defend against their attackers. Of course, it was also an efficient way for the rescue team to take out all the enemies on this floor in one go. "Nice of you to all gather up like this," Aunt Kat told them, surveying the group with a grin on her face. "It saves us the trouble of hunting you all down." She held up her halberd and released a wave of water that split into six identical water tigers that all lifted their heads and roared silently at the group across the room. Sala joined in, letting out a single, real roar that echoed off the bare walls. Aunt Kat lowered her halberd, pointing it straight at the enemies. "Rescue team, attack!"
Focilo''s tree roots had spread out quite a long way by this time¡ªenough to start giving him information about what was going on in the rest of the building. So he was aware when the intruder alarm went off and the guards and researchers stopped what they were doing and started moving around restlessly, looking for someone to give them instructions. Unfortunately for them, the head of the building security¡ªa fearsome sandstorm mage who had even managed to tame a manticore and make it his familiar¡ªhad gone to the ground floor to check the guard patrols after they received word that the base was under attack. He''d sounded a building-wide alarm about twenty minutes later, but they hadn''t been able to get in touch with him since then. Eventually, the leader of the floor''s security team decided to prioritize defending the holding area and started rounding people up to stand at the entrance. It wouldn''t have been a bad idea if they''d been up against more mundane intruders. But when the fighting finally started, Focilo could sense a clear difference in the magic power of the two sides. That felt like a team from the Magic Corps'' first squad. Most of the people here simply weren''t a match for battlemages at that level. Most of them. Focilo kept part of his attention on the energy vibrations from the battle while he listened to a conversation that was happening nearby. "The intruders have made it to this floor?" "Yes, Doctor. The security team is holding them off at the entrance to the research subject holding area, but.... What should we do?" "Nothing, for now. They shouldn''t be able to find us. And if they somehow do.... Well. I''ll take care of them." Focilo''s sensitive roots could feel the air stirring as Ebihan let out a deep sigh. "Really...the Magic Corps must have already noticed this base. Were they already preparing to attack us? There''s no way they could have found us so quickly otherwise. Such bad timing. The Old Ones will be terribly displeased...." Ebihan gave another deep sigh and walked away, shaking his head. He seemed much more afraid of the Old Ones than he was of the approaching battlemages. That was a little concerning. Focilo didn''t know what kind of tricks the man had hidden up his sleeve, but apparently they were enough to make him think he could go up against the team currently stomping all over his colleagues. It sounded ridiculous, but you shouldn''t underestimate a close follower of the Old Ones. He might have some kind of powerful artifact or secret techniques. Focilo would have to keep an eye on him. For now, he turned his attention back to the ongoing battle. He was also quite surprised to see the Magic Corps arrive so quickly. Maybe they really had been staking the place out already. Or maybe.... He glanced over at Thenio. The Consort would be able to find this place easily if he were willing to risk being corrupted. Had he or his agent actually stepped in and told the Magic Corps where to go? Did they really value this boy that much? Speaking of which.... Focilo analyzed the sensations he was receiving from his network of roots and found a man who''d come in with the Magic Corps'' rescue team. He was mostly hanging back, staying out of the fighting, but he occasionally fired off an arrow toward one of the Order members. Focilo could feel the arrows explode with magic power when they hit, which meant they were enchanted. And they all had a very familiar magic signature. Yes, that really was Ariom. Incredible. Focilo probably wouldn''t have believed it if the evidence weren''t right there in front of him. He glanced at Thenio again. What was it about that boy? Weak people were afraid of him, but stronger ones seemed to feel an unusual desire to help and protect him. Magic beasts were drawn to him. And even mythic beasts were interested in him. It was almost like he was a¡ª No. That was impossible. Focilo shook his head, cutting off his ridiculous train of thought. By all accounts, Thenio was human. An unusual human, to be sure, but human nonetheless. And even if he were really something else, there was no way he could be one of those. The effect he had on other people was probably the result of him being a phoenix child. If he had been absorbing an unusually large number of fragments, and if that second magic circuit really was amplifying his phoenix-like abilities, then it somewhat made sense. Focilo sighed. He needed to get out of this place and go home. Whether it was due to lack of sleep or the shock of meeting an Old One or being trapped in this cell, his tired mind kept dreaming up all kinds of nonsensical ideas.... He refocused on what was happening with the Magic Corps team. Crazy speculations about the boy could wait. Right now, he had to do his best to prepare for whatever was about to happen. If Ebihan really was strong enough to take on a first squad team, then it was possible that the rescue team would need a little rescuing themselves. Focilo needed to be ready to help them out when the time came.
Ariom stared blankly at Aunt Kat. "They''re not here? What do you mean they''re not here? How can they not be here?" "I''m sorry, Ariom, but they really don''t seem to be here. We''ve looked in all the holding cells, and Kino has smelled the entire floor. There''s no sign of them." Aunt Kat''s expression was deeply apologetic. "Remember, we picked this out as the most likely place, but there was never any guarantee that they were here to begin with. They must be on another floor...or even in another building. We''ll just have to keep looking." She patted his arm comfortingly and then went over to where Ziryi and Ironfish were looking at the building maps and discussing where they ought to go from here. They were still in the large room in the center of the fourth floor. Red was treating Rockbrawler and Silverwater, who had both received minor injuries during the last fight. Sala was floating the unconscious Order members into some of the unused holding cells, while keeping an eye on the few conscious ones who had surrendered and gone into a cell of their own accord. And Kino was prowling around the area, watching for approaching enemies and continuing to search for signs of Thenio, Focilo, or Rimeus. Ariom continued to stand there, staring unseeingly into space. He knew that he ought to go consult with the others and help figure out what to do next. But it was like everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours had just caught up with him, completely overloading his mind. He was so tired all of a sudden.... "Hey, don''t zone out in a place like this," an annoyingly familiar voice said, bringing him out of his stupor. "Do you need a nice cold shower to help you wake up?" Ariom turned to glare at Namyis. She''d gone to block off all the exits to this floor, to help make sure no enemies could sneak up on them. But she must have just gotten back. "Keep your ice water to yourself," he snapped. "I don''t need it." "Aww...I was only trying to help." Namyis put on an innocent expression for a moment. Then she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at him. "Come on, try to cheer up. I know it''s discouraging that they weren''t where we expected them to be. But it''s not like we''re out of time yet. Eteon said that Thenio could last a day or two, right? It''s only been a few hours since then. We''ll keep looking, so don''t give up!" "I know," Ariom said irritably. "I''m not going to give up. It''s just that I''ve had a really lousy day and night. Nothing has gone how it was supposed to. Way too many people have been trying to kill me. I''ve exhausted my magic multiple times and barely got any chance to rest. My assistant got kidnapped and is currently dying of magic suffocation. I somehow ended up going on a raid with the Magic Corps, of all things. And now there''s yet another setback. So I''m taking a five minute break to feel annoyed about it all, okay? Do you have a problem with¡ª" He suddenly broke off. There was a strange, hot sensation on his chest. Frowning, Ariom reached inside his combat suit and pulled out the pendant that was hanging around his neck. The one that Relisa had given him, which was made from Ket''shiu''s wood. It was glowing softly, and it felt warm against his skin. "Isn''t that the necklace Grandmaster Sephior''s wife gave you?" Namyis asked, looking at it curiously. "Why is it glowing like that?" At her words, everyone else turned to look. For a moment, they all stared silently at the shining circle of wood in Ariom''s hand. Then the light coming from the pendant flared more brightly, and something sprouted out of the wood where the carving of the tree was. A single green branch grew upwards. A few buds appeared on it, stretching out and unfurling into small green and gold leaves. When the branch was about ten inches long, it stopped growing. The glow and heat faded. For a moment, it was just a simple, innocent-looking tree sprout sticking up from Ariom''s hand, swaying slightly. Then it suddenly tilted hard to one side, pointing down a nearby corridor. There was a moment of silence. "I think it wants us to go that way," Namyis said, pointing in the same direction as the sprout. She looked around at the others. "Anybody know what the Magic Corps'' policy on taking directions from tree branches is? I must have missed that particular training session." Chapter 71 - Lend Me Your Eyes "I thought Relisa said that was a protection charm." Aunt Kat came over to look at the tree sprout more closely. "She didn''t say anything about a function like this, did she?" Ariom shook his head. "No. But she said it had Ket''shiu''s magic in it, so who knows what kinds of crazy things it might be capable of?" "Ket''shiu''s?" Red had just finished treating Silverwater and walked over to take a look at the pendant. "Is that made from his wood?" "That''s what Relisa Sephior said when she gave it to me. And the magic in it does have a similar feel to that ''tree blood'' stuff I drank earlier." Ariom frowned at the piece of wood in his hand for a moment. Then he looked back at Aunt Kat. "Should we follow it?" "Well, getting directions from a tree branch is pretty strange," she said, eyeing the sprout uncertainly. "But I know Relisa is trustworthy. And if that''s really a mythic beast''s magic...." Kino also came over to them, his nose twitching. Ariom pulled the pendant off his neck and held it down where the storm hound could sniff at it more easily. As he moved it, the branch twisted around to keep pointing in the same direction. "What do you think, Kino?" Aunt Kat asked. "I know you and Garem have dealt with a lot of crazy things over the years. Have you ever seen anything like this before?" "Not exactly." Kino finished sniffing along the length of the branch and then looked up at her. "But the Sephiors have helped us with some other cases. They trained in Ket''qe, and they have ties to the Shiu''tanas. So maybe Ket''shiu wants to help us find Focilo? Or maybe the pendants are connected somehow. Relisa said that Focilo has one too, right? Whichever it is, I think it''s okay to follow it." "I don''t think it would hurt to at least see what it''s pointing to." Ziryi was looking at the tree branch with interest. "Ironfish and I were just talking about the possibility of there being a hidden area on this floor that''s not on the map. That kind of thing is pretty common in Order bases. And when we were searching the holding cells, I did notice a corridor that looked a little off. I checked it and didn''t find anything, but the guy who did the enchantments on this place is really good, so it''s possible that I just couldn''t detect whatever it was. I''m really interested to see if this branch leads us to that same place." "All right. If no one has any objections...." Aunt Kat looked around at the team members. No one said anything, and a few people shook their heads. "Then let''s do what Darkbolt suggested and at least see where it''s trying to lead us." Ariom passed the pendant over to Rockbrawler, who led them into the holding area, following its direction. It wasn''t a comfortable trip. As they walked through the corridors, many of the cells'' occupants watched them anxiously. A few of them had gotten quite hysterical when they''d first seen the Magic Corps combat suits, banging their fists against the barriers on their cells and screaming to be let out. Most quieted down when Aunt Kat reassured them that they''d be let out as soon as the building was secured and a proper medical team arrived. But Red had to go in and sedate a couple of them. Only about a third of the prisoners were human. The majority were actually magic beasts. Most of these had probably been acquired illegally, like the manticore. A ragged-looking gryphon whose wings were missing most of their feathers hissed and snapped its beak at them as they went by. A blue, short-haired storm hound barked at Kino, who stared back at it gloomily for a moment before turning away and continuing down the hall. Ariom felt a bit sick when they passed several smaller pens that held dragons of various breeds. They were all curled up in miserable little balls, and many of them had large patches of scales or fur or feathers missing, just like the gryphon. At least none of them seemed to be Iggy''s cousins. And Ariom knew that all of them would soon be getting proper medical care and would then be sent to rehabilitation programs. The Ayerin Hatchery occasionally took in abused dragons like these to train and socialize before either finding them good homes or adopting them into their resident flock of retired breeding pairs. Many other high-quality breeders did the same. So these magic beasts should all have better futures ahead of them. But it was still painful to just walk past without doing anything.... The tree sprout led them along a few more rows of cells until they turned a corner and found themselves in an empty hallway. "Yes, this place!" Ziryi said excitedly. "This is the corridor I was talking about." "There''s nothing here?" Rockbrawler said questioningly, looking around. "Exactly. This is the only corridor on this floor that doesn''t have any rooms connected to it." Ariom pulled out his copy of the building maps, found the floor they were on, and examined it carefully. She was right. This hallway was on the outer edge of the holding area, running between two rows of cells. There were a few similar connecting corridors in other places on the map, but they all had storage rooms along one side. Both sides of this particular corridor were just blank walls. One wall had two holding cells on the other side of it, so it made sense that there were no doorways there. But there was no apparent reason why the other side didn''t have any rooms leading off of it. Of course, it could just be that there was a problem with the terrain right here. Or maybe one of the base''s other underground facilities came too close, so there wasn''t enough space to build any further out. But it was also very possible that there was something hidden on the other side. "Try walking down the hall," Ziryi suggested. "Let''s see if that branch points to any particular spot." Rockbrawler obligingly walked down the corridor, holding the pendant out in front of him. At first, the tree sprout was pointing ahead, but after he''d gone about a third of the way down the hall, it suddenly swiveled and pointed to the left, straight at the seemingly blank wall. "Here?" Ziryi walked over and started examining that spot on the wall. A moment later, she frowned and looked over at Ariom. "I still can''t see anything unusual. How about you?" Ariom went over to where she was standing. He scanned the wall up and down, but apart from the same reinforcement enchantment that all the walls in this place had on them, he couldn''t see anything, even with magesight. He frowned and looked at the pendant in Rockbrawler''s hand. The tree branch was still resolutely pointing at the wall. "Should we try breaking through physically?" Ziryi asked. "If we disable the reinforcement, it shouldn''t be hard to smash through a wall like this. But if there are some kind of hidden traps...." Ariom shook his head. "Not yet. If there''s really a hidden enchantment on this wall, then there will definitely be traps attached to the matrix. That''s just how this guy operates. Let me work on it a little before we resort to brute force. Can I have that back for a minute?" He held out his hand toward the pendant, and Rockbrawler gave it to him. He started walking slowly back and forth along the hallway, watching the tree sprout. In the middle of the hall, it stayed perpendicular to the wall, but at some point on either side, it started bending to one side, pointing back toward the center. After a couple of passes, Ariom took a piece of chalk from his space pocket and marked the wall at both points where the branch started tilting. That should be the borders of whatever was there. In between the marks was a space about fifteen feet wide. Ariom stood and scowled at it, thinking hard. If he assumed that there was an enchantment there, that brought up two important questions. The first one, of course, was why couldn''t he see it? That actually wasn''t too hard to explain. His magesight was very sensitive, but it was oriented toward elemental magic¡ªthe kind of magic that humans and magic beasts used. He could see other kinds, too, but not nearly as well. And it was entirely possible that there were kinds he couldn''t see at all. So the most obvious answer was that the enchantment used a type of magic that he couldn''t see. Though another possibility was that it was done in an unusual enchanting style that didn''t emit any detectable magic power unless it was activated by something. How could he figure out which of those it was? He needed to be able to analyze the enchantment to figure out how it was constructed, but he wouldn''t be able to analyze it unless he already knew how it was constructed so he could work out a method to see it properly. It was quite a conundrum.... That led him to the second important question. There was nothing on the map past this hallway. So whatever was there, Eteon hadn''t been able to see it either, even using dream magic. But the weird little tree sprout Ariom had in his hand could tell something was there. Meaning that Ket''shiu''s power could detect it, but Ki''shiu''s couldn''t. What was the difference between the Lord of Dreams and the Lord of the Forest? Well, Relisa had told him that earlier: Only Ket''shiu and the phoenix have enough resistance to provide material for anti-demon medicine. Ket''shiu was especially resistant to demon miasma. But Eteon¡ªand Ki''shiu, by extension¡ªseemed to be especially vulnerable to it. And it was the same with Ariom and the Old One who had made this enchantment, wasn''t it? The main goal of the Order of the Ravener was to harness the power of demons, so the Old One, as one of their top leaders, should be an expert on demon magic. Whereas Ariom knew very little about it. He knew he could detect miasma in larger amounts¡ªhis magesight had picked up the patches of magic spreading up Eteon''s arms. But if it was woven into very thin strands, by an extremely skilled enchanter.... If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ...there was a good chance he wouldn''t be able to see it at all. And if a section of this building was hidden inside a barrier made using demon magic, then Eteon probably wouldn''t have been able to see it, either. Demon magic was the most likely answer to both questions. But that led to yet another question: Even if he knew what it was, how was Ariom supposed to see it? "I really wish Iggy were here..." he muttered to himself. Then he sighed and turned to Ziryi. "You don''t happen to know how to analyze an enchantment made with unpurified demon magic, do you?" "Unpurified demon magic?" Ziryi blinked at him. "Is that even possible? I mean, I know this guy is incredibly skilled, and that would explain why neither of us can see whatever''s on that wall. But isn''t demon magic too volatile to use for something like that? I''ve only ever heard of it being used after it''s purified." "That''s normally how it would be, yes. But we''re dealing with a very abnormal enchanter here. If it''s him.... Well, let''s just assume that I''m right, and there''s an enchantment made from demon magic in front of us. Do you have any way to analyze it?" "Uh...." Ziryi screwed up her face, apparently thinking. "The Demon Poison Center should have some scanning equipment that can detect things like that. And I know some of the doctors there use a demon-oriented magesight. They could probably do it. But as far as anything I have with me...." She paused for a moment and then shook her head with an apologetic expression. "I''m sorry. I don''t think I have anything like that in my magic kit." "Then what should we do?" Aunt Kat asked, looking between the two of them. "Do we need to wait for backup?" "I''m not sure.... Let me think for a minute," Ariom said, scowling with concentration again. It was true that calling in support from the Magic Corps'' Poison Center or Demon Research Center would normally be the best option for something like this. But that would probably take hours, and even then it wasn''t guaranteed that they could find someone who could both see this enchantment and was capable of disabling it. But that might be their only choice.... Ariom was in the same position as Ziryi. Some of his scanning equipment at home could probably be adjusted to read demon magic, if he had enough time to work on it. But nothing he was carrying with him would be able to¡ª Wait. Maybe there was something. Ariom stared down at the pendant he was still holding in his hand. He didn''t really know how it worked. He didn''t know if someone was controlling it or if it was following some kind of pre-programmed behavior. And he wasn''t actually sure whether it was detecting the demon magic or whether it was just leading them to wherever Focilo was. But if it could detect demon magic, he ought to be able to make use of that. Manipulating other people''s magic was what void mages were known for, after all. Ariom pondered for a moment. He could probably pull some of the magic power out of the pendant to use, but there was a chance that would make it stop functioning as their compass. Before they found Thenio and Focilo, that wasn''t a good idea. Luckily, he already had another source of the same magic. Some of it was already inside his body, even. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to focus on the foreign magic still running through him. Neutralizing the demon poison had weakened it, but he was able to find and take control of a small amount. It should be enough to test his idea, at least. Ariom activated his magesight, channeling Ket''shiu''s magic power into his eyes along with his own. A second later, he was sure he''d made a mistake. There was a sharp pain in his eyes, and his vision distorted strangely. Even in small amounts, a mythic beast''s magic was no joke. Just moving it to his eyes hadn''t been a problem, but the delicate control required for magesight was much more difficult. Ariom gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, which were beginning to water. "Ariom, what are you doing?" he heard Red''s voice say in a concerned tone. "Stop! You''re going to hurt yourself!" Ariom held up a hand in the direction of the voice. "No. I can do this. Just...give me a minute." He steadied his breathing and concentrated, ignoring the pain. He could control it. He had to control it. He needed this magic to get to Thenio and Focilo. Slowly, gradually, the magic settled down and came under his control. The discomfort in his eyes eased. There...it was almost¡ª Ariom suddenly let out a hiss of pain. Ket''shiu''s magic had broken free, and his eyes felt like they were burning. "Ariom!" He heard several voices call out his name in alarm. Aunt Kat. Red. And...was that Namyis? "Ariom, stop!" Red was right in front of him now, his hands on Ariom''s shoulders. "Whatever you''re doing, stop!" Somehow, over all the noise, Ariom could hear a soft rustling sound, like leaves blowing in the wind. Or maybe a large creature letting out a sigh. There was a tickling sensation on his wrist. The feeling of something wrapping around it. Then a gentle warmth. Ariom opened his eyes. The pain had vanished. "I''m okay," he told Red, who was staring at him, looking both worried and bewildered. Ariom reached up and wiped the tears off his face. "Really. I''m okay. It doesn''t hurt anymore." "Your eyes...." Red was still staring at him. "They changed color. What did you do?" "I just borrowed a little power to help get through this enchantment. It wasn''t working very well at first, but...I guess he decided to cooperate with me." Ariom looked down at his hand. The wooden pendant had grown a little more, becoming a long, thin vine that was wrapped snugly around his wrist. He had no doubt about it now. Someone was definitely controlling that thing. And that person...that creature? Whatever it was, it had just helped him out. Ket''shiu''s magic was quietly following his direction now. It was a little embarrassing that he hadn''t been able to do it by himself, but...well, it was the result that mattered, in the end. Red was still looking at him doubtfully, but Ariom raised his head and looked past him, at the wall. "There it is. I can see it now." As expected, the space in between his chalk marks was covered in an intricate enchantment matrix, the delicate lines glowing a sinister purplish-green. They were faint, but he could see them. "You can? Really?" Ziryi''s eyes widened. "What did you do?" "I''ll explain later. This won''t last for very long." Ariom looked back at Red. "I''m sorry for worrying you. And for not listening to the team medic. But I''m okay now. I need to disable this enchantment while I still can." Red hesitated briefly and then sighed and moved away. "Fine. But make sure you have a doctor look at your eyes later, all right?" Ariom nodded agreeably. "I will. I promise." He might as well agree. Uncle Bero was definitely going to force him to get a thorough medical examination after everything that happened today, anyway.... He turned his attention to the enchantment. Once he could actually see it, it turned out to not be too different from the ones that they''d had to deal with when they entered the building. Two explosive traps. An alarm. A formation that looked like an opening mechanism but was actually a paralysis trap. Ariom recognized the disguise technique from the trap he''d accidentally set off on the golem. He wouldn''t fall for that again. He pulled out his knife and got to work, disarming the alarm trap first. By the time he''d finished with it, the faint lines of the enchantment were already starting to grow fainter. The small amount of magic he''d had left from his first dose of tree blood was running out. Ariom hesitated for a moment, frowning and considering his options. Finally, he took out the bottle of tree blood he''d gotten from Relisa and opened the lid. "You''re sure you need that so soon?" Red apparently wasn''t quite done worrying about Ariom''s wellbeing. "You already had a bottle of moondust, so if you drink that, you probably won''t be able to take any more medicine without side effects." "I know. But yes, I need it." Red sighed but didn''t argue. Ariom drank the potion and almost immediately felt Ket''shiu''s magic flooding through him. He began directing it to his eyes, and the lines of the inscription on the wall grew bright enough to see clearly. Much better. It was worth putting up with a little recovery sickness later. He went to work on the paralysis trap, cautiously slicing it apart with his magic-coated knife and leaving several small gashes in the wall in the process. But that didn''t matter. This part of the wall was actually just a magic construct, anyway. It would disappear after he finished deactivating the enchantment, along with whatever damage he did to it. "I''m about to disarm a couple of explosive traps," he warned the others after he finished with the paralysis one. They moved a little further away, and Silverwater put up one of his liquid shields. With his magesight enhanced by a mythic beast''s magic, Ariom could see the flow of power in the magically-created metal much more clearly than usual. It allowed him to recognize patterns and spot weaknesses that he hadn''t seen before. Was this how mythic beasts saw the world? It was a bit enviable.... He shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts aside. Then he took a few deep breaths to steady himself before focusing on the first explosive trap. He''d disarmed quite a few of these by now, but it was still hard to feel completely confident dealing with something that could easily blow his limbs off if he made a wrong move.... Fortunately, the disarming went smoothly, and Ariom could finally focus his attention on the main enchantment. He wasn''t nearly as skilled at picking locks as Ziryi was, and this was a little different from all the door enchantments he''d watched her disarm. But there were still enough similarities that he managed to puzzle it out after ten or fifteen minutes. "I''ve just about got it open," he said, pausing and turning to look at Aunt Kat. "Well done," she said with an approving nod. "Defensive positions, everyone! We have no idea what might be lurking on the other side of that wall. Ariom, as soon as you trigger the opening mechanism, get back as quickly as you can, just in case." "Understood." Ariom waited while the others moved into a semi-circle around where he was standing, putting up their various shields. Aunt Kat looked around to make sure everyone was in place and then turned back to him. "We''re ready. Go ahead." He nodded and sent out a thin strand of his magic to trigger the last enchantment formation. Then he hurried over to the protection of Red''s mist cloud as the wall began to open up. With a soft shimmer of magic particles, the stone wall faded away from the center out until it revealed a wide corridor leading to another section of the building. They''d finally found the way forward. But none of the team members moved yet. They were all staring intently at a single person who was standing at the other end of the hallway¡ªa middle-aged man with greying blonde hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a medical uniform, like many of the other Order members they''d encountered on this floor. But unlike the others, he didn''t immediately attack or run away. He simply stood there and looked at them with a despondent expression. "Ah...I told him that abducting Focilo Sephior was dangerous," he said with a sigh. "But he never listens...." Chapter 72 - The Old Ones Loyal Follower "Lord Vehnkir is exceptional, of course. He''s the most amazing necromancer. Yes. Absolutely incredible. You can''t even imagine the things he''s able to do. So of course he has no need to listen to someone at my level. Of course not. "But...well...it''s just that his mind is always focused on his research, you see. Such a brilliant researcher. The Order is so fortunate to have him. So it''s understandable that he sometimes can''t spare attention for extraneous details, isn''t it? Quite understandable." What was wrong with this guy? He didn''t seem surprised or frightened to see the group of combat-ready battlemages in front of him. He just kept staring at them with that sorrowful expression on his face, rambling on about someone he called ''Lord Vehnkir.'' Ariom wasn''t aware of any Kafron nobles named ''Vehnkir.'' Was it the name of the Old One who''d kidnapped Thenio and Focilo? Was this guy his servant or something? The man looked relatively harmless, and he seemed to be a life mage, which should mean that he was lacking in offensive capabilities compared to the team of elite battlemages. But something about him made the hairs on the back of Ariom''s neck stand on end.... The familiars seemed to feel the same way. Both of them were glaring at the man with their teeth bared. Sala''s tail was puffed up to twice its usual size, and Kino let out a soft growl. "And the unfortunate timing wasn''t his fault, now was it? Who could have known that the Magic Corps had already gotten wind of this place and would be able to attack us so soon? Lord Vehnkir didn''t do anything wrong. Of course he didn''t. He was just unlucky." The man let out another depressed sigh. "Who are you?" Aunt Kat asked in a loud voice, before he could continue his strange monologue. "Ebihan Ileus. Director of Special Research Projects." To Ariom''s surprise, the man willingly introduced himself, although he still looked very unhappy. "Three people were abducted from the Royal Guard headquarters a few hours ago, and we believe they were teleported here," Aunt Kat said sternly. "The fact that you mentioned Focilo Sephior seems to support that. We want to search the area ahead. If you cooperate with us, you''ll be given fair treatment." "Fair? No, it''s not fair," Ebihan complained. "Even if this isn''t Lord Vehnkir''s fault, it still looks bad, doesn''t it? It looks like the base was attacked because of what he did. So I''m afraid that the rest of the Old Ones are going to be angry with him.... What if they punish him? What if they lock him up on the other side again? That would be terrible. I might have to go years without receiving his guidance. Years! How is that fair?" The rescue team members all exchanged uneasy looks. This guy was clearly a bit unhinged.... "It''s even more unfair that you were able to get into this area," Ebihan went on, scowling. "You shouldn''t have even known to look here. And you especially shouldn''t have been able to break through Lord Vehnkir''s enchantment so quickly. Modern enchanters can''t even compare to him. What kind of dirty trick did you use?" To the team''s credit, they all had enough sense to not look at Ariom right then. "I don''t think we''re under any obligation to answer that question," Aunt Kat said evenly. "The important thing is that we had good reason to suspect that the three kidnapping victims are being kept here, and we have authorization from General Obarin to search this place. Are you going to cooperate with us or not?" "Cooperate?" Ebihan''s miserable expression finally lightened a little, and he actually let out a small chuckle. "Now why should I do that?" "The numbers aren''t exactly in your favor here. Do you really want to pick a fight with a team from the Magic Corps'' first squad? All by yourself?" "No, not by myself. But I''m not by myself, you know?" Ebihan gave a small, sad smile. "I''m sorry to say that Lord Vehnkir is out at the moment. But he never truly leaves me alone. No. He''s a good master. The best master. He wouldn''t leave his faithful student unprotected." Aunt Kat raised an eyebrow. "Really? I don''t see anyone else with you, though?" She didn''t say it with a mocking attitude. On the contrary, her expression had become even more wary, and she was watching Ebihan closely. Ariom noticed the other team members scanning their surroundings. They obviously took the threat of hidden enemies very seriously. But it was true that there was no one else visible in the hallway. Ariom couldn''t even see anything using his magesight, which was still enhanced by the remnants of Ket''shiu''s magic. "Of course you don''t see them." Ebihan''s smile widened. "They''re still sleeping for now. But they''re good children. They''ll come as soon as I call them." Ariom frowned. He really didn''t like the sound of that. Hadn''t that guy just called himself Vehnkir''s student? Then if Vehnkir was the Old One who''d taken Thenio and Focilo...the same brilliant necromancer who''d created the flesh golem and the teleportation array and all the barriers on this place.... This might be a bit dangerous. "Oh?" Aunt Kat''s eyes narrowed a little. "Go ahead and call them, then. We''re not leaving until we get our people back." Ebihan sighed, and his expression became gloomy again. "Of course it''s like that.... You military types are always so troublesome." Aunt Kat scoffed. "We''re troublesome? You''re the ones who kidnap innocent people and perform cruel experiments on them. Do you think we didn''t see the victims you''ve been keeping prisoner here? Or the sorry state of all those poor magic beasts...who almost certainly ended up here via illegal trafficking? What right do you have to call us troublesome?" Seeing the occupants of those holding cells had clearly been upsetting for her, too. For one thing, there were quite a few feline magic beasts in there, and she''d always had a soft spot for cats. Just like Thenio.... "That''s a necessary sacrifice for the sake of our research," Ebihan said calmly. "What are the lives of a few magic beasts worth compared to a chance to unlock the secrets of this world? But I don''t expect you to understand. People like you never understand. You were born with power. So how could you understand the feelings of the weak? Our research is for the benefit of the common people. Why should they tremble in fear of demons when they could be harnessing the power of demon magic instead?" "Pretty words to try to justify your horrible actions." Aunt Kat gave him a look of deep disdain. "Yes, we were born with power, like you said. That''s why we take responsibility for keeping the demons under control. To protect the common people so they don''t need to tremble in fear. Thanks to the military''s rift warning system and containment procedures, it''s been more than half a century since Kafron last suffered from a major demon attack. We don''t need your disgusting research, and you know it. What ''benefit of the common people''...? You only care about gaining power for yourselves. Stop making excuses." "Tsk, tsk...." Ebihan clicked his tongue, shaking his head sadly. "As I said, you simply can''t understand the greatness of the Old Ones'' vision." "No, I can''t," Aunt Kat said flatly. "And we''re in a bit of a hurry, so let''s stop wasting time with this nonsense. Either stand aside, or we''ll move you aside. It''s your choice." With a sweep of her halberd, she reformed her group of water tigers, which all lashed their tails and bared their teeth threateningly. The rest of the team also prepared to attack. Rockbrawler brandished his enormous, stone-covered fists. Ironfish began creating a swarm of metal shards behind the cover of his brother''s silver shield. Ziryi''s hair stood up even more than usual as tiny flickers of purple lightning ran up and down the blade of her dagger. And Namyis held her crystal staff at the ready as the air around her sparkled with bits of frost. If Iggy were here, he would have been cowering in fear at the magic emanating from the group. Even Ariom felt rather intimidated by it. He took his green bow out and held it ready, but he didn''t take out any arrows yet. It was better to wait and see what was needed once the fighting started. Besides...he had a guess about the identity of Ebihan''s ''children.'' If it was correct, then he would probably be able to contribute more as an enchanter and necromancer than as a magic archer. "Very well," Ebihan said with a sigh. "As you say, if it''s impossible for you to understand our purpose, then there''s no point wasting time on useless discourse. I need to hurry and clean up the mess you''ve caused to help Lord Vehnkir avoid any negative repercussions." Then he smiled, looking rather proud. "So I''ll let you have the privilege of meeting the beautiful soldiers that my master has generously granted me." He waved his hand casually in front of him, and the floor of the hallway began to ripple and distort. Figures started rising up from it. A moment later, the hallway was filled with three columns of what appeared to be completely identical combat wizards. They all stood perfectly still in exactly the same pose, wearing black armor with gold trim and holding gold staves covered with decorative black magic formations. Perhaps the most uncanny thing about them was that their eyes were covered with solid golden masks, also decorated with black inscriptions. They clearly weren''t human. Or at least...not living humans. At first glance, they seemed to be flesh golems. But then they all raised their staves in unison and did something that golems generally weren''t able to do. They started throwing out magic attacks. "Team, attack!" Aunt Kat shouted over the sound of various magic projectiles crashing against their shields. "Red, Ariom! Figure out what those things are and tell us how to beat them!" Her water tigers sprang forward, attacking the first row of soldiers. But they seemed to have some pretty amazing defensive enchantments on them because they completely ignored the watermimics, continuing to send out attacks in perfect coordination with their companions. They weren''t thrown off balance by the tigers jumping on them, and when the mimics dissolved their forms and wrapped around the soldiers to try to hold them in place, they simply stopped moving and waited while the soldiers further back blasted them with fire, turning the watermimics into clouds of steam. Then the front soldiers resumed attacking as though nothing had happened, seemingly unharmed by the intense flames. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. They weren''t just using magic. They were using magic at the level of high-rank combat wizards. Not only that, but each soldier was able to use multiple magic types. The ones that had evaporated Aunt Kat''s watermimics with fire sent whirlwinds flying toward Silverwater''s shield right afterward, and a minute later, Ariom saw them throw a shower of rocks at Sala, who was trying to weigh down one of their comrades. So far they''d only been using the basic affinity types. And their attacks were much more straightforward than those of the experienced battlemages. But it was still beyond the capabilities of most humans. And there were more than a dozen of them. It was like fighting a whole troop of high-rank null mages. Their armor was by far the bigger problem, though. Between that and whatever reinforcement enchantments they had inscribed directly on their bodies, they were able to shrug off most of the attacks the rescue team was sending at them. Even Rockbrawler''s heavy punches only knocked them back a little. For now, the team''s defenses were also holding strong. But Ebihan''s soldiers were slowly moving closer to them. Namyis was trying to freeze them in ice to hold them back, which was helping. But there were too many of them, and she couldn''t freeze them all fast enough to stop them from breaking each other out. If the golems all had physical strengthening magic on them and were capable of melee combat, the rescue team was going to be in a difficult position before long. They could retreat, of course. But either Ebihan would follow them and take the fighting into the corridors where the holding cells were, which would likely result in prisoners being injured or killed. Or he would stay and seal off the entrance to the hidden area, in which case they might not be able to get back in and find Thenio in time. None of their current options were good. They needed to find another way. "Those are definitely artificial bodies," Red said, watching the soldiers with his brow furrowed in concentration. He had the difficult task of analyzing the enemies, keeping his protective mist dense enough to repel their attacks, and monitoring the rest of the team to watch for injuries, all at the same time. "They''re made of flesh and bone. But they don''t just look alike. Their muscle and bone structure is all the same, and there''s no way you could get that many identical corpses. They don''t breathe, but their hearts are beating. No blood, though. You see how pale their skin is? They''ve got some other kind of liquid circulating in them. I can''t tell what it is. But I don''t think it''s anything I can influence." Highly-skilled blood mages like Red were capable of taking control of another person''s blood and using it to either kill them or influence their actions. That was another thing that contributed to the affinity''s poor reputation.... Ariom was also staring intently at the golems with a deep scowl on his face, trying to analyze them through their armor. It wasn''t easy. "I think...it''s probably demon crystal," he said slowly. "Purified demon crystals, powdered and then dissolved in a liquid base. I recently studied some Order flesh enchantments that used scribing ink made like that. I think this is something similar." "That would take a lot of purified crystals. These guys must have been crazy expensive to make." "Does the cost really matter right now...?" "Only because it means they shouldn''t be able to make a whole army of them. Which is mildly comforting." Red grimaced as several large fireballs hit his mist, burning away about half of it. He immediately started putting out more to replace it. Ariom raised an eyebrow but didn''t say anything. It was an unnecessary tangent, but he could understand it. And it was a little comforting.... "Hey, give me another bottle of tree blood," he said after Red had replenished his mist and breathed out a small sigh of relief that no more large attacks had hit them while it was weakened. "You have extras, don''t you? I''m not going to take it now," he added when the medic hesitated. "It''s just in case. I can use it to boost my magesight. It''s worth getting a little sick if it helps take down these brutes." "Fine. But be careful. Drink it a little at a time." Red reluctantly pulled out a bottle of neutralizing tonic and handed it over. Ariom stored it safely in his space pocket. The magic he''d gotten from the second bottle was more than half gone now, so he''d probably need the third one soon. But he''d try to drink it when Red wasn''t looking.... He focused his attention back on Ebihan''s soldiers. He''d seen how the Order used purified demon crystals as a conversion catalyst and stabilizing agent in the magic circuit enhancement that he''d originally been studying for this job. If it was being used for the same purpose with these golems, then he could make a rough guess about how the enchantment was designed. The enhancement matrix had used the purified crystal to help convert external magic into a type that matched the person''s magic signature before feeding it into their magic circuit. These soldiers were probably using a process that was more or less the reverse of that. There should be a large magic crystal that acted as a power reserve somewhere in their bodies. The magic was drawn from the crystal and fed through one of several conversion formations to change it to the desired type before releasing it as an attack. Normally this would be a very unstable design, since different types of residual power would build up inside the body and start clashing with each other. That was part of what made Thenio''s magic so unstable¡ªhis ever changing magic circuit tended to create power clashes. But with the liquid demon crystal acting as a filter.... Well, it would still be difficult to get the balance just right, but it should be possible. That might be the key to dealing with these horrible things: If they were running on a delicately balanced system, then logically, it shouldn''t take much to throw them off balance. Ariom could probably do it with one of his void arrows, if he could just find the right weak point to hit. That would be the difficult part. He could guess at the basic construction of the enchantment matrix, but there were several different ways it could be arranged inside the body. And that impenetrable armor made it impossible to see the inscription directly, so he had no way of knowing exactly which arrangement it was. Even Ket''shiu''s magic couldn''t help him if he didn''t have a direct line of sight. Well...even if he knew where the weak point was, there was a good chance it would be protected by that stupid armor anyway, so maybe it wouldn''t help.... Ariom scowled. He was going to have to change his approach. And he needed to hurry. The golems were slowly moving closer, pushing the rescue team back against the wall of the corridor. And while the others were able to hold off their attacks for now, it was clearly taking its toll. Aunt Kat had just downed a bottle of moondust. Seeing that, Kino went over to her and let out a soft whine. She took out a bone-shaped object and handed it to him. He took it in his mouth and quickly chomped it down. As he swallowed, Ariom could see magic power starting to spread through his body. That bone must have been one of his doses of recovery medicine. The medicine that magic beasts used often came in solid forms like that to make it easier for them to consume quickly. Trying to ignore the tense looks on the faces of his teammates, Ariom took a deep breath and turned back to the golems. But rather than continuing to analyze them, he started carefully examining their armor, scrutinizing every seam and joint and going over all the magic formations he was able to see. There had to be a weakness somewhere. If he could get at least one piece of armor off one of those golems, he might be able to learn enough from the exposed part to figure out where to go from there. Finally, he found a likely target. The golem''s golden masks had enchantments holding them securely in place, but a portion of that enchantment was exposed on the sides of the head, just in front of the ears. Places that could be triggered to take the mask off. It looked like they were locked, so they would only respond to a specific magic signature. But a nice shot of void magic in just the right spot should be able to take care of that. Ariom took a void arrow out of his quiver and held it ready on his bow, waiting for an opportunity. He got one a few minutes later. Rockbrawler hit one of the golems, making it turn to one side as it stumbled back a few steps. Then Namyis froze it in place. They didn''t struggle when they were frozen. They simply stopped moving, conserving their energy, and waiting until another golem could set them free. Which made for a nice, stationary target. Ariom raised his bow, took careful aim, and sent his arrow flying toward the frozen soldier. He half expected one of the other golems to intercept it, but perhaps they didn''t recognize it as a threat, because none of them responded to it. A second later, it hit its target, overloading the magic formation and knocking the mask askew. "Rockbrawler!" Ariom shouted. "Take its mask off!" The stone mage was already attacking another golem, but he heard Ariom''s shout and immediately turned, reached out one of his long arms, and ripped the mask off the first golem''s face. It flew a short distance away and fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. Everyone paused their fighting briefly, looking over at the strange sight. Ariom had expected the golems not to have any eyes. They didn''t need them, since they didn''t ''see'' in the normal sense of the word anyway. They seemed to be programmed to detect and attack sources of unrecognized magic. Though Ebihan was also controlling them manually part of the time. But it didn''t even have eye sockets. Or a forehead. It looked like the top half of its face had been sliced out, leaving only flat, smooth skin. "The skull''s open there!" Red called out. "It should be a weak spot! Hit it in the face!" Ariom blinked in surprise, understanding the implication behind Red''s words. Those weren''t masks. They were access panels. A healer or necromancer would easily be able to slice open the skin, fiddle with whatever was inside the head, and heal the skin back up again. Which meant that there should be an important part of the enchantment matrix in that area. Rockbrawler did his best to follow Red''s instructions, but before his fist made contact with the golem''s face, a thick golden barrier had appeared over it. Rockbrawler''s hand bounced harmlessly off of it. "No!" Ebihan snarled. "How dare you try to ruin one of the precious soldiers Lord Vehnkir gave me!" He directed several of the nearby golems to shatter the ice holding the maskless golem in place, allowing it to hastily retreat to the back of the group. When it was safe, Ebihan turned and glared at Ariom. "You! You''re a void mage? You must be the enchanter that Lord Vehnkir was wishing he could have abducted. Excellent!" He gave a twisted grin. "I''ll capture you alive and present you to my master when he returns. He''ll be so pleased!" Ariom made a disgusted face. He had absolutely no intention of becoming an Old One''s pet.... He took out a new arrow to try demasking another golem. But Ebihan was watching him closely and put barriers up around the heads of any golems he targeted. "Tch." Ariom clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked at Red. "I need to move over to where Silverwater and Ironfish are." Red raised an eyebrow but nodded and started moving carefully toward the twins with Ariom following closely behind him. Soon they reached the shelter of Silverwater''s liquid shield. He obligingly extended it to cover them, and then both brothers gave Ariom identical questioning looks. "Ironfish, I need your help," he said in a low voice. "Did you see the spot where I hit that golem''s mask? Can you hit the same place on the others?" Ironfish nodded. "I saw. And I can hit the others if there isn''t anything blocking me. But won''t he keep putting up barriers even if I''m the one controlling the arrow?" "Of course he will. But you''re not limited to one arrow at a time like I am, are you?" Ariom smirked and took a tall wooden box full of void arrows out of his quiver. Twenty-five of them. Then he took out a second box. The two void arrows he''d already used had come from this box, so it wasn''t entirely full, but there were still twenty-three arrows left. Forty-eight void arrows total. But he didn''t stop there. As the others watched in amazement, he took out four more boxes and lined them up in front of Ironfish. These were the uncharged blanks. All he had to do was charge up their cores with his magic, and he''d have a hundred more void arrows. One-hundred-forty-eight arrows in all. "That guy wants to play games, does he?" Ariom said savagely as he took a handful of blanks out and started channeling magic into them. "Fine. Let''s play. We''ll see how many arrows he can block at once, shall we?" Chapter 73 - Cornering the Necromancer Namyis was tired. Raids two nights in a row, with a full day of nonstop stasis magic use in between, plus being hit with a poison lullaby.... It was really too much, even for a high-ranker. She''d managed fairly well up to this point, but these weird soldier things that the crazy guy named Ebihan had pulled out were giving her a real headache. She was definitely going to need a few days off after this. Would she be able to persuade Ariom to let her come to his house to play with the dragons again? She hoped so. That had been a lot of fun. She''d probably be able to see Tava again, at least. She and Seyli had exchanged message book pages, and they''d talked about going shopping together sometime soon. But Iggy and Humerus were also fun to play with. And watching Ariom''s grouchy reactions was endlessly entertaining.... While a part of Namyis'' tired mind wandered off to think about more pleasant things, the rest was still focused on the job in front of her. She waved her staff, freezing another three golems in place, even while she listened to the cracking sounds of the ones she''d frozen a moment before already breaking free from the ice surrounding them. They never stopped, these pests.... As she let out a sigh of irritation, one of Ariom''s arrows flew past her and hit a golem that was lifting its staff to throw fire at its companions who had just been frozen. The arrow was obviously an earth-enchanted one, because the golem was immediately encased in hardened dirt up to its chest. Another arrow followed soon after, heading for the golem''s head. But it was blocked by one of Ebihan''s barriers and fell to the ground with a light clatter. "Idiot," Ebihan scoffed. "Haven''t I already shown that I can block your arrows whenever I want? Are you really the same enchanter who was brilliant enough to attract Lord Vehnkir''s attention?" Namyis glanced over at Silverwater''s shield. Ariom hadn''t responded to the insult because he was too busy enchanting arrows. It didn''t look like he''d heard it. And even if he had, it didn''t actually apply to him, anyway. Ebihan couldn''t see it from where he was standing, but the person who had been shooting at his soldiers for the past fifteen minutes was actually Ironfish, not Ariom. The metal mage had been alternating between his usual attacks and sending out one or two arrows at a time. He was deliberately using flight paths that made the arrows look like they''d been shot from a bow, and so far Ebihan hadn''t noticed the difference. He was probably a skilled necromancer, and he was quite good at using the fancy golems the Old One had given him. But it was clear that he didn''t have a lot of fighting experience. A veteran combat wizard would have made the connection between the metal mage and the void arrows that were slowly accumulating on the floor of the corridor after being blocked by Ebihan''s barriers. But Namyis was an experienced combat wizard. And she''d been raised by one of the best metal mages in the world. She understood exactly what Ironfish was doing. His main goal was obviously to buy time and to keep Ebihan from figuring out that Ariom was preparing for a large attack. That was more or less what the rest of the team was doing as well. Kathia had instructed all of them, via hand signals, to focus on holding their ground and wearing the enemy down, rather than trying to advance. So she clearly had some hope for whatever Ariom and the twins were putting together. The ongoing arrow attacks were also a way for Ironfish to feel out Ebihan and the golems, to see what they were capable of and how they were likely to respond to different situations. Ariom seemed to have handed over his entire stock of enchanted arrows, giving Ironfish the opportunity to experiment with various types of attacks. This was actually giving all of them useful information. It had revealed Ebihan''s lack of fighting experience and dependence on the golems, for a start. And the fact that Ebihan blocked the void arrows but not the other kinds implied a few important things as well. He was protecting the golems directly, which probably meant that they weren''t able to put up barriers themselves. So distracting or disabling him should allow them to attack his soldiers unimpeded. And letting other attacks hit them showed that he had confidence in their defensive enchantments and their magic power reserves, since he didn''t seem to mind them continually using magic to free each other from the various restraints that the rescue team kept putting on them. On the other hand, it suggested that his own magic power was more limited. He probably wouldn''t be much of a threat by himself once they figured out how to disable the golems. In other words, Ebihan and the golems together were a problem. But separately, they were manageable. Another useful piece of information was that the golems themselves didn''t react to the arrows at all until they were hit, which meant they could only sense active magic use. They didn''t seem to recognize the magic stored inside the arrows. Rockbrawler had taken advantage of that by dropping his stone body reinforcement and taking out a pair of metal knuckles, which he was using to hit the golems instead. These purely physical attacks still didn''t do much damage, but the golems didn''t avoid them, which made it easier for him to knock them back and keep them away from the rest of the team. And even that small amount of damage was gradually adding up. Most of the golems now had dents in their armor, and Rockbrawler had managed to crack a few of their staves, which weakened their magic attacks a little. It wasn''t much, but progress was progress. The final reason for Ironfish''s ongoing arrow attacks was actually the arrows themselves. This was where Ebihan''s lack of experience really showed. He clearly thought that Ariom was foolishly wasting his arrows on shots that would just get blocked by a barrier and be knocked down to the floor. He''d directed his golems to pick up the mask that Rockbrawler had taken off the one golem Ariom had managed to hit, so that he could put it back in place. But he wasn''t bothering to do anything about the arrows. No one who was used to fighting against high-level metal mages would make such a careless mistake. Any metal within reach of the twins'' magic was a potential weapon. Including the twenty or so arrows now conveniently spread around the corridor, which their enemies were completely ignoring. Namyis froze a few more of the obnoxiously persistent soldiers. Then with a resigned sigh, she raised her hand to signal that she needed to take a break. "Ice Queen, fall back!" she heard Kathia call out in response. Gratefully, Namyis moved to the rear, allowing the mirage mage to take her place. Kathia''s water magic couldn''t hold the golems back quite as well as Namyis'' ice could. But it would do for a few minutes, especially now that Ironfish was helping by shooting the golems with Ariom''s earth and ice arrows. Namyis took out one of her bottles of moondust and drank the entire thing, followed by half a bottle of ambrosia to relieve some of her physical fatigue and help heal the small burns and bruises she''d gotten from the golems'' attacks. It was hard to dodge when they were fighting in such a narrow space, so she''d been hit a few times now. Fortunately, the attacks had just grazed her, and her combat suit had absorbed most of the damage. They might not be quite as good as the armor made by an Old One, but the Magic Corps'' combat suits were still pretty impressive. Well, her suit was going to need some time in the workshop after this.... But at least it was holding out well enough so far. As she waited for the medicines to do their job, Namyis took a cube of frozen fruit juice out of her stasis pocket and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment, first to savor the cold, refreshing sweetness and then to focus on steadying the magic power that was rapidly regenerating throughout her body. Magic circulation exercises weren''t strictly necessary with a high-quality medicine like moondust, but it would help prevent any side effects. Namyis'' brief meditation was cut short by a pained yelp coming from somewhere down the corridor. She opened her eyes in time to see Sala leaping up to the ceiling, crossing over the heads of Ebihan''s soldiers, and lifting a small figure wearing a dark purple combat suit up out of the middle of them. Kathia sprayed a sheet of water out of the end of her halberd to protect the pair as they floated back toward the rest of the team. Rockbrawler, Ironfish, and Kino all joined in, attacking any golems who tried to target them. "Medic!" Kathia shouted as Sala moved the injured Ziryi around the end of the corridor and out of the line of fire. Red had already left the shelter of Silverwater''s barrier and was hurrying over to them. Sala waited until he reached them before she lowered Ziryi gently to the ground. Then she jumped down herself and stood guard while he checked Ziryi''s wounds. Namyis frowned. She hadn''t seen exactly what happened, but Ziryi must have taken a pretty bad hit to need to be pulled out like that. It looked like she was still conscious, so it shouldn''t be anything life-threatening. But she might have some broken bones or internal bleeding. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Combat suits could block most magic attacks, but they could only do so much against physical force. Getting hit with something like a head-on earth magic attack was still going to do some damage, especially with a petite woman like Ziryi. It was the same reason that Rockbrawler was able to do the most damage to Ebihan''s soldiers out of all of them so far. Poor Ziryi''s lightning magic had been mostly ineffective, on the other hand. Even her stronger attacks only threw the golems back a little. And sneak attacks against Ebihan hadn''t worked either. As a necromancer, he was sensitive to magic power and had been able to avoid the dark-colored lightning easily. Ziryi had resorted to using her small size and agility to dart around between the golems, distracting them and drawing their fire away from the rest of the team. It had helped. But it looked like she''d finally pushed her luck a little too far. Namyis shook her head and lifted her staff again. Obviously she cared about her friend and colleague. But she couldn''t afford to spend time worrying right now. Red was one of the best combat medics in Kafron. He''d take good care of Ziryi. The best way for Namyis to help her was by going back to work. But if Ariom and Ironfish managed to get the masks off those stupid golems, she was definitely going to stab a few of them in the face, on Ziryi''s behalf.
Ariom was exhausted. He slumped down onto the floor, dizzy and panting. He''d just finished draining out the last of his magic power. Again. He''d experienced magic exhaustion plenty of times before, but never three times in the same night. At least he''d had enough sense to take out a bottle of moondust before his magic got too low to use his space pocket properly. He removed the lid with trembling fingers and took a sip. He''d actually already drunk half the bottle just to have enough power to finish working on the arrows, so he was starting to have symptoms of recovery sickness. But they weren''t too bad yet¡ªjust a headache and a little nausea. It was worth making them a bit worse to get rid of the magic exhaustion. And Red had gone to take care of Ziryi and wasn''t here to scold him. So it was fine. "I think I''m done for this fight," he said weakly, looking up at the twins. "You can handle the rest, can''t you?" Ironfish nodded. "Don''t worry, I''ve got it worked out. You''ve done enough. Just rest until Red comes back." "I''ll make you another chair if you want," Silverwater said with a grin. "I''m fine. Save your magic." Ariom shook his head, though he immediately regretted it, since the movement brought on a fresh wave of vertigo. Ironfish turned and signaled to Aunt Kat. The two of them had been exchanging gestures for a while now. Ariom didn''t know exactly what they were saying, but he assumed they were working out the details of the impending attack. Aunt Kat nodded and looked around, apparently checking the status of the other team members. Ariom also looked at the others. He''d been focused on his work and hadn''t really been paying attention to what everyone else was doing. It was more or less the same as it had been before. Rockbrawler had removed his stone reinforcement for some reason but was still punching and shoving the golems away from the rest of the team, and Aunt Kat and Namyis were using water and ice to hold them in place after they''d been knocked back. Sala and Kino were helping out here and there when they saw an opportunity. Ziryi was on her feet again, but she was hanging back behind the others and wasn''t attacking again yet. She looked a little unsteady and seemed to be favoring her right leg. Red was sticking close to her, protecting her with his usual red mist while he monitored her condition. He kept giving Ariom concerned looks, but he didn''t come back over to them. Ziryi was apparently still the more pressing case. Aunt Kat must have decided that everyone was sufficiently prepared, because she suddenly pointed her halberd at Ebihan and shouted, "Team, attack the leader!" They all stopped what they were doing and turned to attack Ebihan. Aunt Kat sent a couple of water tigers running through the air toward him. Rockbrawler stopped punching things for once and started creating large stone slabs that he hurled in Ebihan''s direction. Ziryi shot an enormous purple lightning bolt at him. Ironfish threw out a swarm of metal shards. And Namyis formed a large number of sharp ice blades in the air that all flew toward Ebihan with startling speed. Wasn''t that one of Sword Queen''s signature moves? Namyis must have copied it from her trainer, using ice rather than metal. It was a little scary.... Ebihan dodged one of the stone slabs and directed a couple of nearby golems to intercept the tigers. He just barely managed to create a barrier before Ziryi''s attack reached him, but it was weak, and the lightning shattered it, allowing several of Namyis'' blades to slice into his skin and clothing before he could make another one. "You filthy battlemages!" he howled as blood started running down his face from a cut on his temple. "Using such cheap tricks!" Ariom raised an eyebrow. How was concentrating attacks on the enemy leader a cheap trick? Wasn''t it a standard fighting tactic? Even Seyli knew that one. This Ebihan guy just liked to whine whenever things didn''t go his way, didn''t he...? But of course that wasn''t the end of it. Silverwater was holding an armful of arrows ready, and at a nod from his brother, he threw them into the air. Ironfish took control of the bunch and sent them flying through the corridor like a school of sea serpents. Straight at the temporarily defenseless golems. "No!" Ebihan shrieked. He quickly diverted some of the power he was using to strengthen his own barrier and tried to protect the golems'' heads. But he only managed to cover about half of them in time. The rest were hit squarely by the arrows, knocking their masks loose. The battlemages didn''t waste any time. Rockbrawler immediately tore the mask off a nearby golem with one hand and punched the weak spot on its face hard with the other. The golem collapsed and started convulsing on the floor. As expected, the main control matrix was inside the head. Namyis had switched from her staff to a sword with a slender, light blue blade. She wielded it with graceful, well-practiced ease, using the tip to flick one of the loosened masks aside before stabbing into the soft flesh underneath. Aunt Kat did something very similar to another golem using the blade of her halberd. Then she paused briefly to send a few more water tigers over to harass Ebihan before directing her weapon toward another vulnerable golem. Kino was helping by using his wind magic to pull off as many masks as he could. He also collected the masks that the others had taken off, making them all fly over and land in a pile on the floor near Ariom, where the golems wouldn''t be able to pick them up again. Sala jumped on one of the golems whose mask he''d removed, sinking her large white teeth into its head. ...but whatever was inside must have tasted terrible, because as soon as the golem dropped to the floor, the tigress created a floating ball of water, which she used to rinse out her mouth. And when she attacked the next golem, she used her claws to slash its head open instead. Silly cat. What did she expect, biting into strange things like that...? "You military scum! Vandals! Savages! How dare you do that to the beautiful children that Lord Vehnkir made!" Ebihan was still shouting insults at them. But there was only so much he could do to protect the golems, since he was also still fending off a large amount of purple lightning, several water tigers, and the occasional ice blade or metal shard. Ziryi was the only one still attacking him directly. She hadn''t recovered enough to run around and attack the golems along with the others. And she seemed to be feeling some extra resentment toward Ebihan due to her injury. She was shooting wave after wave of electricity at him. It was to the point that even with her special, low-heat lightning bolts, the air around Ebihan had gotten hot enough to start melting Namyis'' ice blades when they came close. His face was shining with a mixture of sweat and blood from his cut. Still, he determinedly kept his barriers up on the remaining golems. Seven or eight of them were still standing, and they had regrouped and started attacking the rescue team again. It was time to send out the rest of Ariom''s handiwork. Silverwater took out another boxful of void arrows. But these ones were slightly different from the last batch. The others had grey fletching, but these ones were colored black to make it easier to tell them apart. Ariom had spent most of his preparation time on these arrows, including time spent observing the golems as Ironfish had been shooting at them. The twins exchanged looks, and Silverwater threw the arrows into the air. This time, Ironfish didn''t send the arrows at the golems right away. Instead, they flew up close to the ceiling and circled overhead like vultures, waiting for the right moment. "Are you waiting for me to lower the barriers? Foolish vermin," Ebihan taunted. "I''ll never let you harm these precious children! These precious gifts that Lord Vehnkir himself¡ª" He suddenly broke off, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open in horror. Ironfish had just dropped all the black arrows, straight down onto the golems'' heads. Or rather, straight down onto the barriers covering their heads. And as the arrows hit them, the protective barriers all shattered. Even though he was temporarily unable to use magesight, Ariom could tell that Ebihan was frantically trying to gather his magic power and reform the barriers before the next wave of arrows came to take their masks off. But there was no way he would make it in time. Because there was no next wave. They were already there. With a slight flick of his hand, Ironfish made each of the ''wasted'' arrows that were scattered across the floor suddenly fly up and strike at the closest golem. All the remaining masks were loosened...and the waiting rescue team members pounced. Ebihan let out an inarticulate scream of rage as the rest of his soldiers started dropping one by one. He abandoned his own defenses and rushed forward, heedless of any attacks coming toward him, clearly desperate to protect his ''children.'' He managed to save two. Kino had already taken their masks off, but Ebihan reached them before any of the others were able to destroy their control matrices. He threw up a barrier around himself and the two golems and stood protectively in front of them, breathing hard, his face smeared with blood and his eyes wild. He looked completely deranged. "You dare.... You dare!" he roared. "Don''t come any closer! Don''t touch them!" He held his arms out in front of him, and with a shimmer of magic particles, a large object appeared in them. The entire rescue team immediately froze, all staring fixedly at the thing in Ebihan''s arms. Ariom blinked, not quite sure what he was seeing. It looked like a large stasis box, about three feet square. Inside it was.... Was that a magic crystal? It was roughly spherical. And it was huge¡ªat least two feet in diameter. Even Ariom, a grandmaster enchanter, rarely saw magic crystals that large. And it was a horribly familiar, sickly greenish-purple color.... "Hey..." Ariom said tentatively, looking up at the twins, who were both staring at the box with pale faces, just like the others. "What...is that thing?" "That...?" Silverwater said weakly, his eyes not leaving the object in Ebihan''s arms. "That''s a behemoth crystal. A big...unpurified...very poisonous...behemoth crystal...." Chapter 74 - The Fanatics Devotion A behemoth crystal. Ariom didn''t need any further explanation. He was far from being an expert on demons, but even children knew that behemoths were the largest and most dangerous of the officially recognized demon types. And his recent research into demon magic was enough for him to have a pretty good idea of what would happen if Ebihan opened that stasis box. Even just sitting there, the crystal would let out a large amount of poison. And if Ebihan was insane enough to actually shatter the thing...it would be almost like a small rift opening up right here in the corridor. The entire floor would be infected. Maybe even the entire building. And there wasn''t much they could do to stop it. Containing demon magic required special equipment and tailored stasis enchantments. Even Namyis probably couldn''t hold it back for long. The battlemages should survive if they got out fast enough. Even Focilo might make it, as a high-powered life mage. But none of the captives in the holding cells would be able to withstand it. The guards and researchers would all be reborn as even more troublesome foes than they''d been before. And who knew what kind of monster Ebihan might turn into after being exposed to that much demon magic. And Thenio.... Ariom had no idea whether Ki''shiu''s seal could protect against demon poison. But even if it could, the Magic Corps would never be able to get to him fast enough if they had to take the time to defeat all the newborn demons and clean out the miasma. So one way or another, Thenio would almost definitely die if the magic in that crystal was released. "Ariom! Drink that extra bottle of tree blood. Now." Red''s urgent voice pulled Ariom out of his terrible speculations. That''s right. Ariom had recovered a little magic from that sip of moondust, but his power reserves were still quite low. Which meant that, out of everyone in this place, the first one to succumb to demon poison...would probably be him. He grimaced and looked around for the wooden potion rack he''d taken out of his space pocket earlier. He''d put the bottle of tree blood in there. Ironfish bent down and picked up the rack from near the base of one of the many arrow boxes lined up behind Silverwater''s shield. Then he stepped over to Ariom and knelt beside him. "This is probably going to make you feel terrible," he said in a low voice, handing Ariom the little bottle of amber liquid. "Just focus on trying to keep it down. Don''t worry¡ªwe can carry you if we need to retreat." Retreat.... Ariom''s brow furrowed at the word, but he silently took the lid off the bottle and swallowed the medicine inside. Then he stared at the floor, concentrating on the flow of magic in his body and trying to manage the sudden rush of foreign power running through him once again, further stressing his already aggravated magic circuit. A fresh wave of dizziness and nausea hit him immediately after the influx of magic. He put a hand over his mouth and forced himself to take slow, deep breaths, resisting the impulse to cough up the potion he''d just drunk. The dull ache in his head turned into a sharp, stabbing pain. Ironfish put one hand on Ariom''s shoulder to help him stay upright. Then with the other, he touched Ariom''s brow just under the edge of his helmet. Ariom could feel something cold spreading across his forehead. It was probably liquid metal, like Silverwater''s. It might not be Ironfish''s specialty, but it was something that most advanced metal mages could use. It felt nice. The cool sensation eased the throbbing in Ariom''s head a little. Namyis probably could have done even better, but¡ª Wait. Why was he thinking about her all of a sudden? It must be because of how many times she''d poured ice water on him tonight.... As Ariom tried to straighten out his disordered thoughts, he heard Aunt Kat say in a serious voice, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that thing you''re holding is? Or what will happen if you take it out of that stasis box?" "Of course I do." Ebihan gave a small laugh. "Didn''t I say I was the Director of Special Research Projects? One of our current projects involves analyzing the effects of demon magic on human magic circuits. That''s why I have this crystal. So yes. I know exactly what will happen if I take it out of the box. I''m sure I understand it much better than any of you." He seemed to have calmed down again. Seeing their reaction to the behemoth crystal must have restored some of his confidence. "Then surely you realize that you''ll be just as affected by the poison as we will, if not more. Are you willing to be turned into a demon, just to hold us back?" Aunt Kat asked. "Naturally. I would be happy to sacrifice my human body for my lord''s sake." Crazy fanatic. There was a chance he was just bluffing, of course. But if so, he was an excellent actor. Ariom didn''t dare look up at the necromancer''s expression due to his dizziness, but Ebihan sounded sincere, at least. He actually sounded quite proud of himself. "But it would only be a temporary victory, you know?" Aunt Kat pointed out, still attempting to reason with him. "You might be able to force us to retreat for a short time. But we''ll be back with reinforcements before long. This is the Magic Corps you''re dealing with, remember? Handling demons is our specialty. Is it worth giving up your life just to slow us down a little?" "Oh, I''m well aware of who I''m dealing with." Ebihan sounded amused. "I''m also aware that the Kafron Magic Corps is largely made up of soft-hearted weaklings. Weren''t you fussing over the state of our research subjects earlier? Are you really all right with running away by yourselves and leaving them to be demonized? You''ll have to kill them all off when you come back, you know...." He was crazy, but he obviously wasn''t stupid. "And as I see it, it''s less of a temporary victory than it is a temporary loss," Ebihan went on when Aunt Kat didn''t reply. "Lord Vehnkir isn''t here now, but he''ll be back soon. If breaking open this crystal will keep you away long enough for him to return, then it''s our win in the end, isn''t it?" "Is it? It certainly won''t be your win. Unless you think he''ll be able to reverse the demonization process?" "Unfortunately, no. Even the Old Ones aren''t yet able to do that, as far as I''m aware. That''s one of the things we''re conducting research on, you see. But it''s fine. Once I''m dead, Lord Vehnkir can simply create a new body for me and call my spirit back. Didn''t I tell you he could do amazing things? He''s a true necromancer. Not like the poor imitations that we modern necromancers are. No. He''s the real thing." "What? You''re actually claiming he can raise the dead?" Aunt Kat asked skeptically. Ariom finally looked up at that, even though it made his head spin and his nausea worsen. Once his vision stopped swimming quite so much, he was able to see that Ebihan had set the large stasis box down on the floor in front of him and was giving Aunt Kat a smug smile over the top of it. His face was still smeared with blood. "Of course he can raise the dead," he told her proudly. "He''s a real necromancer, like I said. He can do the most incredible things. I told you before. You can''t even imagine the kinds of things he''s able to do." All right, that settled it. This guy was delusional. There were stories about necromancers who were able to bring people back from the dead, of course. But even in Pre-War times, these had been regarded as mere fairy tales, at least according to all the sources Ariom had ever read. Most researchers believed the stories originated from the use of corpse puppets, which could obviously be used to make people believe that a dead person was alive again. There weren''t even any verified records of mythic beasts raising the dead. And if they couldn''t do it, surely humans wouldn''t be able to, either. Still, for the moment, it didn''t matter whether it was true or not. It mattered that Ebihan believed it was true, and that he apparently had no problem with turning himself into a demon as a result of that belief. Which put them in a very difficult situation. "But it''s true that it would be quite an inconvenience. It would be a pity to waste Lord Vehnkir''s valuable time like that. Time that could be much better spent on his important research," Ebihan went on. "So I''m willing to compromise. I''ll leave this crystal in its box, and you''ll leave this part of the research center. I won''t stop you from taking any of the subjects in the outer holding cells if you want them. But I''m afraid I can''t let you have the ones further in. Lord Vehnkir personally selected them for his research, and he''ll be very disappointed with me if I let anything happen to them." Ariom saw Aunt Kat and Red exchange looks. Aunt Kat was obviously considering taking Ebihan''s offer. It would mean temporarily abandoning their mission, but retreating for now and coming back with reinforcements was definitely the safer option. And if that''s what the team leader decided, Ariom knew he''d have to accept it. In his current state, he couldn''t even walk by himself, let alone fight. He couldn''t do anything about the situation even if he wanted to. And the people in those holding cells didn''t deserve to die here any more than Thenio did. How was it fair to sacrifice their lives for his? Especially since...reluctant as Ariom was to admit it...Thenio wasn''t likely to live much longer anyway.... Surely even Ki''shiu and Eteon would understand that. And they had already found this hidden area and knew more or less how to get inside. If they left and called for support right away.... If the Magic Corps rallied and made another attack as soon as possible.... Then maybe...maybe...there was still a small chance.... "Oh. And I almost forgot," Ebihan said suddenly. "Leave the enchanter here, as well." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "What?" Aunt Kat stared at him. "The enchanter. Lord Vehnkir wanted him. So I''ll take him with me. The rest of you can go." Aunt Kat''s expression darkened. And Ariom could hear a low growl coming from Sala. Red gave Ebihan a grim look. Silverwater was scowling. And Ironfish''s grip tightened on Ariom''s shoulder. Namyis had her back to him, so Ariom couldn''t see her reaction, but he could have sworn the temperature in the corridor had just gone down a few degrees.... Ebihan apparently didn''t understand the Magic Corps all that well after all. It was one thing to force them into making a temporary retreat in order to save more innocent lives. But trying to make them hand over one of their teammates to the enemy while the rest ran away? They clearly didn''t like that idea at all. "Don''t talk nonsense," Aunt Kat said with a growl that was nearly as fierce as Sala''s. "Why should we let you take Ariom?" Ebihan smiled and silently pointed at the enormous demon crystal in front of him. Ariom glanced around at the angry battlemages, even though the action made his head spin again. The tension in the corridor was increasing. What were they going to do? Even if they were unhappy with the situation, it was true that the behemoth crystal gave Ebihan the upper hand. How were they supposed to keep fighting against him? And what exactly was Ariom supposed to do at this point? Should he volunteer to go with Ebihan and trust that they''d come to rescue him later? Or should he just stay quiet and let them protect him? He didn''t really like either option, to be honest.... He tentatively removed his hand from his mouth. He still felt sick, but his stomach had settled a little since he''d first drunk the bottle of tree blood. It might be enough to allow him to speak again. So what should he say? While he was frantically trying to decide whether telling them that he was willing to go with Ebihan seemed more like a heroic idea or a stupid one, he suddenly felt a surge of magic that forced him to lower his head and cover his mouth again. What was that? Why was his magic...? No. It wasn''t his magic. It was Ket''shiu''s. The magic power that Ariom had ingested along with the anti-demon medicine was stirring inside of him, all on its own. How? Why? What was it doing? He felt a moment of panic. Then a warm, comforting sensation started spreading through him. The dizziness and nausea faded. The pain in his head eased. And the strength returned to his arms and legs. A moment later, Ariom was staring blankly in front of him, blinking in confusion. His recovery sickness was...gone? Again? It was a different feeling than when Eteon had healed him earlier. And the effect didn''t seem quite as good, since it hadn''t completely restored his physical energy or magic power. But he could at least move normally again. Ket''shiu''s magic hadn''t finished yet, though. Ariom felt it continue moving through his body on its own. Now it was gathering into his right arm, where the pendant-turned-tree branch was still wrapped around his wrist. The magic channeled into it, and it began glowing faintly. Then its shape started to change. It unwrapped itself and straightened out, growing longer and smoother. The small leaves all moved to one end and gathered into three bunches. The other end sharpened to a point. A moment later, Ariom was holding a single wooden arrow with green fletching in his hand. He stared at it. The twins also stared at it. Then they gave Ariom identical questioning looks. But before he could say anything, he felt the small amount of Ket''shiu''s magic that was still left inside him moving up and concentrating on his eyes. It was similar to when he''d used it to enhance his magesight. Did it want to show him something? Ariom raised his head. Sure enough, he could see a single point glowing brightly ahead of him, like a marked target. Right on the behemoth crystal.... He gave the arrow an incredulous look. "You seriously want me to shoot this arrow at it?" he said in a low voice, ignoring the confused looks the twins gave him as he suddenly started talking to a piece of wood. "Don''t you know what will happen if that box breaks?" As he finished speaking, he heard that sound again. The sound that was like a mix of leaves rustling in the wind and a large and ancient creature sighing. Stubborn child.... Just shoot the arrow. I''ll take care of the rest. Ariom stiffened. Thenio had told him that Ki''shiu spoke with a strange kind of telepathy¡ªone that seemed to emanate from the surrounding space, rather than simply sounding in his head like Mideis'' or Amisi''s telepathy did. Ariom hadn''t really understood what he meant at the time. Now he understood. And he understood exactly who had just spoken to him. He also understood why the telepathic message from Ki''shiu had traumatized Mideis like it did. A mythic beast''s telepathy was much more unpleasant than the regular kind.... Funny that Thenio had never seemed bothered by it. Was that because of his high compatibility with mental magic? Or had Ki''shiu spoken to him in an especially gentle way? Well. That was a question for another time. "Ariom? Are you all right?" Ironfish asked, looking him up and down with an uncertain expression. "Yes..." Ariom said slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighed, and then opened them again. "Yes. I''m fine now." He gripped the arrow a little more tightly and then took out his bow. He''d put it away while he was working on the enchanted arrows earlier. "I need the others to help distract that guy long enough for me to get a shot in. Can you tell them?" he asked Ironfish, keeping his voice low. "Huh? Sure.... But can you even shoot right now?" "I can. Like I said, I''m fine now." Ariom stood up and raised his voice. "Aunt Kat! It''s all right. I''ll go with him. The rest of you should get out of here." "Ariom, I''m not¡ª" She turned toward him angrily but broke off when she saw him standing and holding his bow. Ironfish made a few rapid gestures. The others had also turned when Ariom had spoken, so most of them saw it. "I''m not going to just hand you over to this lunatic!" Aunt Kat continued, smoothly resuming her angry retort. "I promised Amara I''d help look after you, and that does not involve letting demon fanatics turn you into their latest research project!" "What choice do we have? Isn''t it better than letting all those captives get turned into demons?" Ariom argued back while carefully moving into a shooting position. "While I admire your selflessness, I''m afraid I have to object too," Red said loudly. "We''re in the same squad as your father, you know? Do you think he''ll be willing to keep working with us if we hand you over to the Order? What''s General Obarin going to say when he learns we abandoned our mission and his trainees'' son? And I can tell you that your uncle''s going to straight-up murder me. He''ll probably let the chupacabras suck out all my blood and then turn my bones into a toy for the revenants." Ariom made a face at his relatives all being brought into the conversation. Though he had to admit the argument had some merit. His father''s reaction was questionable, but it was true that Kalion wouldn''t be happy. And though Uncle Bero probably wouldn''t go as far as murder, it was hard to be sure about Humerus.... "Right!" Namyis chimed in. "I promised Bero I''d bring you back in one piece! He''ll be really mad at me if I don''t follow through. So will Seyli! And Iggy is going to be so sad.... I don''t want to see such a cute dragon crying!" Ariom felt his face growing a little warm. Were they seriously going to keep going through his entire family one by one like this...? "It''s not like they''re going to kill me right away," he snapped back as he nocked the arrow and raised his bow. "Didn''t he say the Old One wanted me for something? Then they''ll have to keep me alive until he gets back, at least. And maybe they''ll let me see Focilo and Thenio." "No! We''re not leaving you behind!" Sala jumped into the air and let out a long, loud roar. Everyone turned to look at her, including Ebihan. Perfect. The roar covered the twang of Ariom''s bowstring. And even though Ebihan was sensitive enough to notice the arrow flying toward him, he wasn''t fast enough to stop it. There was a blinding flash of light. And as Ariom blinked to clear his vision, he thought he could smell something like cedar. "What¡ª? No! This again?!" he heard Ebihan howl. Looking at the place where he''d shot Ket''shiu''s arrow, Ariom saw a large cluster of branches and leaves covering the stasis box. His magic power was still a bit low, but he managed to activate his magesight well enough to see that they were forming a powerful magic barrier. Wasn''t that what the pendant was supposed to do in the first place? It looked like Ket''shiu had morphed the protective charm into a containment barrier, with the behemoth crystal and its poison trapped safely inside. "You! Dirty, devious enchanter! Are you one of that tree''s people, too?" Ebihan snarled, sending a chilling glare in Ariom''s direction, even though he shouldn''t be able to see him through Silverwater''s shield. "This whole thing was a setup with that filthy mythic beast to get Lord Vehnkir in trouble, wasn''t it? You military brutes are working with him, aren''t you? Well, just you wait.... As soon as I get this barrier off, I''m going to.... What?" He''d reached out to take hold of the branches forming the barrier, but he''d suddenly stopped and raised his arms up to look at them. There seemed to be several thin brown strands wrapped around them. "Why...? What are...?" Ebihan stared at them, looking completely baffled. Then he looked down at the ground. There was a rumbling noise, and Ariom felt the floor tremble beneath his feet. With a loud cracking sound, dozens more of the brown strands burst out of the ground and twisted around Ebihan, wrapping him up like a spider securing a fly. "No! I can''t¡ª! Lord Vehnkir! Lord Vehnkir! My lord.... Please.... Help...me...." Ebihan''s screams trailed into whispers and then ended completely as he slumped in place, held up by what looked like a mass of tree roots, growing out of the floor. Behind him, the two golems went limp and collapsed like marionettes whose strings had just snapped. The hallway went quiet. No one spoke for a full minute. The rescue team simply stood there and stared at the bizarre sight in front of them. "Hey...Ariom?" Aunt Kat said finally, looking over at him. "What just happened...?" Ariom let out a tired sigh. "I honestly don''t know. Just...mythic beasts doing crazy things again...probably...."
Focilo finished tying up the last guard with his tree roots and then turned back to Thenio with a sigh. That should do it. The rescue team was a little the worse for wear after their fight against Ebihan, but there didn''t seem to be any life-threatening injuries. Things had been quite serious for a few minutes there. Focilo had expected something like the flesh golems, but even he couldn''t have predicted that the lunatic was carrying around a behemoth crystal, of all things.... Thankfully, the dense network of tree roots had done their job, allowing the Forest Lord to step in and deal with the threat. That alone made it worth all the time and effort Focilo had spent growing them. But still...it had been a lot of work.... He felt a bit envious as he watched the peacefully sleeping boy. He was seriously looking forward to getting out of this place and going home to rest. Just a little longer.... He felt an unnatural current of air brushing against his tree roots. That was probably the Bloodwind, looking for their scent. A little of it should have spread outside the cell already, since the barrier wasn''t airtight. But just in case, Focilo used his magic to push some air around himself and Thenio and then out into the hallway. No need to be subtle about his magic use now. There was no one left to notice it. He glanced over at the cluster of unconscious guards wrapped up in tree roots. The floor underneath them was completely broken apart. Focilo surveyed the mess with an awkward expression. How exactly was he going to explain this...? After pondering for a moment, he shrugged. Whatever. He''d just tell them that the Forest Lord had done it. It was half true, anyway. And since they already knew he was involved, they wouldn''t ask too many questions. People expected mythic beasts to do crazy things, after all. Chapter 75 - Helping and Being Helped "All right. I have the demon crystal inside a barrier. And Focilo is taking care of the rest of the guards for them, so there shouldn''t be any more serious obstacles to getting Thenio out." Eteon opened his eyes and looked up at Peqeran, who was sitting up on the base of the enormous tree root that he was leaning against. It was early morning, and the sky was still dark, but the leaves above were glowing softly, lighting up the ground underneath. Peqeran had his eyes closed, concentrating on a scene that was taking place far away from them. It made his face barely visible against the vast, dark brown tree trunk behind him, since his skin was the same color. His long hair was streaked green and gold¡ªthe same as the leaves hanging overhead. "But that Ariom kid really is reckless," he went on. "He''s almost as bad as you are, Eteon. Trying to use a mythic beast''s power without permission.... He''s lucky I was watching at the time." "Ariom...did that?" Eteon asked between unsteady breaths. This foul demon corruption.... He''d been resting for a couple of hours now, but he still felt terrible. "He did. He pulled my magic power out of the neutralizing tonic and used it to activate his magesight, of all things. He probably would have lost his eyes if I hadn''t helped him out." Peqeran gave a wry chuckle. "Well, I''m the one that led them there, so I guess it''s only right that I take some responsibility. And I''ll admit it was a clever idea, albeit a dangerous one." "So you gave him a bestowal?" Ciresi asked. She was kneeling beside Eteon, massaging one of his arms with healing magic. Unlike her husband''s current appearance, only Ciresi''s upper body resembled a human. Her lower half was horse-like, covered in glossy, dark gold fur. Her skin was a lighter shade of gold, and she had long, pointed ears that stuck out through her cream-colored hair. "Just a temporary one." Peqeran finally opened his eyes and looked down at Eteon. "Though I''d be willing to give him a permanent one if you think it would help." Eteon looked away. "I''ll...consider it." "Not trusting people is another thing you and Ariom seem to have in common," Ciresi said with a sigh. "He''s been working hard to try to help Thenio, hasn''t he? He even went along with the rescue team tonight. Don''t you think he deserves to know a little more about what''s really going on? I understand why you feel so protective of Thenio, but...." "Do you?" Eteon spat bitterly, staring down at his discolored arms. "Do you really understand?" There was an uncomfortable silence. Eteon took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration that had suddenly welled up inside him. He knew it was unfair to speak to Ciresi like that, after everything she and Peqeran had done¡ªwere doing¡ªto help him. "I''m sorry," he said in a low voice. "It''s all right. You don''t need to apologize," Ciresi said gently. She let go of the arm she''d been treating and lifted the other one to start working on it again. "I know you''re terribly worried about Thenio. And this corruption has got to be hurting you a lot, even if you''re trying not to show it. I don''t blame you for getting upset. And it''s true that we can''t entirely understand how you feel about Thenio. But that doesn''t mean we don''t care about him." "I know." Eteon sighed and leaned his head back against the tree root again. "I know. You two are the only reason I haven''t given up already." "Well, it would be a shame to have to give up on this world now that we''ve finally found such a good home and family. So we intend to keep fighting as long as we can." Peqeran jumped down from the tree root and came over to them. "The military team is taking a short break, but they should start moving again in a few minutes, so they''ll reach Thenio and Focilo soon. I''m sure you''ll want to go undo the seal on Thenio''s magic circuit as soon as possible. Let''s put some sap and leaves on your arms and wrap them up. That should be enough to hold the corruption back for a while. Ciresi, would you go get some of the barkcloth bandages?" "Of course." She smiled at him and then set Eteon''s arm down and got to her feet. She turned and walked toward a nearby opening in the enormous tree trunk, her hooves quiet on the moss-covered ground. Despite the mass of branches above their heads, there were no fallen leaves in sight. Peqeran''s leaves were much too precious to be allowed to rot in the dirt. Peqeran took Ciresi''s place, kneeling next to Eteon. "They''re looking a little better," he said, lifting one of Eteon''s arms to examine it more closely. "You''re going to need to take it easy for a few days, but you should be past the most dangerous point. I''d appreciate it if you were a little more careful in the future, though." Eteon smiled weakly. "I trusted that you two would be able to take care of me." "I''d rather you trusted me a little less and took care of yourself a little more...." Peqeran put his hand on the tree root near Eteon''s shoulder. The spot he touched glowed faintly, and a branch grew out of it. Several smaller branches split off of the first one, and leaves budded and grew on them. When they''d stopped growing, he tapped the branch with his finger, and it cracked open. Amber-colored sap started oozing out. "I''m sorry," Eteon said again, feeling a little guilty as he watched Peqeran start spreading sap over the greenish-purple blotches covering his arms. Yes, he''d trusted that they would be able to help treat the corruption. But that treatment involved a sacrifice of Peqeran''s own flesh and blood. It wasn''t something that he could take for granted. "Don''t worry about it. It''s nothing compared to the amount we send over to Melinei. And if I don''t use my strength to help my family, what do I even have it for?" Once the arm was coated in a thick layer of sap, Peqeran started pulling off the leaves and laying them over top of it. By the time Eteon''s arm was half-covered in leaves, Ciresi had come back, carrying several rolls of brown bandages. These, too, had come from Peqeran. They were woven from the fibers of his inner bark. Peqeran finished putting leaves on the first arm and then moved aside so that Ciresi could start wrapping bandages over them. "I called Brel over," he said as he began rubbing sap onto Eteon''s other arm. "Take him with you when you go back to Kamari. I''ll feel more assured if you have someone looking after you." "Can you really spare him? I was planning to stay with Thenio for the next day or two to make sure he recovers properly from having his magic sealed." "It''s fine. The others can cover for him if it''s only that long. He hasn''t left the forest for quite some time, so he''ll probably enjoy going on a trip for a couple of days. And he''ll be happy to see Thenio, of course. I just hope it won''t trigger Thenio''s memories too much...." Eteon frowned. "It''s hard to say. Even I have trouble predicting what he''ll react to and what he won''t. But I may have to reapply the memory seal on him anyway, depending on what happened when he met the Poisoner. If I do, it won''t matter even if he does recognize Brel. And either way, it won''t be enough to make the seal collapse completely. I think it will be all right." "Hmm." Peqeran looked thoughtful. "Based on what I heard from Focilo, all Thenio really learned from the Poisoner before he passed out was that he''s a chimera, which they were probably going to figure out before long anyway. Focilo himself has learned a few other things, though.... You and Brel are going to want to have a talk with him when you get a chance, to go over what''s safe for him to pass on to Thenio and Ariom and what isn''t. I won''t stop you from sealing some of his memories if you think it''s necessary...but I''d prefer that you didn''t. Focilo is a good kid, and he and Relisa have always been loyal and hard-working. I really think it''s all right to trust them." Eteon glanced at Peqeran, looked down at the arm Ciresi was bandaging, and then closed his eyes with a sigh. "I''ll keep that in mind."
The rescue team took a few minutes to catch their breath while Kino scouted out the area ahead. Several of them took the opportunity to replenish their magic power or heal small injuries. Namyis came over and handed Ariom a warm meat pastry from her stasis pocket. "Here, eat this. It''s been hours since you had a proper meal. Taking recovery medicine on an empty stomach makes the side effects worse." "I have some health juice...." "Solid food is better," she insisted, pushing the pastry into his hand. "Come on. I might not be as good at baking as Thenio is, but I''m not that bad." Ariom sighed but took the pastry from her and bit into it. Whatever Ket''shiu had done had already relieved most of the recovery sickness, but he was still feeling rather weak and shaky. She was probably right that eating something would help. Namyis was still standing there, watching him with her head tilted a little to one side. "What?" he asked irritably. "I''m eating it, like you told me to. What else do you want?" For some reason that made her laugh. "Nothing. It''s exactly what I expected." Still looking amused, she turned and walked toward Ziryi, who was getting some additional medical treatment from Red while discussing something with Aunt Kat and Sala. Crazy ice mage.... "That was where you were supposed to compliment her cooking," Silverwater said in a low voice. He and Ironfish were busy gathering up Ariom''s unused arrows and empty arrow boxes. "Huh?" Ariom looked at him blankly. "What she said about her baking not being that bad...that meant she made that pastry," Ironfish said, putting the void arrows he''d collected into a box. "And she expressed some doubt about her skill, saying it wasn''t as good as your assistant''s. So after you ate a bite, you were supposed to reassure her that it tasted good. That''s what she was waiting for." "It was?" Ariom blinked. "How was I supposed to know that?" Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The two brothers looked at each other and then gave him identical shrugs. "It''s just...something you learn from spending time around women?" Silverwater said helplessly. "Well, she didn''t seem upset that you didn''t pick up on the hint, so I guess you don''t need to worry about it too much." Ariom scowled down at the pastry in his hand. He was tempted to just shove the rest into his space pocket without finishing it. But the original point of it had been to help him recover his strength, so it would be useless if he didn''t eat it. He didn''t want to be a burden to the rest of the team. He took another bite. It was pretty good. That fact annoyed him for reasons he didn''t quite understand.... "These enchanted arrows are really quite handy," Ironfish said, setting another box of the leftovers down in front of Ariom. "I like the idea of keeping some on hand for future jobs. Are you interested in a commission order? Or should I try to talk the supply workshop into giving me a few?" Ariom hesitated. He really didn''t want to get any more involved with the military than he already had. But the twins had helped him out a lot tonight, so he didn''t feel entirely comfortable turning down Ironfish''s request, either. "Rather than arrows...I think enchanted darts might suit your style better," he said slowly. "And if you buy pre-made cores in bulk from a crystal workshop and make the casings yourself, it will cost a lot less. Your shaping abilities seem plenty good enough for that. I can draw up some diagrams for you. Then you can order them from whatever workshop is most convenient." There. That offer should allow him to help once but not get dragged into ongoing military-related work. It seemed like a decent compromise. "Really?" Ironfish''s eyes widened in surprise. "That''s great! I was sure you''d refuse.... I''ve heard you never take on jobs for people from the military." Ariom narrowed his own eyes. If he knew that, why did he even ask...? Feeling vaguely like he''d been tricked, he reluctantly exchanged message book pages so that Ironfish could contact him about the job later. Seriously.... First the ice mage, then this guy. Once Thenio and Focilo were safe, Ariom was definitely going back to avoiding battlemages as much as possible. He grumpily finished the last few bites of his pastry and watched as Aunt Kat took a saddle out of her space pocket and started fastening it onto Sala''s back, over her armor. The two of them had been working separately tonight because of the confined space inside the building, but mounted combat was actually their usual style. It looked like Sala was going to let Ziryi ride her the rest of the way. The lightning mage could walk, but not very well. It turned out that she''d been hit directly with an earth magic boulder, which resulted in a couple of broken ribs and several fractures in her right leg. Red had set the broken bones and secured them in place with magic, so she could use her leg if she needed to. But he said it was better if she didn''t put weight on it until she got it properly healed up. Fortunately, Sala didn''t mind carrying her. And Ziryi seemed quite comfortable once she''d climbed into the saddle. Hippogryph riding was part of the Magic Corps'' standard training, but it looked like she had some experience riding feline-type magic beasts as well. Maybe she''d also trained with gryphons. Ariom sighed and slightly amended his ''avoid all battlemages'' resolution. He really ought to invite Aunt Kat over again soon. Sala would like Thenio. And he would probably enjoy a few tiger riding lessons. Though they had to get him safely out of this place first, of course. "I smell them," Kino announced a short time later. "I smell the chaos boy and the doctor." Aunt Kat walked over to him. "The doctor? You mean Focilo?" The storm hound nodded. "What about the other one? There was a doctor from the Royal Guard missing, too, wasn''t there?" "Right. Rimeus." Kino seemed to sag a little. "I can smell his blood...." "I see," Aunt Kat said quietly. She reached out and gently scratched the shaggy black ears hanging out of Kino''s head covering. "There''s nothing we can do about what''s already happened. Let''s focus on helping the ones we still can." Kino nodded again and looked back toward the end of the corridor. "I smell some guards, too. But I also smell more of those root things. So they might be tied up like that guy is." He glanced over his shoulder at Ebihan, who was still unconscious inside the bundle of roots. "All right. Well done." Aunt Kat patted his head and then turned to the others. "Back in formation, everyone. If we''re lucky, our mythic helper already took care of the rest of the enemies for us. But stay on guard, just in case." They all got back in line. But this time, Kino was at the front, guiding Rockbrawler. Sala followed behind them, carrying Ziryi, who was still watching for traps. Ariom sincerely hoped that she would be able to handle the rest of the disarming that needed to be done. Between Ket''shiu''s healing and Namyis'' meat pastry, he felt recovered enough that just walking along with the others wasn''t a problem. But he didn''t think he could handle much more magic use tonight. Fortunately, Vehnkir and Ebihan seemed to have been relying on the hidden demon magic enchantment being enough to keep intruders out of this area. They had to stop once while Ziryi undid the lock on a closed set of doors, but they didn''t encounter any traps or enemies as Kino led them past various laboratories and examination rooms. They did see a few researchers here and there, but they were all wrapped up in tree roots and unconscious, just like Ebihan. It looked like Ket''shiu really had done the rest of their work for them. Not that anyone was complaining. After some twists and turns, they reached a hallway with several holding cells. They passed two that held people who looked asleep or unconscious. One of them had suspicious purplish-green patches on her face and limbs. "The Poison Center will take care of them," Red said quietly when he noticed Ariom looking at the unfortunate woman in the cell. "We don''t know exactly what they''ve been exposed to, so it''s dangerous to open their cells without taking precautions. We just need to worry about the people we came here for." "Right." Ariom turned away from the cell, feeling uncomfortable. He''d already known that the Order was a nasty bunch, but he hadn''t realized until tonight just how nasty they really were.... Rockbrawler paused in front of the third cell. Not because of what was inside of it¡ªit looked completely empty. But rather because of what was ahead of them, in front of the fourth and final cell in this row. "It looks a bit creepy, doesn''t it?" Aunt Kat remarked. "Though I''m glad we don''t have to fight them." Around a dozen guards were lined up in front of the fourth cell, all wrapped snugly in tree roots, their eyes closed and their heads hanging limply to the front or side. The floor underneath them had been turned to rubble due to all the tree roots sprouting up through it. Aunt Kat was right. It did look creepy. Only Kino seemed unconcerned about the group of unconscious guards. He trotted eagerly forward, his ears perking up. When he reached the front of the cell, he stopped and let out a couple of short barks, his tail wagging. "Hello, Kino," said a familiar voice. "I''m very glad to see you, too." "That''s Focilo!" Aunt Kat said, looking relieved. "Go ahead, Rockbrawler." Rockbrawler nodded and continued forward. There wasn''t much space left in front of the cell, so he went past the tied up guards to the other side. Sala went up to the control panel on one side of the cell entrance and held still so that Ziryi could slide off her back and start examining it. "Oh, Sala''s here, too? I thought I heard Kathia''s voice just now...." "Yes, I''m here, Focilo," Aunt Kat said loudly. "Hang on, we''ll get you out of there as soon as we can." She looked at the twins. "Silver, Fish, stay on this side. Let''s let Ariom and Red go ahead and check things out." They obligingly moved over near the end of the group of guards, giving them uncertain looks. Sala moved ahead to where Rockbrawler was now standing, making space in front of the cell. "Ariom?" Focilo''s voice sounded shocked. "Did you say...Ariom?" "Yes, she did," Ariom responded, walking in front of the cell and scowling at the old doctor who was standing on the other side of the barrier. "Is there something wrong with that?" Focilo stared back at him, blinking in disbelief. "What are you doing here? And with the Magic Corps...." Ariom''s scowl deepened. If it were just Focilo, he could have said that he came because he didn''t want Eteon and Ki''shiu taking revenge on him if Thenio died, but he couldn''t mention them in front of everyone else. That was so unfair.... "Yes, I''m with the Magic Corps. That guy snatched my assistant, so why shouldn''t I be here? I''m a grandmaster enchanter and a magic archer, remember? I came along to help disable barriers." His expression softened a little. "Where''s Thenio?" "He''s inside there." Focilo pointed to a large mass of branches behind him. It looked very similar to the barrier that Ket''shiu had formed around the behemoth crystal, so Focilo had probably created it with his pendant. "He''s all right for the moment, as far as I can tell. Just asleep because of the full suppression barrier." "Good. Well, just wait a few minutes. We''ll¡ª Wait...that''s...?" Ariom had just noticed the crumpled figure lying on one side of the cell. Kino was already staring silently at it. His tail had stopped wagging. "That''s Rimeus Telven," Focilo said quietly, following Ariom''s gaze. "Or at least...it used to be." "That guy...Vehnkir...did he...?" "Yes. I thought you might realize that''s what happened." Focilo looked at Kino, his expression sympathetic. "But let''s discuss it later." "Right." Ariom nodded, feeling a bit awkward. "Well, I should help undo this barrier." He reached out and lightly patted the storm hound''s head. Then he stepped over to where Ziryi was standing. She glanced at him briefly before turning back to the control panel. "I don''t think there are any traps on this, but it''s a pretty complicated lock. I should be able to break through it eventually. It''ll just take some time." "Good. I don''t think I can help much. My magic circuit is in pretty bad shape right now." "Well, no wonder. How many bottles of recovery medicine have you had?" "Counting the ones I had earlier today? Four bottles of moondust, three of tree blood, and about one and a half of ambrosia." Ziryi stopped what she was doing and stared at him. "That many? How are you even still standing?" "Mythic beasts," he said shortly. "Ah." She looked like she wanted to ask more questions but thought better of it and turned back to the control panel. "Ariom..." Focilo began in a rather exasperated tone. "I know. I''ll go to the Stability Center and get a check-up later. But we need to get you and Thenio out of here first." Focilo sighed but didn''t say anything else. Ariom didn''t trust himself to do any delicate enchanting work in his current state, but his magesight was still working reasonably well, so he was able to help Ziryi analyze the barrier and work out how to disable it. There were several layers to it, so it was difficult and time-consuming. But finally, after nearly half an hour, a tired-looking Ziryi finally cut through the last formation, and with a shimmer of magic particles, the barrier dissolved. "Nice! It''s finally down!" Ziryi raised her arms in celebration for a moment. Then she lowered them and promptly slumped against the wall. "Sala, come back, please. I seriously need to sit down...." Ariom made sure that the tigress was on her way over to help before he left Ziryi and went inside the cell. Red and Kino had already gone in. Kino was sniffing around near Rimeus'' body, and Red was doing a quick check on Focilo. Ariom went over to the interwoven branches. Once he was closer, he could see Thenio sleeping quietly inside them on a bed that Ariom recognized as coming from the recovery rooms back at the Royal Guard headquarters. "I''ll take down the barrier as soon as the medic says I''m allowed to use magic," Focilo said with a wry smile. "You were inside a full suppression barrier. It''s standard procedure," Red replied. Then he made a face. "Well, I''ll admit it''s a little ridiculous for a combat medic to have to check whether it''s all right for the head of the Stability Center to use magic or not...." Ariom simply gave a nod of acknowledgement and looked back at Thenio. His throat felt a little tight all of a sudden, and he didn''t quite dare to say anything. It was strange. He¡¯d been through so much in the past few hours. He''d been working so hard. He''d swallowed his pride so many times and used up so many valuable resources. And he''d known he was doing it to save Thenio. He''d known that all along. But still.... He hadn''t anticipated just how relieved the sight of that boy''s sleeping face would make him feel. Chapter 76 - Safe "It''s fine to move him, but he''s obviously not going to be able to walk out by himself." "Sala, can you handle carrying two people?" "Sure. Neither of them are very big, and I can reduce their weight. I won''t be able to do any more fighting, though." "That''s all right. The poison team said they reached this floor a few minutes ago, so the path out should be secured." Thenio forced his eyes open a crack. He could hear voices around him, but he didn''t recognize them. Who were these people, and how had they gotten inside the research center? Melinei never let strangers in without telling him first, since she knew it was dangerous to surprise him. "You''re sure Sala''s magic won''t cause him any problems?" "Not if she only uses a little. I increased the setting on his suppression bands. That''s why he''s not waking up, even though the barrier''s gone. I''ll need to watch him closely to make sure, but he should be all right." Oh, Thenio knew that voice. That was Grandmaster Sephior. Was he working in the research center now? He must be. He was Thenio''s doctor, wasn''t he? Something about that idea seemed a little off, but he couldn''t think clearly enough to figure out what it was. "It''s a pity he''s too sedated to really enjoy this. He seems to be quite a fan of combat wizards. Red, can you carry him over there? I don''t think I''m up to it right now...." That voice was...Ariom? Was he working for the research center, too? No...this wasn''t the research center. That''s right. Thenio had fallen through that hole and gotten lost in the dark. Ariom and Grandmaster Sephior must have come looking for him. But who were those other people? "Of course. Leave it to me." A figure leaned over Thenio, and he felt himself being lifted. He opened his eyes a little more and looked around blearily, trying to understand what was going on. "Oh, are you awake?" the man carrying him asked. "Don''t worry, everything''s all right. We''re from the Magic Corps. We came here to help you." The Magic Corps? Thenio woke up a little more at those words. The people around him did seem to be wearing combat suits in various colors. The man who was holding him had on a dark red suit and a matching helmet. Thenio couldn''t see most of his face, but he could see that he had pale skin and vivid red eyes. Red.... Hadn''t Ariom called him that just now? Red. There was a famous combat medic whose call name was Red. He was a blood mage who was on the first squad of the Central Division. Thenio had heard stories about him. This couldn''t be the same person, though, right? There was no way a famous battlemage like that would be carrying him around. He''d said they were from the Magic Corps, though.... Thenio frowned a little as he tried to puzzle through that apparent incongruity. But a moment later the man-who-was-maybe-Red turned, and Thenio was distracted from his muddled thoughts by the sight of a huge white tiger with silver stripes that was laying on its stomach on the floor in front of them. The tiger was wearing blue cloth armor, and a woman in a dark purple combat suit was sitting on its back. "Mist tiger...?" Thenio murmured groggily. There were pictures of tigers like that in one of his books. He liked drawing them, though the stripes always took a long time. "That''s right," Red told him. "Her name is Sala. She looks fierce, but she won''t hurt you. She''s going to let you ride her until we get out to the transport vehicle. The woman on her back is Darkbolt. Her leg got hurt on the way here, so she''s riding for a while, too." He turned and spoke to the woman. "He''s pretty out of it, so I think you''ll need to help him stay on." "That''s fine. Put him behind me. He can lean on my back." Red put Thenio down behind her and helped him arrange his arms and legs. He could barely move them by himself. His whole body felt heavy and numb. He couldn''t even hold his head up properly and was forced to rest it on the woman''s shoulder. He had to slump forward a bit for that, since she was quite short. But he was too tired and fuzzy-headed to care much about the awkward position. Once he was settled, Red stepped away. Thenio felt a strange lightness come over him, rather like being immersed in water. Then Sala rose smoothly to her feet. "Back in formation, everyone," a female voice said. "We probably won''t be attacked on the way out, but stay vigilant. These lunatics might have more tricks hidden around. Focilo, stick close to Red and Ariom. Sala will go ahead of you, behind the twins. The risk of traps is low if we retrace our path, so it shouldn''t be a problem to move Darkbolt back a little. But Kino, let''s put you up behind Rockbrawler to scout. You can move back if we run into anything dangerous." Kino? As in the storm hound Kino? So he was here, too. Well, that made sense. Thenio had been lost down here in the dark, so they must have asked Kino to come find his scent. Except...this place wasn''t dark? Was this really the same place he''d fallen? It looked like they were inside some kind of building. And where was the person...or creature...or whatever it had been...who had picked him up and comforted him when he was crying? There were sounds of movement as everyone presumably followed the instructions to get into formation. A moment later, Sala started walking. Thenio felt her body sway gently with each step. It was quite a different sensation than riding Ariom''s horse golem. He tried to look around. They seemed to be moving along some kind of corridor. But there were openings on one side. They looked like some kind of alcoves. Or...cells? Were they cells? Was the place Thenio had just left also a cell? Memories finally started coming back to him. That''s right...a cell. He and Grandmaster Sephior had been trapped in a cell. With a barrier. That other doctor had brought them there somehow. And before that...before that.... Oh. Right. They''d been at the Royal Guard headquarters. Thenio had been helping Ariom with a job there. So being at the research center and falling down into that dark place...had that all just been a dream? Strange. It had felt so real.... As Thenio tried to sort out his tangled memories, the group moved down the corridor and into another one. Then another. And another. Thenio didn''t bother keeping track of the turns they made. He was so tired he could barely even think, and the rhythmic motion of Sala''s walk was lulling him back toward sleep. He was on the verge of drifting off when the movement suddenly stopped, and he heard voices again. "Focilo! What a relief! Are you all right?" "I''m fine. I''m ashamed to say that the teleportation took me by surprise, but I had a barrier pendant, and I managed to use it before they did anything else to us." "Good. I''m glad to hear that. What about the chaos boy? He looks a little...oh, his magic is suppressed, isn''t it? Then no wonder." With some difficulty, Thenio raised his head enough to see who was speaking. They were in a wider corridor now, and there was another group of people here. They were wearing matching green combat suits with some kind of crest on the front, and most of them seemed to be busy doing something or other. But one of them had come over to their group and was talking to Grandmaster Sephior and a woman in a blue combat suit. He was quite tall, and his suit was a darker shade of green than the others, which made him stand out. Maybe he was the leader of the other group? Thenio couldn''t see the man''s face because of his helmet, but he could see his hair, which was hanging down his back in a long ponytail. It was the color of green grass with streaks of gold running through it. A swamp mage with a strong life primary, maybe? Thenio stared at the man dazedly. He was familiar...that long green and gold hair was so familiar.... Who did he know who had hair like that...? "...Peqeran." Thenio didn''t even realize he''d said the word out loud until everyone turned to look at him. The man with green hair had also stopped talking and looked over at him. "What did you just say, boy?" Grandmaster Sephior asked, sounding a little surprised. "Peqeran," Thenio repeated. He blinked and shook his head a little. "I don''t know.... That name just...came into my head.... I don''t know why. I think it was something I dreamed.... I don''t know. I''m sorry...." The long-haired man chuckled a little and came over to him, pulling his helmet off as he walked. He had light brown skin and an elegant, angular face with high cheekbones. His eyes were a deep gold color. "Don''t worry about it. You''re under heavy magic suppression right now. It''s normal for your thoughts to be a little muddled. I''m Camei Rhesim. I''m the head of the Demon Poison Center. We''ve actually met before, when you were first admitted to the Stability Center. But you were heavily suppressed then, too, so you probably don''t remember. Someday we should have a chat when you''re actually awake...." He turned and looked back at the woman in the blue combat suit. "But right now you should be getting out of this place. That behemoth crystal is safe for the moment, but we want the building clear before we try to move it, to avoid any accidents or interference. The evacuation team was working on getting the lifts secured and operational, if you want to use them." "That would help, since we have several people who aren''t in the best shape." The woman glanced meaningfully at Thenio and Darkbolt. "I can see why. It looks like your team had a rough time getting down here. Those golems must have been quite a hassle. I''m grateful you got them out of the way for us. And that you kept that guy from filling this place with miasma. Well...I realize you had a little help with that part...." He nodded toward something further down the corridor. Thenio looked in that direction and saw what looked like a mass of tree branches in the center of the hallway. A man''s head and shoulders were sticking up out of the middle of them. He was slumped to the side like he was asleep. How strange. What were those branches doing there? And why was that man sleeping inside them? It didn''t look very comfortable.... As he stared at the odd sight in bemusement, Thenio felt Sala start walking again. Their group filed along one side of the corridor while the people in green suits moved out of the way to let them pass. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Thenio watched the man in the branches as they went by. When they were a little closer, he realized that they were roots, not branches. The actual branches had green and gold leaves on them, and they were woven together in a ball in front of the sleeping man. What a weird tree, growing in the middle of the building, and with its roots sticking up in the air like that. Thenio was quite sure he''d never seen a plant like that before. But at the same time, he was sure he had seen it before.... He continued staring at the branches, trying to understand the strange feeling they gave him. When Sala passed close to them, Thenio could have sworn he saw the leaves stir a little, like a breeze had just blown through them. The air filled with a gentle, vanilla-like scent. Thenio blinked a few times. Then he rested his head on Darkbolt''s shoulder again and closed his eyes. It was all right. It didn''t matter if he didn''t understand. That scent meant he was safe. Someone was watching over him. Everything would be all right. He drifted in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of the movement of the tigress underneath him and the occasional sound of voices. He didn''t really wake up again until he felt a cold wind blowing on his back. Thenio opened his eyes and sleepily looked around. Were they outside? He could still see walls around them, but they were further away, and instead of the even indoor lighting from before, everything looked shadowy and pale, like it was being lit by early morning sun. The cold breeze supported that idea. Kamari was often windy first thing in the morning. There seemed to be quite a lot of activity going on around them. Thenio saw a group of people in black combat suits going past. And there were shouts and crashing sounds in the distance. If there were people in combat suits, did those sounds mean someone was actually fighting close by? Why were so many people fighting? Where was this place, and what was going on? And why was his magic not reacting? It didn''t feel unsettled at all. That was strange. Thenio tried to assess the current state of his magic power and realized he was a bit wrong. It wasn''t that he couldn''t feel it reacting. It was that he couldn''t feel it at all. All he felt was a strange, suffocating numbness where his magic circuit ought to be. What was that? What had happened to his magic? He felt a bit panicky for a moment until another memory came back to him. Thenio, hide! That''s right. That strange smoke started coming into Ariom''s dream, and Ki''shiu had told him to hide.... No. He''d told Thenio''s magic to hide. So it was hiding. That must be how it was. Such a simple explanation probably wouldn''t have satisfied him under normal circumstances, but in his current groggy state, it seemed reasonable enough. He just hoped Ki''shiu would let his magic come out of hiding soon. It was quite uncomfortable. "Rescue team, here!" Thenio raised his head a little at the sudden shout. While he''d been pondering the condition of his magic, the group had moved out into a more open area. Something that looked like a large magic car was parked there, and a man in a tan-colored combat suit was standing next to it, waving them over. Was that one of the Stability Center''s transport vehicles? It had their crest on the side, and it looked a lot like the one he''d ridden in when he''d been taken to the Center that first time. Though he''d slept through most of that trip and didn''t remember much else about it. Medical transports were among the few flying vehicles that were allowed inside the city limits. When he was small, Thenio had gotten excited whenever he saw one zooming by overhead. But he didn''t like them nearly so much after he actually had to go to the hospital in one, when his magic had exploded for the first time. They''d given him some kind of sedative then, too. But it wasn''t enough to block out the sound of Lem crying.... They went toward the transport. When they got close to it, Red went ahead of the others and began discussing something with the man in the tan suit. The woman in the blue suit looked around at the group. "The team mission ends here. Focilo and the boy are obviously going in the transport. Ariom and Darkbolt, too. You both look like you''re about to fall over. Ice Queen, why don''t you go with them? I know you''re getting close to your limit, and I''ll feel better if they have at least one uninjured battlemage escorting them." Ice Queen? Was Namyis there too? Thenio raised his head and looked around. "What, you didn''t even notice I was here?" Namyis stepped forward, took her helmet off, and stuck her tongue out at him. "All this work to come save you, and this is the thanks I get?" "I...I''m sorry..." Thenio mumbled awkwardly. "I just...you were being quiet...not like normal.... I haven''t heard you picking on Ariom at all...." He heard a snort behind him that sounded like it had come from Ariom. Namyis stared at Thenio for a moment, looking a little taken aback. Then she burst out laughing. "I kind of like you when you''re sedated, you know? You''re more honest than usual." She moved closer and reached up to pat his head. "I was just kidding. I know you can barely keep your eyes open right now. I''m not upset you didn''t notice me. I''m just glad you''re safe. Really." Thenio blinked. "Oh." He wasn''t sure what else to say. The other battlemages gave Namyis questioning looks, and the woman in the blue suit shook her head. "Picking on Ariom, huh? I guess I should have realized it would be like that if the two of you were working together...." she said with a sigh. "Well, anyway. Back to the topic at hand. Sala and I are going to go back and help clear out the building. Anyone who''s feeling up to it is welcome to come with us. But it''s your call. You''ve all worked hard tonight, so I won''t complain about anyone who wants to quit here." "I''ll go with you," said a large man in a brown combat suit. Two men in black and silver suits looked at each other and then looked back at the woman and nodded. "We can keep going a little longer," they said in unison. "Garem is coming to supervise the investigation. He wants me to stay here to help," Kino said in his usual soft voice. Then he looked at Ariom. "He said to tell you to just rest and take care of your assistant for now. He''ll contact you soon to talk about compensation and what to do about what''s left of the analysis information." "Right. There was that, wasn''t there?" Ariom sighed. "All right. I understand. Have you heard anything about how Mideis and Amisi are doing?" Kino was silent for a moment, probably communicating with Garem. "The hospital says Mideis will be fine. His treatment is done, and he''s resting. He can probably go home later today. Amisi is at the magic beast clinic, and they haven''t sent any updates for a few hours. But they told us earlier that it wasn''t life-threatening. Her burns were worse than Mideis'', so her treatment is probably taking longer." Thenio frowned. Burns? Hospital? Amisi had been fine when he saw her last, and she said Mideis wasn''t hurt when the golem exploded. Had something happened to them after that? Namyis seemed to notice his confusion. "A lot has been going on," she told him quietly. "Someone will explain it all to you later. But it sounds like those two will be all right, so don''t worry about it for now." Thenio nodded. The action made him feel a little dizzy, so he laid his head back down. Namyis gave him a sympathetic smile and patted his hair again. "Will you bring those two over to the transport entrance, Sala?" Red said, coming back over to where the tigress was standing. "Darkbolt, since you weren''t having any trouble with your magic use, they''re going to drop the others off at the Stability Center and then take you over to the regular hospital. Ice Queen, can you go with her?" "Sure. I just need to deliver Ariom safely back to his uncle first. I assume he''ll be waiting for us at the Center." "Knowing Bero, he''ll probably be right outside the transport door when it opens...." Red said with a chuckle. Sala moved closer to the transport, and Red lifted Thenio off her back and carried him into it. It was surprisingly spacious inside¡ªbig enough to have a row of seats on one side and several fold-down beds on the other. Red settled Thenio down on one of the beds while Namyis and the man in the tan combat suit helped Darkbolt limp in behind them and sit down on another one. "You''ve been through a pretty scary experience tonight," Red said gently. "It might take a little while to really catch up to you because of the shock and magic suppression. Don''t push yourself too much for a few days, okay? You need some time to rest and process things. Bero''s staying with you and Ariom right now, isn''t he? You can go to him if you need someone to talk to. He''ll understand. Got it?" Thenio nodded. "Good. Take care, then." Red patted him on the shoulder and then turned and left the vehicle. After he disappeared, Ariom and Grandmaster Sephior entered the transport, followed by another man in a tan combat suit. Ariom had taken his helmet off, revealing a pale, exhausted-looking face. "There''s another bed if you want to lie down," Grandmaster Sephior suggested, pointing at the bed next to Darkbolt''s. Ariom scowled at him. "I don''t want to." "You''re sure?" Namyis asked, looking at him skeptically. "You really do look awful, you know. Though at least your eyes are back to their normal color." Ariom snorted and started walking past her. Then he paused and glanced back. "What color were they anyway? Red said they''d changed, but he never said what color they changed to." "They were gold. Like Tava''s eyes, but darker." Namyis gave him a sweet smile. "I''m glad they changed back. Your normal color is prettier." Ariom''s scowl deepened. He turned away without replying, stalked over to one of the seats near Thenio''s bed, and slumped down into it, not looking at anyone. Grandmaster Sephior smiled wryly at the sight. Then he turned and reached out to fiddle with the bands on Thenio''s wrists. "Now that we''re not in the middle of a battleground, it should be fine to lower your suppression rate a little." "Why did you turn it up?" Thenio asked sleepily. "My magic was already hiding.... Ki¡ª" Before he could say Ki''shiu''s name, Grandmaster Sephior put a hand lightly over his mouth. The doctor shook his head a little and then looked meaningfully over at the other bed, where Namyis was helping Darkbolt remove her combat suit. Oh. Right. He shouldn''t talk about Ki''shiu when there were other people around. Namyis already knew about him, of course, but Darkbolt and the two medics presumably didn''t. Grandmaster Sephior leaned closer to him and whispered, "That''s why. To cover up what he did." He lifted his hand from Thenio''s mouth and finished adjusting the suppression bands. "There. That''s still higher than your usual rate, but it should be enough to help you feel a little better. We can lower it the rest of the way after we get to the Center and do a thorough check on your magic circuit." Thenio didn''t feel the usual increase in magic power when the suppression was lowered. But his head cleared a little, and he felt more alert. It was enough that he stayed awake on the ride over to the Stability Center. And by the time they arrived, he was able to stand and walk out of the transport, albeit with help from Grandmaster Sephior and one of the medics. But just outside the transport, he stopped, blinking dazedly at the strange welcoming party waiting there for them. Bero was there, with Iggy''s carry bag slung over his shoulder. There was a small dark shape visible inside that was presumably the little dragon, though he seemed to be asleep. Next to Bero was an elderly woman with vivid green eyes and white hair pulled up into a bun. And standing behind her were two...what were those? Horses? No, they both had light gold horns on their foreheads.... Were they unicorns? They looked like it, but it was a little hard to be sure since their bodies were almost completely covered in some kind of dark green suits. Distracted by the unicorns, Thenio didn''t notice the man walking toward him until they were only a few feet apart. "Eteon?" He stared blankly at the old woodcarver. "Why are you...?" Eteon didn''t wait for him to finish the question and didn''t say anything. He simply reached out and pulled Thenio into a tight embrace. Thenio''s eyes widened in surprise. It wasn''t as though Eteon had never hugged him before, but this was...different somehow. A piece of his dream from earlier suddenly came back to him¡ªthe part where his father had picked him up and given him a warm, welcoming hug. His throat started to ache a little. Eteon held him for a long moment and then released him with a sigh. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, placing his hands on the sides of Thenio''s face and looking into his eyes. "I...I think so? Just sleepy. The magic suppression.... I slept through most of...whatever happened. So I just had some strange dreams. That''s all." "Good." Eteon patted his shoulders and then stepped back. "Here, we have a wheelchair waiting for you. Sit down. We''ll take you inside and deal with that magic suppression problem." Thenio nodded and took a step toward the chair Eteon was pointing to. But then he stopped again. He''d just caught sight of the fourth person who''d been standing outside the Stability Center waiting for them. "Hello. You must be Thenio," the man said with a friendly smile. "I''m Brel. Good to meet you." He was short¡ªonly around four feet tall. But he had a long, brown and white striped tail that curved up over his head. Furry brown and white ears stuck out of his curly brown hair, and he had matching brown markings around his gold-colored eyes. Thenio knew what he was, of course. He''d seen plenty of pictures of them before. But this was his first time meeting a Forest Person in real life. Chapter 77 - The Forest Lords Agent "Brel...?" Thenio repeated the name uncertainly. He''d heard that name somewhere before, hadn''t he? Where had he heard it before...? "That''s right." Eteon put an arm around Thenio''s shoulders, guiding him toward the wheelchair. "Brel is an old friend of mine. I''ve told you that I had a friend in Ket''qe who taught me how to carve wood, haven''t I? That''s him. He''s an amazing woodcarver. Maybe he can teach you a little while he''s here." "He''s better than you are? Really?" Thenio asked as he stumbled over to the chair and sat down. He found it hard to believe that anyone could be better at carving wood than Eteon was. "He is. As long as I''m not cheating, anyway," Eteon said with a small chuckle. "I can attest to his skill with wood," Grandmaster Sephior said. "I''ve seen his carvings on display at the Hall of Servants in Ket''qe. They''re quite remarkable." He turned toward Eteon, looking rather nervous. "I''m Focilo Sephior. I''ve had the privilege of being Thenio''s doctor these past few months." He lowered his head apologetically. "I''m sorry. He was put in danger tonight because of my carelessness. I should have done more to protect him." Eteon sighed. "I can''t really blame you for that. I''m the one who told him it was all right to help with that job, after all. I didn''t expect one of them to show up either. And I know you worked hard to keep him safe once you realized what was going on. I''m grateful for that." Grandmaster Sephior raised his eyebrows a little, seemingly surprised by that response. "You''re not blaming me? But I thought...with the Elder being here...." "What, you thought I came here to scold you? No, no...." Brel waved one of his small brown hands dismissively. "I''m just here to help Eteon for a couple of days. Oh, but I do need to scold Ariom a little." "Me?" Ariom stared at him blankly. "Why?" "Because of that trick you played with the neutralizing tonic. It was quite dangerous, you know? Humans can''t use a mythic beast''s power without permission, no matter how skilled a void mage you are. They''re called magic ''domains'' for a reason.... You''d be blind right now if Ket''shiu hadn''t helped you out. He knows why you did it, so he''s not angry. But be more careful in the future, all right?" Ariom looked rather taken aback. "How do you know about all that? Who are you?" "I''m Ket''shiu''s agent, obviously." A brief silence followed those words as everyone stared at the Forest Man. The medic who had helped Thenio out looked shocked, and Grandmaster Sephior looked a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to find Brel quite intimidating. He''d called him ''the Elder'' just now, hadn''t he? Maybe they knew each other from when Grandmaster Sephior lived in Ket''qe. Thenio found that he wasn''t particularly surprised to hear that Brel was an agent. It was almost like he''d been expecting it. It must be because he knew that Ki''shiu and Ket''shiu were friends, so it made sense that Eteon would be friends with one of Ket''shiu''s agents. "Wow, he just came out and said it." Namyis had followed them out of the transport and was looking at Brel with a happy expression. She was probably admiring how small and cute he was.... "Don''t agents usually hide their identity?" Brel shrugged. "Most do. But I''ve been an agent for a long time, so a lot of people already know who I am by now. It''s not really worth the trouble to hide it anymore." "Ah, I get it." Namyis nodded in understanding. "It''s like how I stopped using illusion charms to hide my stigma. I used to be self-conscious about it. But eventually I realized that everybody already knows what I look like, so there''s no real point." "Are you seriously comparing notes on how famous you are...?" Ariom asked, looking annoyed. Then he turned back to Brel. "So you''re saying I shouldn''t try using Ket''shiu''s magic again? He can''t just give me his permission?" "Well...he can," Brel said slowly, glancing at Eteon. "But the process isn''t quite that simple. We can talk about the details later, though. Thenio needs treatment and rest. And you look like you could use some yourself. Your magic circuit seems quite overworked." "Tell me about it...." Ariom sighed and turned to Eteon. "Can I leave Thenio to you for a while? I don''t think I have enough magic left to help with his treatment anyway." "Of course. We''ll take care of him. And thank you for everything you''ve done tonight." Eteon inclined his head. "I know it was difficult for you, and I truly appreciate it." "That...right...well...I''m glad he''s safe...." Ariom stood there awkwardly for a moment before turning to walk toward Bero and Iggy. But after a few steps, he paused and turned back. "I almost forgot...." He looked at Thenio hesitantly for a moment. Then for some reason he glanced at Namyis before scowling a little and looking back. "I...well...I''m sorry. For what I said earlier. About you being like a monster. I didn''t mean it how it sounded. I was just tired...and I wasn''t expecting your magic to suddenly start affecting me like that...and the magic exhaustion was making everything seem a little strange...so...." He cleared his throat uncomfortably and averted his gaze. "Anyway. I''m sorry." "Oh. Um...." It took a moment for Thenio to even remember what he was talking about. "It''s okay. It surprised me...and I was a little upset...but I knew you weren''t feeling well, and you wouldn''t normally say something like that, so...yeah. Don''t worry about it." They spent a moment awkwardly not looking at each other. "Well done," Namyis said, breaking the uncomfortable silence and giving Ariom a brilliant smile. "You remembered to apologize, in spite of everything else that''s happened. I''m impressed." "Quiet, you..." Ariom growled, his face flushing a little. "Aren''t you supposed to be escorting your colleague over to the military hospital?" "Right. I am. I was just making sure that you got back to your uncle safely, like I promised. But you''re right, we should get going." She waved at Brel. "Nice to meet you, and sorry to run. But my friend has six bone fractures and some internal bruising, so we really should go get her treated. I''ll stop by later to see how Ariom and Thenio are doing. Maybe we can talk more then, if you''re still around." Brel gave her a friendly smile. "I''ll look forward to it. Tell your friend I wish her a speedy recovery." "I''ll tell her. Bye for now, everyone! Have a good rest!" Namyis waved around at all of them as she walked back toward the transport. Thenio gave her a small wave in response, but Ariom simply watched her and the medic enter the transport and close the door behind them with a scowl on his face. "Crazy battlemages..." he muttered as the vehicle began moving away from the drop-off area, heading toward the nearby military hospital. "Six fractures, and they act like she just twisted her ankle or something." He shook his head and then turned and walked over to Bero. "Are you still using sleeping magic on him?" he asked, looking down at the carry bag. Bero nodded. "I''ll wake him up after your magic circuit scans are done. It will be hard to keep him out of the way otherwise." He looked at Grandmaster Sephior, who had gone over to the woman who was presumably Relisa, his wife, and was standing with his arm around her, patting one of the unicorns with his other hand. "We''ll go ahead, then, Focilo. Gereon is waiting for us in the analysis lab." "That''s fine. I''ll check in with you once we get Thenio taken care of." "All right." Bero put a hand on Ariom''s shoulder to guide him toward the building. "Thenio, Ariom has a room in your suite, so we''ll be close by. And I need to go pick up Humerus from the necromancy guild in a while, so I''ll stop by the house then to get you some clothes and whatever else you need." As the three of them disappeared inside, Thenio looked up at Eteon. "If I''m going to need a change of clothes, does that mean I have to stay here?" "Yes. For a day or two. Brel and I will be staying with you. Having your magic circuit sealed can cause side effects, so we need to watch you for a while to make sure you recover from it properly." "I suppose we should go inside, too." Grandmaster Sephior kissed his wife on the cheek, gave the unicorn one last pat, and started walking toward them. But he stopped after a couple of steps. "Nari? What are you doing?" One of the unicorns¡ªNari, apparently¡ªhad been peering timidly over the back of the unicorn Grandmaster Sephior was patting, who must be Sano. But as soon as Ariom and Bero had entered the building, Nari started slowly circling around behind Sano. When Grandmaster Sephior spoke to her, she stopped and looked at him anxiously, like she''d just been found out. "It''s all right, sweetheart," Brel said gently, beckoning to her. "You want to come see Thenio, don''t you? Come on, then. He''s very kind. He won''t hurt you." Thenio raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn''t sure how the Forest Man could possibly know how kind he was, since they''d only just met. But his reassurance seemed to be enough to convince Nari, who relaxed and resumed walking, her hooves making a soft clopping sound. She came in front of Thenio and stopped, looking at him uncertainly. "Hi there." He held out his hand, moving slowly so as not to spook her. "I''m Thenio. It''s nice to meet you, Nari." She sniffed the hand curiously, then held still while he lightly stroked her pale pink muzzle. She apparently enjoyed that because after a moment, she moved a little closer and lowered her head, allowing Thenio to slide his fingers underneath the edge of the cloth covering her face and rub the bridge of her nose. Strange. He''d always thought of unicorns as being mysterious and special, so he''d expected that meeting one in real life would feel rather overwhelming, like meeting a gryphon for the first time had been. But this felt...normal? It didn''t seem that different from all the times he''d stopped to pet a cat or dog he met on his way home from school. Maybe it was because he''d had so many dreams about unicorns recently. Or maybe he was just too tired to feel overwhelmed.... "What, you''re actually letting him touch you?" Sano sounded both surprised and slightly annoyed. He came over to them, swishing his cream-colored tail. "He looks like a normal human boy. What''s so special about him?" He stretched out his neck and sniffed at Thenio''s hair. Then he drew back, looking startled. "Oh." He stared at Thenio for a moment. Then he took a step closer, lowered his head again, and started sniffing much more vigorously. Thenio made a face as Sano''s whiskers tickled his ear. Unicorns were always like that, weren''t they? Either they were afraid of you and wouldn''t come close, or they were right up in your face. There wasn''t much in between. Thenio blinked. Wait. Wasn''t this the first time he''d ever met a unicorn, apart from dreams? How would he know what they were usually like...? As he was puzzling over that, Grandmaster Sephior and his wife were both watching the unicorns with incredulous looks on their faces. "Well, now..." Grandmaster Sephior said after a long pause. "This is...unexpected. I know you said that unicorns like chaos magic, but...." Brel laughed. "This is nothing. Just wait until you see how they act around him after his magic circuit is unsealed. If he were in his usual state, even shy little Nari would have been all over him as soon as he arrived. I''ve never met a unicorn who didn''t go crazy over chaos magic." Grandmaster Sephior frowned. "So you''ve known other chaos morphs? Did you know the one who lived in Ket''qe?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I did. That poor kid had unicorns following him around all the time. We had to shoo them away every so often so he could get a little peace." Brel chuckled. Then he glanced up at Eteon and his expression became more sober. "Number Ten is a bit of a sensitive subject, though. Maybe I can tell you more about him another time. Right now we should focus on the chaos morph that''s in front of us." "Ah...of course." Grandmaster Sephior nodded. Then he came over and patted Sano''s flank. "That''s enough for now, you two. This boy needs medical treatment. We''ll have to arrange a time for him to play with you later." Sano snorted and tossed his head but obediently moved away. Nari nuzzled Thenio''s cheek before also turning around and walking back to Relisa. But both unicorns continued watching him as Eteon pushed his wheelchair into the building. This entrance was different than the ones Thenio had seen when he''d come to the Stability Center before, and nothing looked familiar as they passed through a lobby and into a lift. "This building is where the private suites are. The ones that long-term patients stay in," Grandmaster Sephior explained, noticing Thenio looking around. "After we found out you''d be staying in Kamari, we set one up for you with extra barriers and things, just in case of emergencies. Though being kidnapped by an Old One wasn''t really one of the emergency situations we had in mind.... In any case, it will be safer for you to stay here than in one of the regular rooms, like you were in last time. And the suite has an additional bedroom to allow someone to stay with you, so Ariom will be resting there once he''s done with his tests." "Why does he need tests? What happened to him?" "Ah, yes, you were still asleep when he was explaining that. Well, let''s save the details for after your suppression is gone, since it will be a lot to take in. Suffice it to say that Ariom very much overdid it with his magic use tonight...last night now, I suppose. It damaged his magic circuit a little. He''ll probably be fine if he just rests for a few days, but he''s getting a thorough examination just to be safe." Thenio''s brow furrowed. Ariom had used too much magic? What exactly had he been doing? And why had he been with those people from the Magic Corps, anyway? Ariom hated the Magic Corps. Grandmaster Sephior had said something about ''being kidnapped by an Old One'' just now. Was that the doctor from the Royal Guard? But he''d talked about his body being a puppet, and he''d collapsed just before Thenio fell asleep. So the Old One was the doctor...but he wasn''t really the doctor? Was there even a real doctor...? Thenio didn''t understand what was going on at all. He seemed to have been kidnapped, but he didn''t exactly know why or how. His memories of real events were all mixed up with his dreams. Whatever Ki''shiu had done to his magic circuit made him feel strange and uncomfortable. And trying to force his tired, fuzzy brain to think through it all was just giving him a headache. Eteon seemed to understand what he was feeling. "Don''t worry about it right now," he said, gently smoothing Thenio''s hair where Sano had been nosing it. "Ariom will be fine. And everything will make more sense once your magic is back to normal. Just relax and let us take care of you for now, all right?" Thenio nodded and leaned back against the wheelchair with a sigh. Right. Later. He could figure things out later.... The room they took him to was spacious and tastefully decorated. There was medical equipment in it, but there was also a wardrobe and a small sofa and table off to one side, making it look much more welcoming and liveable than a regular hospital room. Eteon helped Thenio lie down and then sat on the edge of the bed. "It''s not good to increase the activity of your magic power too rapidly, so I''m going to turn your suppression rate up before I remove the seal on your circuit. Then we''ll gradually lower it. Obviously that''s going to make you want to sleep for a while. But that''s fine. You had a long day yesterday, and you''ve actually only slept for a few hours so far, so more rest won''t hurt you. Go ahead and sleep as long as you want. We''ll be right here the whole time. Okay?" "Okay." Eteon adjusted the bands on Thenio''s wrists, and he felt a heavy wave of drowsiness come over him. His body went limp, and his eyelids started to close. But he was still partially awake when Eteon leaned down and touched his forehead lightly against Thenio''s. "Release." He said the word very softly, barely more than a whisper. But it was filled with a power that resonated through Thenio''s body, just like Ki''shiu''s voice did whenever he spoke out loud. He felt the stifling sensation that had been wrapped around him break apart and fade away. Maybe because of the small rush of magic power that followed, a strange image suddenly came into Thenio''s mind. A single feather, mottled blue and white, was drifting slowly through a starry sky. As he watched it, a patch of dark greenish-purple appeared on the tip of the feather and began rapidly spreading across it. When the feather was about half-covered, it abruptly shattered into pieces that faded away into the darkness. The sight gave Thenio an inexplicable feeling of grief and regret. Then his eyes closed, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.
What was that? Focilo had been watching closely while Eteon removed the seal from Thenio''s magic circuit, but he still couldn''t tell exactly what he had done. He''d simply bent down, put his face close to Thenio''s, and then sent out a tiny pulse of magic¡ªsmall enough that Focilo could barely see it. But somehow it spread all throughout the boy''s magic circuit, dissolving the seal that was covering it. That must be an ability that Eteon had gotten through his agent contract. Focilo didn''t know very much about dream magic, but he''d once heard the Forest Lord describe it as ''frighteningly versatile.'' So it was no wonder that the Dream Lord''s agent had some unusual skills. Thenio''s magic went wild once the restraint was off. But the suppression enchantment made it very weak. Too weak to cause an explosion, fortunately. Eteon started gently stroking Thenio''s hair, and his magic slowly settled again as he finished falling asleep. The room was quiet for a minute or two. "It looks like he''s doing all right now," Brel said finally. "I''ll watch him for a while. You should rest, Eteon. I know you''re still in pretty bad shape." Focilo raised an eyebrow. Bad shape? What was that about? Eteon smoothed Thenio''s hair one last time and then sighed and stood up. "All right. Put up a sound barrier as well, will you? He probably won''t be able to hear us talking, but we shouldn''t take any chances." "Sure thing." Brel traced a shape in the air with his finger, and a light golden barrier appeared surrounding Thenio. Then he gestured at the ground, and a number of thin branches grew up out of the floor next to the bed and wove themselves into a Forest Person-sized chair. While he was doing that, Eteon walked over to the sofa and slumped down on one side of it. He looked down at his hands. The air distorted a little, and golden brown bandages appeared, covering both hands and forearms. Had he been wearing illusion magic to hide those? Focilo hadn''t sensed it at all. And those bandages...they had a strong feel of the Forest Lord''s magic.... Focilo''s eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at. "That''s the Lord''s barkcloth, isn''t it? Sano told me that you gave the Royal Guard information about the Order''s base and that you were poisoned as a result. Was it really that serious?" Eteon simply gave him a tired look and didn''t reply. "Well...yes. He was a bit reckless," Brel said with a wry smile. "But Peqeran and Ciresi treated him, so the danger is mostly past now as long as he doesn''t do anything to make it worse. That''s why I''m here¡ªto keep an eye on him and help take care of Thenio so that he doesn''t have to strain himself. Well...and because Peqeran thought you would feel uncomfortable interacting with him by yourself. He knows you''ve been rather anxious ever since you found out the Consort was watching over Thenio." Focilo''s cheek twitched a little. He appreciated the consideration, but Brel was almost as scary as Eteon was.... Intimidating as they both were, though, he couldn''t help asking, "Can you really afford to take a risk like that? Obviously I want to help Thenio as much as possible. But you must realize what would happen if that corruption spread from you to the Consort. How can you justify putting this entire world in danger for the sake of a boy who probably won''t even live much¡ª." He broke off. Eteon was giving him a glare so icy that it made the words freeze in his throat. Brel sighed and waved his small hand again, making another cluster of branches grow up and form a second, larger chair about halfway between the bed and the sofa. "Sit down, Focilo. We need to talk for a while. Eteon, try to stay calm, will you? It''s not his fault that he doesn''t understand." Eteon let out a snort, but he stopped glaring. Focilo exhaled with relief and then reluctantly moved over to the new chair and sat down. He seriously wished he were on his way home with Relisa and the unicorns right now.... "Sorry, the pain from the corruption plus his worry about Thenio have made him a bit grouchy," Brel said, giving Focilo an apologetic smile. "And I''m sorry that we can''t explain everything to you right now. But I can assure you that Eteon had good reasons for doing what he did." Focilo glanced over at the sleeping boy. "Does it have something to do with Thenio''s ability to purify demon poison?" There was a brief silence. "So you found out about that, did you?" Eteon''s tone was even, but there was a hint of danger in it. "I know he absorbed a small amount of corruption when the Poisoner attacked. You must have seen how his body processed it." "Yes." Focilo did his best to keep his voice and expression steady. He knew it was unlikely that Eteon would actually do anything to him, especially with Brel and Thenio present. As Brel had said, he was probably just feeling bad-tempered because someone had tried to harm the boy he cared about. But that aura of his really was something else.... Eteon looked at him appraisingly for a moment. Then he sighed. "Yes, that has something to do with it. His potential is valuable enough that it''s worth taking a small risk to protect him." "A small risk...?" Focilo repeated doubtfully. "Yes. Small. You really think I don''t know my own limits?" Eteon said irritably. "I didn''t take in more corruption than I knew I could recover from. The only real risk was that something unexpected would happen to keep me from getting back to Ket''qe to get treatment in time, and the chances of that were very low. So. A small risk." "Well, fine. I still don''t like the idea of gambling with the fate of the world, no matter how good the odds...but I suppose the Consort could have dissolved your agent contract, in the worst case...." Focilo looked at Thenio again. "Do you really think he can make a difference against the demons?" "It''s possible, if he can learn to control his power." Eteon leaned forward and fixed Focilo with a stern look. "But I absolutely don''t want you telling him about this. The poor boy is under enough pressure already. Do you understand?" "I understand. It''s true that he tends to be quite hard on himself, and adding to his anxiety will just make it harder for him to keep his magic stable. I won''t say anything, I promise." "Good." Eteon relaxed a little. "Now, why don''t you tell us what happened after the Poisoner showed up?" "Doesn''t dream magic let you get information like that on your own?" "It does. But you were the one who was so worried about me getting exposed to demon corruption. Do you really want me looking at information involving them right now?" Focilo made a face. "Ah...right. Sorry. I wasn''t thinking.... " "You did just get kidnapped by a Poisoner and then spent half the night growing tree roots so that Peqeran could help get you out. I''m sure you''re feeling tired and disoriented." Brel gave him an understanding smile. "But we really do need to know what happened so that we know how much the Poisoner learned about Thenio and whether there''s a risk of them coming after him again." "Of course. I don''t think he learned very much, but...well. I suppose I should start at the beginning...." He told them everything, from the discovery that the analysis subject was actually a flesh puppet, to Vehnkir coming to Thenio''s recovery room in Rimeus'' body and teleporting them out, to the conversations he''d overheard and the things he''d learned from observing Thenio while they were in the holding cell. The other two mostly stayed quiet, only occasionally asking a question about something he''d said. But Eteon did accidentally let out a rather terrifying wave of magic power when Focilo mentioned Vehnkir saying he could call Thenio''s spirit back after he''d died. Brel hastily threw up another barrier around Thenio''s bed to protect him from it. Though he, too, looked quite upset at the idea. Well, that was understandable. Focilo had never actually seen anyone call a spirit back from the dead, but he''d once gotten quite a thorough lecture on the subject from the Forest Lord. And he also hated the idea of something so terrible happening to a nice boy like Thenio.... "It does sound like Vehnkir only took Thenio on a whim, rather than because he had a specific purpose in mind," Brel said when Focilo was finished. "And the Order lost quite a sizeable base as a result. I''m sure the others are going to be furious with him. They''ll probably keep him on a tight leash for a while, so he shouldn''t be able to come after Thenio again anytime soon. And he might have lost interest, if he thinks that chaos morphs are just an unusual type of chimera." "Is that all they are?" Focilo probably wouldn''t have dared to ask that question an hour ago, but by this point he was too tired to feel very intimidated anymore. "I know you don''t want to explain everything to me. But could you at least tell me this one thing? Are chaos morphs how they are because they''re born that way? Or is this all some kind of cruel experiment that the Consort is doing to try to create a child who can help close the demon rifts?" The room was silent for a long moment. Focilo and Eteon were staring at each other, and Brel was looking between the two of them uncertainly. Finally, Eteon let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. "They''re born that way," he said quietly. "The only experimenting going on is for the purpose of finding a way to help them." He opened his eyes again and looked at Focilo with an oddly mournful expression. "As long as there have been chaos morphs in this world, Ki''shiu has been looking after them. And I can guarantee you, no one cares more about their well-being than he does. The potential for saving the world is just a nice bonus...." Chapter 78 - I Just Want to Sleep... "What was that about you trying to use Ket''shiu''s magic and possibly going blind?" Bero asked, frowning at his nephew as they walked through the long-term patient building, heading toward the analysis lab. It was still early morning, so the hallways were mostly empty. "Focilo sent a message through Sano to say that you needed a thorough checkup after you got here and to pay special attention to your eyes, but he made it sound like you''d just been using magesight too much...." Ariom avoided his gaze. "Well, that''s basically what it was. We ran across an unusual enchantment, and my normal magesight wasn''t enough to analyze it properly. So I had to...enhance it a little." "Enhance it? With a mythic beast''s magic?" "Well...yes. From the anti-demon medicine." "Ariom...." Bero felt a serious headache coming on. "I know. I heard what that Brel guy said just now. I wouldn''t have done it if I''d known it was that dangerous. But I was lucky, and Ket''shiu was watching somehow. So it worked out. And my eyes feel fine now. They''re really tired, but they''re fine." Bero sighed. "Honestly...just when I start to think you''re all grown up and I can stop worrying about you...you go and get yourself tangled up in a mess like this...." "I''m thirty-eight years old," Ariom said sourly. "And you only just started thinking I''m grown up?" "You''ve only just started giving me reason to think that...." Ariom glared at him for a moment. Then he sighed and looked away. "I''m sorry. I know it was foolish to just try something like that on the spot, without knowing whether it was safe or not. The whole idea of going on that raid in the first place was foolish.... It felt like something I needed to do, and we got Thenio and Focilo back safely, so I can''t really say that I regret it. But...well...I''m sorry for worrying you." Bero raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well now. Maybe you''re a little grown up after all...." Ariom snorted and didn''t look at him. Bero smiled wryly and reached up to pat him on the shoulder. "Hey. I mean it, you know? You''ve really grown a lot in the past few months. As much as I hate worrying about your safety, I''m really proud of you. I know it took a lot of courage for you to work together with the Magic Corps like that." Ariom didn''t respond. But a little bit of color had come into his greyish face. "So how was it?" Bero asked after a pause. "You finally got a taste of what it''s like to be a battlemage, after all these years. Was it anything like you imagined?" Ariom glanced at him and then looked away again. "When I wanted to be a battlemage, it was to fight demons, not demon-obsessed criminals. But...." He was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed. "I don''t know. It felt like everything was happening all at once. It was overwhelming. And...I''m tired. I need some more time to process things before I''ll really know what I think about it." "Well, that''s understandable. We can talk about it later, after you''ve gotten some rest." He was hiding something. Bero recognized the look on his face. Something had happened that he didn''t want to talk about. But it was fine. Kathia and Namyis had both been on the rescue team as well. If Ariom wouldn''t talk, he could find out what happened from one of them. There was no need to pressure him, especially not right now when he was clearly exhausted. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Bero couldn''t help feeling a little uncomfortable as he passed through the familiar corridors. The long-term patient facilities hadn''t changed that much since he''d worked here. The walls had been repainted, and the equipment had been replaced with newer versions. But the circuit analysis lab was still in the same place it had been when Bero used to take his father there for his weekly scans. And Gereon, the elderly necromancer who was in charge of the lab, had been working there almost as long as Focilo had. As he led Ariom through the lab entrance, Bero had to remind himself once again that they were only there because Thenio had a suite in this building, so it was more convenient to bring Ariom to this lab than take him to the one over in the main building. Not because he was actually a patient here. Bero had been careful to teach all his children good magic training techniques and to impress on them the importance of getting their circuits checked regularly. And none of them had shown any signs of serious instability so far. But the fear of one of them ending up here someday never quite went away....
The scans and tests took more than an hour to complete. Ariom looked half dead by the time it was all over, but at least there were no signs of any serious damage to his body or magic circuit. And he still had enough energy to scowl and refuse a wheelchair when Bero offered to get him one. Fortunately, Thenio''s assigned suite wasn''t too far from the analysis lab, so Ariom was able to make it there without any further damage to his dignity. The door to Thenio''s bedroom was closed, and there was the faint sound of voices coming from inside. Was he still undergoing treatment? Or were Focilo and the two mythic agents discussing what had happened? Considering how protective Eteon seemed to be of Thenio, it wouldn''t be surprising for him to want to hear all the details of the kidnapping. Ariom looked briefly at the closed door before turning into the open doorway across from it, which led to the second bedroom. He went straight over to the bed and collapsed face down onto it. "I did offer you a wheelchair, you know...." Bero shook his head and set Iggy''s carry bag down on the end of the bed. "Do you want to eat anything?" "No." Ariom''s voice was muffled by the pillow. "I just want to sleep." "Well, fine. I''ll leave something on the table there for you, all right? Try to eat a little whenever you wake up. Your body needs food to help compensate for all that recovery medicine you drank." "You sound like the ice mage...." "That''s because the ice mage is smart and knows how to take care of her body...unlike a certain void mage...." Bero lifted the sleeping Iggy out of the carry bag and put him on the pillow next to Ariom. "Here, at least pet your poor dragon a little bit before you fall asleep." Ariom turned partway over to look at Iggy with a reluctant expression. But then he sighed and obediently started stroking the dragon''s back. He was a stubborn kid, but at least he kept his priorities straight. With the sleep magic removed, Iggy stirred at the touch and lifted his head, blinking groggily. Then suddenly his eyes popped open, and his head and ears shot up straight. "Ariom! Where''s Ariom?!" "I''m right in front of you, you silly dragon...." Iggy flipped himself over and grabbed at the hand that had been petting him. "Ariom, I don''t want you to leave me! I don''t want to be brave anymore!" "Iggy¡ª" "I''m not a big, strong dragon!" Iggy howled, clinging tightly to Ariom''s fingers. "That''s just for pretend! I''m only a little baby dragon, and I need Ariom!" Ariom sighed again. "Iggy, I''m not going anywhere. I already went and came back, while you were asleep." "Huh?" Iggy turned and stared at him, the confusion evident on his face. "Ariom''s...not leaving?" "No. I''m not leaving. I''m planning to stay right here and sleep for the rest of today. Maybe the rest of tomorrow, too...." "Oh." Iggy blinked a few times and then looked around. "Where is here?" "This is the Stability Center," Bero told him. "It''s the place where Thenio goes to see the doctor¡ªremember? Ariom and Namyis already went and brought Thenio back. He''s sleeping in the next room. He needs to stay here for a couple of days to make sure his magic is all right. And Ariom is very tired from going to save him, so he''s also going to stay here and sleep for a while." "I want to stay, too! I want to stay with Ariom!" "That''s right. You stay here with me." Ariom rubbed the little dragon''s head. "Just be good and let me sleep, please...." "I''ll put your toys and snacks over here, Iggy." Bero put the carry bag down on the floor and then took the canvas bag full of Iggy''s other things out of his space pocket. He went over to the sofa on one side of the room and started setting the food and toys out on the table in front of it. "I need to leave soon to go get Humerus. He''s still at the necromancy guild. So you stay here and look after Ariom for me while I''m gone, all right?" "Mmm." Iggy nodded solemnly. "I''ll watch Ariom!" "Good boy." Bero opened a tin of fish treats, took a few out, and set the rest down on the table. He went back over to the bed and put the treats down in front of Iggy. "Here. You were asleep for quite a while, so you''re probably hungry. I''m going to go look for some food for Ariom. I''ll be right back." "There''s a stasis box in the kitchen area," said a voice from the doorway. Bero turned to see a tired-looking Focilo entering the room. "There should be some pre-prepared meals inside it." "Are you all right?" Bero asked him with concern. "You look exhausted. And you were kidnapped by demon lunatics, too, after all. Should you really still be working?" "Ah...I''m fine. Talking with those two is just a little overwhelming." Focilo nodded toward the other room, grimacing a little. "They wanted to know what happened. And then we were discussing Thenio''s condition.... But they''re more than capable of taking care of him, so I''ll go rest soon. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed first. How were Ariom''s scans?" "Not bad." Bero took out the copy of the scan printouts that the lab had given them and handed them over. "There''s some minor circuit damage, and his body was stressed by taking too much recovery medicine. But Gereon thinks he''ll be fine if he just takes it easy for a week or two." "Hmm." Focilo flipped through the printouts and then nodded. "Yes, it looks like he got off pretty easy considering what he went through last night. Just make sure he doesn''t use magesight for a few days. I know that will be difficult for him.... Put suppression bands on him if you have to." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bero grinned. "Don''t worry. If I can wrangle a revenant, I can handle my own nephew." Then his expression became serious again. "How is Thenio doing?" "Having his circuit sealed was a bit hard on him, but he should be all right in a couple of days. Brel and Eteon both have experience taking care of chaos morphs, so they know what to do." Focilo frowned a little. "Speaking of which...we need to discuss some of the things I''ve learned from them. Things that may affect the boy''s treatment plan moving forward. But it can wait until after we''ve all gotten some sleep." "Right." Bero sighed. "I think we''re okay here, so you should go home and rest. You look almost as worn out as Ariom does. I need to go find something for him to eat, so I''ll walk out with you." The two of them left the bedroom and walked out to the front of the suite, where there was a small kitchen area. "You can contact the cafeteria if you don''t find what you need, but it should be fairly well-stocked. Since we prepared this place with emergencies in mind, we''ve tried to keep it ready for Thenio to move in at any time." Focilo gestured toward the large stasis box installed in the kitchen wall. "Go ahead and use whatever you want¡ªwe''ll restock it later. I''m not sure how much of the food here is suitable for dragons, though. I wasn''t anticipating Thenio and Ariom both needing care at the same time." "That''s fine. We brought enough food and toys with us to last Iggy for a while, and I''ll bring some more over from Ariom''s house later." Bero paused with his hand on the door of the stasis box. "Hey, Focilo...can I ask you something before you leave?" "Of course. What is it?" Bero looked back at him and hesitated for a moment. Focilo was his longtime friend and mentor, the man who had supported him through the most difficult years of his life and had, along with Kalion, helped fill the void that had been left when his father died. Bero wasn''t sure what effect the question he was about to ask might have on their relationship. He suddenly felt a strong sense of empathy toward Thenio.... But still, he needed to ask. "Are you Ket''shiu''s agent?" Focilo simply looked at him for a moment. Then he let out a long, tired sigh. "I was wondering if you would notice.... You can tell I was using magic while Thenio and I were trapped at the Order''s base, can''t you?" "Yes. Your power reserves look awfully low for someone who was stuck inside a full suppression barrier. But if it was a typical barrier, it would have only blocked elemental magic. So if you''re capable of using another kind...." "Very good. You''re obviously much more knowledgeable than the Order''s researchers are," Focilo said drily. "Though I''m grateful for their oversight, of course. We would have been in real trouble if they''d had a spectral beast expert around to remind them that other types of magic exist." "Well, even with that, it might not have occurred to me if it weren''t for all the contact with mythics and agents that Thenio''s been having. But...you''re really an agent? Like Eteon and Brel?" "No. I''m an agent, but I''m not like them." Focilo''s expression turned slightly bitter. "Not all agent contracts are the same. Ket''shiu has greater resistance to demon poison than most mythics do, so to help deal with the rifts, he''s been working hard to spread his power throughout the world. Including forming contracts with a larger number of less powerful agents. I''m one of those. But Brel has been an agent since long before the Rift Crisis. He''s the real deal. Eteon should be as well, based on what Ket''shiu told me when I asked about him." "Wait, are you the one that Kalion contacted when I told him that I thought a mythic agent was watching Thenio?" "Yes." "So Ket''shiu told you to be polite to him because he''s a more powerful agent? I thought it meant he was the agent of a higher ranking mythic beast, but if you have a contract with Ket''shiu...." "He is," Focilo said quietly. "Ki''shiu is higher ranked than Ket''shiu is." "Really?" Bero''s eyes widened. "Isn''t Ket''shiu one of the most powerful mythic beasts in the world?" "Yes. But he''s not the most powerful one. And their social hierarchy doesn''t exactly correspond to their strength, anyway.... In any case, there are a few other mythics who are above him. Ki''shiu is one of them." Focilo glanced back toward the bedrooms. "Though I recommend that you don''t tell Ariom that." Bero made a face. "You''re right. Ki''shiu already intimidates him enough as it is.... So what about Relisa?" "She has a contract with Ket''yia. That''s actually how we met." "Is she a more powerful agent, too, then?" "Not exactly. She has a more typical contract, but Ket''yia is actually quite a bit less powerful than Ket''shiu is. So her agents aren''t nearly as strong as someone like Brel." Focilo smiled wryly. "Well, she''s probably still stronger than I am, though. Our powers are different, so it''s hard to do a direct comparison." "Honestly...I feel like the whole world has suddenly flipped upside down...." Bero sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The Order of the Ravener infiltrated the Royal Guard. Humerus went on his worst rampage in years. Thenio got kidnapped. Ariom went on a raid with the Magic Corps. And now I find out I''ve been friends with two mythic agents all this time. I''m expecting to wake up any moment now and find out this has all just been a crazy dream." He sighed again. "And to think...this time yesterday, all I was worried about was how Ariom''s going to react if he ever notices that Namyis likes him...."
The raid on the Order base was starting to wind down. The fighting was mostly over, and the first line teams were in the process of being swapped out for fresh replacements who would continue to patrol the area while the cleanup teams went to work. Most of the captives in the research center had been evacuated and taken to the appropriate medical facilities. The Poison Center was currently working on safely containing and transporting the few infected ones. And once that was done, they could finally start on the dangerous job of moving the behemoth crystal to a secure location. Well...it wasn''t as dangerous as it would normally be. That lunatic Vehnkir had made the terrible mistake of kidnapping both a child that the mythics were interested in and one of Ket''shiu''s agents. Which had eventually resulted in four agents and the giant tree himself getting involved. The extra help meant that they''d been able to find and infiltrate the base much more quickly and easily than they would have otherwise. The intelligence that the agent called Eteon had provided gave them a huge advantage. And Ket''shiu''s assistance had prevented a disaster from happening in the research center. Not to mention that a skilled void archer had unexpectedly volunteered to join the raid and saved them an hour or two of attacking the outer barrier. Commander Soteran Myrel¡ªwho most people knew as ''Hydra''¡ªcouldn''t help breathing a sigh of relief as he reviewed the most recent report from the medical team. No fatalities on their side. And a relatively small number of major injuries. It was rare for such a large raid to go so well. They''d gotten seriously lucky with this one.... Soteran handed the report back to his adjutant and turned his attention back to the large map of the base that was spread out on the table in front of him with colored markers scattered across it, showing where different teams were currently active. At the same time, he was listening to the ongoing streams of telepathic communication that Riven was processing, occasionally adding in a direct response or command. ...has been cleared. Proceeding to the next area.... Team Seven to Hydra Blue. Two members have severe burns. Requesting medical backup.... Hydra Blue here. Go ahead, Team Seven. ...transferring our patrol over to Arial Team Four, led by Mistral. Hailstrike out. Back warehouse is secure. We''ll monitor the building until cleanup arrives. Riven currently had five heads going: red, blue, orange, green, and gold. Each one was keeping track of several different telepathic links, allowing Soteran to monitor and communicate with all the raid teams at once through the strong mental bond that he and his familiar shared. This was half the reason he''d been given the position of Field Commander. His combat power might be lower than most other battlemages, but no one in Kafron''s Magic Corps could beat him where telepathy was concerned. Things continued steadily for a few minutes. Then the adjutant appeared at Soteran''s side again. "Commander," she said, looking a little awkward. "Emberhawk is outside. He wants to speak with you." Soteran closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I knew he''d show up sooner or later.... I''d better get this over with. Cyram, Riven, take over for me for a few minutes." "Yes, sir." Cyram, the Central Division''s Lieutenant Commander, looked up from the report he was reviewing and gave Soteran a small salute. Riven''s gold head shot him a disgruntled look. Then it glowed softly and split down the center, forming a slightly smaller gold head and a new silver one that stretched over to look at the map in Soteran''s place. I''m sorry, Soteran told him silently. I know you''re getting tired. I''ll try to keep it quick. He could still feel the hydra''s annoyance as he left the command building. Riven hated emergency raids. Doing such strenuous work on short notice was difficult for mental magic users. They had to budget their energy carefully. Overwork caused mental fatigue, which frequently led to headaches. And it was much worse for hydras, since they could easily end up with six or seven headaches all at the same time if they weren''t careful.... There were quite a few people moving around in front of the temporary building that had been set up to house the raid command center: Security personnel patrolling the area. Coordinators from the Royal Guard or the medical center. Team leaders coming to drop off reports. But they were all carefully keeping their distance from a single man wearing a black combat suit with orange silhouettes of a diving hawk on the front and back. He had copper-tinted skin, vivid yellow-orange eyes, and black hair with orange and gold streaks in it. And as usual, his expression looked like he''d just gulped down a glass of lemon juice. Riomel Denifor glared at Soteran as he approached. "You know why I''m here." "I know," Soteran said calmly. He gestured toward one side of the command building. "Let''s go around there where it''s quieter." He turned and started walking without waiting for a response. Riomel could easily get carried away by his emotions, so it was better not to let him set the tempo of a conversation. Especially when he was already upset. Soteran could feel the anger coming off him like the heat from a bonfire, but he did his best to ignore it. He led the way around to the side of the building, away from the people passing by in front. A couple of young men on security patrol gave him questioning looks, obviously concerned about the angry battlemage following behind him. Soteran gave them a nod and a small smile to let them know he was all right. They both saluted in response and continued on their way. When they''d gone out of earshot, he turned to face Riomel. "Why did you let him do that?" the firestorm mage snarled without any preamble. "Because he wanted to. And because I didn''t have any good reason to stop him." "What do you mean you didn''t have a reason? He''s not even a combat wizard!" "No, he''s not. But he''s a grandmaster and a well-respected enchanter, in addition to being a very competent magic archer. He wanted to help save his kidnapped assistant, and he felt that his skills were up to the task. I agreed with him. But I also put Copycat and Red on his team. I knew they''d look after him." "He still shouldn''t have been going on a major raid!" "Riomel," Soteran said quietly but firmly. "I understand why you kept him away from the military when he was younger. But Ariom isn''t a child anymore. He''s capable of making his own decisions. And Copycat said he was a huge help to the rescue team. Your son''s stronger than you think he is. You don''t have to keep protecting him like this." Riomel glowered at him, his flame-colored eyes sparking dangerously. Soteran stood calmly and looked back at him. Most people would see a furious fire mage on the verge of snapping. But Soteran wasn''t most people, and he could feel that Riomel''s rage was now colored with worry and regret. That wasn''t how he felt when he was about to attack someone. Soteran knew from experience.... In the end, Riomel simply turned and stalked away without saying another word. Soteran watched him go and then let out a long sigh. His relationship with Riomel had always been a complicated one. Soteran wasn''t directly responsible for Amara Denifor''s death, of course. But it was hard not to feel a little guilty when the same project that had killed her had made him one of the top mental mages in the world, allowed him to form a familiar contract with a Prismatic Hydra, and eventually led to his current position in the Magic Corps. He''d always been a bit soft on Riomel as a result, trying to give him some extra attention and help as a sort of ongoing apology. But in this particular case, it was definitely better to stand firm. It would do that stubborn fool a world of good if he could finally stop being afraid of his own son. Hey. Quit moping over that guy and come back already. Riven''s unhappy voice said in his head. Syrza keeps asking me questions instead of going through Cyram, and if I answer her directly then I have to repeat it for him. It''s annoying.... Soteran rolled his eyes. Just answer out loud, then. They already know how you talk. I don''t care if they know! I don''t want to talk to them! All right, all right.... I''m coming, you silly, self-conscious lizard. Soteran shook his head and headed back inside. Everyone always talked about how difficult Riomel was to deal with. But they''d never tried living with a hydra.... I heard that... Riven said grumpily. Chapter 79 - Waking Up "There. What do you think?" Thenio''s eyes lit up at the sight of the little wooden figures that Brel placed on the ground in front of him. "Tiny people! Are they going to live in the city you made?" "That''s right. These are people from the world we used to live in." "Real people? People you knew there?" "Some of them, yes." A shadow passed over the Forest Man''s face. "Making carvings of the people I knew helps me remember them...." They were sitting on the mossy ground, surrounded by large tree roots. Bits of sunlight danced here and there as the green and gold leaves over their heads swayed gently in the breeze. Thenio looked up from the little carvings. "Are you sad that you left? Are you sorry that you came here to live with us?" Brel smiled. "No, of course not. This is a much better world than the one we left. I''m sorry that some of my friends didn''t want to come with us. But I''m not sorry that we came." He reached out and tousled Thenio''s hair affectionately. "After all, I wouldn''t have met you if we''d stayed in our old world." "I''m glad you came, too! I''m glad I get to see all the amazing things you make! I want to learn to carve wood like you do someday!" Thenio said, beaming up at him. ...up at him? Come to think of it, had Brel always been taller than he was? That seemed a little wrong somehow.... "Don''t worry, I promise I''ll teach you when you''re older. Your mother''s going to pull my tail off and turn it into a scarf if I let you play around with knives right now...." Brel looped his striped tail around his own neck to demonstrate. Thenio giggled. "Your tail would make a good scarf! It''s really soft and warm." "No! Go get your own scarf!" Brel clutched his tail in mock horror. "I need this tail! How am I supposed to get up to my house without it?" "Fly?" "Not all of us can fly, kiddo.... Tell you what¡ªyou can have my tail if you give me your wings. Deal?" Thenio blinked. His...wings? He had wings? He twisted his head around, trying to look at his own back. He caught a glimpse of something white and fluffy, and as he tried to get a better look at it, his instinct kicked in, and he flexed muscles he didn''t even realize were there. Two feathered wings stretched out on either side of him. Thenio stared at them, open-mouthed. The wings were small and downy, like a baby bird''s. They didn''t look like they could hold him in the air for more than a short glide. And the white and blue coloring on the feathers formed a blotchy, irregular pattern that wasn''t exactly pretty. But still...they were wings. They were his wings. Finally...he''d been waiting such a long time to get them back.... Thenio reached out a small, trembling hand to stroke the feathers on his right-hand wing. But as soon as he touched it, both wings shattered. Feathers swirled around him, obscuring Brel, the mossy ground, and the enormous tree from view. Then it all faded away.... And he was falling...falling into darkness once again....
Thenio could hear voices and recognized that there were people in the room with him, but it took him a while to wake up enough to understand what they were saying. "Is it okay to make the joints that loose?" "It''s fine. He''ll hold them up with his magic. He normally lives in a skeleton, doesn''t he? Those have even looser joints once the connective tissue is gone." "Oh, I guess you''re right. I''ve always just thought about making golems. I never made a puppet for a revenant before." That voice was definitely Kleyo''s. Thenio opened his eyes a little. His vision was a bit blurry, but he could make out the walls and ceiling of an unfamiliar room. Where was this place? Why were he and Kleyo here? "Oh, are you awake?" said a gentle, familiar voice close by. Thenio turned his head and saw Eteon sitting next to the bed he was lying on. "You''re at the Stability Center," Eteon said, apparently noticing Thenio''s confusion. "The Magic Corps brought you here after they rescued you and Grandmaster Sephior. You''re still under pretty strong magic suppression, so you probably can''t remember it very well right now." Magic Corps? Oh...that''s right. He''d ridden on a tiger and seen a man sleeping in a ball of tree roots...then they''d brought him to the hospital, and Eteon had been waiting with a Forest Person.... His memories were rather hazy, and their contents were strange enough that he would have assumed they were just a crazy dream if he''d woken up in his bed at home. But Eteon was here, talking about the Magic Corps and being rescued. And this definitely wasn''t his bedroom at Ariom''s house. So all those strange things had really happened? Probably? "Here, I''ll help you sit up." Eteon slid his arm under Thenio''s shoulders and helped him into a sitting position, then arranged the pillows behind him to prop him up. "I''m sure you''re still feeling groggy, but you should at least drink some water and say hello to your brothers before you fall back asleep." Brothers? Was Lem here, too? While Eteon poured him a glass of water from a pitcher on the nightstand, Thenio looked past him in the direction he''d heard Kleyo''s voice coming from earlier. "Thenio! You''re awake!" Kleyo waved enthusiastically. He was on the other side of the room, sitting next to the table in what looked like a dark brown wicker chair. Brel was sitting in a similar chair next to him. The two of them seemed to be making something together. There were carving tools and pieces of wood scattered across the table. Thenio''s gaze was drawn to the long, striped tail draped over the back of Brel''s chair. He''d been having a dream just before he woke up that he couldn''t remember very well. But hadn''t there been something in it about trying to make a Forest Person''s tail into a scarf...? Weird. Thenio tried briefly to remember what the rest of the dream had been about, but it gave him an uncomfortable feeling, as though the memory were painful. He pushed his thoughts about the dream aside and focused instead on the large red and black dog that was lying on the floor next to Kleyo''s chair with his head resting on his front paws. "Kino? What are you doing here?" The storm hound raised his head a little and looked in Thenio''s direction when he heard his name, but then he lowered it again and closed his eyes without saying anything. He looked very tired. "He and the Royal Guard vice-captain brought us over here to visit you," Kleyo said, bending down to pat the dog''s shaggy head. "The vice-captain is in the other room talking to Mom and Dad. And Ariom and his uncle. And your doctor. But Kino makes Mom nervous¡ªshe said he reminds her of Umbra. So he and Humerus came in here with us." Humerus? Thenio looked around the room but didn''t see the revenant anywhere. "He''s in there." Lem, who was sitting on the sofa, pointed at the seat next to his. There was a rectangular, dark red shape there that Thenio recognized as Humerus'' carry bag. "He can''t make himself look like a normal dragon right now, and Ariom''s uncle didn''t want him to upset Mom and Dad, so he''s staying in here while everyone''s talking. But he thinks Eteon is scary for some reason. So he''s hiding in his bag." Thenio expected an angry retort from Humerus at that, denying that he was afraid. But there was no sound from the carry bag. Did that mean he really was frightened? That was strange. He hadn''t been that bothered by Eteon the previous times they''d met. Why would he be so scared of him now? "Ariom''s uncle said that Humerus got hurt a little bit last night," Kleyo said. "That''s why he can''t put on skin. So Brel and I are making him a puppet to help him feel better!" Kleyo seemed legitimately concerned about Humerus, but he was also clearly excited about the opportunity to help make a revenant puppet. He''d found out Humerus was a revenant that time they''d all gone to the house so Thenio could pick up more of his clothes and things. And as expected, Kleyo, the golem fanatic, had been fascinated by Humerus'' puppetry magic, which the revenant had been more than happy to show off for him. It hadn''t been easy separating the two of them when it was time to go back to Ariom''s house. Thenio had made Kleyo promise not to tell their parents about Humerus'' real identity, since it would definitely make them feel uncomfortable around him and Bero. But Kleyo had been sure that Lem wouldn''t mind being around a revenant, and it looked like he was right. Lem definitely wouldn''t have been that calm if Thenio were the one sitting next to him on the sofa right now.... Thenio shook his head a little and distracted himself from that depressing thought by focusing on the glass of water that Eteon offered him. His limbs felt heavy and weak, so he couldn''t hold the glass very well by himself, but Eteon helped him drink from it. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The cool sensation of the water in his mouth and throat made him feel a bit more awake, and when Eteon set the glass back down on the nightstand, Thenio looked around the room again and noticed a rather conspicuous absence. "Where''s Iggy? He''d normally want to be in here with the other familiars." "He said he wanted to stay with Ariom," Eteon said. "He seems to be in quite a clingy mood today.... Well, he had to stay behind with Bero while Ariom went on the raid with the Magic Corps last night. I think that worried him a lot." Thenio frowned, remembering how frantic Iggy had been after the golem exploded and how the dragon had inadvertently attacked him in his desperation to get to Ariom in the recovery room. And after all that, the poor little guy had to stay behind while Ariom went off to help rescue Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior.... Thenio didn''t know yet exactly what that rescue had involved. But Brel had said something about Ariom almost going blind. And that ''Old One'' guy seemed to be even stronger than Grandmaster Sephior, one of the most powerful life mages in Kafron. The Magic Corps had also sent top-tier battlemages like Ice Queen and Red. And that tiger...Copycat had a mist tiger as her familiar, didn''t she? She was also on the first squad. So the rest of the team members were probably high-level battlemages as well. Thenio didn''t remember hearing the name ''Darkbolt'' before, but those two men in the matching black and silver combat suits...they might have been the Iron-Silver Twins. They were almost as famous as Namyis was. Thenio bit his lip. He still didn''t entirely understand what had happened, but it looked like Ariom had done something pretty dangerous. No wonder Iggy was upset and wanted to stay close to him. And it was because of Thenio. That weird puppet guy had specifically said he kidnapped them because he wanted to examine a chaos morph. So didn''t that mean it was all his fault...? "Do you think you can eat a little bit?" Eteon asked, temporarily distracting Thenio from his feelings of guilt. "You''ve been sleeping most of the day. You must be hungry by now." Thenio didn''t actually feel that hungry, and he really wanted to go back to sleep. But he knew that going without food would only make him feel worse later, so he nodded. "Good." Eteon patted his arm encouragingly and then looked over at the red carry bag. "Humerus, would you ask Bero if he''d mind bringing Thenio something from the kitchen?" There was a pause. "I told him," Humerus'' voice said in an unusually subdued tone. "He says he''ll be here in a minute." Thenio raised an eyebrow. Humerus really was acting weird.... It was enough that even Kleyo noticed. "Are you okay, Humerus?" he asked, standing up to look over the table. "Eteon''s not going to hurt you, you know? He''s really nice. You don''t need to be scared." "I know that," Humerus said with a trace of annoyance. "I just...want to stay in my bag right now...." What was up with him? Kleyo had said he''d gotten hurt. Was he acting like this just because he wasn''t feeling well? "Ah...I think it''s because I threatened him a bit earlier," Eteon said with an apologetic smile. "Since he was injured, he can''t control his magic quite as well as usual, so I was worried about him being too close to Thenio. And...well, you have to be firm with revenants to be sure they take you seriously. Maybe I overdid it a little." There was an irritated sniff from the carry bag, but otherwise Humerus stayed quiet. Thenio gave Eteon a sideways glance. What exactly had he threatened to do...? "Maybe he''ll feel better once his new puppet is done. Thenio, look at this!" Kleyo picked up something from the table and came over to the bed, being careful to step around the dozing Kino. "Uh...what is this, exactly?" Thenio asked, staring down at the object Kleyo pushed into his hands. Multiple objects, really. It was a series of interlocking wooden pieces that fit together in a long, tapered strand that resembled a headless snake. "It''s an octopus leg," Kleyo replied, as though that were obvious. "Don''t you see the suckers on the bottom?" Thenio looked more closely and saw that there were indeed small, raised circles on one side of the pieces. Not that he would have recognized an isolated octopus tentacle just from that.... "Brel''s really good at carving!" Kleyo continued happily. "He just took a piece of wood and carved it into a chain like that. The sections don''t even come apart. It''s good, huh?" Thenio bent the wooden tentacle around, examining the joints. Like Kleyo had said, the pieces were all hooked together like a chain. There was what looked like a ball joint on one end, which was presumably how Brel was planning to fasten the tentacle onto the octopus'' body. It was a pretty impressive bit of woodcarving. But why an octopus, of all things...? Humerus definitely had strange tastes. Kleyo was continuing his enthusiastic chatter. "Brel has been showing me a lot of things about making wooden joints. He''s really good at making carvings that move. Even better than Eteon! But Eteon''s maybe better at making carvings that don''t move? I''m not sure...." "Eteon is better at recreating real-world things in wood than I am," Brel said with a peaceable smile. "But yes, I''m probably a bit better at functional carvings than he is. I''ve been working with wood longer than he has, so there are some aspects of it that I understand better. Well, I''m contracted with an actual tree, after all. It would be strange if I didn''t understand wood better than most people, wouldn''t it?" "Yes. It wood." Humerus'' voice said from inside the carry bag. Kleyo laughed. "That was really funny, Humerus!" "No, you should say it''s humorous...." "Oh! Right! Humorous Humerus!" Kleyo said, giggling. "Humerus is humorous!" "You and Iggy really are a lot alike. You even both like Humerus'' jokes," said Bero''s voice. Thenio looked toward the door and saw him entering the room, carrying a tray with several dishes of food on it. "But don''t encourage him too much. He''ll be throwing out puns for hours once he gets going." "You don''t like his jokes?" Kleyo asked, tilting his head. "I''d like them better if I hadn''t been hearing them regularly for the past forty-five years..." Bero said dryly. He walked over to the table and set a large plate filled with assorted snacks down on a bare spot in front of Lem. "Here, it''s getting pretty late, so you two are probably feeling hungry. Your parents are almost done talking, so you''ll be able to go home and have dinner before too much longer. But this will help tide you over until then." "Thanks!" Kleyo said happily, going back over to the table and taking an apple slice from the plate. "Thank you," Lem said in a low voice. But he didn''t immediately take anything from the plate. He simply sat and eyed it uneasily. "Is there something wrong?" Bero asked. "I can get you something else if you don''t like any of those things." "Huh? No...no, this is fine. I just...it''s fine. Thank you," Lem stammered awkwardly. He hurriedly took a small biscuit from the plate and shoved it into his mouth, avoiding Bero''s gaze. Thenio could see his face distorting a little as he chewed, as though it tasted bitter. "Lem really likes to cook, so he always studies new foods before he eats them," Kleyo explained, reaching for a second apple slice. "Ah...I understand. Sorry to make you feel rushed. Go ahead and study it all you want." Bero gave Lem an apologetic smile. Lem nodded silently, still staring down at the table. Bero turned toward the bed. "Here''s yours, Thenio. I wasn''t sure what you''d feel like eating, so I brought a few different things. Don''t worry if you can''t eat them all right now." He looked at Eteon. "Do you want me to help him eat? You''ve been looking after him all day¡ªyou must be getting a bit tired by now." Eteon hesitated briefly, glancing at Thenio. "Yes...that''s probably better. Thank you." He stood up and moved over to the sofa, allowing Bero to take his seat next to the bed. Lem glanced up as he approached and slid over to make room for him to sit down. Humerus must have also wanted to make room¡ªor maybe he just wanted to stay as far away from Eteon as he could¡ªbecause the red carry bag floated up into the air a couple of inches and moved to the very end of the sofa before settling back down. Eteon smiled wryly at the sight and then sat down, reaching out to pat Lem''s shoulder in thanks. Surprisingly, Lem didn''t shy away from his touch, like he did with other people. He even looked a little bit relieved. Strange.... Could Eteon somehow use dream magic to help Lem feel more relaxed? Amisi could do that to people using mental magic, so it seemed reasonable that dream magic would be able to do something similar. And it would explain how Eteon had managed to get Lem to open up to him. Would Thenio be able to do that eventually, too? He didn''t know how much dream magic he would actually be able to learn. Probably not as much as Eteon. But he hoped he''d at least be able to pull off that particular trick someday.... He pulled his gaze away from Lem and looked down at the tray Bero was placing in his lap. The dishes on it held some of the same easy-to-eat foods he''d been given the last time he''d been under heavy suppression: fruit and vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, cubes of meat and cheese, some small biscuits, and a cup of what looked like beef broth. As he finished arranging the tray, Bero bent close to Thenio and said very quietly, "The Royal Guard''s official story is that Focilo was kidnapped by the Order and that you were dragged into it because you were with him at the time. They thought placing the focus on you might put you in more danger. That version of events is what they told your family, too. But if you want to tell them something different...well, that''s up to you." Thenio''s eyes widened in surprise. The Royal Guard was lying about the kidnapping? To protect him? He stared down at his food tray for a moment, trying to wrap his tired mind around the idea. It made sense that telling people the Order of the Ravener had kidnapped a teenage boy would make them wonder what was so special about him, which might lead to other groups trying to abduct him. Ariom had already warned him about the possibility of something like that happening even before they started this job for the Royal Guard. But why wouldn''t they tell his family the truth? It wasn''t like his own parents were going to kidnap him. If anything, it would make them want to stay as far away from him as they¡ª Oh. Was that the reason? Thenio glanced uneasily over at his brothers. What would they think if they knew he was the real kidnapping target? Would they still have wanted to come visit him? Would his parents? Or would they think being close to him was dangerous? Was it dangerous? Was it wrong not to tell them the truth...even if it made them want to stay away...? Bero seemed to notice his troubled expression. He patted him on the shoulder and said in a gentle tone, "Don''t worry too much about it right now. We''ll talk about it in a day or two when you can think more clearly. For now, just try to eat a little bit, all right?" Thenio nodded. Then he picked up one of the biscuits and took a bite out of it. It looked the same as the ones over on the table, and it tasted fine, so he didn''t know what Lem''s strange expression had been about. "Oh, there''s another thing I should tell you," Bero went on. "The Royal Guard is planning to give you a compensation payment, as an apology for not adequately protecting you while you were working for them." "Compensation payment?" Thenio repeated, looking at him blankly. "You mean...money?" "Yes. What happened to you wasn''t entirely their fault, but it''s their policy to give contracted workers an additional payment if they''re exposed to unexpected danger while they''re working. I''m not sure what the exact amount will be, but it should be quite a lot of money for a sixteen-year-old boy. They''d normally give it to your parents to keep for you until you''re older, but considering your circumstances.... Well, they''re going to talk to you about it before they decide how to handle it. I''m just mentioning it so that it doesn''t come as too much of a surprise." "Oh...right. Uh...thanks for telling me." Thenio stared down at the half-eaten biscuit in his hand. He was grateful to have some warning. Conversations with his parents about money tended to be...difficult. Maybe Bero had realized that. He wasn''t sure how to feel about the news, though. A few months ago, he would have been excited about the idea of getting a large amount of money. But now.... Was it because of the magic suppression that he felt so apathetic? Or was it because he''d already gotten used to a more luxurious lifestyle due to having the Magic Corps and a grandmaster enchanter taking care of him? Or...was it because he knew he probably wouldn''t live much longer, so having a lot of money wasn''t going to do him any good anyway...? Thenio put the rest of the biscuit into his mouth and chewed it slowly. What to do with the money from the Royal Guard wasn''t such a hard decision. He actually already had an idea of how he wanted to deal with it. But it made him think.... If Ariom and the Magic Corps hadn''t come to save him when they did, he probably would have died in that cell without even waking up again. And even without extra help from crazy kidnappers, his own magic was perfectly capable of killing him at any time. There was no way to know how long he had left. So maybe it was about time to face a few of the things he''d been running away from up until now.... Chapter 80 - Priorities Thenio stared at Garem in shock. "How much?" "A hundred and fifty crowns," Garem repeated, his exhausted, gloomy expression lightening a little in amusement at Thenio''s reaction. "That''s fifteen-thousand marks." Fifteen-thousand.... The number echoed in Thenio''s head as he continued staring at the vice-captain in disbelief. Bero had told him it would be a lot of money, but he''d only been expecting a few hundred marks at most. Fifteen-thousand was enough to buy a house.... Maybe not a fancy house. Definitely not a huge one like Ariom''s. But it was easily enough for a small townhouse like the one Thenio and his parents had lived in before Lem was born. It was enough for several message books. Or a golem carriage. Or a good-sized space compression bag. Or a huge pile of art supplies. Fifteen-thousand marks would buy so many berry pastries.... "That''s in addition to your original salary for helping with the job, of course," Garem continued while Thenio tried to wrap his mind around such a large sum. "That was part of the work contract we signed with Ariom, so he''ll take it out of what we pay him. And we included an informant reward for both you and Focilo. As tragic as this incident was, it also led us to discover a large hidden criminal operation and allowed us to take it down much sooner and more easily than we would have been able to otherwise. So it''s only fair that we reward you for that." "But I didn''t really do anything? I mean, I slept through most of it...." "Maybe so. But Ariom wouldn''t have participated if it weren''t for you. And General Obarin gave us some extra personnel because he was upset about someone messing with one of his charges. Those two things helped us out a lot. So think of it as a reward for being able to inspire extra raid participation." Garem paused and glanced meaningfully toward the sofa, where Eteon was quietly sitting and listening to their conversation. "Well, it''s something the captain decided, so just go ahead and accept it." "Oh." Thenio wasn''t sure how to argue with that. And he wasn''t entirely sure why he should argue with someone wanting to give him extra money anyway. Though he did feel kind of guilty for getting so much for doing so little.... He also glanced over at Eteon. Ki''shiu had been with him in Ariom''s dream, and Eteon and Brel were waiting for him at the Stability Center. So they''d obviously known about the kidnapping. Had they done something to help out with the raid on the Order base, too? Garem had already heard about Thenio''s connection with Ki''shiu from Mideis, though he obviously knew better than to mention it in front of Thenio''s parents, who were currently sitting next to the bed in two of the wicker chairs that Brel had made, looking a little uncomfortable with the whole situation. Was Ki''shiu the real reason for that extra payment from the Royal Guard? Was it thanks for getting a mythic beast involved? Or as an apology to Ki''shiu for letting someone he was watching over get kidnapped? It was hard to say. But it was probably best to do as Garem said and just accept it without asking too many questions. Thenio was too tired to ask many questions right now, anyway. He really just wanted to get all this over with so he could go back to sleep.... "It''s a lot of money for a sixteen-year-old boy to deal with," Thenio''s father said. "I''d normally say you should let us save it for you until you''re older, but...well...your doctor pointed out that saving it might not be the best choice, considering your situation...." He shifted uncomfortably and didn''t quite meet Thenio''s gaze. "We''ll let you decide. Just try to be sensible about it, all right? And if you''re not sure what to do, we can put it into a guild account for you until you need it for something." "Ah...right." Thenio snapped out of his daze. There was no point getting too excited about all the expensive things he could buy. His father would never let him waste that much money on frivolous things. He didn''t really need to buy any of those things, anyway. He already had a message book. He couldn''t use space compression bags or space pockets because of his magic instability. He also couldn''t go anywhere alone right now, so there was no point in having his own golem carriage. And his current salary was enough to buy art supplies and pastries. Just saving the money also seemed like a bit of a waste, though. His father might say they were only saving it until he wanted to use it for something, but Thenio knew him well enough to know that once that money was in an account, it would be like pulling hair from a bicorn''s tail to get any of it back again before he became a full, legal adult, at the age of twenty. And the oldest chaos morph so far had only lived until nineteen.... Given the choice, he''d actually rather have Ariom take care of it for him. A grandmaster enchanter wouldn''t be too precious about a mere hundred and fifty crowns. But he knew his parents wouldn''t like that idea at all. Fortunately, he''d already thought of a third option. "Does the Royal Guard ever give out trade school scholarships?" he asked Garem. "Scholarships?" Garem looked a little surprised at the question. "Yes, sometimes. But you can''t go to school because of your chaos affinity, right? Not that working with Ariom is a bad substitute, as far as enchanting goes.... Or are you thinking of studying something besides magic?" Thenio shook his head. "No, it''s not for me. It''s for my brothers. They both want to study more expensive magic fields, so a hundred and fifty crowns might not be enough to cover everything for both of them. But it will help a lot. It would be nice if they didn''t have to sign long-term sponsorship contracts." His own contract had been to work at the Perinith Workshop for five years after finishing his apprenticeship, with a percentage of his salary going to pay off the debt for his school costs. Those were pretty standard terms, and it wasn''t like having a job waiting for you after you finished studying was a bad thing. But he''d been enrolled in the general enchanting program, which had relatively low fees for materials. Alchemy and golem-making both cost more, so Lem and Kleyo would likely end up with seven to ten year contracts if they wanted to attend the Royal Academy. That was all right if they liked whatever workshop they ended up working for, and there was always the option to pay the debt off earlier. But having that contract hanging over his head had added a lot of anxiety to Thenio''s short-lived academy experience. He wanted to help his brothers avoid that as much as he could. Especially Lem. Going to the academy was probably going to be difficult for him.... "You...want to give all that money to Lem and Kleyo?" Thenio''s mother was clearly nervous about being around Garem, and she''d mostly been staying quiet. But now she finally spoke up, looking stunned by Thenio''s request. "I mean...it''s wonderfully generous of you. I''m sure they would both appreciate it very much. But...are you sure?" She wasn''t really the type to give a lot of money away without getting anything in return, so it must be difficult for her to understand his reasoning. Thenio nodded resolutely. "I''m sure. I''m very grateful to the Royal Guard, of course, but I really don''t need all that money. Like Vice-Captain Ranior said, working with Ariom is as good as studying at a magic academy. So if he can figure out how to stabilize my magic, I shouldn''t have any trouble getting my wizard certification and earning money when I''m older. And if he can''t...well, I still won''t need it." His words were followed by an uncomfortable pause. "All right," Garem said, breaking the silence. His expression had turned rather gloomy again. "If that''s what you want, I''ll see to it that the funds are reserved for the two of them." He looked at Thenio''s parents. "I''ll have scholarship certificates sent to your home within the next few days. You''ll just need to contact the Royal Guard headquarters when your sons are ready to start applying to trade schools. We''ll take care of the final details at that time." He excused himself and left the room after that to give Thenio and his parents some time to talk privately. But Thenio was having trouble staying awake, and his parents didn''t really seem to know what else to say. So after a few more minutes of awkward conversation, they also left to go find Lem and Kleyo, who had moved over to the other bedroom with Brel and the familiars to continue the puppet-making project. When they were gone, Thenio closed his eyes and lay back against his pillows with a sigh. He was so tired.... He heard soft footsteps and the creak of one of the chairs beside the bed. Then he felt Eteon gently smoothing his hair. "You handled that very well. I''m proud of you." Proud of him.... Those words felt a little strange. Had Thenio''s parents ever told him they were proud of him? It seemed like they must have at some point, but he couldn''t specifically remember anyone besides Eteon ever saying it. Thenio forced his tired eyes back open and looked up at the old woodcarver. "Was it really okay to do that? To give the money to Lem and Kleyo?" "It''s fine. If that''s what you want to do with it, then it''s perfectly fine. As you said, when your magic is stable, you''ll be an amazing wizard and can earn as much money as you want. And until then...well, you have a dream beast looking after you, don''t you? Do you think getting money is a problem for him?" "Oh. Right." Thenio smiled a little as he closed his eyes again. "Ki''shiu can probably just make money out of thin air, can''t he?" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "He can. Though making too much isn''t a good idea. We don''t want to make Kafron''s economy collapse, now do we...? But he''s not going to let you go hungry, at any rate." Right. Thenio remembered that time he''d been lost and hungry, hiding in the alleyway. Ki''shiu had sent someone to help him then. No...that was a dream. He was remembering a dream. The hungry boy in the alley had been someone else. He still remembered it, though. He remembered how relieved and safe he''d felt when his father.... No, not his father. That was a different dream...right? He was sleepy, and his memories were getting jumbled up again. It was...Eteon? Ki''shiu? Peqeran? Someone...someone had come for him. Someone had always come for him. He was safe. Everything would be all right.... With those comforting thoughts, Thenio drifted off to sleep, with Eteon still lightly stroking his hair.
Ariom slumped back onto the sofa with a tired sigh, appreciating how much more peaceful Thenio''s medical suite had suddenly become. Focilo said he would walk Thenio''s family and Garem out to the parking area, so they''d all filed out after him, with Thenio''s mother throwing nervous glances back at Kino, who was walking quietly behind them. Well. After seeing the storm hound fighting with that manticore, Ariom could somewhat sympathize with her attitude. He felt a set of little dragon paws clambering up onto his lap and lifted his hand to stroke Iggy''s head. "Are you hungry, little guy? It should be close to dinnertime." "Mmm! The snack sticks I ate are all gone from my tummy!" "All right. We''d better feed you, then." Ariom patted the dragon''s back and looked up at Uncle Bero, who had just come back into the sitting room after going to check on Humerus. "You brought some containers of dragon chow over from the house, didn''t you?" Dragon chow was a common food for domesticated dragons. It was similar to meatloaf¡ªa mixture of meat, grain, and vegetables that was baked together and then cut into pieces and stored. The recipe was easy to adapt for an individual dragon''s tastes and nutritional needs, and it was convenient to keep on hand for times when Ariom was too busy to cook Iggy anything more elaborate. And he really didn''t feel like cooking right now.... He''d slept most of the day, so he wasn''t quite as exhausted as he''d been when they arrived at the Stability Center. But he still felt far from energetic, especially after enduring the visit from Thenio''s family. "Yes, I did," Uncle Bero said. He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall over the sofa that Ariom was sitting on. "But he can have something better than dragon chow if he waits a little longer. We''re getting dinner delivered, and it should be here soon." "What, did you order something from the cafeteria? Do they make food for familiars?" Uncle Bero grinned. "Nope. Namyis is bringing it." Ariom gave him a disgruntled look. "And why exactly is the ice mage bringing us dinner?" "Because she sent me a message earlier asking if we wanted her to bring it, and I accepted the offer. She''s also giving Seyli and Tava a ride over from the academy. I told Seyli that you and Thenio were staying here for a couple of days, and she wanted to pay you a visit. So it all works out nicely, doesn''t it?" Iggy perked his ears up at that. "Tava and Seyli are coming?" "That''s right. They''re going to eat dinner with us. Seyli is in charge of picking out something tasty for you and Tava." Iggy''s tail started waving enthusiastically. Ariom scowled but didn''t say any more. It was hard to complain too much when Iggy was so happy about the idea. The poor little guy had been through a difficult experience and was obviously still feeling rattled by it, judging by how he was refusing to leave Ariom''s side. He deserved to have a nice dinner and some playtime with his favorite cousin, even if it meant putting up with the annoying ice mage for a while. "Humerus is getting a special treat for dinner, too. Brel offered to give him some wood shavings from Ket''shiu, as a reward for protecting everyone yesterday." Uncle Bero glanced toward the bedrooms and lowered his voice a little. "And as an apology for making him smell that demon poison on Eteon for the past couple of hours." Ariom grimaced. Spectral beasts were less vulnerable to demon poison than magic beasts were, mostly because they hated the stuff and would avoid it as much as possible. Humerus said it smelled like rotting meat...though it was hard to say whether he really knew what that smelled like or not, since he didn''t have a proper nose. But he claimed he''d inherited a memory of it from one of his former vessels, so he should have at least some idea of how nasty it was. He''d still chosen to go in there during the visit from Thenio''s family rather than stay in the other bedroom by himself, though, so it couldn''t have been too terrible. And staying in his carry bag would have protected him somewhat. But he''d apparently been telepathically complaining to Uncle Bero the entire time. He couldn''t complain out loud because Eteon had warned them all earlier that Thenio was absolutely not allowed to find out about him being poisoned. He didn''t really explain why it was so important to keep it from the boy, but his stern expression had been more than enough to frighten Humerus into compliance. "Is it really all right for him to eat Ket''shiu''s wood? I got scolded for using some of his magic, remember?" Uncle Bero shrugged. "I guess that''s not a problem for spectral beasts? Brel said it was safe as long as he only eats a small amount and digests it properly before he absorbs it. He said it ought to help Humerus heal up faster. The silly little glutton was thrilled, of course. Between that and the puppet, I think Brel just became his new favorite person." Ariom raised an eyebrow. "We only met him this morning.... I mean, he seems all right so far, but is it really okay to take his advice on revenant nutrition?" "Humerus seemed to think it was fine. I know he gets blinded by food sometimes, but it''s not to the extent that he''d ignore someone having ill intentions toward him. And if Brel did want to hurt him, how exactly am I supposed to stop him, anyway?" "Well...that''s a fair point. Isn''t Ket''shiu supposed to be one of the strongest mythic beasts in the world? I''m sure his agents aren''t people to be trifled with." Ariom sighed and lightly scratched Iggy''s ears. "What did Humerus think about Lem? I only saw him briefly when we went to Thenio''s house, and I couldn''t use magesight when they were here just now. He looks normal enough on the surface, but...well, so does Thenio. And the way Lem acts is definitely unusual." "Right. That." Uncle Bero frowned a little and walked over to sit down on the sofa next to Ariom. "He had a rather strange reaction when I gave the two younger boys a plate of snacks. Kleyo was happy to start eating right away, but Lem just sat there and stared at the plate. Kleyo said he likes to study new foods before he eats them, but...I don''t know. It looked more like he was afraid to touch them." "Seyli said something like that, too, after she met him at the park. She said he didn''t like being touched, especially by Thenio." "Hmm...." Uncle Bero looked thoughtful. "Both of Thenio''s brothers seem to have much higher power reserves, relative to their age, than either Thenio or their parents do. That''s a little odd. But I didn''t notice anything strange about the magic itself. Humerus couldn''t really get a clear read on Lem. His senses aren''t working normally today either. But his general impression was that the boy himself isn''t dangerous, but messing with him might be. ''He isn''t a monster, but he has the smell of one,'' were his exact words." "The smell of a monster?" Ariom repeated blankly. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "I don''t know. Even Humerus wasn''t sure why Lem gave him that feeling. But it could be that he''s under Ki''shiu''s protection, like Thenio is. Lem and Eteon seem to be fairly close, after all." "Do you think he might have some special magic abilities, like Thenio does? Something you can''t see just by looking at him with magesight? Teselin did say that he refused to do a blood analysis. Doesn''t that seem like he''s hiding something?" "Well, maybe. Some people just hate the sight of blood. But it''s true that it''s a little suspicious, especially if Ki''shiu really is keeping an eye on him. Either way, it''s probably better to trust Humerus'' intuition and leave him alone. Ki''shiu knows where to find us if he wants help with something." "Yes...unfortunately he does...." Ariom made a face. Then he looked down at Iggy. "What do you think about Thenio''s brothers, little guy?" "I like Thenio''s brothers! They smell kind of like Thenio! And his little brother played with me at the park!" Iggy said, swishing his tail. "Do you think their magic is different from normal people''s, like Thenio''s is?" "Um...I don''t know." Iggy tilted his head. "Maybe it''s different? His little brother''s magic smells nice. Like Thenio''s! But not as nice as his, okay? Just some nice. Like Seyli''s? Maybe? And Thenio''s other brother smells nice, too! But his magic is a dark sort of smell, so I can''t smell it very well." "Dark smell? Hmm...." Ariom thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I don''t know. Like you said, it''s probably better to leave him alone for now. Just dealing with Thenio is enough of a challenge already." "Isn''t that the truth?" Uncle Bero sighed and leaned back against the sofa. "He''s a good kid and all, but...well, he''s almost too good. It actually bothers me a little. I was shocked when I heard that he wanted to give all his compensation money to his brothers. It was quite a lot, so I can understand giving them some...but all of it? What sixteen-year-old boy does that?" "Well, it''s true that he doesn''t really need it. I''m giving him a decent salary, and the Magic Corps is paying for his living expenses." "I know. But it would still be perfectly reasonable for him to use some of it on himself. He''s been through a lot lately. And he doesn''t know how much time he has left. No one would blame him for wanting to splurge a little. That''s why Focilo said they ought to let him decide instead of just handing the money over to his parents, right?" Uncle Bero shook his head. "At first I thought his family must have had financial difficulties when he was younger, so that''s why he''s always worried about how much things cost. But then he gets a lot of money, and he immediately wants to give it all away. Rather than worrying about not having enough...I think he feels like he doesn''t deserve it." Ariom frowned, stroking Iggy''s back thoughtfully. "Is it because of his parents always feeling uncomfortable around him? Do you think they''ve mistreated him more than he lets on? Or is there another reason he''s so insecure?" "I don''t know. I''m sure that growing up feeling different and isolated from most of the people around him was terribly hard on him. And children who have extra needs or can''t quite live up to expectations often feel like they''re a burden on their families, even if they''re loved and treated well." Uncle Bero gave Ariom a sideways glance. "I''ve certainly encountered a child or two like that before...." Ariom snorted and didn''t reply. "Still...considering what Mideis and Amisi told you about him, it''s very possible that he had some kind of traumatic experience in his past that is still affecting him, even though he doesn''t remember it. Ki''shiu told you that you have to be careful of what information Thenio is exposed to, right? Because dream magic can potentially turn information into reality?" "Right. That''s how he was able to replicate the ice mage''s magic." "Then what happens if a boy who can use dream magic has a truly horrible memory?" Ariom let out a long breath. "You think that''s why they''re so cagey with information about chaos magic? Not because there''s something they don''t want Thenio to know...but because there''s something he already knows that they don''t want him to remember?" "I don''t know. But it kind of makes sense, doesn''t it? It''s something I''ve been thinking about ever since you told me about that message Ki''shiu sent Mideis. Weren''t there folktales about dream beasts keeping bad dreams away from children? Maybe that''s all Ki''shiu is really trying to do¡ªstop a certain boy from having an especially terrible nightmare...." Chapter 81 - Little Brothers "Have you been here before?" Namyis asked as she steered her golem carriage into the visitor parking area next to the Stability Center''s long-term resident building. She was in a good mood despite still being a bit tired from the day before. It made her happy enough that Bero had accepted her offer of bringing dinner, but him asking her to bring Seyli and Tava along was an unexpected bonus. It was the first time a dragon had ever ridden in her carriage. Seyli shook her head. "I''ve been to the main building a couple of times, but I''ve never been to this part before. Have you?" "Yeah. Some of my colleagues have had to stay here. So I''ve come quite a few times to visit them." "Oh." Seyli paused for a moment and then asked hesitantly, "Did your colleagues recover? Or...?" "Most have. One''s still living here. And a couple of them left the hard way." "Oh. I''m sorry...." Namyis shrugged. "It''s just part of life for combat wizards. Some people go out on demon subjugations and never come back again. Some people go into the Stability Center and never come out again. That''s just how it is." She shot Seyli a playful grin. "But there are also people you can''t get rid of. They just keep coming back, time after time, no matter what they go through. A few battlemages have been on active duty for a century or more and are still going strong. Life is just unpredictable that way." Seyli was quiet while Namyis found a vacant space to park the carriage in. "Do you think Thenio''s going to come here someday and not come back out again?" she asked in a small voice once the golem had stopped moving. Tava, who was sitting on her lap, looked up at those words and whimpered a little. Namyis wasn''t sure if she''d understood what Seyli had said or was just sensing her negative emotions. Seyli stroked the dragon''s back to reassure her. "It''s hard to say," Namyis said, watching them. "It''s true that the odds aren''t in his favor. I mean, he easily could have died last night if things had gone a little differently. So it''s better to prepare yourself for the worst." Seyli bit her lip and didn''t reply. "Still, it''s not like we should just give up on him," Namyis continued. "That kid is full of surprises. And he has your brilliant cousin helping him out. It''s not like things are hopeless. Life is unpredictable, like I said. We might lose Thenio next week. Or he might suddenly stabilize and turn out to be a fabulously talented wizard who lives another two hundred years. He could replace Ariom as Kafron''s youngest grandmaster or become the Magic Corps'' next demon hunter, for all we know." Seyli smiled wryly. "I hope it''s not the demon hunter one. Ariom would be so upset...." Namyis laughed. "I know. Wouldn''t that be funny to watch?" "Would it...?" "It would. Definitely." Namyis opened the door on her side of the carriage. "But for now, let''s go inside. We don''t want to make poor little Iggy wait too long for his special spicy fish balls." "I''m still not sure we should be bringing spiced foods to the Stability Center," Seyli said doubtfully as she opened the opposite side door. "Don''t they have rules about that kind of thing?" "Oh, they do," Namyis said with a smirk. "But it''s not like they''re going to search my stasis pocket. We''ll just sneak them in. Bero''s in there, right? If he can make barriers strong enough to contain a rampaging revenant, I''m sure he can protect Thenio from a little bit of lavafish." She was actually depending more on the two mythic agents than on Bero, but Namyis had decided not to mention them to Seyli just yet. She didn''t think Eteon would want her to reveal his identity, and hearing about Brel in advance would probably turn the poor girl into an anxious mess. She already seemed a little nervous just going out somewhere with Namyis for the first time. During the trip over from the Royal Academy, she''d been holding onto Tava a bit more tightly than was really necessary, considering that the orchid-colored dragon showed no signs of trying to get away from her. "Well, if you say so." Seyli stepped down from the carriage and then held Tava up so she could climb onto her shoulder perch. "But if we get in trouble for it, you''re the one who has to¡ª" She suddenly broke off. "Kleyo?" "Seyli! And Tava! Hi!" a young boy''s voice called out happily from somewhere on the other side of the carriage. "Wow, that''s a nice golem! Is it yours? Can I look at it?" Namyis walked around the back of the carriage and discovered a boy with sandy brown hair, about seven or eight years old, already standing next to her gryphon golem and examining the joints on one of its legs. "Uh...no, it''s not mine. It''s Namyis''. And you really should ask her permission before you¡ª Kleyo! Wait!" The boy looked completely captivated by the golem. He didn''t seem to hear what Seyli was saying and had already gotten down on his hands and knees to look at the gryphon''s underside. "These are Adarin-style joints, right? The design looks a lot like the ones on Ariom''s golem. Did this come from the Delmao Workshop too? Wow...I didn''t think I''d get to see another Delmao golem so soon! How are these paws constructed? Do the claws extend, or are they just for decoration...?" "Kleyo!" said a stern voice from nearby. It sounded similar to Kleyo''s but a little older. Namyis turned to see a thin boy with dark hair hurrying over to them. "Stop that! You''re being rude. You need to get permission from the owner before you look at a golem. Come out and apologize!" "Huh?" Kleyo finally came out of his golem-induced trance and turned his head to look at the boy who seemed to be his older brother. "It''s not Seyli''s golem?" He finally noticed Namyis, who was standing behind Seyli, and stared up at her with a chagrined look on his face. "Oh...." He slowly crawled back out from under the golem, got to his feet, and stood in front of Namyis with his head down, fidgeting awkwardly. "Um...I''m sorry. I thought...well, your golem is really nice, and I really like golems, so I was excited to look at it. So I guess I kind of...um.... I''m sorry...." Namyis laughed. "It''s okay. You really should be more careful and remember to ask permission properly next time, since some people are very touchy about their golem carriages. But I don''t mind. And yes, I bought this golem from the Delmao Workshop. I can''t tell you anything about its joints, though. You''d need to ask somebody like Ariom for that. It sounds like you know him?" "Uh...yeah. I do! He showed me his golem carriage when he brought Thenio home to get his clothes and stuff." Kleyo looked over at the hospital building. "I wonder if we could ask him to come out...." "No. We can''t," his brother said firmly. "Ariom had to go help save Thenio last night, remember? So he''s really tired right now. We shouldn''t bother him any more. And we need to go home and have dinner. Mom and Dad are waiting for us." "Oh...right...." Kleyo looked longingly back at the gryphon golem. Namyis laughed again. "Maybe you and Ariom can look at my golem another time. Are you two Thenio''s brothers? He''s told me a little bit about you. Kleyo and...Lem, wasn''t it? You both look a lot like him." The adorable way Kleyo had stammered and fidgeted while he apologized was also strongly reminiscent of Thenio when he was feeling uncomfortable. But it was probably better not to mention that. The two boys looked a bit surprised that she knew their names, but they both nodded in response. "That''s right," Seyli said. "These are Thenio''s younger brothers, Lem and Kleyo Iterune. Tava and I met them a few weeks ago. You two, this is Namyis Ivoren. She''s a battlemage who''s been working together with Ariom and Thenio recently, so she came with me to visit them. You might have heard of her before? Her call name is Ice Queen." Lem''s and Kleyo''s eyes both went wide, and Kleyo''s mouth dropped open. "Wow.... You''re the real Ice Queen? Really?" he asked, staring up at Namyis in amazement. "Yup! I''m really real!" Namyis replied, giving him a bright smile. "Here, I''ll prove it to you. Hold out your hand." Kleyo blinked in surprise but then obediently held out his hand. It was a little dirty from crawling under the golem, but Namyis ignored that. She reached out and held her own hand about a foot above his. Then she released a small stream of magic, which fell through the air like a tiny snowstorm, sparkling in the light. The particles coalesced into a four-legged figure standing on Kleyo''s palm. When Namyis lifted her hand a moment later, the boy was holding a small crystal replica of her gryphon golem. "There you go. I know it''s not as good as looking at a real golem. But make do with that one for today, all right? You can look at the real thing another time." "Wow...." Kleyo breathed, staring at the crystal golem. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "Ah...but I don''t mean to play favorites." Namyis turned to Lem with a friendly smile. "I''ll make you something, too, if you want." "Uh...no, that''s fine. Thank you for the offer...but I''m fine," Lem said, suddenly looking anxious. "Don''t be like that. I''ll feel bad if I leave you out." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. There was a good chance that he did want something but felt too embarrassed to admit it, so it was better to help him out by insisting. Namyis had already learned to do that with Thenio when he acted this way. It was actually pretty cute that both brothers would have such similar habits. She put a finger on her cheek. "Let''s see...Thenio said you wanted to study alchemy, right? Then how about one of these?" She held her hands up and released another stream of glittering crystal magic that swirled in a circle above her cupped palms, forming into the shape of a small mortar and pestle. "I don''t know much about alchemy, so I''m not sure exactly what these are good for, but the military''s Alchemy Workshop asks me to make them sometimes. Something about the crystal being better for processing certain ingredients, I think? Anyways, maybe it''s something that would be useful for you." She held the mortar and pestle out toward Lem. "Ah...I...uh...thank you." The boy reluctantly reached out and took them from her. Then his eyes widened, and he stared down at the objects in his hands with a surprised expression, as though they were somehow different than he''d been expecting. Maybe he''d thought they were made of ice? People were sometimes surprised when they found out that ice mages could make other kinds of crystals. It was a little strange that a boy who was planning to attend a magic academy in a few years wouldn''t already know that, though. And was he so surprised that he had to keep staring blankly down at the mortar and pestle like that...? An awkward moment of silence passed. "Lem? Are you okay?" Kleyo asked, looking at his brother with concern. "Huh?" Lem started and looked up, blinking. Then his face turned a bit red. "I''m sorry! I didn''t...uh...I mean, I was just...um...." His panicked stammering was suddenly interrupted by a loud cackling noise. Everyone turned to look at a nearby tree. There was a magpie perched on one of the lower branches, watching them. It had its beak open and was producing a sort of rapid cawing sound, like it was laughing. "Oh, be quiet..." Lem muttered, glaring at the bird. His face had gone a few shades redder. Then he turned back to Namyis. "Uh...thanks for these. I don''t have any crystal alchemy equipment yet, so this is really helpful. Really. Thank you." He looked at his brother. "You should thank her, too, Kleyo." "Oh, right. Thanks, Ice Queen!" Kleyo said, beaming up at Namyis. "My friend at school told me that battlemages are all scary. I''ll tell him tomorrow that you''re super nice and not scary at all!" Namyis raised her eyebrows, a little surprised by that response. "You don''t think I''m scary? It''s actually pretty normal for kids to think that, since my magic power is so high. It''s called a ranking effect." "Ranking effect? Oh. Is that why Nilo thought that?" Kleyo tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Huh. Weird. You don''t seem scary to me. What about you, Lem?" "Uh...well...no, not really. I mean...I guess...you seem more normal than I thought a famous battlemage would be? I''ve heard they were all scary, too," Lem answered, still looking very uncomfortable. "Hmm. Interesting. Thenio isn''t scared of me, either. Maybe it''s something that runs in your family?" Namyis spoke casually, but it was definitely a bit odd. Even if chaos magic had an extra strong ranking effect, it shouldn''t be the same for these two, since they had normal affinities. She''d have to remember to tell Ariom and Bero about this later. "Well, we''re on our way to deliver dinner to a hungry little black dragon," Namyis went on, giving the boys an apologetic smile. "We shouldn''t keep him waiting too long. And didn''t you say your parents were waiting for you?" "Oh, right!" Lem looked anxiously back in the direction they''d come from. "Grandmaster Sephior and the Royal Guard vice-captain are there, too.... Vice-Captain Ranior was about to take us home, but then Kleyo saw your golem, and...well, anyways, we should get going." "Oh, Garem came here with you? I work with him quite a lot. We''ll walk back with you and say hello." Seyli''s expression stiffened a little at that, and Tava nosed her cheek, looking concerned. Namyis gave her an encouraging pat on the back. "It''s all right. Garem acts a little gruff, but he''s a good guy. And he''s probably been working nonstop since yesterday, so I doubt he''ll want to talk much." Seyli didn''t look convinced, but she quietly followed along as Lem and Kleyo led them back in the direction they''d come from. It occurred to Namyis as they walked that maybe it wasn''t actually Garem that Seyli was so nervous about meeting. Thenio''s parents were over there, too, after all. And to a seventeen-year-old girl, the parents of a boy she liked would definitely be scarier than a mere Royal Guard vice-captain.
Lem watched in silence while Kleyo happily introduced Mom and Dad to Seyli and Ice Queen and showed off the crystal gryphon that Ice Queen had made for him. Lem was standing as far back from the rest of the group as he thought he could get away with, but he could still feel his parents'' anxiety, even from a distance. Ice Queen''s ranking effect must be pretty strong.... Lem didn''t feel it, of course. Though he wished he''d thought fast enough to pretend he did when Ice Queen had asked. He could tell that she thought their response to her was a bit suspicious. Kleyo probably did feel the ranking effect a little, but he didn''t seem bothered by it. He''d spent his whole life around Thenio, after all. He should be used to the sensation by now. But Mom and Dad were just normal, low-level magic users. A sixth-rank battlemage was clearly a little too much for them, even if she was wearing magic dampeners and acting perfectly friendly. Seyli was, if anything, even more nervous. Though in her case, it was probably just general shyness around meeting new people. She''d been the same way when Lem had first met her at the park. He''d been surprised when he touched her hand and discovered that she was even more anxious about meeting him than he was about meeting her. He''d felt a bit of kinship with her after that. He hated meeting new people, especially when there was any kind of physical contact involved. It was impossible to predict exactly how his magic would react, which could lead to some very uncomfortable situations. He''d been especially worried when the Royal Guard vice-captain had come to their house and introduced himself a few hours ago. Somebody who dealt with criminals all the time could probably transmit some pretty horrible things.... But fortunately for Lem, Vice-Captain Ranior and his familiar had been working for more than thirty hours straight at that point, so all he''d gotten from them was a vision of endless paperwork and a strong feeling of exhaustion. Meeting Ice Queen also wasn''t as bad as he''d thought it might be. Although it had been a little embarrassing. Lem looked over at the tree on the edge of the carriage parking area. As expected, the magpie was still sitting there, watching them. Pai, what were you doing just now? he scolded her. You know you''re not supposed to attract attention when you''re around humans. I know. But I couldn''t help it! The look on your face was so funny! Lem could feel her amusement through the telepathy. What did you see that surprised you so much? Essu. I saw her playing with Essu. They were having a snowball fight. She must have met him when she was in the Wastelands for Rift duty. A snowball fight? That is surprising. Not many humans would dare to challenge Essu with his own element. Who won? I didn''t see. But obviously Essu would win. He''s weaker than the other mythics, but he''s still a lot stronger than a human. Lem glanced in Grandmaster Sephior''s direction. Normal humans, I mean. Agents don''t count. That''s just because they can cheat by using their mythic''s power. Only a few of them are that strong by themselves. Like Brel? Like Brel, Pai agreed. And Saslin. Maybe Araela? Oh! And Akusah. Probably. I''ve never met him, so I''m not sure. But he should be pretty strong, shouldn''t he? Though maybe he''s not as strong now as he used to be.... Hmm. I wonder which agent is the strongest. Who do you think it is? That''s easy. Eteon is the strongest. Pai sent over a small wave of annoyance. Don''t act stupid, Lem. You know I wasn''t talking about him. He''s technically an agent, though. Lem could practically hear Pai rolling her eyes. Fine. Okay. Eteon is the strongest. So who''s the next strongest agent? Um...maybe Brel? Akusah probably used to be. But living on the other side sounds tough. I bet he''s lost a lot of strength because of the miasma. Yeah...you''re probably right. Brel would be my guess, too. Pai''s mood turned a little gloomy. She wasn''t old enough to have ever visited the other side herself, but the older spirit beasts often told stories about it, so she''d always wanted to go there. But no one had been allowed to go to the other side for a long time. Eteon could show them his memories of it in dreams, of course, but asking about it always upset him. Well, no wonder. He''d lost so much because of those stupid demons. And they were still causing him all kinds of problems, even now. Hey, Pai...is Eteon really going to be okay? How did he get demon poison on him, anyway? He always tries so hard to avoid it. Peqeran told us it happened while they were saving Thenio and Focilo. I don''t know the details. Eteon is staying away from us until it''s gone, so I haven''t been able to ask him about it directly. But he should be all right. He has Peqeran and Brel taking care of him, doesn''t he? And Eteon isn''t stupid. He wouldn''t have taken on more corruption than he could handle. Before he took that kind of risk, he would just give up and call Thenio''s spirit back. Lem''s expression darkened. But if Thenio dies.... It''s bad if he dies, but it''s still a lot better than Eteon demonizing. At least we''d have time to carry out our evacuation plan. That''s true...but.... Lem trailed off. Even using telepathy, he didn''t know how to explain the sick feeling he got when he thought about losing his big brother. And Thenio was his brother, no matter what anyone said! His kind, patient older brother who still cared about him, no matter how strange and unfriendly Lem''s behavior must have seemed to him. He''d even given up all that money he could have gotten from the Royal Guard, just to help Lem and Kleyo with school! If he died.... Well, it wouldn''t quite be the end. Peqeran would keep Thenio''s spirit safe, and Eteon would eventually make him a new body. But he''d have to lose all his memories again. He''d still be Thenio. But he''d be a different Thenio. Not the one that Lem knew. Pai didn''t really get that. She was Lem''s closest friend, and they''d known each other a long time. But she was still a spirit beast, and there were a lot of human things that she just couldn''t quite understand.... Lem, you need to stop worrying about Thenio so much. Yes, he had a close call, but he''s okay now. And he has Eteon and everyone else looking after him. Pai''s voice became a bit stern. There''s not much you can do for Thenio or Eteon right now anyway, so what good will it do to worry about them? If you want to help them, you should worry about getting your own magic under control first. I know! Lem snapped. Then he looked down at the crystal mortar and pestle he was still holding and let out a small, discouraged sigh. I know that already.... Chapter 82 - Brels Garden "Tava! Seyli! Ice cream lady! Hi!" Ariom had been starting to doze off, but when he felt Iggy jump off his lap, he opened his eyes and raised his head in time to see the little dragon running across the sitting room to greet Seyli and Namyis, who had just come in. Focilo was following behind them. He must have met them when he walked Garem and the Iterune family outside and then led them back here to Thenio''s suite. Tava, who was riding on Seyli''s shoulder, chirped happily when she saw Iggy. Seyli bent down so that she could hop off, and the two dragons started the usual round of sniffing and head bumping, their tails waving enthusiastically. "Hiiii!" Namyis gave Ariom and Uncle Bero a wave and a cheerful smile. "You look a lot better than you did this morning, Ariom! How are you feeling?" He scowled at her. "What are you acting so energetic for? You worked longer and fought harder than I did yesterday. Do you not have the decency to be just a little tired?" "That''s a high sixth-ranker for you," Uncle Bero said with a chuckle. "They''re fearsome creatures. Focilo still outworks all his apprentices, even at his age." "Not today, I don''t.... Last night''s adventure was a bit much for me, too." Focilo said with a sigh. "I just came back up to give Thenio his evening checkup. Then I''m going to head home again." "You don''t want to have dinner with us?" Namyis asked. "We brought plenty of food." "Thank you for the offer, but I think Relisa and the unicorns would like me to come back as early as possible." Focilo gave her a wry smile. "They knew I wasn''t in as much danger as Thenio was, but they were still quite worried." "Ah. Of course." Namyis looked down and winked at the dragons. "Well, I guess that means more spicy fish balls for Iggy and Tava, then." "You brought spicy fish balls? From the place where Mr. Kraken lives?" Iggy asked eagerly. "Yep! Spicy fish balls, straight from the Kraken''s Kitchen! I know you had a tough day yesterday, so I wanted to get you a special treat. Seyli said Mr. Kraken''s spicy fish balls are your favorite." "Mmm! Spicy fish balls are super, super tasty!" Iggy''s tail, which had calmed down a little after he''d finished greeting Tava, started swishing vigorously again. "As a stability doctor, I really should scold you for bringing spiced food to a patient''s rooms," Focilo said, raising an eyebrow at Namyis. "But I suppose I can let it slide if it''s just for the dragons. Iggy does deserve a reward for behaving so well yesterday, like you said. Don''t take it in near Thenio, though...not that those two would let you...." "Right. I know." Namyis nodded solemnly. "Don''t worry. I wouldn''t do anything to make Thenio''s scary friends mad at me." "Good." "Who are ''Thenio''s scary friends''?" Seyli asked, looking between the two of them with a puzzled expression. "I think she''s talking about me," Brel''s voice said from the other side of the room. Ariom turned and saw the Forest Man entering the sitting room from the direction of the bedrooms. "Hi, Brel!" Namyis waved at him. "I''m glad you''re still here! I don''t get to talk to Forest People very often. They don''t seem to like it much when I visit Ket''qe." Brel smiled awkwardly. "Well...you know...ice magic in a forest.... It shouldn''t be anything against you personally. They''re just worried that you''ll damage the plants by accident." "I know. And I can''t really blame them. I did freeze some of my mother''s houseplants when I was little...and Isia''s garden a couple of times...no, I guess it was three times...hmm...." Namyis made a face. "Well, anyways. Seyli, this is Eteon''s friend, Brel. Brel, this is Seyli. She''s Ariom''s cousin." "And Tava is my cousin!" Iggy chimed in. "Ah, yes. Seyli and Tava." Brel gave them a friendly smile. "Eteon told me about you two. I''m glad to have a chance to meet you." "We''re happy to meet you, too," Seyli said, smiling warmly back at him. Ariom''s eyebrows went up in surprise. What was that? He''d never seen Seyli act so casual when she met someone for the first time. She didn''t look stiff or nervous at all. Did she think Forest People counted as magic beasts instead of people or something...? "Krr?" Tava was also showing an unusual response to Brel. She was staring at him with her ears pricked up and her head tilted to one side, as though she couldn''t quite figure out what he was. "That''s the tree-cat, Tava," Iggy told her. "He''s Thenio''s friend''s friend. He smells nice, huh? Like wood! And he can make trees grow out of the floor, okay? I saw it! I saw him make a tree grow and turn into a chair for Ariom to sit on! He says he can do it because he''s friends with the great big tree that lives on the other side of the mountains." "Why is he a ''tree-cat''?" Namyis asked curiously. "I''ve always thought Forest People were more like monkeys. Because they use their tails to climb trees, right?" Iggy flattened his ears. "No! Monkeys are scary, okay? The tree-cat isn''t scary like that!" Ariom sighed. "The ''scary monkey'' you know is an imp, little guy. You''ve never met a real monkey." "But the scary monkey looks like a monkey," Iggy said stubbornly. "He looks like the monkey pictures in my animal books, okay? So he makes monkeys be scary!" "When you say he''s friends with the big tree on the other side of the mountains..." Seyli interjected, probably trying to change the subject and avoid an argument, "...are you talking about Ket''shiu? Is Brel a Shiu''tana or something?" "Not quite," Brel said. "I work with the Shiu''tanas a lot. But I''m actually an agent." Seyli stared at him. "An agent? You''re saying you''re one of Ket''shiu''s agents?" "That''s right." "Oh." Seyli blinked. "So Eteon is friends with a mythic agent...? Wait...is Eteon an agent, too, then?" There was a moment of silence. Ariom exchanged uncertain looks with Uncle Bero. Should they tell her? They''d talked about it before and decided it was better not to let Seyli know about Thenio''s mythic beast connections unless they had to. But who knew someone like Brel would suddenly show up? Or that Seyli would connect the dots between him and Eteon so quickly? One of Brel''s furry ears had swiveled backwards, like he was listening to something behind him. After a brief pause, he nodded and then gave Seyli a gentle smile. "He says it''s all right to tell you. Yes, Eteon is also an agent. Not Ket''shiu''s, though. He''s contracted with a different mythic beast." Ariom grimaced. Well, of course Eteon would be able to listen to their conversation despite being in another room. Why had that not occurred to him before now? He hadn''t said anything stupid when he and Uncle Bero were talking earlier, had he...? "Oh," Seyli said again. She seemed to consider for a moment and then for some reason turned and looked at Focilo. "Then¡ª¡± She broke off, blinked a few times, and turned back to Brel, looking awkward. "Well...that''s...that''s pretty amazing? I mean, I''ve heard stories about mythic agents, but I never really expected to meet any." "Oh, it''s nothing to make a fuss over." Brel waved one of his small hands dismissively. "We''re just normal people who can use a bit of extra magic. That''s all." Ariom raised an eyebrow. ''Just normal people''? From what he''d seen so far, nothing associated with mythic beasts was normal.... "Right," Namyis said, nodding. "Just because some people have extra strong magic doesn''t mean they''re not human anymore. Well...I guess Brel''s really not human...but you know what I mean. Most powerful people just want to be treated normally." "Weren''t you the one who called us ''scary'' earlier?" Brel asked with a playful smirk. Namyis put on her innocent expression. "I was raised by a demon hunter. Scary is normal." Brel laughed. "Fair enough. Well, don''t worry. As long as no one tries to hurt Thenio, Eteon and I will keep our scary sides in check." "How is Thenio?" Seyli asked, looking concerned. "Uncle Bero told me that he should be fine and he was just staying here as a precaution, but...." "He''s doing all right. It''s just that he was under full magic suppression for a while last night, and with him being as unstable as he is, it''s dangerous to remove the suppression all at once. So we''re keeping an eye on him and lowering it gradually. He should be back to normal in another day or so." Brel glanced back in the direction of Thenio''s bedroom. "He''s sleeping right now. I think visiting with his family wore him out. Sorry if that makes doing a checkup more difficult, Focilo." "It''s fine." Focilo shook his head. "Since you and Eteon are here, he doesn''t really need me checking on him anyway. But it''s standard procedure, so I''ll at least make some notes on his chart before I leave him in your more capable hands." He moved past the others, heading toward the bedrooms. Brel watched him go with a rather complicated expression. Once Focilo was out of sight, he shook his head sadly. "Poor kid...it''s a tough position to be in." Without explaining any further, Brel turned back to the dragons with a smile. "But I think I just heard Iggy''s stomach rumbling. We should stop chatting and let these hungry little dragons have their fish." "Oh. Right." Seyli looked around the room, seemingly counting the number of people and familiars present. "Um...the table in the kitchen area didn''t look like it was big enough for this many people.... Why don''t I take Iggy and Tava to the kitchen and give them their dinner first? Then maybe I can take them outside to play for a little while. If Iggy''s been cooped up in here all day, he probably¡ª" "No!" Iggy''s ears had flattened in alarm at the idea of going to the kitchen, and when Seyli mentioned taking him outside, he ran back to the sofa, clambered up Ariom''s leg, and burrowed into his arms. "I don''t want to go! I want to stay with Ariom!" "Iggy? What''s wrong?" Seyli looked shocked by his unusual behavior. Much more shocked than she''d seemed when she learned that Brel and Eteon were mythic agents, funnily enough.... "Krr?" Tava also seemed surprised that Iggy had suddenly run away from her. She came over to the sofa and looked up at him with a whimper of concern. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ariom patted Iggy''s back soothingly. "It''s all right, little guy. You can go play with Tava. I''m not going anywhere. I''ll still be here when you get back, I promise." Iggy responded by digging his claws into the fabric of Ariom''s shirt. "I don''t want to! I don''t want to leave Ariom...." Ariom sighed and gave Seyli an apologetic look. "Sorry. It''s nothing you did. It''s just that he''s still a little traumatized from last night. He''s been clinging to me like this all day today." "Oh." Seyli looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but she settled for simply watching Iggy with a worried expression. "Well, she''s right that we won''t all fit at that little table. And Thenio and Humerus are sleeping in the bedrooms...." Uncle Bero also looked around the room, counting heads. "I guess some of us will have to eat in here. Though Eteon will probably want to stay with Thenio...." "Yes, he will." Brel nodded. Then he smiled. "But don''t worry about the space. I can help." Ignoring their questioning looks, he went over to a bare spot on a nearby wall and put his hand on it. A soft glow of magic power began spreading out from the spot he touched. Out of habit, Ariom started to activate his magesight to try to see exactly what Brel was doing, but a hand almost immediately blocked his vision. "Don''t even think about it," Uncle Bero said, lowering his hand and giving Ariom a stern look. Ariom scowled, but he knew better than to argue when his uncle looked at him like that. And he had been instructed not to use magesight by three different stability doctors.... He turned back to Brel in time to see the glow fading away from the wall, revealing an ornately-carved wooden door. The Forest Man took hold of the handle and pulled the door open. "Welcome to my garden," he said, gesturing toward the other side of the door with an inviting flourish. "Oh! The tree-cat made flowers inside the wall!" Iggy had forgotten his fear of separating from Ariom for a moment. He was staring at the open door with his ears perked up and his tail twitching with interest. It was true. The previously solid wall had now turned into a doorway leading into what was obviously a flower garden, with grassy pathways and well-kept beds full of colorful blooms. Further in, Ariom could see a small wooden cottage with what looked like a line of forest behind it. "Wow! You actually have a pocket world!" Namyis was staring wide-eyed at the doorway, bouncing up and down a little with excitement. "I learned about these from an enchanter at the equipment workshop, but he said that humans couldn''t make them, so I was afraid I''d never get to see one. This is great!" Ariom was briefly impressed by the fact that Namyis recognized what they were seeing. Then he was briefly curious about who exactly that enchanter at the military''s equipment workshop was. But he pushed both those thoughts aside to focus on the matter at hand. A pocket world.... He''d read about them in old enchanting books. But like Namyis, he''d never expected to see one in real life. Even in the Pre-War Era, human magic users had only known of them as a theoretical possibility. They''d never developed the techniques to actually make them. He picked up Iggy and carried him closer to the doorway. Tava followed them and stood by Ariom''s feet, sniffing at the air coming into the room, carrying the scent of grass and flowers. Ariom, however, was focused on the door itself. It was a heavy, old-fashioned style, made from a wood that he couldn''t identify and carved with pictures of flowers and animals that he didn''t recognize. He really wanted to take a good look at it with magesight.... But he could feel Uncle Bero''s gaze burning a hole in his back, so he sighed and looked at Brel instead. "Did you make this?" "No, no." Brel waved his hand. "I did the carvings on this door, but that''s all. I use Ket''shiu''s magic, remember? Forest magic. Spatial magic isn''t my area of expertise at all. No, a few of the mythics got together and made this, to thank me for helping them. The one who did most of the enchanting work is named Melinei. She lives in the Waterfall Region." "Melinei? I haven''t heard of her before. What kind of creature is she?" Namyis asked eagerly. She seemed to be quite interested in mythic beasts. "She''s a sphinx. And her domain is space, so she''s good at things like this." "Aww...I want to meet her.... Space magic should be related to crystal magic, right? It''s so interesting to meet mythic beasts that use magic similar to mine!" Namyis put on a pitiful expression. "Couldn''t you introduce me to her...pleeeease?" "That...well...." Brel gave an awkward cough. "She''s quite busy these days, so I can''t make any promises. But I can let her know you''re interested." "I''ll take that! Thank you!" Namyis said happily. She looked back at the flower garden. "It''s okay to go in, right?" "Uh...that''s right. Go ahead." Brel looked slightly nonplussed, but he still nodded and gave his permission. Leave it to that crazy ice mage to throw even a mythic agent off-kilter.... "Great! Come on, Seyli. Let''s go look at the flowers!" Seyli was still looking at the doorway hesitantly, but Namyis took hold of her hand and pulled her through it, heading toward the nearest flower bed. Tava chirped and started after them, but paused on the edge of the grass to look back at Iggy and Ariom. "Ariom, let''s go too!" Iggy said, his tiny body wriggling with excitement. "Let''s go see the tree-cat''s flowers!" "Fine, fine..." Ariom said with a sigh. He followed after Tava, who turned and trotted across the grass toward Seyli once she saw they were coming. Ariom still had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask Brel about this pocket world and the mythic beasts who had made it, but for now it was probably better to just go along with the others. Uncle Bero and Brel came in after him, leaving the door open behind them. Looking back, Ariom saw that the doorway on this side was fitted neatly under an arched wooden trellis with flowering vines climbing over it. Was that a static entry point to the pocket world? Or was it one of a few possible entrances, and Brel could choose where he wanted the doorway to appear every time he opened it? The latter would be more difficult, both to build and to operate, but if it was mythic beasts and an agent doing it.... While Ariom pondered the technical aspects, the girls were admiring some of the nearby flowers. Uncle Bero went over to join them, but he frowned a little as he looked over the flowerbed. "Are these flowers from the Ket''qe Forest?" he asked. "My wife is a magic botanist, so I''ve seen quite a few plants from around the continent. But I don''t recognize any of these." Brel chuckled a little. "You won''t have seen these ones before. None of the plants here are native to this world." Everyone turned to stare at him, apart from Tava, who was busy sniffing at a cluster of light purple flowers that were almost the same color as her scales. "What...did you just say?" Uncle Bero asked, looking a bit shaken. "These plants are...from a different world?" "That''s right," Brel said easily. "Haven''t you ever heard the story about the Forest People walking to this world on a bridge made out of stars?" "Of course I have. I''ve read Ket''qe folktales to all my children and grandchildren.... But you''re saying that really happened?" "Well, the story has been embellished over the years, of course. It wasn''t really a bridge made of stars¡ªthe process was a little less flashy and a lot more complicated than that. But we did come here from another world, yes." Brel''s expression darkened a little. "We were refugees, really. The mythic beasts of this world kindly took us in and gave us a piece of land to settle on. That''s where Ket''qe is now." "Why were you refugees?" Namyis asked. "What happened?" "It''s a long story. But to sum it up...politics, I suppose? The mythic beasts here treat each other like family, but that''s not the case in all worlds. There was a power struggle going on, and Ket''shiu was the leader of one of the smaller factions. He''d already lost a lot of territory, and things weren''t looking good.... Then someone came along and offered to help him move his sanctuary to another world, where he wouldn''t have to deal with that kind of conflict anymore. He and most of the mythics under him decided to take that offer. So here we are." "I have seen some old records that talk about Ket''qe as though it just appeared out of nowhere," Ariom said, frowning. "But I always assumed that was just because humans hadn''t explored the center of the continent before that, so they didn''t know it was there. And I''ve heard the fairy tale, of course." He glanced at Uncle Bero. "But I''ve visited Ket''qe quite a few times, and I''ve never heard anyone talk about a mythic beast power struggle or traveling from another world." "Why would they?" Brel said with a shrug. "Even if they''ve heard the story and believe it''s true, it happened long before any of them were born. Only a few of us are still around from back then." "And you''re one of the few?" Uncle Bero raised an eyebrow. "I don''t know anything about how Ket''qe got where it is, but I do know that Kamari has been trading with them for well over a thousand years. Just how old are you...?" Brel laughed. "I''ll leave that to your imagination. Let''s end the history lesson for now. There''s an open area over this way. We can set up a table and chairs there for dinner." He led the way along the garden path, past a few more flowerbeds, to a wider grassy area that was under the shade of a large tree with bluish, heart-shaped leaves. Brel used his peculiar tree-growing magic to create a stump that was spread out and flattened on the top like a table, plus five more of the same wicker chairs he''d made in Thenio''s room. Then he made another, smaller tree stump that only rose a few inches off the ground, which was presumably a table for the dragons. "There we go. I think that should do it," Brel said, looking over his handiwork. "Nice!" Namyis had been watching the process with sparkling eyes. Now she raised her hands, and with a shimmer, a platter appeared in them, full of familiar-looking balls of fish meat that had glowing orange bits scattered through them, like they''d been sprinkled with sparks. "One extra-large serving of special spicy fish balls for two special little dragons!" Iggy and Tava both made excited chirping sounds, their tails waving. Ariom put Iggy down on the ground, and he ran over to clamber up on the edge of the smaller tree stump and watch with eager anticipation as Namyis set the platter down. Once the dragons were busy with their meal, which also included a plate of cut fruit and bowls of shrimp broth, Namyis took out larger platters of seafood, fruit, and grilled vegetables, plus a basket of dinner rolls and several different kinds of juice. She also produced tableware for five people, which Seyli and Uncle Bero set out in front of each chair. Just how big was her stasis pocket...? "You really went all-out, didn''t you?" Ariom said, eyeing the plate of baked lobster that Namyis had just put on the table. "Hey, I got a bonus from the Magic Corps for going on an emergency raid plus extra hazard pay from the Royal Guard. Why not splurge a little? It''s not like I get to have dinner with mythic agents every day!" Thenio could learn a thing or two from this woman...even if she was crazy...and annoying.... "Ah, speaking of agents..." Namyis went on. "Brel, you can communicate with Eteon via telepathy or something, can''t you? Ask him what he wants to eat. I''ll take him a plate in a minute. I have something I need to give him, anyway. And I wanted to thank him for his help last night." "Remember that Thenio''s not supposed to know about that," Uncle Bero warned her. "I know. I won''t say anything if he''s awake." Brel''s ears were twitching a little. "Eteon''s fine with anything," he said after a pause. "You can just take him an assortment." "Got it." Namyis squeezed a tray of crab cakes into one of the few remaining spots on the table and looked over the pile of food. "There, I think that''s everything. Except dessert, of course, but I''ll take that out later. Maybe we could have it after we look around the garden some more. It''s not a problem if we stay in here for a while, is it?" "No, I can keep the pocket open as long as you want," Brel reassured her. "And it''s fine to wander around the garden. Just don''t go in the building over there. That''s my workshop, and some of the tools in there can be a little dangerous. It''s not human-sized anyway, so you wouldn''t find it very comfortable." "That''s fine. The garden is amazing!" Namyis looked around at the flowers with a happy expression. Then she sighed. "Aww...I used to think my expanded space tent was really nice, but compared to this place.... What kind of help do you have to give mythic beasts to get them to make you something like this?" Brel was about to bite into a crab cake, but he paused and thought for a moment. "It was mostly for babysitting, I guess." The humans all looked at him in surprise. The dragons were still immersed in their spicy fish feast and were ignoring the conversation. "Babysitting?" Namyis'' eyes had gone wide. "There are baby mythic beasts?" "Of course. It''s pretty rare for new mythics to be born, but it does happen." "Aww...baby mythics must be so cute! Where are they? Am I allowed to see them?" Namyis looked ecstatic at the thought. Brel chuckled a little. "You''ve already met one, haven''t you? Essu is the oldest of the babies in this world. Though he''s not exactly a baby anymore.... ''Squire Class'' is what we call them. They''re mythics that haven''t fully established their magic domains yet. They''re roughly equivalent to pre-sorcerers, for humans. Though they''re almost all young mythics. It''s practically unheard of for an older one to not have an established domain." "Playing with Essu was lots of fun!" Namyis said happily. "I''d love to play with the others sometime! How many are there?" "There are three Squires in this world at the moment. And they''re all good kids. Essu''s a bit of a rascal, but he means well. He just doesn''t always think before he acts...." Brel sighed. Then he gave Namyis a teasing smirk. "But still. Be careful what you wish for. You''re in the Magic Corps, right? Then you know how much trouble child sorcerers can be?" Namyis'' face fell, and she looked a bit guilty. "A lot," Uncle Bero answered dryly. "I grew up with one, and he was always setting things on fire by accident. Including his little brother...." Namyis winced and looked even guiltier. Hadn''t she said something about having a younger sister? Based on Namyis'' expression and what he knew about his uncle''s childhood, Ariom strongly suspected that the poor girl had suffered a few cases of frostbite before her older sister moved out.... "Right. Then just imagine what a young mythic beast can do. That''s why their parents were grateful I was willing to help take care of them. Because when a baby mythic loses control...." Brel''s expression suddenly turned sober. "...some seriously bad things can happen...." Chapter 83 - A Change in Perspective Namyis tapped lightly on the door of Thenio''s bedroom. "Is it okay if I come in?" Eteon was sitting in a chair next to the bed, carving a piece of wood, but he looked up and nodded. "It''s fine. There''s a barrier around him." "Good." Namyis walked into the room and held up the tray she was carrying to show him. "I brought you some dinner. Should I just put it on the table there?" "Yes. Thank you." She crossed the room and set the tray down on the table in front of the sofa. When she turned back around, Eteon''s carving, his knife, and the cloth spread across his lap to catch the wood shavings had all mysteriously disappeared. Did mythic agents use ordinary space pockets? Eteon didn''t seem to be wearing any rings or bracelets, which were the items that human space pockets were most commonly attached to. Not that he couldn''t be hiding it with an illusion or something. But maybe he had a more advanced kind of storage device, like Brel''s pocket world. Or maybe he simply magicked things in and out of existence, like he had with all those blueprints and diagrams he''d given the Royal Guard. Namyis was curious, but she pushed those questions aside for now. "How is Thenio? He looks better than he did when we got him out of that Order base. He''s got some color back in his face." Eteon turned to look at the sleeping boy. There was a deep tenderness in his silvery blue eyes. "Having his magic circuit sealed was a bit hard on him. But yes, he''s recovering well. He''s just tired because of the high suppression he''s under right now." "Well, that''s pretty normal in a place like this, isn''t it? Is he sleeping deeply enough that it''s safe to talk about last night?" He looked back at her, his gaze becoming sharper. "Yes. It should be fine." "Then how are your arms? They haven''t healed up already, have they? That was a pretty bad case of poisoning you had. Even I would need to spend some time in the Poison Center after something like that." Eteon regarded her silently for a moment. Then he sighed. "They still feel terrible, if you really want to know." "Ah...my sympathies. Demon poison is awful stuff." Namyis grimaced. Then she took two envelopes out of her stasis pocket and held them out to him. "I don''t know if this will make you feel any better, since I know you really did it to help Thenio, not the Magic Corps. But these are letters of thanks from General Obarin and Commander Myrel. They asked me to deliver them when they found out I was coming here this evening." He looked a little surprised by that, but he took the letters from her. "I wanted to thank you too." Namyis went on, giving him a warm smile. "Doing an emergency raid on a big facility like that, it wouldn''t have been strange for us to lose a few people. But we didn''t have a single fatality, and the information you gave us probably had a lot to do with that. I really don''t like going to funerals.... So thank you for letting me avoid a few." Eteon shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you." He looked at Thenio again. "I couldn''t have saved him by myself." There was an obvious note of frustration in his voice. Namyis could understand it. She was probably nowhere near Eteon''s level, but she was eighteenth on Kafron''s official power ranking list. So she knew a little bit about feeling strong. And how hard it was, once you got used to that feeling, to admit that there were still things you weren''t strong enough to do. "We''re battlemages. That''s our job," she said with a shrug. "We would have eventually had to raid that base, whether Thenio was involved or not. But because he was...I mean, I''m not saying it''s a good thing that he was put in danger, of course. Just...well, I''m glad things turned out as well as they did. That''s all." Namyis paused and then continued with a small smirk, "But while you''re still feeling grateful...will you forgive me if I ask a nosy question?" Eteon raised an eyebrow at her. Then he chuckled a little. "All right. Ask whatever you want. I can''t guarantee an answer, but I promise I''ll forgive you." "That''s good enough," Namyis said happily. "Then, are you really related to Yohlom?" "Where did you hear that?" "From Seyli. Though she really just told me your family name is Idarin. I''m the one that brought up Yohlom." "I see. Yes, he and I are related. But not by blood. Yohlom is my...." Eteon hesitated, as though considering his choice of words. "I guess I could call him my foster son?" Namyis'' eyes widened. "Wow, really? You raised him?" "Partly. He was seventeen when I met him, so there wasn''t that much raising left to do. I suppose I''ve really been more of a mentor than a parent to him. And I know he doesn''t think of me as his father.... But I took care of him for a while after he lost his family. And he eventually decided to start using my name, so he acknowledges that we have a connection, at least." "Lost his family.... Were they killed by demons?" "That''s right." Eteon grimaced a little. "Well, he makes it pretty obvious, doesn''t he? He might loathe demons even more than I do." Namyis blinked. "Did you lose someone in a demon attack, too?" She immediately regretted the question. Eteon''s eyes narrowed, and the air in the room suddenly felt dark and chilling. All of Namyis'' combat instincts screamed that she was in danger, and she had to forcibly prevent herself from taking up a fighting stance. Then it was gone. Everything was back to normal. Eteon sighed and looked away. "I promised I''d forgive you for asking nosy questions, didn''t I? I''m sorry. I forgot for a moment...." There was a long silence. "My son," Eteon said quietly. "Those monsters killed my son." There was another silence. "I''m sorry..." Namyis said in a small voice. She didn''t know what else to say. And she didn''t really dare to say anything else anyway. Her arms were still covered in goosebumps from that terrifying aura. She glanced over at Thenio, who was still sleeping peacefully, protected by a barrier and oblivious to the uncomfortable exchange that was happening next to him. So that was why Eteon was so protective of the boy.... He couldn''t stand the thought of losing another beloved child.
Namyis seemed unusually subdued when she came back from taking Eteon his tray of food. The ever-sensitive Tava was the first to notice something was wrong. She looked up from the piece of mango she was eating and whimpered as Namyis approached the table. Ariom looked over at the sound. Seeing Namyis'' face, even he could tell that something had happened. She couldn''t really go any paler, but her expression was a bit dazed, like she didn''t quite know where she was or what she ought to do. And this was a woman who had kept her head while Humerus was rampaging and the Royal Guard headquarters was being attacked. Anything that could send her into shock had to be pretty awful. It wasn''t hard to figure out what it was, though. She had just been talking to Eteon, after all. "It''s okay, Tava." Namyis gave the dragon a small, forced smile and bent down to stroke her back. "Thanks for worrying about me. But I''m really okay. I just...saw something scary. That''s all." "I told you that he was in a bad mood and you should be careful what you say," Brel said, watching her. "I know. I wasn''t trying to upset him." Namyis sighed. "I just wanted to ask how he''s related to Yohlom. But it''s hard to talk about Yohlom without talking about how much he hates demons, and Eteon mentioned that he really hates demons, too, and...." She trailed off, fidgeting with a strand of her hair. Brel raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess...you made the mistake of asking him why he hates demons so much?" "Well...yeah." "Honestly...." Brel shook his head. "Well, don''t fret over it too much. He wasn''t really angry, if all he did was scare you a little." "What would he have done to her if he were seriously angry?" Uncle Bero asked with a hint of trepidation. Brel shrugged. "It depends. Dragged her into the dream world and trapped her in a nightmare for a few days, maybe? He almost never loses his temper to the point of actually attacking someone." "Being trapped inside a nightmare sounds bad enough...." Namyis said with a shudder. But Brel''s reassurance seemed to cheer her up a little because her dazed expression faded. She patted Tava one more time and then went to sit in the empty chair between Brel and Seyli. She was still quieter than usual as she started eating, but she gradually got involved with the conversation Uncle Bero and Seyli were having with Brel, about the different creatures that had lived in his former world. Naturally, they were both fascinated by the idea of an entire world full of animals and magic beasts that they''d never seen before. By the time everyone had eaten their fill, Namyis seemed to be back to her usual, overly-enthusiastic self. After the leftovers were packed back away into her stasis pocket, she happily went with Seyli to go play with the dragons on the grass. Ariom found himself feeling a little relieved. Not that he was worried about her, of course. It was just...seeing her look shocked and timid like that.... Well. It was kind of unsettling. "Are we allowed to ask her what she learned from Eteon?" Uncle Bero asked Brel in a low voice, once the girls were out of earshot. "Probably? I doubt he told her anything that he wouldn''t tell the two of you. And it''s not like we really want to keep secrets from you, you know? We just have to be careful because of Thenio. Well...there are also things Eteon doesn''t like talking about, of course." Brel sighed. "But if it''s about his relationship with Yohlom, I can tell you. Yohlom was one of only a few survivors of a city that was destroyed when the First Rift opened up. He lost his entire family. Eteon found him out in the Wastelands...no, it was really Essu who found him, I guess. But Eteon took care of him after that." "Lost his whole family, huh...?" Uncle Bero''s brow furrowed. "How old was he?" "I don''t remember exactly...but he was around Thenio''s age. Maybe a little older." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Did Eteon teach him necromancy, then?" Ariom asked. It hadn''t occurred to him that Eteon might be a necromancer, but it made sense, considering that Ki''shiu seemed to have assigned him to look after Thenio. Brel shook his head. "Not exactly. Eteon helped him improve his skills, but Yohlom came from a clan of necromancers, so he already knew a lot, even at that age. And he managed to save quite a few of his family''s books when he fled the city, so he mostly learned by studying them." "Those must be some good books...." Ariom couldn''t quite keep the envy out of his voice. He''d always wished he could go back to the world of the past and copy some of the old magic clans'' libraries. So much knowledge had been lost during the Great War and the Rift Crisis. And trying to recreate it by studying the remaining scraps was slow and frustrating. Just lately he''d been particularly wishing he could get his hands on some Pre-War necromancy texts. Maybe, if Yohlom had a collection of them, and if Eteon had a good relationship with him.... "Don''t go getting any ideas," Brel said warningly, as though he''d heard Ariom''s thoughts. "Yohlom is extremely protective of his family''s magic techniques. And unlike Eteon, it doesn''t take much to provoke him into attacking. Everyone who''s asked to see his library has regretted it." Stingy old bone collector.... Ariom frowned. "Couldn''t Eteon persuade him to show them to me?" "Maybe. But you''d have to come up with a very good reason for it. Pre-War necromancy got into some pretty dangerous territory. The mythics would generally prefer for it to stay forgotten. You''ve heard stories about the kind of destruction the old necromancers could cause, haven''t you? We''ve only let Yohlom keep using his White Army because he''s so devoted to fighting demons and guarding the First Rift. If he ever turned his army on other humans...." "I wouldn''t ask to learn techniques like that. I don''t care about skeletons!" Ariom paused and shot Uncle Bero an apologetic look. "Uh...war skeletons, I should say. Bone golems. I didn''t mean that kind of skeletons." Uncle Bero chuckled. "I get it. Go on. Did seeing that Old One''s golems get your competitive spirit up, so you want to start studying necromancy again?" "Well...a little," Ariom admitted. "But this is more about the original enchantment. The one I was supposed to be analyzing yesterday. I took on the job in the first place because I hoped that studying that enchantment might help me figure out a way to stabilize Thenio''s magic circuit." "Oh?" Brel raised his eyebrows. "How, exactly?" "I haven''t been able to work out the details. I don''t have enough information yet. But what the Royal Guard originally showed me was a magic circuit enhancement technique. It''s similar to the Kafron Magic Corps'' Amplification Project, if you''ve ever heard of that." Brel nodded. "I have. I remember Focilo was very unhappy with that program. It gave him quite a few extra patients to deal with." "Right." Ariom cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well...Thenio doesn''t need to increase his magic power, of course. But the Order''s version of the enchantment includes an extra matrix to protect and stabilize the magic circuit. That''s the part I''m interested in." "I think Ki''shiu has already tried something like that. He has access to even more information on necromancy than Yohlom does, you know." "I know that. But...." Ariom hesitated, not sure how Brel would react to what he was about to say. Or Eteon, since there was a good chance he was listening in on the conversation. "What if the answer is hiding in Ki''shiu''s blind spot?" Brel frowned. "His blind spot? What do you mean?" "Ki''shiu is vulnerable to demon poison, isn''t he?" Uncle Bero''s eyes widened in surprise at Ariom''s words. He knew Eteon had been poisoned, but he didn''t know the details of how it had happened. Ariom had been sleeping until shortly before Garem and Thenio''s family arrived, so he hadn''t had a chance to tell his uncle everything yet. But Brel stayed calm, although he was still frowning a little. "Yes, he is. From what you saw last night with Eteon, I suppose it wasn''t too hard to figure out that it''s dangerous to access information about demons using dream magic." Ariom nodded. "Ki''shiu had already told me that it was dangerous for Thenio to learn about demons. And since Eteon got poisoned when he gave us information about the Order''s base, I guessed that it must be dangerous for him and Ki''shiu, too. And Eteon told Thenio that demon magic distorts the order of the world and makes information difficult to read. So does that mean that Ki''shiu hasn''t tried any methods of stabilizing chaos morphs that involve demon magic?" Brel stared at him for a moment, his frown deepening. "No...he hasn''t tried using demon magic, as far as I''m aware. But if you''re suggesting that we deliberately poison Thenio...." The look in his golden eyes was scary. And Ariom didn''t even want to think about what expression Eteon might be making right now. He hurriedly shook his head. "No, of course not. I''m talking about using purified demon magic. That''s what the Order''s power enhancement technique uses. The purified version is safe for humans, right? I know that doesn''t necessarily mean it''s safe for Thenio. We''d have to do a lot of careful testing before we put the full enchantment on him...assuming I can even design a functional enchantment in the first place.... But...well. I think the idea is worth looking into." "Purified demon magic is extremely versatile," Uncle Bero said thoughtfully. "So using it to stabilize a magic circuit...hmm. I haven''t worked with it enough to be sure, but I think it might be possible. The crystals are expensive, of course, and the Magic Corps doesn''t sell them to just anyone. But you should be able to talk Kalion into giving you some." "Purified demon magic, huh...?" Brel leaned back in his chair and stared up at the blue-tinted leaves rustling in the breeze over their heads. He looked deep in thought, and his ears were twitching. Maybe he was discussing the idea with Eteon. That thought made Ariom feel a bit anxious. But he gradually relaxed again as the seconds ticked by and no angry woodcarver showed up to cart him off to a nightmare prison for his audacious suggestion. He was glad he''d brought the idea up with Brel first, though, rather than telling Eteon about it directly. The Forest Man didn''t seem to share his friend''s habit of letting out terrifying waves of magic power when something upset him. After what seemed like a very long silence, Brel finally sat up and looked at Ariom. "Ki''shiu is willing to hear you out," he said. "He wants you to put together the research you''ve done so far and be prepared to explain what you have in mind. He''s not trying to rush you, though. He knows you just went through a rough experience and need some time to recover. He''s very grateful for what you did last night." Brel chuckled a little. "And he says that if your idea sounds promising enough, he''ll gladly give you all the necromancy books in the world...plus a few other worlds, if need be."
Sorin sat on a large wooden crate in the shearing shed, watching as his brother Omian flipped one of the ewes in the holding pen onto her rump and dragged her out to where Papa was waiting with his big metal clippers. Omian had been allowed to practice shearing some of the younger sheep that morning. But now they were doing the older ones¡ªthe ones that grew the best wool¡ªand Papa always did those. Sorin wished he could help shear the sheep. Papa promised to teach him how to do it when he was older. But for now the adult sheep were bigger than he was, so all he could do was watch from the side. He was still in a good mood, though. He had a comfortable cushion to sit on, a bag of dried fruit that Mama had given him for a snack, and his two favorite drakes keeping him company. And he loved watching how fast Papa could slide the shears through the wool, making the sheep''s fleece fall off in a big sheet, like snow sliding off the barn roof on a sunny winter day. Besides, Papa said he liked when Sorin watched them shear because the sheep were calmer and better behaved when he was around. Sorin wasn''t sure if it was really true, but it made him happy when Papa told him that. He liked feeling useful. Most of the time, he was much too small and sick to be useful to anyone. All he usually did was cause problems. Nobody ever got mad at him for it. But he wished he could be useful more often, like Omian was. Papa finished with the ewe and set her back on her feet so she could run out the chute on the other side of the shed, which led to another pen where the sheep that had already been sheared were waiting to be taken back to their pasture. Then Calira gathered up the newly shorn fleece to carry it over to the skirting table, where she and another one of Mama''s apprentices would pull off the extra dirty bits before they loaded it up to go over to Mama''s workshop. Papa''s job was raising the sheep, and Mama''s job was turning their wool into beautiful things. This place, the shearing shed, was where one job stopped and the other one started. When the fleece was out of the way, Viana, Sorin''s sister, swept up the loose pieces of wool with a long push broom. Then it was time for Omian to pull out another still-fluffy ewe. Viana had turned fifteen last year, and she was going to leave the farm and go to magic school soon. She said she wanted to study enchanting like Mama. She could have left already, but she had decided to stay and help until the lambing and shearing seasons were over. Sorin was half sad and half envious about Viana going away to school. He knew he would miss her, even though she promised to write to him every week. But magic school sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe even more fun than shearing sheep! He hoped he''d be able to go there someday, too. After a few more sheep had their coats stripped off by Papa''s shears, the holding pen was finally empty. Papa shooed the last ewe out through the chute and then looked at the clock hanging up on the wall. "It''s getting late. Let''s call it quits for today. We''ll do the last bunch tomorrow." Papa handed the shears to Omian. "Take care of these for me, will you? I''m going to take Sorin back to the house." Omian took the shears over to the side of the shed to clean and oil them while Papa washed his hands and arms off with a little bit of water magic. Then he came over to the crate Sorin and the drakes were sitting on. "Come on, little buddy," he said, turning around and bending forward so that Sorin could climb onto his back. "I''ll give you a ride." "Okay!" Sorin agreed happily. He got to his feet and then clambered up onto his father''s broad back with practiced ease. It smelled like sweat and sheep, but Sorin didn''t mind. That was the smell of home. Papa held Sorin''s legs and lifted him up. As he started walking, Cloud and Pickles, the two drakes, jumped down and followed after them. Cloud was the oldest drake on the farm and had long since retired from herding sheep with the others. Pickles was younger, but he''d gotten badly injured in a wolf attack a few years ago and still couldn''t fly well, so he''d been retired early. The two of them were supposed to guard the house, but mostly they guarded Sorin. During the day, they followed him everywhere, making sure he stayed away from dangerous places and nipping at the other drakes if they started playing too rough with him. At night, they took turns, one of them sleeping on his bed while the other one patrolled around the house. And, of course, one of them would always run and get Mama or Papa whenever Sorin had an ''episode.'' Sorin looked around as they left the shearing shed. It was strange how the familiar farmyard could look so different when he was up high. He could see the tops of the bushes that grew next to the barn, which were usually out of sight above his head. And the walk from the shearing shed to the house, which normally seemed impossibly far with his short legs, seemed to take almost no time at all. That was what Sorin liked best about riding on his father''s back. He loved flying high up into the clouds and looking down at the ground below. Being that high always made everyday things seem so¡ª Wait. No. That was...wrong? He blinked and looked around again, suddenly feeling confused. Flying? No, they weren''t flying. Were they supposed to be flying? It felt like maybe they were.... No. Papa didn''t take him flying. That''s right. That was someone else. It was.... It was.... Who was it? He couldn''t remember. Why couldn''t he remember? It felt so important. He ought to remember.... The world around him was spinning, and he put his hands on his suddenly aching head as though to hold it still. He could feel something hot come alive and start to writhe around inside him. Somewhere below him, he heard Cloud let out several sharp barks. Warning barks. "Sorin!" As soon as the barks started, the man carrying him swung him down from his back, set him on the ground, and quickly began doing something with the leather straps he was wearing on his wrists. "Sorin, take a deep breath. Try to calm down. I''m increasing your suppression, okay? You''ll feel better soon." Sorin. Sorin? Was that his name? Sorin. No. That wasn''t right. His name was.... It was.... Ten...Teno...Then...i...o.... Thenio. His name was Thenio. And this was wrong. This place. The person in front of him. They were all wrong! He wasn''t supposed to be here! But...where was he supposed to be? He couldn''t remember.... The man kneeling in front of him finished what he was doing with the leather bands and gently pulled Thenio into his arms. "It''s okay, little buddy," he said softly, rubbing Thenio''s back. "Everything''s going to be okay." Thenio''s arms went limp, and his head fell forward to rest against the man''s chest. He didn''t know where he was or who this person was...but...he was suddenly so tired.... He closed his eyes. "That''s right. Just sleep a little bit. It''s all right. You''ll feel better when you wake up." The man began rocking him slowly, lulling him toward sleep. Just before everything faded away, Thenio heard one of the drakes whimper and felt a rough tongue start licking his cheek.
Thenio opened his eyes. There was still something licking his cheek. His vision was blurry, but he could make out a purple shape next to him. He blinked a few times, and it sharpened into the form of a dragon. "Tava?" he murmured sleepily. The licking stopped, and Tava let out a couple of soft chirps. "Ah...I''m sorry she woke you up," he heard Seyli''s voice say in an apologetic tone. "You were getting restless, like you were having a bad dream, and she was worried about you." Raising his head a little, Thenio saw that Seyli was standing near the foot of the bed. Eteon was sitting to the side, in the same place he''d been when Thenio had fallen asleep. They were both giving him slightly concerned looks. Thenio sighed and lowered his head. "It''s okay," he said, reaching up to pat Tava. "You''re right. I was having a bad dream. So thank you for waking me up." Chapter 84 - Friends "Would you move for a minute, Tava? I''ll help Thenio sit up so he can see you and Seyli better." Tava obligingly moved down to the end of the bed while Eteon helped Thenio into a sitting position and arranged the pillows behind him. "Here, sit down," Eteon told Seyli, patting the chair he''d been using. "Since he''s awake, you might as well have a proper visit. I''ll let the others know that you need a little more time." "Oh. All right." Seyli looked a little hesitant, but she came closer and sat down next to the bed. Thenio expected Eteon to leave the room after that, but he simply went over to sit on the sofa. Didn''t he just say he was going to tell the others...? Oh. Wait. Ki''shiu could use telepathy, couldn''t he? Then maybe Eteon could, too. Thenio made a mental note to ask him about it later. "I didn''t expect you to wake up," Seyli said. "Tava and I were just stopping in to see you and say hello to Eteon for a minute before we left. We need to get back to the dormitory before curfew. But we still have some time. And Tava obviously doesn''t mind staying a little longer," she added with a smile and a nod at her dragon, who had come back over to Thenio and was in the process of settling down on his lap. "When did you two get here?" Thenio asked, scratching Tava''s ears. "A few hours ago. About the same time your family left. We actually saw them out in the parking area. Your brothers seemed pretty excited to meet the famous Ice Queen. Though I think Kleyo was more excited to see her golem carriage," Seyli said with a laugh. "Namyis came with you? Oh, I guess Tava''s wearing her collar, isn''t she?" Thenio had just noticed the blue leather band around the dragon''s neck. "Right. Namyis wanted to bring dinner over, and she gave us a ride at the same time. She said everyone deserved a treat after what you all went through last night. The rest of us already ate, but there are some leftovers in the stasis box in the kitchen if you want any. Well, you might not feel up to eating seafood right now.... But there''s also a box of pastries. Uncle Bero told Namyis that you really like the berry pastries from the bakery near your house, so she got some especially for you." "Huh? Bero told her that?" Thenio blinked in surprise. "How did he know?" "I told him," Eteon said. "He told me that Namyis was coming and asked what your favorite food was so she would know what to bring you." "Oh." Thenio scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. Was it childish that his favorite food was something like berry pastries? He felt like maybe it was.... He did really like them, though. He''d always found the taste oddly comforting. And it was very kind of Namyis to go out of her way to get him some. He''d have to be sure to thank her later. "Oh, and I brought you something, too." Seyli opened her embroidered bag and started rummaging around inside it. "That...you really didn''t have to...." Thenio said awkwardly, feeling even more embarrassed. "I know. But I wanted to." Seyli pulled out a small wrapped parcel. She held it in her hands for a moment, staring down at it and biting her lip. "I just.... I don''t know exactly what happened last night. Uncle Bero and Namyis both said they weren''t allowed to tell me all the details. But I know it was really dangerous. And Uncle Bero said you were under strong magic suppression today, so I wasn''t sure if I''d have a chance to talk to you or not. So I just...wanted to do something to let you know that Tava and I are glad you''re okay." She shyly held the parcel out to him, her cheeks turning a little pink. It was incredibly cute. "I...thank you." Thenio took the gift, his own face growing a bit warm. Tava was looking curiously at the little package. To help hide how awkward he felt, Thenio set it in front of her. "Do you want to help me open it?" The brown wrapping paper was held on with a red ribbon tied in a bow. Thenio picked up one end of the ribbon and held it out to Tava. "Here. Pull on this." Tava''s ears pricked up a little with interest. She sniffed at the ribbon before taking the end of it in her teeth. Then she pulled backward, causing the bow to come undone. "Good girl." Thenio patted the dragon''s head, and she chirped and waved her tail a little, looking happy at the praise. Then he pulled off the loosened ribbon and unwrapped the paper. Inside was a case made of dark brown leather that was a little smaller than Thenio''s message book. He undid the strap holding it closed and opened it up to reveal a small sketchbook on one side of the case and pockets containing a set of half-size pencils with colored leads, a sharpener, and an eraser on the other side. "I noticed that you don''t bring a sketchbook with you when we go out places, even though you have one with you most of the time at Ariom''s house," Seyli said, still looking a bit shy. "So I wondered if it was because you only had bigger ones that are hard to carry around. And I happened to see those little drawing kits at the academy store not long ago, so...well...I thought you might like one." "That''s...." Thenio swallowed. His throat was suddenly feeling a little tight. "You''re right. I''ve always used those bigger sketchbooks. There''s a shop not far from my family''s house that sells them for pretty cheap, and I was always trying to make my allowance stretch as far as I could, so.... This looks really nice. Thank you." He''d also seen these drawing kits at the academy store, actually. And he''d thought about how nice it would be to have a sketchbook and pencils small enough to take everywhere he went. But they were a little pricey, and he''d been trying hard not to spend more money on school supplies than was absolutely necessary, so he''d never bought one. Wanting to show Seyli that he appreciated the gift, Thenio pulled out one of the pencils and opened the little book. He started sketching lightly on a blank page, using a little dream magic to help him remember the details of what he wanted to draw. Wait...was it all right for him to use magic right now? No one had told him he couldn''t, and he wasn''t using very much. Eteon didn''t say anything about it, so it ought to be fine, right? Probably? Thenio pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the drawing, occasionally switching to a different color pencil. He was still sleepy from the magic suppression, but working with new art supplies was interesting, especially since they were higher quality than the paper and pencils he usually used. So he was able to concentrate reasonably well. A few minutes later, he finished the sketch and slid the pencil he was using back into its pocket. Then he held the book up for Seyli to see. "It works," he said with a smile. "I like these pencils. They have a nice feel to them." Seyli and Tava had both been watching quietly while he drew. Now Seyli stared at the picture, looking a little perplexed. "Sheep?" Thenio had drawn a small group of sheep with white fleece and red faces and legs, grazing in a green pasture. Two drakes were sitting in the foreground, watching them. One was a muted shade of blue with fluffy fur and feathered wings. The other had leathery wings and yellowish-green scales. "Right. Sheep." Thenio gave a small laugh. "That''s what I was dreaming about right before Tava woke me up. I dreamt I was on a farm, watching sheep get sheared. Weird, huh? Those two drakes were in the dream, too. Their names were Cloud and Pickles." Seyli blinked. "I thought you said it was a bad dream?" "Yeah...well." Thenio lowered the sketchbook and looked down at his drawing. "It got strange toward the end. It was like everything started distorting and looking unfamiliar. So nothing really bad happened. I just felt upset that I couldn''t figure out what was going on." "Oh, I get it." Seyli nodded in understanding. "I have dreams like that sometimes, too, where nothing acts like I expect it to, and I feel really confused and out of control." "Right. Like that." There was a brief pause. Then Seyli smiled and said, "Well, at least you got to see some cute sheep and livestock drakes before things went strange. Those are Zantian Reds, aren''t they? They mostly raise that breed in Lenios, so it''s funny you would be dreaming about them. Oh, but there''s a picture of them in the encyclopedia of land-based magic beasts that we got for Iggy, isn''t there? Maybe you saw that recently." "Uh...yeah, that might be it. I''ve been reading those encyclopedias with Iggy a lot lately. He really likes them." They''d mostly been reading about gryphons and storm hounds, though. Apart from the entry on tauas, Thenio hadn''t actually read any of the volume on land-based magic beasts yet. And he was fairly sure he hadn''t seen the picture of Zantian Red sheep either.... But he didn''t think it was a good idea to mention that to Seyli. "Ah...talking about reading to Iggy reminds me of something I needed to ask you about." Seyli fidgeted a little with her bag, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well...really Ariom was going to ask you, since I didn''t think I''d get a chance to talk to you for a few more days. But since you''re awake now, I guess I should do it myself.... Anyways, it''s about school exams." Thenio blinked. "Exams? What about them?" Did she want help studying or something? He didn''t know that much about magic zoology or healing magic, though.... "Um...has Ariom told you that I lived at his house during my first year at the academy?" "Yeah, he did. He said you wanted to live with your brother while you were getting used to living in the capital." What Ariom had actually said was that Seyli was extremely nervous about leaving home and attending such a large school by herself, so her parents had asked him to help take care of her for a while. Toflyn had graduated from the academy and started his apprenticeship with Ariom a few months before that, and Seyli was much more comfortable with the idea of living with her older brother and cousin than she was with staying in a dormitory surrounded by strangers. Iggy had also hatched around that same time, which meant that Ariom had ended up being very glad he''d agreed to let Seyli and Tava stay with him. He said they''d probably helped him more than he''d helped them. "Right. Well, we''ve also been staying at Ariom''s house during exam weeks the past couple of years. Mostly for Tava, since it''s hard for me to spend enough time with her when I''m busy studying and finishing up assignments and things." Seyli''s fidgeting intensified. "And...um...exams are coming up in a couple of weeks, so...." "So...you two are going to come stay with us?" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Thenio wasn''t sure how to feel about that. He liked having Seyli and Tava around, but he''d only been seeing them once a week so far. Actually living in the same house was kind of different, wasn''t it? He''d never lived with a girl before, apart from his mother. And Butterfly. But a cat probably didn''t count. "Only if you''re all right with it. I asked Ariom about it earlier, and he said it''s still fine as long as you agree to it. The bedroom I normally use is up on the third floor, and I''ll be at school or studying in my room a lot of the time, so I don''t think I''ll bother you that much. The main issue is that you''ll have an extra dragon to look after for about a week." "Oh." Thenio looked down at Tava, who was still sitting on his lap. She looked back at him questioningly, her head tilted a little to one side. "That''s not really a problem, is it? She''s not any harder to take care of than Iggy is. Or does she not behave as well when you''re not with her?" Seyli shook her head. "No, that''s not it. She''s usually well-behaved for people she likes. And Ariom and Iggy will be there, so it''s not like you''ll have to take care of her all by yourself. But I mean...you just got kidnapped by criminals and almost died! Uncle Bero said it wasn''t having much of an effect on you so far because of being under magic suppression, but you might have a delayed reaction. And your magic control gets worse when you''re under stress, right? So it''s probably not a good time to ask you for a favor like this. Especially since...." She bit her lip and averted her gaze. "Well...I know you weren''t happy about having to drop out of the academy. So asking you to go out of your way to help me with exams...." She had a point. Thenio wasn''t sure about delayed reactions or whatever, but it was true that he often envied Seyli. He knew she had her own struggles, but she was still a talented life mage who was able to attend the Royal Academy of Magic and already had her very own dragon. She was related to high-ranking wizards like Ariom and Bero. And she had parents who worried about her and did their best to help her instead of just pushing her to work hard and do well in school. She really did seem to have more than her fair share of luck in life.... But. Thenio looked down at the little drawing kit that Seyli had given him. "But we''re friends...right? Aren''t friends supposed to help each other, even if it''s a little hard? So I''m okay with helping you out for a few days." Right. The friends he''d had before now either weren''t human or were there because they''d been assigned to watch over him. So didn''t that make Seyli his first normal friend? The kind of friend he''d always wished he could have? That was much more important than feeling jealous.
"Eteon says that Thenio just woke up, so Seyli and Tava are going to stay and visit with him a little longer," Brel told Namyis, his furry ears twitching. "That''s fine. I''m not in a hurry. I have the next few days off work, so I wouldn''t mind just staying here and admiring how cute those two are." Namyis smiled happily at Ariom, who was sitting on the sofa cradling a sleeping Iggy against his chest. After a few hours of playing and exploring in Brel''s garden, the worn-out little dragon had climbed into Ariom''s arms and fallen asleep. It was seriously adorable. And Ariom was pretty cute himself, devotedly holding his dragon even though he also looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep. He was still alert enough to scowl at Namyis'' words, though. "I''m not here for your entertainment. I''m just staying awake until Seyli leaves. Then Iggy and I are going to bed." "Right. That''s why I don''t mind if Seyli wants to stay a little longer. Because it means you and Iggy will stay out here for me to admire a little longer, too," Namyis said, smiling sweetly at him. Ariom continued to glare at her, but he was apparently too tired to argue any further. "And I''m glad Seyli ended up getting a chance to talk to Thenio directly and give him the present she brought. She was worrying earlier about whether he would like it or not. That was pretty cute, too." Namyis turned to Bero and lowered her voice a little. "Hey, Seyli''s parents know about Thenio, don''t they?" "Yes. I haven''t had a chance to explain his chaos affinity in detail to them, but they know that Ariom is taking care of a military charge with unstable magic and that Seyli and Tava have been spending time with him." "So they understand that their daughter is developing an attachment to a boy who could die at any time?" Bero frowned. "Well...yes. We''ve lost several family members to magic instability, after all. And Seyli grew up at a dragon hatchery. Besides losing the occasional dragon, they also raise livestock to help with the feeding expenses. We do the same on my farm. So it''s not like death is a foreign concept to her. She''s old enough to understand Thenio''s situation and to decide for herself whether she wants to accept the risk of being friends with him." "Oh, I''m not trying to say she shouldn''t be friends with him," Namyis said, waving her hand as though to brush the idea away. "I''m a battlemage, remember? Most of my friends are people who could die any time. I don''t think that''s a reason not to get close to someone. But it was pretty rough the first time one of them didn''t come home from a mission and I had to figure out how to go on with life when someone I''d been training and eating meals and laughing with just a few days before suddenly wasn''t there anymore. That kind of experience is normal in the Magic Corps. They warn us about it during training, and there are things like counseling centers and more experienced colleagues to help you through it when it happens for real. I''m just asking if Seyli''s family is prepared to help her cope if things don''t turn out well with Thenio." "Ah. I see what you''re getting at. It was like that at the Stability Center, too. They did their best to prepare and support us, but losing patients was still hard...especially the long-term ones...." Bero sighed. "Seyli''s parents probably understand the general idea. But you''re right¡ªI should talk to them about it when I see them during Autumn Festival." He glanced over at Ariom and Iggy. "Though she''s actually not the one I''m most worried about...." Ariom snorted and looked away. "Of course Iggy will be upset if something happens to Thenio. But he''s a surprisingly tough little guy, and he knows we''re doing the best we can to solve the problem. If it turns out that''s still not enough...well, he''ll understand and be able to work through it eventually." Namyis raised an eyebrow at him. Who did that silly guy think he was fooling? Nobody there thought Bero was talking about Iggy.... But she decided not to call Ariom out on his intentional misunderstanding. Instead, she turned to Brel. "It''s kind of funny to be having this conversation in front of someone who''s lived for more than a thousand years, isn''t it? Your perspective on things is probably completely different from ours." "Well, it is. But not quite in the way you''re thinking." Brel smiled wryly. "Rather than my age...hanging around mythic beasts all the time will give anyone a different perspective on things. They don''t see life and death the same way humans do at all." "Really?" Bero looked intrigued. "How do they see them, then?" "Hmm...it''s hard to explain it in words." Brel tilted his head thoughtfully. "But if you ever happen to meet Ki''shiu in a dream, ask him to show you the River of Spirits. Then you''ll understand."
Eteon sat next to Thenio''s bed, alternating between watching the boy sleep and staring down at the little sketchbook lying open on his lap. After talking to Seyli for about twenty minutes and eating one of the pastries that Namyis had brought for him, Thenio had fallen asleep again. Seyli and Tava had left with Namyis. And the suite was now mostly quiet. It had been a long day.... Eteon was tired. He might not have been doing much physically, but he''d been monitoring Thenio''s condition, gradually lowering his suppression rate, and soothing him whenever he became unstable. Plus fighting off the corruption that was still trying to eat away at him, making him feel weak and sick. His arms felt like they were burning. That much was fine, though. He could have lost Thenio last night. If his magic circuit hadn''t been sealed in time...if Focilo hadn''t been there to protect him...if the raid hadn''t gone well.... Or, worst of all, if that psychopath Vehnkir had actually noticed what a precious treasure he''d gotten his hands on.... What was a little corruption pain compared to those kinds of frightening possibilities? Of course, it wasn''t completely over yet. Eteon looked down at the sketchbook again, at the picture of sheep and drakes that Thenio had drawn. What should he do about this? Given the choice, he obviously wanted to let Thenio remember everything. And it would probably be impossible for him to completely bring his magic under control if he didn''t. But it was dangerous, especially if it happened too quickly. The last time he broke through the memory seal.... Eteon raised his head, distracted from his brooding thoughts. He turned toward the doorway just as Brel appeared in it. "Ariom and Iggy just went to bed," the Forest Man said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. "And I talked Bero into taking Humerus home for the night. Tenacious little guy, putting up with that demon magic all day. He seems to be quite devoted to his family. Well, revenants are like that, aren''t they? The good ones, anyway. The bad ones...well, I guess we''re lucky we have Renish here to deal with those." Brel''s expression turned a little awkward. "How is Thenio doing? I''m sorry I kind of abandoned you for a while...even though I came here to help...." Eteon shook his head. "It''s fine. He''s still doing all right. And I wanted you to spend a little time with Ariom and the others. I''d like to know what you think about them." "Hmm. Well, that girl seems quite special, for a start." "You mean Seyli?" "Yes. Though Namyis is rather special in her own way...." Brel gave a weak laugh. "But Seyli is one of the most pronounced phoenix children I''ve ever seen. To think she can actually sense mythic beasts'' magic, at such a young age. There''s a good chance she could develop into a Seed someday if we encourage her a bit." Eteon turned back to look at Thenio again. "Taeri said she was willing to give her a bestowal." "Are you serious?" Brel''s eyes went wide. "She likes Seyli that much?" "It''s more a matter of desperation than of liking," Eteon said bitterly. "She''d give the Princess herself a bestowal if she thought it would actually help." "That''s a scary thought." Brel made a face. "I''m sure the Princess would be thrilled, but I doubt it would be enough to persuade her to let Thenio go." Eteon''s expression darkened. "Of course not. She''s a power-hungry fool, but she''s not stupid. She''d never give up a resource like that." Neither of them spoke for a minute. "I''m sorry," Eteon said quietly. "Sorry? For what?" "I heard you telling the others about your old world. When you came here, we promised you a safe, peaceful home. And instead you got...this." "It''s only been like this for a few hundred years. We had plenty of peace and safety before that, so I''d say the promise was fulfilled well enough. And why should you apologize, anyway? Bad luck and greedy humans got us into this. It''s not your fault." "I know. But if I''d been a little more careful...if I''d paid a little more attention...then maybe...." Eteon sighed. "You might have ascended by now if you hadn''t gotten distracted by helping us deal with this mess." "Maybe. But does it really matter if it''s delayed a few centuries? It''s not like my life will change that much if I become a Squire. I''d just keep living with Peqeran and Ciresi, the same as I am now. I''m not the sort of rebellious child who leaves home as soon as he gets a chance." "Brel, has anyone ever told you that you''re too easygoing?" "Only a few hundred times." Brel grinned. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" "Probably a few thousand times. But it''s not like I don''t have enough things to worry about." Eteon sighed again and looked down at Thenio''s drawing. "That picture...." Brel noticed the little sketchbook and stepped closer to look at it. "Thenio said he was dreaming about the sheep farm just before he woke up this last time." Eteon held the drawing up so that the Forest Man could see it. "He drew this to show Seyli. He even told her what the drakes'' names were." "Ah. No wonder you''re worried." Brel frowned. "So what are you planning to do? Reapply the memory seal?" "Well, not yet. It''s too risky in my current condition. It''s difficult to seal selective memories, even at the best of times. If I tried to do it now, there''s a good chance I''d accidentally make him forget his own name or think he''s five years old again." Eteon shook his head. "We''ll just have to wait a little and hope it doesn''t get any worse. Dreaming about sheep probably isn''t too serious, though. It wasn''t that long ago." "Right. And he did like that place a lot. Doesn''t that make the memories surface more easily? It''s too bad he couldn''t stay there very long...." "Yes. It is." Eteon lowered the sketchbook and stared at the picture again. "I should have gotten more involved that time." "Don''t start blaming yourself again. You''ve done the best you could. And you know you were a mess after Number Ten. Being more involved with Eleven would have just made him destabilize even faster." Eteon scowled at those words. Brel was probably right, but he hated to admit it. Number Ten.... That one had hurt. Well, they''d all hurt, of course. But that one.... Eteon leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Hey, once we get Thenio back on his feet, can I ask you for another favor? I''m not going to be able to go to the North for a few weeks. So would you mind going there to check on the other boys for me?" "Sure thing. It''s been a long time since I had a chance to play in the snow," Brel said with a chuckle.