《The Violet Dragon Familiar》 Prologue – The Dragon’s Last Stand The sun was just setting as the four heroes rode back to their lord''s castle. Fiery sunlight burned behind grey clouds, streaks of red and orange bleeding through. A storm would coming that night. Guards patrolled the high walls of the castle, walking atop it. At the sight of the heroes, they moved to meet them. The leader of the band - a handsome young man with amber hair - raised his arm up into the air, extending his sword. That was the sign. The mission had been a success. A horn sounded out, then a long, low groaning - the drawbridge was being lowered over the moat. Not missing a beat, the heroes passed over the moat and into the castle''s grounds. Their lord and his court magician were already waiting for them. "Ah, hello, hello!" the lord was young, barely older than the teenaged heroes he had just eagerly welcomed back to his castle. Next to his wizened mage, he looked like he could''ve been among their ranks. "Tell me, how''d everything go?" While the man had been talking, the amber-haired hero had slid off his horse. He had a burlap drawstring bag in his hand, which he passed to the mage. The old man pulled open the bag, peering inside. Not to be left in the dark, the lord leaned over to take a look too. "One dragon''s egg, scrambled." the heroes'' leader said. "Just like you ordered. We took some of the shell, you wanted that, right?" "Yes..." the court mage began, only to be interrupted when the lord shoved his hand into the bag. Before he could tell him not to, the lord had already selected a piece of shell to examine closely. "Ooh!" he brought it close to his face, adjusting his eyeglasses. One side was white as chalk, sticky, while the other side was a speckled purple. It was at once both leathery and fragile as glass. "Why, this is quite pretty... I see why you wanted them to retrieve such a treasure. Well done, heroes!" While the court mage pulled the eggshell back from him, the lord continued. "I''d say you''ve more than earned your reward. But, ah... shall we have a feast, first?" The guards cheered. Beaming, the young hero scanned the crowd of excited faces... this was what he lived for. He tossed a glance back at his companions. "We''ve got time, don''t we?"
Beneath the castle, in a subterranean chamber, the court mage toiled away. Odd instruments of invention surrounded him, ones that would be alien to the common man. This was where the court mage ate, slept, and studied. He could hear the feast, the clapping and music and raucous laughter seeping down through the floor. Soon, it would be over... but only he knew that. He laid his latest creation down on his worktable - a silvery amulet, hung on a chain of the same metal. It was a simple ring, but a purple gemstone had been inserted within. Tall, skinny and polished to a lustrous shine, the impeccably cut amethyst ran down the ring''s center. All together, the amulet was just under the size of his palm, and the chain would let it be worn like a necklace. It had finally been put together. But it still wasn''t complete. With a pestle and mortar of hard stone, he ground up some of the eggshell the heroes had retrieved, stirring it into a potion. With a small brush, he spread it over the amulet, not missing a spot. And with an ancient incantation, he poured magical energy - mana - into his creation, until it glowed from the core from the raw power it contained. The light slowly grew in intensity, until it was nearly blinding. In all his many years of life, the old mage had only seen one thing that blazingly bright before. When he was a child, his village had been attacked by a dragon. It was the most fearsome creature he had ever seen - big as a barn, with teeth long as butcher knives and horns that stretched out to the sky. Dazzling violet scales covered its body, and it could breathe out a white stream of light that destroyed whatever it blasted through. He had watched that beast raze his hometown, and as the amulet glowed in front of him, he could see the light that scorched away the houses.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ilbolia. Soon, the light faded. And from above, he heard a loud rumbling.
"Damn, it followed us!" The amber-haired hero raised his shield to block some oncoming debris. He stood with his companions and the lord''s guard against a foe they could just barely see - night had broken, and the monster had burst through the castle''s wall, kicking up a vast cloud of dust. But they could all tell what it was... a vengeful dragon. "Watch your left!" one of his friends shouted out, trying to aim at the beast with her crossbow as she darted to avoid the falling rubble. A split second before it would''ve hit him, the hero leapt out of the way of a man-sized chunk of stone. "Ouch..." a small part of the stone had cracked off and knicked him across the arm. He clutched it with his hand... a jagged edge had cut through his sleeve and drawn blood. "That hurts..." The dragon flew up into the air, letting out a wailing roar as it prepared to divebomb the castle. The hero''s eyes followed it, preparing to dodge. Maybe if he could get in close, he could wail on the thing with his sword... "Hold on, guys!" another of the companions raised her voice. She waved her staff around, calling out a few words in a language known to few. A dome of electricity crackled into existence around the humans, expanding in size until it encompassed the entire castle grounds. "Nice thinking!" the leader of the band called out. While he tried to project confidence, his voice wavered. His friend''s ward spell had stopped a hail of ballista bolts before, but an angry dragon? Could it really hold up for long? The first time the dragon slammed into the barrier, the hit was absorbed. The second time, cracks formed. But there wasn''t a third time... the violet-colored monster flew up, stayed high in the air, but aimed its head down. Initially, the hero thought the beast was going to ram it again, but then he realized what was about to happen. "Everybody, run!" The beast opened its jaws, and a light like the sun was burning within. Smoke billowed out from the creature''s nostrils... instants after the words had left the human''s lips, the light burst forth in a concentrated ray. Thick as a tree, the blast pierced straight through the magical barrier, which shattered apart like glass. It evaporated away as the dragon began to move its neck around, chasing the humans. The burning light sliced apart the castle, ruined the rest of the wall, carved a ravine into the ground, and reduced trees to scorched tinder. It seemed to last an eternity. When the attack was over, the damage was massive. Ears ringing from the noise, the hero stumbled out from where he had ran to, surveying his surroundings. "Oh, oh no..." Everything was ablaze. He could see his friends struggling to get up. Luckily, they were all okay. But they weren''t about to be. Above him, the dragon was readying another beam. He could tell it was about to happen... he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Suddenly, a strange sound tore through the battlefield. The court mage stood in the middle of everything, his arm outstretched to the sky. A violent red aura throbbed around it... he had just sent a bolt of energy at the dragon. Faster than an arrow, faster than most eyes could see, it shot towards the dragon, jagged and thin as a pen. The dragon had no time to move out of the way, the mage''s attack tore a hole in its right wing. With an ear-rending cry, it plummeted to the ground. A deafening rumble shook what was left of the castle, and a crater formed under the dragon''s weight. Injured but not entirely dead, the violet dragon managed a weak roar, shaking in pain. The destruction it had caused proved to be its undoing: when it had shifted its beam towards the wall, it had unintentionally sliced part of it into a spike. That''s the part it fell onto, and it had skewered the monster through the left wing. It had no chance of flying again. Everyone was silent as the mage strode up to the dragon, staring up at it all the way. A smirk bent his thin lips... he had waited long for this moment, and most of that time had been spent planning for this moment. He got close to the monster, as close as he could, so close that he could extend his arm and feel one of the dragon''s claws. That''s just what he did... pressing one of his hands against the dragon''s, he closed his eyes. A pulse of mana was sent from his body into the beast''s. The hero, his companions, and the guards watched in bafflement as the dragon''s wounds stitched themselves up. It was a healing spell... but why? "Wh-what are you doing?" the young hero stammered. The dragon was just as confused as the young man. It''s strength restored, it rose to its feet. For a second, it wondered if it could trust the old human. But then, the old human took something out from its robe, something small and sparkly, and held it up. Words spilled from his mouth. Ancient words. Powerful words. A shimmering purple glow began to surround the violet dragon. It tried to move, but couldn''t... before anyone could tell what was happening, the beast had vanished into thin air. 1 - Ill Consider It "Come on, Evan! Kick his ass!" From behind his protective mask, Evan Thames watched his opponent carefully. This match had been going on for a while... he was weary, but he didn''t let that weigh him down. He registered every movement the other young man made, shifting his weight, adjusting his grip on his rapier accordingly. His breathing was slow and controlled. For a split second, he looked away from his opponent, casting his gaze to the scoreboard. It had been a best of three, and he had won one round already. But, his opponent had too. This would be the deciding bout... first person to get five hits on the opponent won. Currently, he had landed two hits, and was two away from losing. Without thinking, Evan moved a hand to his chest. Beneath the padding he had to wear, hung around his neck, was a pendant... a lucky charm. He ran his fingers over it... Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his arm. It sent a message straight to his brain:pay attention! "Whatta you doing, Evan, whatta you doing?" his friend Sam called out from the onlooking crowd. Evan had already been asking himself the same question. Crap, I''m an idiot! While he was distracted, his opponent had used the opportunity to land a hit on his forearm, right beneath his hand. The referee blowed his whistle - the signal that someone had recieved a point. Alright... make that one away from losing. As the scoreboard was being changed, Evan stepped back, bringing his sword around in front of his chest. His opponent''s guard was top-notch... suddenly, an idea popped in his head. He began to back up... then once again, he looked over at the scoreboard. Evan tried to sell it, make it really look like he had gotten distracted again - and the guy bought it. When he heard him move, Evan struck, lashing forward with all the speed he could muster. The very tip of his rapierstruck his opponent in the arm, right in the same spot Evan had been hit in. Pressing his luck, Evan lunged forward again - poking the guy right in the center of his chest.Bam!Two hits for the price of one. That had evened things out. Hearing the whistle blow twice, Evan grinned, though no one could see. His opponent was backing up now, bringing up that same impenetrable guard. "Nice move." he said. It was clear that he was trying to be sporting, but was more than a little upset about what just had happened. To match his opponent, Evan began to move too, taking short, quick steps to constantly adjust his position. His foe did the same, though he continued to back up as well. The air was electric... the last hit would decide the winner. Alright... how to break his guard a second time? Using the scoreboard trick again was a bad idea. No one would be fooled by that twice. Hmm. Evan began to wonder why his opponent was putting so much space between the two of him. Normally, that''d be a defensive maneuver, but... Evan was getting the feeling he was being baited in. He observed his opponent''s guard... it had been entirely dropped. Sheesh. How stupid does this guy think I am? His suspicions confirmed, Evan again pretended to be a lot dumber than he was. He headed forward, sword lowered, but stayed on his toes enough, as to not looktooobvious. When he got within range, he brought his sword up with a flick of the wrist - just in time to catch his opponent''s sword as he thrusted it forwards. Evan pushed back with a stab of his own, slipping his body to the side. The two rapiers moved along each other, but one hit air, and the other made its mark. The whistle blew for the last time. Evan had hit his opponent for the fifth time, with a parry of excellent form. Applause broke out - clapping the hardest of all was Sam. "Yeah!" he slapped the person next to him on the back... a complete stranger. "Did you see that?" Two more students took the strip - the long, narrow platform where matches took place - as Evan hopped to the floor, pulling his mask off of his face. He passed his rapier away to one of them. It hadn''t been his choice to take swordfighting lessons, no, his father was behind the decision. But he had taken to them like a fish to water. He quickly worked on removing the protective padding he wore on his limbs and torso, dumping it all in a communal hamper when he was done. Right about when he finished, he saw Sam budging his way towards him.The gymnasium was pretty packed - it had been opened to the public as part of a fundraiser. "Evan!" Sam greeted him with a high five that segued into a handshake, then a chest bump - a secret maneuver crafted over years of friendship. Though he hadn''t met Sam at these lessons, it was where they had hung out the most over the years. It was summer now, and that meant both of them were out of the academy. "Keep winning like that, man, and you''re a shoo-in for the varsity team." he said, returning to pushing his way through the crowd. Evan shook his head apprehensively. "Yeah... I don''t really think taking four hits is that great, though. It''s only, like, three hits in the real leagues... right?" "Hell if I know." Sam shrugged. "So, Clare should be getting out of her painting class soon... we''re meeting up at the baths, remember?" that last part was spoken quietly, nearly lost in the chattering of the crowd. But Evan heard it. He smiled, looking around to see if anyone else had heard... no. Good. "How could I forget?" he whispered back. The baths... they had been making those plans for a while.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Reaching the double doors, they pushed their way out into the busy city streets. Crisp air met the two boys. It was just as flooded with people outside as it was indoors, but, that''s just how it was in Dewton - most populated city in the world, capital of the Empire of Valoria. To accompany the large amounts of people, horse-drawn carts, and newly invented automobiles,the streets were wide, paved with stone bricks. Tall buildings, the tallest you''d find anywhere in the world, lined them like walls on either side. And even further above, higher han the rooftops, were great airships, cigar-shaped blimps and dirigibles suspended in the sky. Some of the largest buildings had huge landing pads and mooring masts designed to be used by the airships... they were quite the way to get around. Chatting about the matches, Evan and Sam headed to an alleyway. The latter had parked his prized car there. A well-dressed man, a long time assistant of Sam''s family, was leaning on its side. When he saw the two boys coming, he pulled on a pair of goggles, climbed in the car through the open roof, and began to start up the engine. "Hey!" Sam waved to his assistant, then slapped a hand down on the hood... he couldn''t help showing his machine off at any opportunity that sprung up. "So, you wanna come with me to pick her up, or..." Subconciously, Evan moved his hand to his chest, playing with his good-luck charm. Without the protective padding covering it up, he could see it clearly... it was a small piece of wood, carved in the shape of a face with a scary expression. It hung from a loop of twine. "Nah." Evan said. "I''ve got other plans." As he climbed into his car, Sam gave his friend a knowing look. "Still trying with her?" "Yeah, yeah..." Playfully, Sam rolled his eyes at Evan. "Well, best of luck... I''m sure it''ll turn out better than last time!" With that, the two were on their way. The car made a putting noise as it moved, and bumped up and down on the uneven street. Pulling out of the alley, it disappeared into the traffic. Evan took a deep breath... then set off.
The young man navigated through a sea of colorful tents, which fluttered gently in the soft breeze. Hanging above strung from tree to tree, were lines of banners with bright, vibrant designs. This marketplace, situated just by a river, was one of a kind in Dewton. Evan stopped in front of a red-colored tent. It was wide, and unlike most of the tents around, was not open on the sides... a simple wooden sign hung in front of the entrance, two words carved on it in all uppercase letters:UBANGI FORTUNETELLING. The teen was pacing around... a fierce debate was going on in his head. No... she''ll say no... but maybe... no. Not a chance... but what if she did? She wont... but it''s worth a shot... no... it''s pointless. He spun around on his heel, completely prepared to walk back home and mope. But he didn''t budge... no. He grit his teeth. Confidence... confidence... confidence... I just have to be confident! Girls love confidence! Summoning all his courage, Evan forced himself to be confident. That was the key: all that he needed. Confidence! A second wind taking him, Evan confidently strolled forward, confidently pulled aside the curtains that served as doors to the tent, and stepped inside... confidently, of course. It was gloomy inside the tent. Given the dark color of the fabric it was made from, not a lot of light made it through, and what did was stained dark red. The tall candles that were set here and there were the only sources of illumination, their smoke tinted with strange, herbal scents. This tent was a permanent fixture, so there was some furniture inside - a low, circular table covered with a velvet tablecloth, seats that were little more than cushions, and shelves lined with assorted oddities such as small totems and jewelry. "This is your dominant hand, yes?" There she was, at the far end of the table... the girl who had been stuck in his head all day (and, well, most of the month). Evan called her Ellie... she sat across from a portly blonde woman, whose hand was laid on the table, extended out, palm facing up. "Yes it is." the woman answered. "Ah..." Ellie shut her eyes and began to trace a finger over the creases of the woman''s palm. She moved slowly... her face was clouded with thought. "I see..." The woman leaned in, mystified. "What do you see?" "Hold on..." the girl finished, then opened her eyes. She shifted her finger around, gesturing as she explained. "You have what we call an ''earth'' hand... very rough skin, short, stubby fingers, wide palm... do you, by any chance, do garden work?" "Why, I do!" "Hmm... I figured." Ellie moved on, pointing at the different lines of the palm. "You see this line? Opposite your thumb? It has a break in it here, but is otherwise thick and smooth... let me guess, are you divorced and remarried?" The woman nodded her head. "Well, that explains it... expect no more big problems." "Wonderful!" From the entrance, Evan watched the rest of the palm reading session in silence. It was quite interesting to see the girl work. Evan was always skeptical about the whole fortunetelling thing... he had asked Ellie a few times if it was fake or not, but she always stuck to it being one hundred percent genuine. Made sense, Evan figured. It was like asking a magician how he did his tricks: a good way of getting nowhere. When the session finally ended, the woman paid the fee and headed off... well, after a bit of squabbling about Ellie''s prices. Evan made room for her wide frame, stepping further inside the tent - Ellie finally noticed his presence. "Oh, hello!" She flashed Evan a shining smile. The white of her teeth stood out against her deep brown skin. "Back again?" she asked, giving Evan a curious look. She took the bills the woman had left, counted them, then slid them under the table. "You were just here this morning..." Rising up, she tried to straighten the billowy, knee-length dress she wore. It was a bright, complicated garment, mostly red-orange, but with flourishes of black and yellow. Ellie had once told Evan that it was some sort of traditional style, back where she came from... he thought it looked nice on the girl. "Yeah, yeah..." he stepped up to the table. "I just wanted to thank you... I won my match today." "Hmm?" Ellie raised a finger to her lips, a tic that Evan had noticed was a sign she had forgotten something.The golden brooch she kept pinned above her heart had slanted to the side, so she adjusted it, looking down as she did. "Oh, the charm. It worked well?" "Like a charm!" Evan had put a lot of thought into that one... but Ellie was confused. "Huh?" "It''s, it''s an expression." he said. "Oh... ha." the girl crouched back down, looking under the table for something. "So, what will it be today? Palm reading? Tea leaves? Tarot cards?" Evan waved her off. "None of that. I''m gonna be reading your fortune today." She looked up at him. "Excuse me?" Evan sat down at the table, closed his eyes, then waved one hand in the air, as if there was a crystal ball before him. "The vision is foggy... wait, it''s becoming clear!"he mimicked the whispy, undulating tone Ellie took on when she started a session. The girl watched with amusement."Tomorrow, you will..." He had been hiding the other hand behind his back... he brought it out now. Held between his fingers were two tickets. "Go to the carnival with me!" Ellie smiled as she shook her head. "Evan, how many times have you asked me out now?" The teen lowered the tickets, opening his eyes. "Uh... is that your way of saying no?" "Eight." she said. "And the answer has always been the same-" "Yeah, yeah, your grandpa, whatever." Evan crossed his arms, cutting the girl off. "Come on! The carnival''s late at night, we could go and he wouldn''t even know!" The girl sighed. "You''re awfully persistent, you know that?" she scratched the back of her head. "Okay... I''ll consider it." The widest grin in history slowly began to spread across Evan''s face. "You''ll... you''ll consider it?" Ellie giggled. "Yes, yes... I''ll consider it." Fireworks went off in Evan''s heart. 2 – Slip Up "And that''s when she said, ''I''ll consider it!''" "If you gave me money every day to ''read your future,''" Clare replied with a snort. "I¡¯d consider dating you, too." It was nighttime in Dewton. Though the sun had gone down, the streets were as alive as ever. A while ago, Evan had been picked up by Sam and Clare. His parents didn''t like the two of them much, so he had to sneak out to join them in Sam''s car. The three friends chatted as they headed towards their destination: the public baths, located in the same wealthy district they all lived in. More than a place to get clean, the baths boasted their own library, a place to do laundry, and a few fields and courtyards where people could play sports. But, the three weren''t going there to bathe. Nor were they after any of the other luxuries. No, no, they had... different intentions. "Evan, buddy, I love ya''..." Sam shook his head, smiling. "But ''I''ll consider it'' is just a nice way of saying no." He passed the bottle of liquor he had been drinking from over to Clare. He had swiped it from his dad''s cabinet, and the three friends had been sharing it. Evan hadn''t taken many sips... he was still a little anxious about alcohol. "I don''t know." the teen said. Though it had happened hours ago, his heart was still thumping from asking Ellie out. "I''ve just got a good feeling about it." "What do you see in her, anyways?" asked Clare, arms crossed. She took a glug from the bottle. "She''s kind of a weirdo, isn''t she? Lives in a tent or something?" "She doesn''t live in a-" Evan was quickly cut off by his friend. "Yeah, but she''s got a great butt!" Sam said, briefly taking his hands away from the steering wheel to trace a wide, round outline in the air. "I''m talkin'' a peach the size of a melon here!" "Oh, really, huh?" Clare said, grinning. "Say, you should introduce me to her, Ev!" "Hey!" Evan''s voice was sharp. Sure. Ellie''s butt was nice, but it was far from the only reason that he liked her. It was hard for Evan to pin down, but there was just something... captivating about the girl. About the way she talked, about what she talked about. There was an air of mystery around everything, she always made sure not to give him too much information. It made him want to learn more. Given that it was his car, Sam was obviously in the driver''s seat. Clare and Evan had played rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the other seat - the machine was only designed for two passengers. Evan won, so Clare was wedged between the boys. In her lap was a folder. She elbowed Evan, and since it was already jammed into his side, it wasn''t hard to do. "So, in more important news." she said, pushing the folder towards him as she took another drink. "I finished up some comics in class today." New comics? Evan eagerly snatched up the folder, opening it to find a stack of small booklets within. They were handmade but expertly so, their pages about double the size of a playing card and bound together with string. The teen shuffled through the stack, looking at all the covers and leafing through some of them... they might''ve been comic books, but they definitely weren''t for kids. Nude bodies were everywhere on those pages. Now, Evan knew he might''ve been a little bit too girl-obsessed, even for a teenage boy. But Clare? She took it to another level. "Geez, why do you make so many ones with weird monster chicks in ''em?" Sam asked, glancing over at the comics from across Clare''s lap. "Who reads that shit?" "L-lots of people." said Clare, sticking out her tongue. "I''m not into it, but they''re top sellers."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Out of curiosity, Evan flipped one of them open, then shut it just as fast when he figured his friends might see. Yep, he wasn''t into it either. Definitely wasn''t into it... "So, you gonna help me make a few copies this weekend?" Clare asked. Evan wasn''t much of an artist, but Clare had taught him this pretty cool method of making duplicates of drawings. You had to put the picture you wanted to copy on top of a glass box that had a candle beneath it, which basically made the paper transparent. Then, you could slide another paper over it and easily trace the image. Clare would make the original art, Evan helped with copies, and both came up with stories. Together, the two of them had formed a two person adult comic book company. It brought in a lot of pocket money. "Of course." Evan said. He took a few seconds to think about when that was. Today''s Friday, isn''t? Yeah, sounds right... man, summer always messes me up. Suddenly, the car rattled to a stop. "We''re here!" Sam said, stating the obvious. There was a special lot near the baths for automobiles, just newly built - Sam''s was one of about ten there. After he hopped out of his car, he grabbed a chain that laid on the ground below. It was attached to a large steel rack nearby that was fixed firmly to the ground... with the chain and a padlock he had stored in his glove compartment, Sam could secure his precious machine from any wannabe thieves. While Sam worked on locking up the car, Clare took her comics back and neatly sorted them back into her folder. "So... you ready for this?" when she was done getting her folder back in shape, she found the cork for the liquor bottle and pushed it back in with her thumb. As she did, she looked over at the massive structure that was the public baths... Evan had his eyes trained on it too. It was intimidating. This whole situation was intimidating. After a second of hesitation, he gulped, then nodded. "Y-yeah." he said. Clare smirked when she heard his voice crack. "You know, you can totally pussy out, Ev... I wont think any less of you." she bent down to stash the liquor beneath the car seat. "I don''t think I could go any lower if I tried, to be honest." "Hey... words hurt." Evan crossed his arms. "Why are you even doing this with us? You can just walk in and look at all the naked girls you want." Sitting back up and flicking her hair behind her shoulder, Clare laughed. "Oh, you really don''t get it, do you? Voyeurism makes girls infinitely prettier." Well... no arguing with that logic, I suppose. Suddenly, Sam cut in, slapping his hand down on the hood of the car. He had finished chaining it up. "Alright, let''s go guys..." he noticed the worry on Evan''s face. "Aw, hey, no need to get scared, man! I''ve done this plenty of times." "Well..." what Sam said calmed Evan''s nerves a bit, but uneasiness was still churning in his stomach. Clare was already climbing out of the car... that made him feel like he should too. "Trust me, man." Sam said. "Nothing''s gonna go wrong."
As it turned out, things did go wrong. "Master Evan..." as he brought the young man a towel, the old butler shook his head. "I doubt your father will be very happy about this." Strewn out on the couch and dripping wet, all Evan could manage was a sigh. His whole body felt sore, like instead of skin he just had one big, nasty bruise. "Yeah. Don''t remind me." "I just want to know," the man asked quietly, crouching down to be at eye level with Evan. "What, exactly, were you thinking?" Evan shifted into a more comfortable position, wrapping the towel the butler had brought him over his shoulders. He thought for a few seconds. "I... I really don''t know..." It had all happened so fast. One moment, he, Sam, and Clare were sneaking around the guards. The next, they were climbing into the rafters. Then... a beam broke, and he slipped, and fell, and fell, and fell, until he hit water. Naked girl-filled water. In any other circumstances, a bathing pool filled with nude women would''ve been heaven for Evan. But his entrance had left them all screaming, and his friends had also screamed too, and then the guards came in, and... yeah, it was pretty much hell. Two burly guys had dragged him all the way home, where his mother answered the door... man, was that a fun conversation. Speaking of his mother, he could hear her upstairs, shrieking at his father. Evan couldn''t make out all of it, but he could hear delightful words like "delinquent," "degenerate," and "disgrace," along with some choice swears he never thought he''d hear her say. The woman was mad, sure. But not half as mad as his dad was gonna be. Evan''s dad was something of a big deal in Dewton... scratch that, all of Valoria. Arlon Thames was the most powerful, most decorated general there was. Every soldier in the country knew his name and respected his rank - second only to the Emperor himself. For Evan, there were some advantages and some disadvantages to having a man like that as his father. Advantages? Well, it was pretty much a no-effort ride through academy. Plus, his family was rich! And Evan got to attend lots of high society events, y''know, rub elbows with the wealthy and famous and royal. Disadvantages? There weren''t many in comparison. The only real one was that, as is common with most generals, he was pretty stern. And whenever Evan messed up... He knew he was gonna get hurt. 3 - Consequences Evan squirmed in his seat. A few minutes had passed since his dad called him up to his office - Evan had been given some time to change into non-soaked clothing. The old man sat right across from him, at the other side of the desk, sorting through maps and notes. He had a solid foot over his son in height, and a good bit of muscle on him, too. Since he had been told of Evan''s misadventure as soon as he had arrived home, he still had on the fancy blue robes any official of the Emperor''s court wore. Once upon a time his cropped-short hair had been the same sandy shade as Evan''s, but it had long gone gray. Several thin scars ran across his face - two on his right cheek, another on his temple, and a final one on his forehead, close to his eyebrow. To him they were medals, marks of pride earned from a lifetime fighting in Valoria''s name. The man was the definition of intimidating. It was no wonder that he commanded so much power whenever he entered a room. Silence filled the office, broken every now and then by the rustle of a sheet of paper or the sound of a stamp being brought down on one. For Evan, it was unbearable. "So..." out of his father''s sight, Evan was wringing his hands together anxiously. The man''s sunken gray eyes flicked to the teen, barely visible under the shine of his glasses. "So?" "Aren''t you gonna yell at me?" Something unexpected happened: his dad laughed. Reaching to his face, he pulled off his glasses and placed them down. "What, do you want me to?" Taken aback, Evan jolted up for a second - then slumped back in his seat. "I just... I just want to know what you''re gonna do to me." The old man pushed aside the papers on his desk, folded his arms on it, then leaned forward. His pupils seemed to burn into Evan''s as their eyes locked. "Well, let''s see here... you made an embarrassment of yourself, you tarnished the family name - what you did''s gonna be all over the papers tomorrow, if you didn''t know - oh, and you got water all over your mother''s favorite couch. It''s probably gonna leave a stain." Every word made Evan shrink back a little more. "So, what do you think I should do to you, Evan?" "Uh..." the teen tried to raise his voice over a low squeak, but found it about as difficult as breathing underwater. His heart was pounding, but not in a good way. It was like he had just ran a mile. "Ground me... for... a week?" His dad raised an eyebrow. "T-two weeks?" With a sigh, the old man shook his head. He reached for his glasses and began to wipe them off with the corner of his sleeve. "Evan, you... I don''t even know what to say." he stared at his glasses, at the maps, at anywhere but his son. "You''re not leaving this house for the rest of the summer. And come fall, I''m sending you off to Uncle Lot''s." Now, the first part of his punishment hit Evan hard. But the second was like a sledgehammer.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Uncle, Uncle Lot? The farmer?" he could barely form sentences. "Why him?" "You''ll be working in his fields." his dad explained. "I''ve already written him a letter telling him you will." Evan snapped. "I can''t go! What about, what about school?" "I''ve written the academy a letter too." while Evan had lost his composure, his father remained as sturdy as a mountain. "I figured you''d be happy about getting a few semesters off." A few... a few semesters? His jaw dropped. "Wait, how long am I gonna be there?" he asked. The general shrugged. "Til'' you build some character."
Evan stomped through the hallway. His dad had just dismissed him from his office, and now he was headed to his bedroom. He would be there... well, for the rest of the summer, he supposed. Before Evan left, the old man had mentioned something about hiring a person from the church to give him etiquette lessons. Apparently it was his mother''s idea... only the best from her. Just another thing to look forward to, in addition to being shipped off to pick turnips for his weird uncle in a month or two. He thought he''d be spending his summer with his friends. He thought he''d be having fun. And even if things didn''t work out, he at least thought he''d be going back to the academy to work towards joining the military. But no. No he wasn''t. And it was all his fault. As he trudged up a staircase - his room was on the third floor - one of the Thames house''s many servants caught up to the young man. The staff usually avoided talking with the family, but this case was different. It was Pieter, the same butler who had given Evan a towel earlier that day. Out of all the servants in the Thames''s employ, he was the one Evan was closest with. "Evan, don''t be angry about this..." "Oh, what, just... how?! How am I supposed to not be angry about this?!" Evan didn''t even bother to look at the old man. Reaching the top of the staircase, he sped up as he rounded a corner. He didn''t feel like talking with anyone right now... he just wanted to beat something up. Pieter shifted to a jog to keep up with him. "Your father just wants what''s best for you, you know that." "Just shut up, okay?" reaching his door, Evan tore it open. Pieter stopped behind him. "Y-your grandfather sent you something." Evan stopped too. "Gramps?" he turned around. Pieter had a parcel in his hands, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string. It had a letter attached to it, which Evan could make out some words on: "To Evan Thames." "There was a note included." Pieter handed the package over to Evan. "Read the letter first." Evan pulled out the envelope, but paused to shake the package a bit. He could feel and hear what was inside... it slid around under the paper, making a distinctive metallic jingle as it did. Some sort of chain? Whatever it was, it didn''t weigh that much. He turned his attention to the letter, which he ripped open. The paper inside was wrinkled, sepia-tone like a photograph - parchment, that''s what it was called. It was written in black ink, and clearly by his grandfather''s hand.
Dear Grandson, I''ve missed you! Apologies for not writing more, I just haven''t been able to find the time. This letter will be brief. I''ve found something, and I want you to keep it safe for me. For the time being, keep it somewhere in your room, or in the house, anywhere will do. I will need you to bring it to someone soon, but I don''t know where they''re currently staying. I''ll write you another letter when I find that out. DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE. See you soon! (Hopefully)
This letter... this letter was the first he had heard from his grandfather since he had left on an airship to the Republic. Two years of silence had just been broken. Growing up, Evan''s father had always been too busy with his military work to spend any time with his son. Instead, Evan had Grandpa Ryner, or as he preferred to be called, Gramps. The man was ancient, but always seemed to be in good shape, especially for a veteran of the Orc Wars. Most of his military buddies that Evan had met were missing at least a couple fingers. Even as he had gotten older, even when his dad had made the old man move out, Evan had stayed close with Gramps. His dad liked to think it was he who inspired his son to join the academy, but in reality, it was his grandfather''s stories. Evan could listen to them for hours and not get bored. They were tales of the battlefield, of traveling the world, of adventuring to new and strange places - they gripped him more than any book could. Their connection had only stopped when Gramps boarded that airship. He barely told Evan a thing about why he was headed to the Republic... something about an expedition, whatever. And now, he had sent him this cryptic letter, and a package he couldn''t even open. Evan didn''t know whether to feel mad or not. "What''s it say?" Pieter asked. The teen folded up the parchment into a tiny rectangle, then shoved it in his pocket. "Nothing." he said. 4 - The Mysterious Necklace As soon as he stepped in his room, Evan had changed into pajamas and flopped down on his bed. He laid above the covers... he didn''t have the energy to pull them over himself. Today had been draining. Time ticked by slowly. He didn''t know how long he had been laying there for. An hour, maybe two. Three, even? It was hard for him to remember, and even harder for him to care. He was just so burnt out... everything sucked. Being grounded was gonna be the worst. Moving to Uncle Lot''s was gonna be the worst. And those etiquette lessons were definitely gonna be the worst. But, what was the worst of all? His date with Ellie. It was supposed to be tomorrow. He''d have to miss it. Evan pounded his fist against his forehead. Whatever... Sam was right. "I''ll consider it" just meant no... I''m so fucking dumb. He hit himself again. He shouldn''t have gone to the baths. He shouldn''t have climbed on that stupid beam. The girls there weren''t even that cute. I just want to sleep... The teen rolled over, grabbing his pillow and fluffing it back up. He was trying to make himself more comfortable, but something caught his eye. On his desk were the envelope and package Gramps had sent him. Glancing at them, Evan thought about the contents of the letter. Specifically, the last line. DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE. All capital letters, super-serious. It really pushed aside those bad thoughts, made Evan wonder... just what was beneath that paper and string? With a lot of effort, Evan slid his tired legs over the side of his bed. He propped up his arms on his bent knees, still messing with his pillow. The package was right there, just a few feet away. He stared at it. Should I...? Well, Gramps knew how curious Evan was. He probably expected him to take a peek. No harm in it, right? And besides, his life was ending at the end of the summer when he left to work at Uncle Lot''s, so really, what did he have to lose? Tossing the pillow towards the front of his bed, Evan got to his feet. He stretched, yawning loudly, then collapsed in his desk chair, swiveling it around. Taking one last look at the letter, he cast it aside. Alright... He took the package in his hands, giving it a shake like he had done before. It made that same jingling noise... gingerly, Evan slid a finger beneath a spot where two of the strands of white string crossed over. Pushing them upwards, he used his other hand to undo the knot that was there, then stripped all of the string away. All that was left now was the paper. He found where it folded over, then unwrapped it. Inside was a long, glimmering chain, the individual links so small and close together it looked like a rope of steel... Evan lifted it up to view it closer. Hanging from it was a thin, polished, violet-colored amethyst, cut in a pointed oval shape and set in the middle of a large silver ring. One of the oval''s points was at the top of the ring, opposite where the chain was attached, and the other was at the bottom. Combined with the negative space and the ring''s outline, it almost resembled the pupil of some sort of eye... the moonlight cast on through Evan''s window gave the entire thing a bright shine. A necklace? Well, I don''t see why Gramps would be so secretive about a necklace... sure is pretty, though. Suddenly, that shine grew even brighter.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Yelping, Evan dropped the necklace to the ground. It landed with a clattering noise... the teen gripped his hand tightly, trying to stop the pain. In an instant, the chain had suddenly grew unbearably hot. The spot of metal that Evan had been in contact with glowed from within, like a sword being forged. Evan stared down at it, then opened his hand back up slowly. A thin red mark ran across his fingers... the necklace had burned him.
Breathing heavily, Evan raced through the streets of Dewton. He nearly tripped on his untied shoelaces - he had been in such a rush to get out he forgot to tie them, or do any more than throw a coat on over his pajamas. Sneaking out on the first day he was grounded wasn''t the best, but there was someone he had to talk to: Ellie. The girl was the only person he knew who seemed to know a thing about magic or other weird stuff. He reached the marketplace by the river. Though he had visited it just that afternoon, it felt like a lifetime had gone by. At night, the place looked completely different. Most of the colorful tents had come down, and the few that stayed there were bathed in moonlight. The swimming reflections cast off the river''s churning water gave everything an eerie appearance. "Please be here, please be here, please be here..." he begged under his breath. With no bustle to push his way through, it was a short path to Ellie''s tent. She told him that sometimes she stayed the night there, when she didn''t want to see her grandfather. He prayed that the old man had been rude to her recently. "Ellie, Ellie!" The tent obviously didn''t have a door, so he was left to call out her name to try and rouse her. He rattled the length of chain that served to secure the tent''s flaps at night... the lock was facing in, so that meant she was there. "Wh... who..." after a few seconds, Evan could hear Ellie''s groggy voice coming from inside. "Who''s there?" "Ellie!" he shook the chain again, just to try and wake her up some more. "It''s me, Evan!" "Evan?" he could hear her getting up. A light came on inside the tent, and the chain began to shake from the other side. Before he knew it, he was standing face to face with Ellie, a candle in her hand. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes with her wrist. The girl had on a pinkish nightgown made from thin fabric... one of the straps hung loose over her shoulder. Evan tried to keep his eyes off it and his mind on what he had come here for. "What... what is it?" once she spotted Evan staring, Ellie fixed her strap. There was a twinge of anger in her voice, same as would be in anyone''s if they were woken up late at night. "I need to show you something!" Evan said frantically, digging into the pocket of his coat. From it, he pulled out the necklace. Part of it he had wrapped with some of the brown paper it arrived in, which he figured would block out the heat. Ellie stared at the dangling jewelry with an unamused expression, then her eyes moved to Evan''s. Her glare pierced into him. "If this is some kind of stupid present..." "No, no!" Evan said. "It burned my hand!" She suddenly became more awake. "Excuse me?" "Here, watch." deciding the best way to show what happened was a demonstration, Evan took the necklace with his other hand, dropping the protective paper covering. To his surprise... nothing happened. "Wait, wait." he gripped it tighter, making sure to touch the same area he had before, but still... nothing. "It, uh, it worked just a little bit ago..." Ellie interrupted him, grabbing his wrist and giving it a squeeze. "Did you say it... burned you?" as she asked her question, she looked him right in the eye. Oh man, her hand is so soft... "Evan?" "Oh!" he snapped out of it. "Yeah, it burned me!" opening up his other hand, he turned it around to show her the mark it had left. The red line had faded a bit, but was still clearly visible. Ellie let go of his wrist, taking his burnt hand in hers to bring it closer. "Oh... oh, dear." wide-eyed, she stumbled over her words. "Are, are you sure it was the necklace?" Man, her hand is soft!... "Evan?" "Oh! Um, yeah, it went all... glowy." he said. A grimace twisted the girl''s lips as she drew her hand back. Evan didn''t notice, but it was trembling. "I don''t really know how to describe it..." "I''m taking this." she said, snatching it from him... but she hastily gave it back, shaking her head. Confused, Evan just went with it. "No... keep it. Come back tomorrow... what time was the, uh, the carnival you mentioned?" Evan was taken aback. "Wait, but-" "Answer the question!" she snapped. "Well, the carnival goes all night..." "Wonderful!" Ellie smiled awkwardly. "We''re definitely going! It''s a, it''s a date, are you happy?! We can hold hands, and you can, um... buy me food?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "Ellie, you''re acting kind of-" "See you tomorrow, stop by anytime, bring the necklace!" she rushed out some words as she disappeared back into her tent. Evan stepped to follow, but Ellie closed the flaps, locking them back up from inside. "Goodnight!" Evan stood there for a few seconds, hands in his pockets. Turning around, he began to walk home... he couldn''t see inside the tent, but he could hear Ellie busily packing up. He had a strange feeling in his gut about the necklace. Like it had some kind of... significance, or something. Why else would Ellie act that way? Eventually, he just sighed, idly kicking away a nearby stone. Well, I didn''t learn anything... but at least I got a date. 5 - Headed Out The moon was high that night. Tucked away in the bad part of Dewton, close to the port, was a library. It was almost as old as the city itself, small, packed with so many books one could spend a lifetime trying to count them all. It wasn''t the kind of place that got a lot of attention, a thin layer of dust ran across everything. Leafing through a book, the librarian sat at the front desk. His loyal pet - a colossal, jet-black thing closer to a wolf than a dog - laid at his feet. A bell jingled. Someone had come inside. Without even looking up from his book, the man knew who it was. "Uele." the girl in question threw down the hood of her cloak. Doubled over with her hands on her knees, she gulped in heavy lungfuls of air. "You stayed open late tonight." "It''s not that..." she spoke through ragged breaths. Moving to a table meant for reading, she took a chair and began to drag it over to the desk. "Something happened." He shut his book. "Excuse me?"
So far, Saturday had been torture for Evan. His father made him wake up at six. There was no breakfast on the table for him, and no real reason to be up at that hour - but his father made him wake up at six. Obviously he got home pretty late last night, and the jitters of sneaking back in kept him up a while longer. Evan forgot what time he had finally turned in, but whenever it was... he hadn''t gotten enough sleep. Chores followed that. Evan usually didn''t do chores - the Thames had people for that. But apparently, his father had given them a day off, and their duties had been given to Evan. Washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the entire house - it wasn''t fun. The worst part was that some of the servants had decided to watch the teen while he did their jobs. They weren''t a kind audience. If being denied breakfast wasn''t enough, Evan had been given no lunch either. Well, he had, technically... he was served a single roll of bread. Dinner was no different. His father wanted him to suffer, not to starve. One thing kept Evan going. One thing let him ignore his heavy eyes, and tired body, and empty stomach. He was gonna see Ellie. Laying on his bed, Evan watched the sky outside his window. Soon, it would be as dark as it got during the summer... his parents were attending a ball held by the Emperor that night. Sneaking out last night had been easy, thanks to how late it was when he had left. It looked like it would be a breeze once more. In his hands, he played with the silver necklace. Last night he figured he''d just take a peek at the thing and wrap it back up. Now, he couldn''t imagine putting it away. There was something special about it, he could tell. He didn''t know precisely what made it unique, but... he could definitely tell. The way it had burned him last night, Ellie''s reaction to it... it just wasn''t normal. The first thought his mind had leapt to was that it had to be magic somehow. But, that made no sense. History class was Evan''s naptime and even he knew that, five hundred years ago, magic slowly trickled out of existence. It was all because of mana. Mana was the invisible, airborne energy that mages could harness to cast spells. Just like how plants make oxygen, creatures called monsters produced it through their skin. Heroes started slaying monsters en masse, eventually bringing them to extinction, and a finite amount was left behind as a result. The last mages used it all up, and that was that. No more magic. So, how could an ordinary piece of jewelry turn white hot... when it had been cold a few seconds before? Maybe I just imagined it, or something? Evan cast his glance down to his hand. It had faded a fair bit, but that burn mark still ran across the inside of his fingers. Right. Couldn''t be. Shaking his head, he gave a resigned sigh. Nothing made sense. Evan could hear commotion downstairs. His parents were headed out, it seemed. As she often did, his mom was yelling at his dad, this time for being too slow to get his coat on. Funny, he thought, how the guy commanded the Emperor''s army but his mom still had him totally whipped.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He listened in. The front door opened... his parent''s voices slowly grew more distant... then, the front door shut. They were gone. He''d give it some time, but he''d be leaving soon, too.
Evan crept downstairs, sliding his hand along the banister. He had changed into nicer clothes than he usually wore, and had his wallet in his pocket - he was headed to see Ellie mostly out of the promise of answers, but hey, a date was a date. Quietly, he tiptoed through the countless rooms of the palatial Thames residence. Evan had the path charted out in his head: he would leave the house through an exit to the garden, then hop the fence. Though he was no stranger to sneaking out, this time was different. His father had put the staff on guard to catch him if he tried to leave the house. And unlike last time, it wasn''t late enough that most of them would be asleep. Stealth was of the essence. Finally, Evan reached the last room. It was where his father kept his trophies, both from the battlefield and his hunting trips. The stuffed deer heads mounted on the walls gave Evan the creeps. How his father enjoyed having those things in the house, he didn''t know. One of the room''s walls was all windows, giving a view of the garden. Evan could see the fence from here... and Pieter, coming around the corner. It looked like he had just finished up tending to his mother''s chrysanthemums, and was coming back inside. Shit! Whirling around, Evan scanned the room. A place to hide, a place to hide, he needed a place to hide! Behind the couch, no time to move it over. Under the table, he couldn''t fit. The taxidermy bear in the corner? Far, far too furry... but beggars can''t be choosers. Evan was just able to zip behind it as Pieter opened the door. For a second, Evan thought he was in the clear. Pieter strode towards the door to the hallway, pulling off his gloves. But then, the man paused, spinning on his heel. He was looking right at the bear, Evan could tell. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as the man''s footsteps came closer and closer. What was his dad gonna do when he heard he tried to sneak out? It''d somehow have to be worse than shipping him off to Uncle Lot''s. The bear moved... unfortunately for Evan, it hadn''t come back to life. No, Pieter had pushed it aside, and was now staring right at him. Disapprovement was on his face, clear as day. "Explain yourself." "Uhh..." he bit his tongue. "I was looking for a midnight snack?" "Evan." the old man pinched the brim of his nose in frustration. "That one only works if you''re in the kitchen." The teen hung his head as the old man continued. "I can''t believe you, Evan. You angered your father just yesterday, and yet you''re already disobeying him! When are you going to-" "You don''t get it!" a surge of anger erupted in Evan''s chest. Pieter stepped back, shocked by the sudden outburst. "Dad is, dad''s just... I don''t..." He let a puff of air out of his teeth. "Look. I''ve." he looked to the side, scratching his nose. "I''ve... got a date." "A date?" the old butler asked. "It''s, it''s this girl I met at the market. About a month ago." this was hard for Evan. He could feel his cheeks glowing, the blood rushing to them. "She''s, uh... a fortuneteller. Really, really cute, and I just... I like her a lot. She''s cool. And... important, to me." Silence hung in the air, a pregnant pause. Evan stood there, staring at the ground, wringing his hands. "Well..." Pieter folded the gloves in his hands neatly, fidgeting with them. "I suppose... oh, damn it. Who am I to interfere with young love?" He turned around again, making his way to the door. A smile spread across Evan''s face. "You should be glad I like you..." the butler said, shutting the door behind him.
Once again, Evan walked down to that marketplace by the river. Just like last time, his nerves were frayed. But it was for a different reason. If you asked him, he''d never admit it, but - at seventeen years old - this was going to be his first ever date. Well, the first one his parents hadn''t set up for him. Evan knew that Ellie just wanted something that had to do with the necklace, but still: he was in new territory, and that put butterflies in his stomach. What if she really meant it when she said they could hold hands? Sheesh. I''m such a loser. By the time Evan got to the marketplace, it was when most of the tents were being brought down. A crowd was still present, but shrinking more and more as the stalls closed, making Ellie''s tent easy to see from afar. The girl was already standing outside, and when she noticed Evan, she gave him a gentle wave. Uh oh... If Evan had been on edge before, he could really feel the blood pumping now. Ellie usually wore that same old dress with the neat pattern, but today she had traded it out for a different one. This new garment was a deep golden-orange shade, nearly red, like the color of the sun when it was just about to disappear behind the horizon. It was loose, flowing over her body as smooth as cream. Most importantly, the skirt was shorter! The fabric ended halfway down her thighs, which were covered by cute black tights... Evan was gonna have a hard time keeping his eyes on her face. "Hi, Evan!" the girl greeted him as he reached her tent. He said nothing in response - anxiety had his tongue in a headlock - but managed a smile. When Ellie turned to lock the place up, Evan noticed that she had a purse slung over her shoulder. It was small and leather, but neatly designed... strange. He always considered her feminine, but he never pegged her as the purse-carrying type of girl. "So..." turning back, she folded her hands together. From her expression, it was clear she expected Evan to say something. Snapped out of his thoughts, he stumbled over himself as his brain cells rushed to string together some words. "You''re really hot." Evan''s lips moved without him even thinking, as if his mouth had a mind of its own. Crap! Thankfully, the girl brushed it off, laughing. "Well, thank you." she said, sweeping a curl of black hair behind her ear. "Do you have the tickets?" "Uhh..." Evan dug into his pocket, taking out his wallet. Thankfully, he had remembered to tuck them in there right before he had left. "Yes, right here." "Wonderful." she said. "Ready to go?" Evan nodded, trying to ignore his sweaty palms.