* * * Kody * * *

  Kody walked behind Ezon, back towards the city. The bag of crystals was hanging from his companion's back, rattling lightly with each step.

  "Hey, Kody." Ezon said.

  "Hm?"

  "I think I'll leave after this. I've got some… unfinished business."

  "Oh, right." Kody couldn't help but feel sad for him. Or was it because he wanted to leave? "Which way?" he asked.

  "North." Ezon answered.

  A brief moment of silence passed between them.

  "Hey, Ezon."

  "Hm?"

  "I could, maybe, join you?"

  "Don't you have your friends here?"

  "Yeah, I guess." Kody sighed, "It's just that… Orthus is on and off for long periods, and the other two look a lot like a package deal to me. The ranger's gonna be off once we return with the crystal, and-"

  "You don't want to be left alone." Ezon finished his sentence.

  "I enjoy the solitude." Kody said, trying to convince himself more than Ezon. "I work best alone. I'm quick and stealthy when I need to be."

  "Kody." Ezon stopped. "I'm going to keep going after that god, and won't stop until it's dead. There's nothing stealthy or quick about that. I wouldn't want you to…" he trailed off, catching himself. He furrowed his brow and looked at the ground ahead.

  Kody tried to interject, and continue talking, but Ezon just marched ahead, all the way until they reached the city again.

  * * *

  The handler greeted them, and they handed over the bag of crystals. A dozen artisans, like hungry dogs, surrounded it, and once it was open, they nudged and kicked at eachother to get a better chance at the hoard. Within a minute, the entire pile was gone, and cheering echoed through the city as the various craftspeople all showed their new possessions to their apprentices and families. Kody saw one hand a water crystal over to a mason, who in turn, gave the man a rolled up piece of parchment - the plans of his new house probably.

  He panned the place around him. These people were awfully nice to them considering what they'd done to their city. Now, as they came back with the crystals, there was an almost festive atmosphere.

  As he finished his look-around, he spotted Ezon, who was now talking to the handler. He handed him a vial of red, noxious-looking liquid, which Ezon uncapped and drank immediately. His left arm shined with new-come power, and he looked more alive than ever. The antidote really did work, after all.

  Ezon looked over to him with a grin, then quickly turned back away, his face flushing red. He walked away, apparently to idle at a merchant's stand, and the handler headed over to Kody.

  "Thank you for your help, assassin."

  "It was the least we could do." Kody replied

  "Still," the handler said, "You've proven to be a man of your word. Here." he handed him a second red vial.

  Kody studied the vial. It was about half-full with the liquid, its fumes filling the rest. He didn't drink it. Not yet. He pocketed it.

  "Is… something wrong?" the handler asked.

  "I'd like to wait for my friends before taking it."

  The handler nodded. "Alright." he turned around and headed off.

  Kody walked around town for a bit, admiring the place. They've only been gone a few hours, but the rubble of their arrival was already cleared away, and where necessary, new plots had been marked out for the families left homeless.

  He saw families with their belongings on the street, looking sad for their demolished homes, but already planning their new ones, coordinating efforts, moving large objects. He felt guilty and avoided any direct encounters with them, but some of them still nodded towards him appreciatively.

  He ended up buying some small supplies from the nearby vendors - rope, climbing hooks, a harness, an overall surprisingly high-quality mountain gear, given that these people didn't seem like avid climbers.

  As he finished his purchase, he glanced over to the city entrance. It was the same direction Orthus left with the others. He contemplated going after him, now that Ezon was probably also gone.

  As he was weighing his options, he spotted a short, thin, hooded figure marching into town.

  "Zeenie!" he yelled, and ran over to the young dragon.

  * * * Zeenie * * *

  "Zeenie!" she heard her name, and saw Kody running towards her. She lowered her hood, and looked around for Ezon. Did they get into another fight?

  "Zeenie, where's the others?" Kody asked "Did you find the-"

  "The gryphon is dead." she stated coldly.

  Kody's expression turned worrisome.

  "Orthus?"

  "I killed it." Zeenie said. "They're still there, probably cutting its head off or something."

  He studied her for a moment.

  "Do I want ask about it?" he pointed the question at her.

  "Not from me." she replied, "Please."

  "Alright, if they're both okay, it can wait."

  "Thanks." she said, "Where's Ezon?"

  Kody looked down at his feet. Zeenie couldn't tell if he looked guilty or sad.

  "He decided to leave." he said, frowning. Now she could tell, he was definitely sad.

  "Like hell he did!" she cursed. "Where did he go?"

  "He said he was going north, but-" he couldn't finish as she marched past him, off towards the northern gate.

  "Zeenie, wait!" he yelled. She turned back for a moment, and saw Kody running after her.

  "What." she asked, and he handed a red vial to her

  "The antidote." Kody said

  "Don't tell William!" she said, took the vial, and marched on.

  She waited until she was out of view, stopped, and took out the vial to examine it. The red liquid fumed profusely, but she could feel the concentrated power in it. She opened the vial and drank it, immediately feeling the power spreading through her body. She felt a new, stronger connection to her magic than she remembered having before. To test it, she held the vial by either end, and concentrated on freezing it. The glass resisted her, but the air around it started condensing as a fine snow on its surface.

  With her experiment concluded, she put the vial away, and walked on.

  Next up, she had to locate Ezon. Her vern senses proved inadequate, so she transformed. It felt like the first time in ages, her skin, bones, and internal organs rearranging themselves through magic. When she was again the wyvern she was used to being, she took off flying, uprooting a tree with the wind alone.

  She scanned the area from above, less visually, paying more attention to her magical, inner compass. Having spent a few hours with Ezon beforehand, she knew what to feel for. Soon enough, she found it.

  * * * Ezon * * *

  Ezon drank the antidote. Its power spread through him like a hot breath, and he felt his left arm trying to absorb the excess energy. He wondered for a moment if it would also cure the magic fungus he had been living with, but it seemed not to.

  He looked over at Kody, feeling the power within himself, but that strange feeling of embarrassment came back, and he instead turned around and walked to a merchant's stand.

  As he stood there, idling, he felt the familiar tug in his gut, the feeling that Nefest was close. He'd hunted the god for years now, or was it decades? His heart sank with the realization he'd have to leave Kody to pursue his goal, alone. Looking back towards the handler, he couldn't see Kody anymore. Accepting his fate as sealed, he left the merchant and the city, and headed north. Towards Empire grounds.

  He thought about the last time he had to go into an Empire city. Ringvale. Mountains on either side, narrow, heavily guarded entrances, and horrible treatment if one happened to be a magic user. He'd killed about two dozen soldiers that day.

  He also remembered the time when he raided a small hoard of magic crystals in a patrol outpost. It was probably the loot they took from a mage in the area - soldiers are not the type to go swamp-diving for crystals.

  Kody's face flashed before his eyes. He tried to forget it, and continue his reminiscing.

  There was a girl at the outpost, he remembered. She was maybe fifteen or sixteen, only a few years ago. She wanted those crystals too, and she wasn't going to give them up. She had fought ferociously, and had almost bested him. He hadn't seen the kind of magic she used before, and he couldn't absorb it like he could anything else. It was wild, chaotic, alive even.

  Another time, perhaps more strategically relevant to his current plan, he fought a weaker shard of Nefest in human form. The shard was masquerading as a young man, and had shown a strange interest in him. By the time he had realized what he was, he'd already confided some weaknesses in him. The fight hurt him, less physically, but he hadn't been really able to trust anyone since then. No one but...

  His magical compass had become stronger after he defeated that shard. Before that, he could only tell if a strong shard was close. Now he could pinpoint the direction of the closest one. This one was stronger, but probably still beatable. He'd only need a bit more power.

  That reminded him. Kody had given him the lightning crystal they found at the swamp. He studied it, turning it back and forth in his hand. He could feel the power in it, like a static charge, waiting to arc out and ground itself.

  As he held the crystal in his hand, he suddenly heard a strange, swirling sound. Before he could react, a dark mass materialized next to him, and threw him across the path, right through a thorny bush. He rolled uncontrollably through the thorns and twigs, landing prone in the dirt. What was that?

  He rolled to the side to get up quickly, just in time to avoid being bisected by a translucent, glowing, purple greataxe. The weapon hummed with raw power as it dug itself into the ground next to him. It then shimmered and faded from existence almost as soon as it landed. A tall woman with red hair, and a murderous look on her face held onto a now bladeless handle; a sturdy, wooden staff.

  "Found you." She said.

  She swung the staff at him. Midway through the motion, he saw a hatchet head appear on it, the same translucent, glowing type he'd just dodged. He spun in place, grabbing the staff, but before he could twist it out of her hands, a dozen or so glowing spikes emerged from it, stabbing through his palm.

  He released the staff and yelped in pain, only to have to immediately dodge again, this time the tip of a spear.

  She didn't let up. Jab after swing after stab after slash, she was fully on the offensive. He barely had time to dodge or block, and was constantly moving backwards. 'She must tire out eventually!', he thought, but she didn't. She kept attacking until he was backed up against a tree. She had stabbed him multiple times, and successfully pinned his left arm against the tree, but now she couldn't let the blade she did it with fizzle out.

  He figured she couldn't let go of whatever she conjured up, and he used this to his advantage. Once the flurry of attacks stopped, he grabbed the staff with his right hand. The spikes appeared and his blood sprayed against his face, but he didn't let go. He held on tight and pulled her close.

  "I'll kill you." she hissed, with genuine rage in her eyes.

  "You wish." he retorted, and kicked her in the stomach. She fell back, her weapon fizzled out, and her staff rolled away. Ezon was about to grab her when he heard a familiar voice.

  "Ezon, stop!" Zeenie called out to him from above.

  Both Ezon and his attacker looked at the young dragon as she landed and transformed. She looked furious, but determined, and most importantly, confused.

  "Who's she?" she asked, keeping a watchful eye on his attacker.

  "I have a hunch, but she's been trying to kill me." he answered. He'd felt that chaotic energy before.

  "I'll still kill you. You deserve it." She spat at him, but Zeenie froze it mid-air, and it fell harmlessly as a single droplet of hail. She grabbed at the air, as the moisture in it condensed into a rudimentary spear in her hand.

  "Ezon?" Zeenie asked, as if for permission. Her presence radiated a kind of power he hadn't felt before. Well, he had, but only when Orthus had been as close as a few feet.

  He looked at the woman. She was capable, but didn't plan ahead. At this point, even if she really wanted to, she couldn't harm him in a meaningful way.

  He shook his head at Zeenie, then helped the stranger to her feet.

  "I am sorry I took those crystals from you." he said. "You fought well, and I don't want to have to kill you."

  The stranger looked back and forth between him and Zeenie. Realizing she was outnumbered and exhausted, her stance changed.

  "You better pay me back for them if you don't want a shiv in your shin." she pointed at him.

  He had been a jerk to her the last time they met, and it was strange to admit to himself, but now that someone else also knew about it, he did feel guilty about it. Zeenie looked at him with a stern, tired look, as someone who had first-hand experience with him acting like that, and who was now, telling him without any telepathy involved, to make it up to both of them, or else...

  "Here." he retrieved a small satchel of money, the quell chips clinking against eachother with the sudden movement. He handed it to her, and she snatched it out of his hand with the speed of someone who had never even probably seen that much money at once.

  He glanced at Zeenie, who now looked satisfied. He wondered what else she'd make him do now that they both felt, she could snap him in half. Was Orthus always capable of that?

  "Now that that's settled," Zeenie turned back to the woman, "Who are you, and why exactly did you try to kill Ezon?"

  "I'm Violet." she said. "Violet Wolf." She offered a shaky hand to her, and Zeenie shook it. Just how much energy did that attack take? "I wanted to kill him because he took a lot of crystals from me, around seven years back."

  "Wait, no way." Zeenie said, ignoring the reasoning entirely.

  Violet made a questioning sound. Ezon also raised his eyebrows at the dragon.

  "Do you by any chance have a younger brother called William?" Zeenie asked.

  Violet's face went pale. Her eyes widened.

  "He… he died in a fire, seventeen years ago." she stuttered.

  "Well, what a coincidence, he's alive. I happen to know him as well." Zeenie said.

  "H... How?" Violet asked.

  "I'm Zeenie, he's my brother."

  Violet looked at her in disbelief. Her face shifted through the five phases of grief in a matter of seconds, to be replaced by a puzzled, suspicious look. After a brief pause, she scanned both their faces for any sign of lying.

  "This better not be a trick, for both your sakes." Violet said. “Take me to him!”

  “He's still about an hour away.” Zeenie said.

  "Wait, how did you get back then?" Ezon interjected.

  "We found the beast." Zeenie explained, her spear-icle melting away onto the ground. "It was a sick gryphon. It was dying. The boys got too annoying so I left them behind. I found it and… had to end its suffering. They caught up, but I was still upset so I came back to the city."

  She didn't mention it, but Ezon knew it was Kody who told her about him. Why else would she have come looking? He must've missed him too.

  "So, yeah, that's it." Zeenie finished. She looked over to him and nodded, as if to close her story off for good.

  Ezon chuckled at the absurdity of his situation. On one side, a barely waist-high lizard, looking at him disapprovingly, on the other, a tall redhead sizing him up for cuts of meat, and the main thing on his mind was a man he'd only been near for a total of about eight hours.

  "What." Violet asked, mentally discarding her plans of carefully dismantling him. A strange flicker of darkness formed around her for a split second.

  "Sorry," Ezon said, "I had something else on my mind."

  "Hmm." Violet nodded, "So, how'd you two meet? Is my brother getting into trouble?"

  "He is, but only with me." Zeenie answered. "This one, on the other hand," she pointed at Ezon, her claws briefly coating themselves with razor-sharp ice, "kidnapped me after we lost a hub key thanks to William’s ineptitude, then Orthus - another dragon - broke it and got us into this mess.”

  "Do you exclusively make acquaintances by getting into fights?" Violet asked Ezon

  "Apparently." Ezon was still reeling internally about the whole situation, risking another chuckle.

  "Noted." she still looked suspicious of him, but seemed more interested in meeting William. "Now, please take me to my brother."

  Zeenie turned back towards the city, and motioned for Violet to follow. Ezon stood in place still. He was on the precipice, trying to decide his fate.

  "Ezon, are you coming?" Zeenie asked, but he doubted he had any choice in the matter.

  "I… have to go on." he blurted out. "I have to find Nefest."

  "Well, trick question, you're not going anywhere." Zeenie grabbed him by the arm, and started dragging him back to town. She was as strong now as he'd anticipated, his best first effort to yank his arm away failing him entirely. She was not having this conversation with him right now, and so he relented, filing in next to Violet. The rogue stayed silent, and just made distrustful faces at him the whole way back to town.

  * * * Violet * * *

  Violet walked in silence with Ezon, eyeing him suspiciously. Last time she'd seen him, he was cold, cruel, unbending. Now he seemed a lot more agreeable, cooperative, and maybe even kind. What happened to him?

  She didn't know what to think of Zeenie. This small creature leading them to town, was somehow friends with- or at the very least, tolerated Ezon, who had not that long before, kidnapped her. A strange story for sure, and she was about to find out how much truth it held.

  Her daemon flickered into sight in her peripheral vision, not enough for others to see, but enough to let her know she wasn't alone.

  "So, about Will…" she said, unsure how to follow it up.

  "He'll be in the city soon." Zeenie replied coldly. She didn't seem ready to elaborate, so Violet stopped pushing. She caught a passing glance from Ezon, as if to say 'I don't know either'.

  As he glanced at her, Ezon's expression changed. He looked behind her, and furrowed his brows.

  "Is that a daemon by your side?" He asked politely.

  Violet turned back to the daemon. It was still supposed to be invisible to others. Only she was supposed to see it.

  Her lack of an answer, coupled with her reaction seemed to be enough for him. He nodded and turned back his gaze to the road.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "What's a daemon?" Zeenie asked

  "I'm not entirely sure." Violet answered, "It's not an elemental, and it just, sort of, showed up one day."

  "They're dark spirits feeding off of your emotions." Ezon stated matter-of-factly. Violet could feel her daemon getting offended at the description. It flickered and disappeared, even from her view.

  After a brief pause Ezon continued: "They're a lot like demons, but unlike them, they aren't inherently evil. Instead, they mirror their host." At this, the daemon reappeared next to her, much calmer.

  "This one's been my… only companion for years." Violet confessed.

  "Yes, they tend to be like that." Ezon agreed. "You've been taking good care of it. It looks healthy and well-fed, and, based on that opening move, ready to protect you."

  "Thanks, I guess?" Violet frowned at him. She didn't know if she liked this new Ezon more than the one she almost beat seven years ago.

  She stayed silent for the remainder of the trip. After a while, the air seemed to change, and she started feeling weaker. Her vision blurred, and she could've sworn she had developed a fever. She didn't feel safe enough yet to reveal all this, so she just tried to power through it. At some point, her daemon started fading from her view. Was she losing her magic? Was Ezon doing this?

  By the time they reached town, she was barely conscious. She felt really sleepy and like she could collapse at any moment. Neither Ezon, nor Zeenie had looked at her for about half an hour by then.

  Even in her diminished state, the city looked beautiful. Some new construction was happening, but largely, the place looked built. Stable. Free from Empire control. Almost like her old home used to be…

  "Violet!" she woke to Zeenie shaking her. She somehow had ended up on the ground, and the young dragon was kneeling at her side. She said something, which Violet couldn't understand, then another figure appeared in her narrowed field of vision. Her mouth was held open by a small, scaly hand, and a strange, noxious liquid was poured down her throat.

  She felt a strange warmth spread through her body; the same kind of warmth she'd felt before, when using a magic crystal to boost her power. Whatever was in the potion, had given her a lot of energy, and in a few seconds, she was feeling much better.

  She sat up, and looked around. She was in the main square, right next to a large dragon statue, which seemed to be looming over her. Zeenie was next to her, looking worried. Ezon stood a bit further away, chatting with a young assassin. He looked strangely happy, and was averting his gaze occasionally, as if embarrassed by the other man.

  “I forgot to tell you about the fungus.” Zeenie told her.

  “What fungus?”

  A tall, thin man approached them. He was looking very formal, but seemed happy to see her. She stood up and looked him in the eye. He nodded welcomingly.

  “The city is protected by a fungal bloom against magic users who would attack us.” he said. “We welcome all mages here, and provide an antidote, if they aren’t working with the Empire.”

  “This is ‘The Four Kingdoms’ then.” Violet said.

  “That is what we are called by the Empire.” the man said. “We call this place Menydia.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “We don’t advertise ourselves.” he said. “Menydia is a safe haven for magic users, and the Empire cannot abide by that.”

  “You used to be an Empire colony, didn’t you?” Zeenie asked.

  “Yes, until a few hundred years ago.” the man said, “Then a great dragon arrived, and burned their outposts, crushed their troops, and chased them out of our cities.” He gestured towards the statue. “She then left. It was only later that the fungus took hold, and their mages couldn’t attack us, or heal their soldiers, and soon we developed the antidote to make ourselves safe.”

  “So, you gave me the antidote?” Violet asked

  “Yes.” the man answered, then gestured to Zeenie, Ezon, and the assassin he was talking to “They... crashed into the city, so they only got it after they repaid their debt, but you were not involved. As I said, we welcome all mages here.”

  A small disturbance caught their attention. Entering the main square were a large, dark-skinned man and a ranger, dragging a dead gryphon behind them. The ranger's bow had leaves and buds growing on it. He had shoulder-length blond hair, and eyes right between blue and green in color. His patron's cape billowed behind him in the light breeze.

  "Will?" Violet asked in disbelief. A knot had started forming in her stomach.

  "That's him." Zeenie nodded, "I hope he won't annoy you as much as he does me." she added.

  Violet could've sworn Zeenie said something more, but she wasn't listening anymore. She got up, and walked towards the ranger. William, her brother, whom she had thought lost for the last seventeen years. Anticipation swirled inside her. She was anxious, curious, sad, relieved, and surprised, all in one.

  A crowd had gathered around the gryphon's corpse, and the two men were chatting idly with some of the townsfolk. The handler, tall and thin as he was, was also making a beeline for them. The crowd parted around him, and so he reached them first, and handed them each a red vial of liquid, gesturing for them to drink it, which they both did. William's eyes flashed bright blue for a moment, then he shivered with the feeling of returning power. The other man, Orthus, apparently, also shivered, and his face went through a series of contortions- no, of transformation. He must've been a true shapeshifter, a dragon likely, older than Zeenie by a lot.

  Violet stopped among the crowd, and just stared. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her brother was alive. After all these years, he was alive and well.

  A sudden tinge of guilt ripped through her. Did she abandon him seventeen years ago? Had she stayed and not gone out with the girls that night, would they have been safe together, or captured and killed? Would he not have ended up like that?

  A gentle push from her daemon made her focus again. Zeenie was now with the men, and pointed towards her. William looked at her, furrowed his brows, then an expression of revelation appeared on his face. A mirror of all the emotions she felt, save one, was now on display by him too. He excused himself and stammered through the crowd towards her.

  "Violet!" he called out to her. She couldn't figure out if it was a question or just relief, but soon it didn't matter. He hugged her close and strong, and she returned the gesture. She was still in disbelief, but the physical contact made it all very hard to deny.

  She felt her emotions welling up, her daemon acting as a release valve, consuming the excess intensity. It grew visibly larger, then returned to its regular size, as if exhaling.

  * * * William * * *

  “So, what now?” William asked Orthus. “Should we take its head off?”

  “No.” the dragon answered. “The corpse could attract something bigger. Let’s drag it back to town and cremate it there.”

  The two worked silently. They hauled a rope around the gryphon and started dragging it back to the city.

  “Has… Zeenie been talking to you a lot lately?” William asked carefully, not entirely sure what he was getting at. Maybe the tense situation could be eased by some small talk.

  “Yes.” Orthus answered plainly. It was hard to tell whether he was avoiding a longer answer on purpose, or if he was just like that.

  “I was wondering…” William continued, “Maybe she would feel better if we parted ways for a bit.”

  “How so?” the dragon inquired. His voice had a sense of warning in it.

  “We really have been living my life and not hers.” William said. “My career, my goals, my calls, my plans.”

  Orthus did not react.

  “This next step in my career - meeting the elves - is a really big one. I wouldn’t want her to feel forced into it. Maybe it will be better if I go alone.”

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to make that decision.” Orthus said, again, with that sense of warning in his voice. “Dragons live long, and a brief moment in our lives can mean years or decades passing.”

  William didn’t know how to react.

  “It is definitely a good idea to give her the freedom of choice, but don’t assume for her. Don’t make the decision for her, even if it looks like what she would like at the time.”

  “So,what should I do?”

  “Offer her the choice, and accept whatever she chooses.”

  “If she decides to leave…” William sighed. “Will you take care of her?”

  “I was planning to go with her anyway, actually.” Orthus said, “So yes, I can promise that.” He paused for a bit. “Been a while since I had to take care of another dragon. Hopefully it goes better than last time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Orthus’ shoulders sank. He took a deep breath, and sighed. “I... abandoned my last child.”

  “You’re a father?” William was surprised. He wouldn’t have taken Orthus for a dad.

  “Yes, I suppose.” Orthus nodded. “As I said, I hope to be a better mentor for Zeenie than I was a… parent for my child.”

  William didn’t want to push. Something terrible must’ve happened. Maybe even in this very city. Zeenie did mention the area bringing back ‘bad memories’ for him after all. They spent the rest of the way back in silence.

  Upon arriving in the city, a small crowd formed around them. People looked eagerly at the dead gryphon, as if to make sure it was really dead, and not about to get back up to maul more of them. Some spat at the beast for having taken friends and family members, while others beamed at the two of them. William was starting to feel a bit anxious in the crowd, when suddenly, Zeenie appeared, and poked him in the side.

  “Hey!” he said, surprised by the still very tiny, but significantly stronger feeling vern appearing next to him.

  “Hey!” Zeenie reciprocated. “I’ve found you someone.” she said, the pointed at a tall woman with red hair in the crowd, looking as out of place as he felt. The woman was looking directly at him, with a mortified expression of surprise, as if her entire life was flashing before her eyes.

  “Vi… I- I’m sorry.” he said as he almost stumbled over someone.

  He felt like he was gliding, weightlessly drifting through the crowd, not really processing anything around him, only the face of his long lost, assumed dead sister.

  “Violet!” he cried out as he hugged her close. What was he feeling? Shock? Surprise? Anger? Sadness? He couldn't place it, he only knew it was intense.

  After what felt like several hours, but really was likely not longer than a few seconds, he let go of her, and stared, dumbfounded into her eyes.

  "You… I… How?" He asked.

  "You first." Violet retorted, "You were the one at home when the raid hit."

  "I… I hid in the basement." he stuttered, "Under that loose floorboard we used to use for hide-and-seek."

  "I'm sorry I wasn't there." Violet said, "I was out with the girls… we almost were caught, then… anyway-"

  "No." he assured her, gently placing a hand on her arm, "If you had been at home, you would've gotten caught. That hole was almost too small for even me… that's where I found Zeenie." he pointed at the young dragon behind him.

  "Yeah, she's mentioned… she called you her brother."

  "Yeah," he said, "She's been my sister since then."

  "Heh, I hoped you wouldn't replace me so soon." she joked, a cheeky half-grin on her face.

  As if on cue, Zeenie appeared next to him.

  "So, you really are siblings?" she asked.

  "Yeah," William smiled, "We are."

  "Then I guess so are we." she held a hand out towards Violet, who carefully shook it, for the second time that day.

  "So, how does this all work?" Violet asked.

  "Something something, mutual dragon imprinting." Zeenie answered, then turned to William, "Been talking to Orthus."

  "I'm assuming Orthus is the big fella'." Violet said.

  "Yes, that's him." Zeenie confirmed.

  With a new-found confidence, Violet marched over to introduce herself. William watched as she enthusiastically shook the dragon's hand, then asked some very pointed-looking questions, actually pointing at each member of the group. When she reached Kody, Orthus nodded and she nodded back in understanding.

  "Was she always this… energetic?" Zeenie asked.

  "Yes." William answered, "She was always out with 'the girls'. I barely saw her, save for some family dinners and the occasional game of hide-and-seek.

  "How much older is she?"

  "3 years." he said, almost automatically, "Sorry for not sharing any of this earlier."

  "It's okay." Zeenie said, "I tried not to push it, especially after you had nightmares for a week after I cornered you with a bunch of questions that one time."

  "Thanks." he said. He then remembered what Orthus had told him. "Zeenie?"

  "Hmm?"

  "I need to go visit the elves." he said, "It's really important for me, but..."

  Zeenie made a questioning sound.

  "...but if you'd rather go with Orthus, I won't be holding you back."

  "I appreciate that, thanks." she said sincerely, "I've talked with Orthus about this actually. I think we're going with you."

  William sighed in relief.

  "Thanks for joining me, then." he smiled.

  "Don't think I'm not still mad at you though." Zeenie's expression darkened, "Orthus and I are going because he happens to know some of the Aquilans. You get to do whatever you want to do there, but I'm going with Orthus." she pointed at the older dragon who was now walking up to them.

  William nodded. As much as they both knew that wasn't the whole truth, he recognized how important it was for her now. He looked at the young dragon, whose expression was for the most part, blank. She'd blocked their psychic connection momentarily, something she'd never done before. The only thing he could sense was the vague mix of determination and... anxiety? He wondered, was she still mad about the gryphon? He couldn't sense the answer.

  Orthus arrived just in time to hear her last sentence, and was now awkwardly staring at the ground between them.

  William excused himself, and walked to Violet, who was by then talking to Kody, eyeing him suspiciously. The assassin was showing a mix of interest and uncomfortable distance about her. William could've sworn she was flirting with him. Maybe she was just like that with everyone. Still, it made Kody immensely uncomfortable.

  "Hey there," William stepped in as the third wheel to the conversation, "What did I miss?"

  "I'm interrogating your friend about Ezon." Violet answered. William looked at Kody, who nodded in agreement. Violet looked back and forth between them.

  "Oh. Sorry, I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable." she told Kody, who was visibly relieved at the statement. "I just… I don't trust Ezon."

  Desperate not to reenter the previous situation, William tried to engage the two in idle chatter. His mind was still wandering, still processing Zeenie's decision.

  * * * Zeenie * * *

  "That went surprisingly smooth." Orthus commented.

  "Did you talk him into it?" Zeenie asked

  "I might have advised him, but he made the decision." he answered. "Was it too abrupt a change?"

  "He… used to be nice. When I was little, barely a hatchling, he'd cuddle me and keep me warm. A baby ice dragon gets really cold sometimes." she couldn't help but smile at the memory.

  "What changed?"

  "He… grew up. Set me to the side. He made himself a life of his own. He used to bring me up to brag to other kids. Other rangers. I became his little helper. An accessory. Stole things for him, carried his quiver, even made some ice arrows for him. He stopped paying attention to me."

  "Family can be a hard thing to manage." Orthus said, trying to sound smart. Zeenie's anger returned.

  "You're one to talk about family." she said, perhaps a bit more insultingly than she'd planned. She'd been talking to him for days now, and his relationship with Kody was still not clear. It was almost as if the dragon himself didn't know the exact nature of it. Were all humans just that complicated?

  Orthus' shoulders slumped.

  "Fine. Let's do this." he said, turned around, and gestured for her to follow.

  They walked in silence to the dragon statue. It towered over them. As a dragon it would've been normal, but in their humanoid forms, it seemed larger than life, ancient. It was of a female dragon, with the slender body and smooth features conveying in style what would've been easier told by sense if it were alive. Orthus looked up at it with a mixture of feelings on his face.

  "Wait." she said, "When you said you abandoned your first child… was she their mother?" she pointed at the statue.

  Orthus flinched uncomfortably at the last word. After a brief pause, he turned to her and nodded. Tears were running down his cheek.

  "That means the child is…" she looked at the egg. It looked as if it was made from the same mixture of basalt and obsidian as the statue, but perhaps, the statue was made like that to disguise it. Looking at it more intently, feelings its presence, it was definitely alive. Dormant, but alive, and now she could even sense it. She immediately felt a connection to it, having been an abandoned egg for who knows how long herself.

  She wasn't sure why, or even how or when, but she suddenly found herself holding the egg in her hands. It pulsed with power, but remained dormant. It was not ready to hatch. Something else would need to trigger it, like her own hatching was triggered by a massive burst of emotion and heat, seventeen years ago.

  Without even noticing what she was doing, she turned to Orthus with the egg. He looked at it with faint disgust, masked poorly by his more visible look of guilt. He held out a hand towards it, shakily, and finally touched it.

  She felt a surge of power, and inadvertently caught a glimpse at the psychic flow between Orthus and the egg. It was a memory, the one of the egg's mother driving away Empire troops from the city, blowing flames at them until they left for good. Genetic memory from the egg. Must've been. It couldn't have been coming from him.

  When the flashback faded, Zeenie felt an overwhelming feeling of revelation pass over her. At first she couldn't comprehend it, the contradictory information overwhelming her momentarily. Eventually though, she'd processed it all.

  "Orthus…" she stammered, "Did I see that right, just now? Are you-"

  "The mother." he cut her off, "Yes. I am. I… I used to be."

  "What happened?" she couldn't understand.

  "I…" Orthus stammered, "For the longest while it didn't occur to me. I was just… me." he paused, "I met other dragons, made some friends, and eventually…" He couldn't force the words out. "And then, one day, I knew I was going to have an egg. I couldn't bear the thought. It wasn't me. It didn't feel right. It wasn't who I am. It all felt just wrong. I…"

  "You couldn't bear to deal with it, so you drove off the Empire and hid it here." Zeenie said.

  "No. Yes. I... don't know." he said, "I never had a problem with the idea of a child, not even with raising them. But having to be their mother… that's not who I am."

  "How did you…" she gestured at him in his current form.

  "Believe it or not, that was the easy part." he explained, "I'm a shapeshifter. I can be anything I want to with just the intent to do so." he explained. "Before… this, it never really occurred to me what forms I took, but after… it, I knew that would no longer work. I had to change. The way I looked, the way I acted, the way I lived. My name, my body, my forms. It... suddenly needed to match how I felt, and I couldn't fit that egg into it all."

  "We can leave it here if you want to." Zeenie said, "It isn't ready to hatch yet, but it'll find the right time to do it. They would grow up among humans. Learn to like them as you do."

  "No." he said, "I can't leave it here a second time. I'm not abandoning her again.

  * * * Kody * * *

  Kody didn't know where to put Violet. She was lively, blatantly direct, and a bit too overbearing for him. As she had stated, she wasn't trying to make him uncomfortable, but she managed it nonetheless.

  William was now also there, trying not to upset Zeenie. Kody saw the two dragons talk for a bit, then walk off towards the statue.

  "So," he said awkwardly, "You two are siblings."

  "Yeah." William answered, equally awkwardly.

  "Three years senior." Violet added, pointing at herself proudly. A moment of awkward silence passed between them.

  “So, what happened? How did you get separated?” Kody asked. William hadn’t told him much so far.

  “I was out with the girls in the forest.” Violet said, “Playing with magic, showing off to eachother.”

  “I was back home.” William said, “I was practicing my shooting when mother grabbed me and hid me in the basement.”

  “How’d you get out?” Kody and Violet managed to ask in unison.

  “I…”, William’s shoulders sank. “I heard the soldiers kill mom and dad, then they set fire to the house.” He sighed. “I waited until it burned itself out, then crawled out from under the debris.”

  “Was that where you found Zeenie?” Kody asked.

  “Yes.” William answered. “I suspect she kept me from burning, but she could neither confirm nor deny it.”

  “I’m sure she did help, then.” Violet said, “By the time I got there the house was already ablaze. We ran out of there, and got chased by soldiers almost all night.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “We went to the next town over. Lizzie’s aunt lived there.” Her expression turned dark for a moment. Kody had a gruesome guess at why.

  “We also went there with Zeenie!” William perked up. “Dad’s friend, Ivor, the ranger master, was visiting there. He brought us to a camp up north.” he noticed Violet's expression. "What's wrong?"

  "We got to the town," Violet continued, "And Lizzie's aunt took us in. There were five of us, and five of them; the aunt and uncle, and their three kids." Kody glanced at William. Neither of them seemed to like the word 'were'.

  "What happened?" William urged her on gently.

  "We spent one night there." Violet said, raising a finger in frustration. "One!" she paused, "But they still found us."

  "Who?" William asked.

  A knot started forming in Kody's stomach. There can only be one answer to that.

  "Rogue assassins." he said. "The empire has been hiring them to hunt down stragglers after raids." Violet looked at him, and nodded.

  "Wait, don't assassins work against the Empire?" William looked baffled by this.

  "Not all." Kody said. It was enough for everyone present to stop for a moment of contemplation. "But," he finally spoke up, "Chances are, if they weren't working with The Hierarchy, they might have been nobles. Especially if they were hired to find magic users after a raid. My father had hosted many of them over the years." He took a careful step towards Violet, but she pulled away. He stepped back and continued: "Can you recall a crest, a sigil, a symbol, anything they were wearing?"

  Violet paused. She looked at Kody warily, sizing him up.

  "No." She said eventually, "It was dark and it all happened too quickly. I couldn't see anything identifying."

  “What happened to the others?” William chimed in, seemingly unaware of the ambient unease. Violet sighed again, and looked at her feet.

  “They were taken.” She said, “I couldn’t see much, but there wasn’t any blood where… where we were.”

  Kody shot a warning glance at William, but it seemed unnecessary. The young ranger was standing there, completely mortified by the story. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he hugged Violet close.

  Kody felt his part in the exchange had ended, but he was mentally recalling all of the family crests he'd seen over the years. He left the siblings to eachother, and headed back towards Ezon, who, as usual by now, was off to the side, browsing a local merchant’s wares.

  "Hi"

  "Hey"

  "So, um…" Kody said, "Are you heading out?"

  "I was." Ezon said, "I still need to find Nefest. Would y-"

  "I think I'll join you."

  Ezon made a surprised noise. Kody wasn't sure whether it was pleasant or not.

  "How so?"

  "Violet." Kody said.

  "I take it she doesn't like you."

  "She was very friendly, actually. There's something else tough. It's as if she's hiding something. I'm not sure if I trust her fully yet. I think she will go with William, and I’d rather not join her for now. Also, the last time my family had any contact with the elves, they were still on good terms." Kody fiddled with his dagger uncomfortably.

  "What happened?" Ezon asked.

  "My great-grandfather cut ties with the Hierarchy in exchange for a noble title." Kody explained, "We've been on the Assassins' bad side since... and the elves'."

  "Aren't you with them?" Ezon raised an eyebrow.

  "The Hierarchy? Kind of. I'm considered an external... contractor of sorts." Kody felt a pang of guilt forming in his stomach. "I'm technically on probation. I can act as a freelancer, but my contracts are carefully monitored."

  "Ah, so that's why you have- had a backdoor into that tavern."

  "How'd you know about that?" Kody suddenly felt exposed.

  "I've... interrogated Zeenie while I had her kidnapped." Ezon said, visibly deflating a bit, "She really wanted to lure me in with the promise of artifacts. I thought she was bluffing at first."

  "And then?"

  "Then I saw you teleport during our fight. Space magic is rare, but it made sense with her story."

  A brief, but awkward silence passed between them. Kody fidgeted with his dagger, while Ezon kept glancing around.

  "So," Ezon spoke finally, "You're coming?" He sounded... elated?

  "I guess so." Kody answered, "I'm taking my chances with you."

  * * * William * * *

  William was still reeling. He'd grown up thinking violet was dead with their parents, and so never thought searching for her might be a good idea. Now that she was right there, the guilt started eating away at him. Had he searched for her, back when he found Ivor, they'd have been able to help her. He wasn't going to risk imagining what she had gone through.

  Looking at her now, she was a complete stranger. Some of her old self remained, and he still recognized a lot about her, but in many ways, the young woman standing in front of him was no longer the girl that used to be his big sister. She used to be outgoing, open, up for mischief he'd always wished to join in on. Now she was a bit more reserved, and stood firm on the ground, as if anticipating an attack at any time, from anyone around her.

  "So..." he started weakly, "Zeenie, Orthus, and I are going north. Are you coming with us?"

  "Weren't you going to meet the elves?" Violet asked, "North there's only empire territory for thousands of miles."

  "We've found a working hub key." he explained. "Kody and Ezon fetched us a crystal to power it."

  "Ah," Violet sighed dejectedly, "I understand."

  "Is... something wrong?"

  "These hubs really don't like me." she said. Looking at his surprised expression, she quickly added, "You'll see."

  * * * Kody * * *

  Kody looked around the town square. Zeenie was with Orthus, doing something around that dragon statue, while the thought-to-be-lost siblings were catching up near the center.

  "Ezon."

  "Hmm?"

  "Let's go to that hub. I want to set up everything for the others." he nodded into the forest, towards the hub. Ezon also nodded, and followed.

  * * *

  The thing was knackered. Vines, moss, and a thin layer of slime covered the pedestal, while half the gates were missing or broken. Whoever took the key out of this one, did so very long ago. They also took care of incoming portals, as all eight gates were blocked with stone slabs placed into the plane of the portals.

  They moved the stones, and Kody wiped the pedestal as clean as he could. The socket was slightly damaged, but that wouldn't be a problem. It's the gates that worried him. Two were missing entirely, another two were so badly damaged they wouldn't ever work again, and the remaining four were in varying stages of disrepair. The one pointing north seemed to be in the best condition. He placed a hand on it and traced the precise patterns in it. They were starting to fade, but wouldn't make opening the gate itself that much harder.

  "You know a lot about these hubs?" Ezon asked

  "I'm not an expert," Kody said, "but I've seen a few with my own eyes, and once even tried activating one without a key."

  "How'd it go?"

  "It didn't." he paused. Turning to Ezon, he saw him fiddling with the key, as if trying to solve it. "The hub can't operate without the key, or at least, I'm not skilled enough to open it without one." He took the key, gently, from Ezon's hand, who seemed a bit surprised at the brief physical contact.

  "Once it's open, can you keep it open with the key removed?" Ezon prodded.

  "We'll have to see. If there's any anomalies, I'll have to try and help it along anyway. These hubs are way too old."

  By the time the others arrived, the sun was starting to set. Orthus and Zeenie stood where the missing gates should've been, William and Ezon were leaning against the broken ones, and Violet stood further back, eyeing the hub with a doubtful expression.

  Kody stood in the middle, and placed the key in the pedestal's receptacle. He then grabbed the top of the pedestal, and started rotating it, the stone grinding on its base uncomfortably. Once the markings, and thus the key, were pointed at the north gate, he pulled lightly on the key and rotated half of it, activating the hub.

  His mind was dragged into the key, suddenly aware of all the neighboring hubs and their states. They were all broken. One step out, still more of them were offline than were functional. Another step out, his will strained against the distance. Going this far was draining him faster than he anticipated, something was interfering maybe, or the broken gates generated some noise. Either way, he mustered his strength and reached out as far as he could, finding a hub as close to the Aquilan border as possible. He found one, just next to a ranger camp. He could feel the shadow, the imprint of all those rangers who, up until about a week ago, were using the hub regularly. Kody thought they may have moved, or dispersed into other camps. Once he had chosen a destination, his mind was ejected back out of the key, much to his relief.

  Less than a second had passed in real time. He looked around, and no one seemed to have noticed his little mind-trip.

  A thin line of pale blue light stated emanating from the tip of the key, spreading out in a funnel until it reached the gate. The air shimmered, and the portal opened. On the other side was another forest, similar to the one they were in, but a sudden gust of wind brought through the cold, northern air and the scent of their destination.

  Kody gestured, calling William over. He, Zeenie, and Orthus came, standing in front of, and looking into the portal.

  "This should put you right on their doorstep." he told them. "A day or two at most."

  William turned to look at Violet.

  "Hey, Vi, aren't you coming?"

  Violet shook her head. "I can't cross it."

  "Why not?" Kody asked.

  "Well... look." Violet said, and started walking towards the gate. The portal shimmered and briefly turned into a roiling vortex of blue and white. The gate started glowing, straining against whatever was happening to it, and the key rattled in Kody's hand. In a few seconds, the portal started flickering and was threatening to collapse. Violet walked back to where she stood before, and the portal recovered. The glowing, rattling, and flickering all stopped, and Kody was able to regain control of it.

  William looked desperate. He looked between Kody, Violet, and Zeenie repeatedly. Finally he spoke.

  "Stay with them!" he asked her, "We'll meet up later."

  Violet looked as unhappy with the arrangement as Kody felt. Nonetheless, she nodded, and waved the leaving party goodbye.