by Candy Crum
"Don't worry about me, kid," Arryn said. "It's just a broken nose. Trust me, that's not a mistake I'm gonna make again."
"What? No worries for my broken ribs?" Cathillian grumbled.
"Are you okay, Cathillian?" Corrine asked.
"Na, na, na. It's too late for that. I see where your allegiance lies," he replied.
Arryn focused her magic again, using his distraction to her benefit. No one had been taken down, and Nika hadn't signaled the end of the round. If he was distracted, it was his own fault.
She found where he was standing, and he didn't seem to be moving. She quickly judged how far he was and figured how many steps it would take to get to him, and then she made a risky move.
Arryn dropped her nature magic, making it a little harder for him to sense her, and she ran directly for him. Just as she arrived, she called her magic again, which told her that he was still there.
Thrusting a knee into his side as he leaned toward her, she wrapped her arm around his neck and threw him over her back to the ground, where she straddled him after he landed. She could feel him struggling upward, but she stopped him with a swift punch to the face.
"Fuck!" Cathillian yelled as his nose was crushed by her fist.
Arryn heard laughing just before Nika said, "The element of surprise really brings out the cursing. This is the best idea ever. Also, round over. Point to Arryn. Nice, by the way—dropping your nature magic. It was a risk, but it paid off."
Arryn patted Cathillian on the chest, and his hand went to cover it. When she felt his touch, she grabbed his hand, stood, and helped pull him to his feet.
"So, Arryn won?" Corrine asked.
Arryn nodded. "That round, anyway. Are we continuing with the blindfolds, or can we just train?"
"Yeah, I'd rather just train the good old-fashioned way. Seems like she hits twice as hard with a blindfold on," Cathillian said.
Nika groaned. "Fine, ya whiners. Take the blindfolds off. Since you can see now, no rules. Hand-to-hand, weapons, magic—whatever you wanna use."
Arryn removed her blindfold and glanced at Corrine, who had her hands on the railing that encircled the pit. Her eyes were aglow with excitement, and she had a big smile on her face.
Arryn winked at the girl before turning back to her opponent. "Round two, ya big baby. Let's see what ya got."
Cathillian put his fists up in a fighter's stance as he prepared for Arryn. This time she took the initiative.
Her eyes flashed black before Cathillian had time to react. She swept her hand forward and to the left, flinging large clods of dirt directly at him. He closed his eyes and used his arms to cover his face, and she charged straight for him, then jumped into the air and mule-kicked him in the chest. She used that momentum to somersault off him and landed on her feet.
Cathillian stumbled back several steps, but caught his balance and flipped backwards, landing on his feet. He steadied himself, and his eyes flashed as he thrust his hands out, sending a large gust of wind to knock Arryn back.
She hit the ground hard, but quickly rolled onto all fours to keep Nika from calling the round and flung her hand backward. Vines burst from the ground and grabbed Cathillian by the ankles.
When she yanked her hand back toward her, the vines pulled his feet out from under him and he landed with a loud oof. Arryn climbed to her feet and ran for him, but before she had even made it halfway, he had sliced the vines and freed himself.
He rolled out of the way, sweep-kicking her legs. She landed flat on her stomach with a loud grunt as he straddled her back, grabbed her hands, and pinned her.
"Sorry, Arryn," Nika called. "Point to Cathillian."
"Boo!" Corrine shouted.
"Hey!" Cathillian exclaimed as he looked at her, rolling off Arryn so she could sit up. The girl laughed as she continued to jeer, and he declared, "You just wait, little one. I'll remember this."
Arryn laughed and slugged him in the arm. "See? Everyone likes me better. Maybe it's because I'm nicer."
Cathillian chuckled. "You're full of shit, is what you are."
They heard voices in the distance as the experienced warriors led the students toward the pit for the day’s training. Many brought weapons, placing them in the various racks at the edges of the arena as they greeted Nika warmly. Some stopped to talk to Corrine as well.
"I suppose that means your time is up," Nika said, motioning for them to leave the pit.
Arryn looked at Cathillian. "We'll finish this later."
He gave her a wink and a mischievous smile. "Is that a promise?"
She shook her head as she made her way out of the pit. "You really are ridiculous," she called back.
When she reached Corrine, the young girl was talking with a few of the warrior recruits. They were some of the newest students in the most basic training, since they were the same age as her.
Corrine was telling them she couldn't believe a woman could fight so well, let alone against a man that size. A few of the other children laughed, and one of them put her arm around her.
"You're still new around here, so there's a lot you don't know. You should join our class. Since you already have a talent for using vines, maybe you’d be interested in the Schatten," the girl, whose name was Molly, said.
"What're the Schatten?" Corrine asked.
Arryn smiled. "They’re actually the coolest warriors in the village. They use subtlety. Essentially, they’re trained assassins. They don't get to see as much action as the rest of us, but when they do they’re amazing as hell. Molly is saying that because you already use one of the forms of magic they do, and you're extremely quiet while doing it, you might be very suited to their skills."
Her eyes widened, and a smile spread. "You really think so? I didn't think training sounded like a very good idea earlier, but after watching you and Cathillian fight and hearing about the Schatten, I think I wanna be a warrior."
Arryn smiled. "Then you'll fit in just fine. You might even be able to teach these guys a few things."
Arryn and Corrine both turned when they heard Nika calling out names to make sure all the students were in attendance.
"We'll talk about this later. Hang out with us for the day, so you can see how the kids your age train. By the time you're old enough for the training that involves physical pain, you'll already have enough bumps and bruises under your belt from falls and mishaps with bamboo training staffs that a broken nose won't seem like much of anything."
The young girl nodded. "I can't wait."
7
Amelia checked in at the factory, making sure everything was up and running and in order. The city had been slowly getting back into a routine. It was still far from normal, but mostly people were just happy to be working again. It allowed them to get their minds off everything that had happened.
And even with the bandits wreaking havoc down south on the rearick trade caravans, shipments of brew and amphoralds had been coming in steadily. Taking care of the problem with the violent thieves on the main road was her next course of action.
Except for this one.
It was a big day. Well, a big day for Elon, anyway. It had taken him a couple days to decide, but he had finally made up his mind. He wanted to find Gregory and apologize to him face to face, no matter what the consequences.
Amelia was proud of him for making the decision, knowing it wouldn't be easy. It had been nearly a year since Elon had seen Gregory, and there was no way for him to know just how much hate the young man still held in his heart for his father, or how much he had changed himself.
When he thought back on it, Elon had spent years making Gregory feel worthless. In the end, Gregory was a better man than he had ever thought about being.
It was a shame Elon hadn’t acknowledged his son’s worth earlier, because Gregory had his father’s talent for all things technical. He had a passion in him much like Elon’s own when it came to learning how things worked and inventing new things.
Amelia knew Elon hoped Gr
egory would forgive him, so that he could mentor his son as Waylon had mentored him. It was a hobby they could both share, one that might allow them to start a brand-new life somewhere else.
As Amelia made her way to the city gate, she looked at the trees the druids had grown on the day of battle. Instead of cutting them down for lumber as had originally been planned, the city council had very recently decided to keep them. They rebuilt the road around them, leaving a gap in the stones around the trees for the trunks to grow.
Now, instead of rubble and the remains of battle inside the city walls, there was a majestic row of trees with thick, vividly green leaves that added to the city's beauty. They had been able to rebuild the street wide enough on each side to allow carriages to pass.
Amelia loved the newest addition, even if it had come from something terrible.
As usual, there were four guards at the gate, each of them casually talking with Elon. It had been a long time since she had seen him genuinely smile. He seemed to be truly happy, and that made her feel optimistic for him.
His eyes wandered over to her, and his smile grew as he waved. Waylon was leaning against the wall near him for support.
"Good morning, Governor," Elon said. "I'm surprised you could make it."
She waved a hand in the air. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I just had to make an appearance at the factory. I wanted to make sure everything is going well."
Elon nodded. "I’ll take your sunny disposition as a sign that it is. Glad to hear it."
She laughed. "It is, yes. It's taking time, but I think people are starting to come back around. I doubt very seriously the scars of what happened will heal anytime soon, and maybe they never will. But getting on with their lives is a great start."
He briefly looked at his feet before returning his gaze to her. "I want to thank you. You have no idea exactly what you've done for me. It means a lot for me to have the opportunity to find my son. He's with Hannah, so I know he's safe. I have no doubt about that. Most of all, it means the world to have someone believe in me again, and for the right reasons this time."
Waylon stepped away from the wall and rested his hand on Elon's back. "You always had the support of good people, son. You just had shitty taste in friends, and looked up to the wrong people."
The corner of Elon's mouth turned up as he looked at his mentor. "Are you saying you’re the wrong people?"
Waylon looked at him incredulously. "What? No! Of course, not. I'm amazing. In fact, I'm exactly who you should've been looking up to this whole time, not that asshat Adrien."
Elon and Amelia both laughed. "He's right. You did have terrible taste in friends, but it seems like you've learned your lesson," she said.
He nodded. "I should certainly think so. If someone does something nice for someone else only when other people are watching, or only when it will be told to other people—probably not the best person to have around. Also, if they seem hungry for more power, that's probably not a good sign either." His voice was light and amused.
It was different, seeing him with the ability to joke about everything that had happened and his bad choices. She had a feeling it was mostly for their benefit, but after all, he couldn't change what happened. Working to better himself and finding new ways to laugh would be pretty good therapy. He really did seem like a brand-new person.
"You will always have a home here, you know," Amelia said.
He nodded and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened for a moment when he wrapped his arms around her, but she quickly relaxed into the embrace.
He drew back and held his hand up before stepping over to Waylon. After a few moments, he returned with a familiar-looking box, which he handed to Amelia. It was just like the ones from before, and bore Waylon's design and mark.
Suspecting what might be inside, she was very careful while opening it. As expected, her eyes were met by the familiar glow of magitech.
"It's all new. We did it! We figured out how to extend the blast radius while keeping the core cooled. It’ll need a recharge period just like before, but it will still blast ten times before it needs to cool. I dropped the blueprints at the factory before I came down here, but I told him to wait until tomorrow to ask you for production instructions."
She smiled as she looked from the deadly magitech mine in the box to Elon. "Thank you. These will help everyone feel more secure. I figure we’ll bury a couple hundred on our borders and mark them with trees. We can tell our people what they are, but they’ll keep the remnant out. I also plan to assign guards to patrol that area, out of the blast zone, but close enough to keep any wanderers from getting hurt."
Elon nodded and smiled. "I'm glad I could help. Take care of yourself, Amelia. Take care of the city. They need you now more than ever."
"You, too, Elon," Amelia replied.
They finished saying their goodbyes, and Amelia and Waylon watched as Elon climbed on the back of a beautiful mare that Amelia had gifted to him the day before and rode off.
Waylon came to stand at Amelia’s side, sighing before turning and pointing at the box with a devious smile. "Wanna go bury it and drop a heavy rock on it?"
Amelia was shocked when she saw how excited and alive he looked at the thought of causing some trouble. When her shock wore off, she shook her head. For a moment, the old man looked disappointed.
But then Amelia gave a devious smile of her own and said, "I get to drop the rock."
Leaving Kemet, their home, had been a big decision for Bast and Cleo, but they hadn't had much choice because the Arcadian Valley was not the only place in Irth to encounter trouble. Strange things had been happening, and the lives of their people were in danger. Because of that, their mother, Nailah, had sent them away in hope they would both be safe as well as find help.
Life in the desert had always been hard, but their people were strong. They could take care of themselves for the most part, and they had lived peacefully in their small city since before the Age of Madness.
They had built strong homes using heavy stones, the largest of those homes being pyramids. Their walls had been built strongly enough that not even the remnant could get inside. They could house and protect many families if need be.
But it appeared there were more things to fear out there than remnant or the occasional lycanthrope.
The twin girls were the fastest runners in their community, and their horses were, too. That was why they had been chosen above all others to travel northwest to the Mystic Temple to find help.
A few years before, traveling mystics had come through Kemet and told them stories of their Temple as well as the city that had been built with magic.
According to the mystics, the Temple was full of men and women just like them, mental magicians who specialized in illusions, storytelling, and making one hell of a good brew.
With everything going on in Kemet, the girls needed help, but not just anyone would do. They needed skilled and masterful magicians, those with the strength and expertise to deal with such situations. Even her people’s strength hadn’t been enough to help them, and they didn’t have warriors in their city.
Bast and Cleo traveled as quickly as they could, but it still took two weeks to travel across the western desert to the sea and find a ship willing to take them and their horses across it to the land in which the Arcadian Valley and the Heights were located.
When they finally arrived at the Temple, they had been greeted by a mystic named Margit, who offered them food and a warm bed. Their stay was much shorter than they had imagined it would be, but it had still been helpful.
The mystics were awaiting the return of their master, and could offer no assistance other than to point them toward Arcadia. That city had seen many troubles of its own, but was finally under the control of a woman who had the people's best interests at heart.
"Travel to Arcadia and speak to a woman named Amelia. She has a strong mind, and a strong heart. I can't promise she’ll be able to help you directly because she’s r
ecently fought a battle of her own, but if nothing else she’ll be able to point you in the right direction," Margit had told them.
Bast and Cleo had spent the night talking with Margit and the others about the mystics who had visited their land and all they had learned from them. While they talked, ate, and rested, their horses had been cared for as well, fed and sheltered against the night.
Early the following morning, they were given a large breakfast and a friendly send-off. The mystics were kind and generous people, and the twins wanted to stop back by on their way home—hopefully with a group of experienced fighters.
After saying their goodbyes, Bast and Cleo retrieved their horses and set off once again—this time to Arcadia, which they hoped would be their final destination.
After passing through a small rearick town called Craigston, they made their way down the mountain, where they rode toward the great city of magicians. It would take a bit longer to hit flat land, but they had nearly reached the hills at the bottom.
"We’ve traveled all this way," Bast said to her twin sister. Using her legs, she squeezed her horse’s sides, urging the mare to move a bit faster to keep pace with Cleo’s mount. "Part of me feels this long-ass trip will leave us empty-handed. The other part of me thinks we’ll find exactly what we need in Arcadia. I'm worried, Sister."
Cleo nodded. "We have no way of knowing what's happening back in Kemet right now. For some reason, that’s scarier for you than it is for me. I guess deep down, I feel like Mama can handle it until we get back, but we’ve gotta have faith. She wouldn’t have sent us for help if she hadn’t truly believed we would find it."
Bast nodded. "Let's hope you're right. She could have just sent us away, so we didn’t have to watch the city fall. Whether we find help or not, I'm scared to return home."
Even though Bast hadn’t said what she meant, Cleo knew exactly what she was worried about. She was terrified that when they went home they would find everyone they had ever loved dead. "I know. Me, too."