Almakia_The vilashi and the Dragons

by Lhaisa Andria

  But for a moment her knees trembled. She thought it was strange, but she did not care. She had to make the most of that time alone. As she raised her hand once more, the ground suddenly disappeared beneath her feet and she felt as if she were being sucked into a dark place.

  ***

  Garo-lin opened her eyes and blinked a few times, staring at the lacquered wooden ceiling. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was not in her dormitory at the Institute and that she did not recognize that strange air.

  — Good morning.

  She turned her face in a fright and faced the Royal Dragon, who seemed until recently reading a book in an armchair near the door. Then one last reminder came up sharply in her mind: she was at the edge of the lake, training.

  She stood looking away and noticed Kidari's bed made, and the sunlight streaming through the window indicated that it was already afternoon.

  The sudden movement made the edges of her vision darken and again she collapsed on her pillow, trying to recover.

  — The princess will be happy to know that you have woken up – the dragon commented, closing the book, as if until that moment he was waiting to be sure that she would not sleep again and now convinced himself that she did not.

  — What... happened? – Garo-lin asked uncertainly, rubbing her eyes, realizing how bad she felt.

  — Almaki is an ability of the Almakin People to convert their energy into representations of forces found in nature, the so-called Elemental Powers – he recited one of the first teachings that was passed to students at the Institute. – To have almaki energy, you need basic things like good food and nights well spent.

  — Sorry, master – she asked, laughing as she realized what she had done.

  As a child in the first year of the Institute, eager to use her almaki, she went beyond the limit and her body could not stand it.

  — Don’t worry – the dragon said. – I'm just letting you know the reason for the scolding you will take when Kris knows you're already woken up...

  Garo-lin felt herself sinking into it, and she had probably made a face of it in the process because she received advice:

  — You better listen quietly and nod. If you pretend to listen and agree, it will be a brief scolding.

  — Can't I try to run away again? – she asked hopefully.

  — Oh, he will come after you. It's best not to feed the fury of the Fire Dragon.

  Garo-lin laughed with him and it made her feel stronger.

  Thinking she could now stand without fainting, she stood up, asking:

  — How long have I slept?

  — Since last night. But Sumerin bet you'd only wake up tomorrow.

  — Bet?

  — Benar believed it would be three whole days.

  Garo-lin sighed. She did not know if she should face the fact that the Dragons are betting on her as good or bad.

  — I said that you were strong and that you would wake up this morning – he reported in his calm manner of speaking, as if he were commenting on the weather outside, and added: – I've lost – then stood up, stretching his arms.

  She laughed, but then realized how unreal that situation was: a vilashi with a dragon after fainting from exhaustion. Then, remembering the formality she was supposed to keep before an almakin of his level, she recoiled.

  — Sin-since when have you been here? – she asked, trying to disguise her embarrassment.

  Sure enough, the dragon had not just passed by coincidently near the time she was waking up.

  — Hum... – he pondered, as if wondering if vilashi deserved to know. – The princess didn't want to leave you alone, and Vinshu wanted her to go back to school. So I promised I'd stay here until you woke up and warned her.

  He made to leave, opening the door, but Garo-lin blocked him:

  — You don't have to call her!

  He stopped.

  — You'd better let her study – she added quickly, fearing that the way she had spoken had sounded like an order.

  But the Royal Dragon just stood there, as if he suddenly saw something very interesting in that small part of the house.

  — Garo – he called, appearing to start a speech that was still being formulated –, Don't you miss home?

  The question caught her by surprise. In addition to using the simple form of her name, something she never thought would be uttered by the mouth of a dragon, the question itself was unlikely.

  Even so, she replied, sounding more like a question:

  — Yes?

  — Hum... – he nodded, assessing this little information. – It’s normal.

  Garo-lin was intrigued. What was he really talking about? It did not seem to be about her.

  But before she could even think of anything, he made his way, and at the same moment the door swung open, hitting the wall with a crash.

  — If you're already better, get up now, vilashi useless! – the Fire Dragon roared, imperiously pointing out, making it clear that he would not tolerate disobedience.

  The other gave her a smile and left, and Garo-lin understood that for some time her mentor was already there, listening.

  ***

  Garo-lin was forced to sit in front of a table full of the most varied types of food and was served with a portion of each plate.

  — Eat meat! – the Fire Dragon ordered, signaling for a servant to cut a good piece of the roast for her. – If you faint again, I'll throw you into the lake and this time neither Nu'lian will ever get you out of there!

  Clutching her cutlery in her hand and trying to calm her resolve to find out how fast her mentor could dodge a plate thrown from a distance, she controlled herself to obey.

  It seemed that now, without her sister around, he was determined to make up for the time when he could not openly irritate her. And adding to the shameful fact that he had once again taken her from the shores of the lake, it was almost unbearable to stand there. So, wanting to put a stop to that torment, she started to eat as fast as possible.

  — You're going to faint again, you idiot! – he warned, shocked, after she had stuffed five pieces of meat at one time into her mouth.

  Unable to respond that she was only doing what he ordered, stubbornly trying to chew, Garo-lin simply gave him a loaded look saying just that. Overcoming her expectations and understanding the message, the dragon folded his arms in his typical pose of one who is never content with anything, making a point of showing how annoyed he was by something he probably did not even know what it was.

  The silence that broke out, broken only by the noises that Garo-lin made, seemed somehow heavy, as if the air around it had form and fed on that situation. This also bothered the dragon, who showed this by the irritated way she looked around, without stopping at any point.

  Suddenly he got up, almost throwing his chair back, resting his hands on the table and staring intently at the opposite wall. Pretending that she was totally absorbed in replenishing her energies and not noticing him, Garo-lin kept her gaze fixed on the plate.

  — Vilashi! – he called suddenly and informed. – We need to go to Routes. From there to the Inland Valley is half a day trip, but mombelula is only an hour.

  She forgot her conviction to remain indifferent and peeked over her fork with flesh.

  Realizing that the protégé stopped chewing and watched him, the Dragon straightened up in a noble pose and declared:

  — I can think of going there if you can manage your almaki in an unbelieving way.

  She blinked a few times and asked:

  — Decent?

  And then he declared, as if it were an irrevocable order:

  — Get to handle your almaki in a decent way and take it to your idiot village! – and stomped off, leaving behind a numb Garo-lin.

  ***

  Unlike the other days, Garo-lin did not go to the lake. She could not bear to train in that place knowing that the mentor would be in some window, watching all her movements. Then, furious, she went to one of the opposite sid
es of the Dul'Maojin Fortress, where she had not yet had the opportunity to go, following the walls that connected the lookouts so as not to get lost. She wanted to stay as far away from the Dragons as possible. She could not bear to see any of them without saying things they probably would not hear quietly.

  Who did he think he was to lie like that?!

  To use her will to review the family as a bargaining chip to fulfill what he asked. As if she could really trust what the dictating dragon said and as if he were going to tread in some part of the Inland Valley, risking his whole reputation.

  Training her was something extraordinary he did in total annoyance. Only the thought of landing his mombelula among the excluded people of Almakia should make him sick. And worst of all was to use it against her, as if Garo-lin was an easy child to be persuaded with a candy.

  But, at the same time that she had these angry thoughts, her heart clenched with the slightest possibility of actually returning to her village.

  She had left there as a child and had no news of the Inland Valley living within the walls of the Institute. In that forgotten place of Almakia, people lived on the banks of the Capitals, as if the world ended in Routes and everything beyond that was an impossible dimension to transpose. She felt an immense lack of this sensation that she would never recover: that life could be lived perfectly within those limits, without needing to leave. She was aware that she would never regain this feeling, since she had passed through the Black Gates.

  However, even for a while, breathing the air from the place where she was born could renew her strength to continue another two years in the Fire Capital. And to think of it with a will that seemed to want to explode was inevitable.

  She stopped her hurried hike to nowhere and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Had her mentor been a Dul'Maojin, a dragon or whatever, he had no right to be cruel that way.

  Of all the tortures she had faced up to that moment, he had finally managed to leave her in the worst possible state. She could not just run away from her thoughts. She could see exactly in her mind the expression of debauchery of the leader of the Dragons telling her did you really believe that the absolute I would do such a thing, vilashi idiot! and laughing as if that were the most hilarious thing in the world.

  Feeling she should do something urgent and losing her mind for a second, she punched the wall of the fortress, not caring if she would break her hand in the process. However, it was not exactly her hand that was damaged.

  The explosion threw her back, causing rolled across the lawn and narrowly missed by one of several stones randomly flew and fell around, forming small craters smoking.

  Amazed and not understanding what had happened so suddenly, Garo-lin looked at all the damage she had done and something fell into her head. Suddenly all the instructions of the Fire Dragon and what the heiress Dul'Maojin had said resounded in her head making sense.

  Then she started to laugh and dropped back. She had managed to do a damage to the stone wall with a simple punch, using her almaki in an attack.

  It was not really her family name, her theoretical knowledge, or an order of factors mixed with a cold. She had understood how to master her almaki in a second order and was a step further than she had ever imagined.

  ***

  — To the Routes? – Sfairul asked, as if strangled by his friend's sudden urge to go to a city. – It's not a good idea to get out of here, Kris. Everyone knows that we are on an Assignment and we can't just go for a walk in that place. If the news that the Dragons were on Routes spread, it was over.

  — And that's why you're staying here.

  — Why?! – Gran'Otto let out a cry that mixed disappointment and revolt. – How well do you go to Routes and do we stay?

  The Royal Dragon looked over his book at the scene unfolding before him, probably finding it more interesting than the written plot.

  — Vinshu said that he had to go there and I decided that I too! My sister must have already taken a course and we will not meet. And if we are disguised, we will have no problems! – the dragon tried to sound convincing, showing that he had thought of all the details.

  The other dragons looked at each other. Vinshu Zawhart was the wisest of them all and would certainly be the first to point out a problem. It was not in his nature to simply accept all the sudden wills of Dul'Maojin. If he convinced himself that the Fire Dragon could go, even as he spoke, it should be okay.

  After all, he understood very well the warning of Kandara Dul'Maojin.

  — If Vinshu goes with you... – the Wind Dragon declared, shrugging his shoulders.

  — Can't I really go with you? – The girl asked hopefully. – My dad is building another building there and I wanted to take a look at the finishing plans before-

  — I think someone is looking for you, Kris – said Gillion simply, peeking through the window.

  It didn't take long and a scream came from outside, calling:

  — FIIIIIIIIIRE DRAGON!

  Immediately, he ran to the window and caught sight of his protégé down by the lake, motioning for him to come.

  — Does she want to die?! How dare she call me! – and forgetting completely that he was in the middle of an important conversation with his friends, Dul'Maojin left urgently, grumbling things about burning that useless vilashi.

  As his friend's footsteps disappeared down the hallway, the Dragons let the concern creep in, and Gillion was the one who broke the silence:

  — Vinshu knows what he does.

  ***

  Even as she stood before a Fire Dragon who was not exactly happy that she had called him that way to the lake, Garo-lin was not intimidated and kept her determination as he said, convinced:

  — Of course I know that everyone has their way of handling! How did you not know about such a simple thing?!

  She thought it was not worth it at the moment to go into the details of her upbringing -or lack of it – and how no one really cared to teach anything, preferring to treat her as if she were an unowned shadow wandering the Institute. Without saying anything, she only did what she had been trying to do all those days to no avail: she created a ball of flame of her size, which did not go out immediately and remained flaming as it should be.

  — Only that? – he did not seem impressed.

  — Are you really going to Routes and then to the Inland Valley? – she asked, using a tone that made it clear to her that it would still depend on his response.

  He stared at her for a while, as if trying to understand the fact that someone had not believed what he had promised, and then said, offended:

  — Of course! I always keep up with what I say, vilashi!

  Putting these words together, Garo-lin punched the ball with her other hand, causing it to move swiftly and fall into the lake with an explosion of water and steam.

  It took a few seconds, but when Dul'Maojin realized that he had seen the shock he had had before it, he tried to disguise it by speaking:

  — Anyone who knows how to handle fire can do this!

  — Then do it – she simply demanded.

  — Do you think the Fire Dragon is going to demote and compete with a vilashi, idiot?

  Garo-lin rolled her eyes and replied:

  — As if the vilashi wanted to see the Fire Dragon bragging about his first-rate almaki!

  They faced each other in silence for some time. She could swear she felt static almaki being raised around them and waited for flames to start popping into the hands of her mentor. But the Fire Dragon seemed to have come to the conclusion that it was not worth continuing with that, and only spoke, in a tone of complaint:

  — Let's to the Routes tomorrow – and added, so as not to leave the opportunity to order pass. – Be ready as soon as the sun rises!

  — I’ll be – she dared to use a menacing tone, even low enough that he understood nothing more than a grunt that could be anything.

  Even wanting to get away in a minimally victorious way, Garo-lin remembered
something that would completely destroy that moment. She needed to report what had happened to the Fortress wall and not let the dragon know about a third party, or he could use that fact to cancel the promise.

  — You know... – she began, choosing the words, but could not continue when he looked directly at her.

  — I already said that I will take you to Routes, vilashi!

  — Iblewupthewallofthefortress! – she boldly told it all at once.

  — What?!

  — I didn't mean to! – Garo-lin hurried to explain with gestures. – I was just thinking about everything and all of a sudden the rocks exploded and with that, I figured out what I needed to know to handle my almaki.

  He stared at her, analyzing everything she'd said almost to a stumble. And then he asked:

  — A combination of favors?

  Not understanding very well, she thought it best to nod and expect a good result.

  To her surprise, he stifled a laugh, lowering his head as if he was very happy about something he had thought.

  Frightened by that reaction, Garo-lin instinctively contracted, ready to flee, or for any quick defensive move. But what he did was simply return to his pose of absolute Fire Dragon, with his arms crossed and upper air, looking at her like that of someone who was up to something, with a half smile on his face.

  — Very well, vilashi – he said pompous. – Since you are committed to destroying Dul'Maojin properties and can not compensate, you will have to work!

  She wanted the floor to open and swallow her.

  — Tomorrow, on Routes, for one day, I will not be a dragon and you will be responsible for guiding us!

  — What?! – it was her turn to be shocked.

  PART II

  The rejected heiress' steps

  No matter how small

  the button of our flower,

  this is our only and biggest

  happiness.

  “Happiness” – Arashi