Almakia_The vilashi and the Dragons

by Lhaisa Andria

  So that was the story behind the burned-out walls of the refuge she used to scream when she thought he could not hold herself back.

  But Garo-lin's surprise at formulating this thought was immediately swept away by what the heiress told:

  — After that, I soon realized that I would be able to put him above all others.

  Garo-lin felt as if a hole were opening beneath her and all the ground around her disappeared. That scene of the night of the explosions, when the Fire Dragon declared that she could learn her Secret came to her mind. He had said those same words when she asked why: that she was above all others.

  Seeing that it had stirred the thoughts of the vilashi and distrusted the motive, the heiress continued to tell:

  — I was always looking for a way to meeting him, and I was careful to make it sound like a coincidence. Unlike Kris, I can not be so truthful and it took me a little longer for me to act in a way that deserved trust. When we were finally no longer so strange, and even talked, he disappeared. It just disappeared. I searched everywhere until I found out that he had been expelled from the Institute and no one could explain the cause to me. Then, as Fire Dragon and daughter of the Director of the Institute, I went to my mother to demand that she tell me what had happened. And you know what I discovered? That not only him, but his entire family had been banished from Almakia and that it was because of me. Because there was no greater absurdity than the Fire Dragon engaging with people as low as his. It was at that moment that something made sense: that there were more important things in the world than my title. And I gave up being the Fire Dragon.

  She paused, breathing a little, as it did not seem easy to tell.

  — This almakin expelled, you never seen him again?

  — Yeah, I saw it. As soon as I left the Institute, I began to travel and found him in the Western Realm.

  — Aad...

  — He did not care, Garo-lin, he never cared. We can not make people feel what we want them to feel. I had put him above all others, but he had agreed to trade it for a better life outside of Almakia, where he was not despised by a snobby Society like ours... when I returned, shattered, the Lady of the Fire Capital tried to act like a real mother in telling me she had already anticipated it. That's when I realized that I was being manipulated, that everything I was until then was a well-armed plan. That's when I left the Fire Family and decided to live by myself. The Royal State did not take long to offer me an ambassadorial position, which was a perfect way to be able to act without arousing suspicion. And so I've been living.

  "But what hurt me the most, and what hurts to this day, has only one name: Krission. He was small, did not understand why his sister who had always been with him was leaving. To him, I was abandoning him. Our mother always got involved in her business and never had time for us. It was very difficult to leave my brother behind, but I knew that only in this way could I guarantee a chance that he would not be swallowed up by someone else's ambitions. Only then could I build an escape.

  For a long time, I was afraid that he would let himself be led by the title of dragon, as I left him. He was especially afraid that it would take all of his heart to the point of becoming irreversible. Even if he had his friends around, they could not rescue him, even with all my effort to reveal the truth.

  After having lost all hope in me, the Lady of the Fire Capital concentrated all her attention on Krission. She did not want the same mistake to happen again, so she was always careful to give every opportunity that he would be exactly as she wanted. Therefore, the Fire Dragon can do whatever he wants, and that freedom extends to the point of deciding the fate of students within the Institute. Is there a better way to make someone think they can do everything by giving you absolute control? He was never punished, however unjust he was doing... until someone came and made him wake up in the best way possible! "

  She mimicked a punch in the nose, stopping her fist right in front of Garo-lin's face.

  — And after what you told me today, I can finally think relieved that my brother still has a chance of being himself. – She stood on the platform and stretched, as if relieved to have told it all. – Even in the most remote possibilities one might think a vilashi would make all the difference!" That she would be able to...

  — Changing the future of the one who will dictate the course of Almakia... -

  Garo-lin murmured, repeating the words that had already spoken to him and feeling an immense dread as he understood all the meaning they carried.

  — Exactly! – Exclaimed the heiress, kneeling in front of her, trying to undo the difference in height, holding the hand in which she had the ball. – That's why today I'm going to repeat what I said at our other meeting: Garo-lin Colinpis, the vilashi who can change the future of the one who will dictate the course of Almakia, promise that you will watch over the Dragons. That he will use all his strength so that my brother will not lose himself, so that he will not allow himself to be manipulated and that he may especially see what is behind the intentions of the Lady of the Fire Capital.

  Garo-lin nearly choked on all that:

  — The Lady of the Fire Capital?

  — She plans to rule the whole of Almakia, Garo-lin. She sees strategies in everything and has not hesitated to use her own children as pedestrians in their selfish purposes.

  For a moment the world of Garo-lin stopped, and the reason the dragon was not aware of it was clear. The person behind this cunning plan, manipulating everything and everyone, was the one who at the moment had a level of power within the larger Realm with that of the Royal State: his own mother.

  — I believe that only one heart can touch another heart, and that is its greatest asset against it. I know that I am resuming old habits by simply demanding that you promise me this, but – In a quick gesture, she let go of Garo-lin's hand and drew her down the collar of her coat, and immediately a blade below the neck of the vilashi, who gasped at the realization that he would not even have the slightest chance to defend himself. – My brother is very important to me, so much so that I want to threaten her so that she promises me. But even if you do not say yes or no, only with your gesture yesterday will I be calm. There is someone in the world who would be able to save Krission Dul'Maojin, no matter how stupid, rude and violent he is... – She let go of her robes and pushed the blade away from her.

  Garo-lin grabbed his neck, as if to ascertain that he was intact, and the sudden movement made the lump in his head loosen.

  — I'm sorry, I have no intention of hurting you. On the contrary, I am very grateful for everything you have done. But... I am not like the Lady of the Fire Capital, and my conscience would not be clean if I did not give her an alternative. You're in your village, Garo-lin. In the face of everything you knew today, if you want to stay here, I promise that I will guarantee the safety of your family, no matter what happens, and that you will never see my brother again... you have until our departure to decide.

  Then she lowered the flame to look like a small blade and asked:

  — How about we take this to get your hair straightened out?

  ***

  — How come you said she could stay? You have no right to do that, Kandara! I am her mentor and I say if she can go or stay!

  — Yes, Kris, you're her mentor – she agreed to his screams.

  Strangely aware of her sister's patient reaction-she would not usually miss the opportunity to start a discussion in which she would certainly come to advantage-he stopped and stared at her, as if he had the ability to discover what was going on in her mind with that simple gesture.

  After going through another treatment with Vinshu and finally being allowed to move freely, Dul'Maojin left with the right intention to search for his protege, who had disappeared since the morning. But he was prevented by his sister, who told him to sit with her in front of the door of the room they were in, while the other Dragons and the princess were responsible for arranging things for the return trip. The excuse she had used was that
she needed to talk to him privately before leaving. And bluntly told that had given Garo-lin the option of staying. Predictably, his reaction was one of total indignation because his sister was invading, without any scruple, matters exclusively her own.

  But when he let go of all the fury he felt for Kandara's meddling, he realized something was not right, since she did not boast about the feat – as was to be expected.

  — Why did it? – He asked seriously.

  — Kris, do you know what will happen when our mother finds out what you taught her?

  — I do not care if that old woman finds out! She has nothing to do with it! I am the Fire Dragon and I can decide if an almakin of the Institute deserves or not to be trained by me!

  — Even if this almakin is a vilashi?

  He was quiet, denouncing clearly that he knew where the problem was.

  — Are you really willing to go that far because of her?

  — It is not obvious?

  — I wish everything was easy, Kris – she whined – I know you're determined, but... you can’t make her participate in it. Now she knows the risk she's running, and if she decides it's not worth it, we have to respect her.

  — I will not let anyone hurt her, Kandara.

  The heiress smiled proudly at him and could not contain herself as she held him tight.

  — Hey! – He protested, being buried in her messy hair.

  — It's always like this, Kris – she murmured, not caring if he had heard her or not.

  — The mombelula is ready! – Zawhart announced, appearing at the door of the house.

  — Aaaahaaaa! – Kandara said, releasing him and stretching his arms up. – I wish I could stay here a little longer. – This quiet air of the Inland Valley is so good! It makes us think that there is no problem out there.

  The Fire Dragon took the opportunity to flee his sister and went to his friend, asking,

  — The Vilashi showed up?

  — One of her brothers was hiding inside the cabin wanting to go too, but she no.

  Not seeming at all happy with the answer, he went out in that way of someone who is impatient and ready to discount his bad mood on anything.

  — Do you think Kris will let her stay? – Zawhart asked with a sigh to Kandara.

  — Not really... come on, we've wasted enough time here.

  ***

  Garo-lin, again in his Dul'Maojin Institute robes, straightened his pack on his shoulders and stared at the people around him. Garo-nan, his brothers, his parents, and all the vilashis of Godan were around the mom-cell to bid farewell, and he had to muster all the courage and resolve he had to look at them and say,

  — I'll go with them.

  Although everyone was looking at her smiling, they did not know the truth behind those words. They had always been certain that she would not stay, but would leave and finish her studies. And among them, Garo-nan and Juri-lin were the only ones who seemed aware that this phrase had a tone of decision, not of affirmation.

  — Garo! – Cried Kidari from the cabin, jumping and waving, as if months had passed since they had last seen each other, and not just a few hours. Beside her, the Royal Dragon leaned in the cabin, in his typical spectator pose.

  Garo-lin looked at her friend and smiled. She was one of the reasons she had decided to go. She could not just stand in the face of the possibility of someone hurting her. Another was the simple fact that he could no longer see himself as one who could remain within the village, not when he knew the world outside and knew something was happening. The other was...

  — Vilashi!

  Despite the fright, she turned back and stood, her hands tightening on the strap of her rucksack, waiting for the Fire Dragon to come down the path that was being opened by the people and reach her. Then, as he stood before her and stared at her furiously, probably because his protege had been gone all day, all she could say was:

  — Sorry for being late.

  — What did you do with your hair, idiot?! – He snapped, tearing off a piece of cloth she wore to try somehow to disguise it. – It got worse than it already was!

  Garo-lin swallowed an angry response, since she could not do anything about it and would have to accept it.

  Innocently, she had believed that the heiress Dul'Maojin knew what she was doing when she offered to settle the damage the pirates had done, but instead she only made things worse. Now she had a totally misshapen hair, very short at the nape of the neck, from one side cut to ear level and the other leaning forward, with a few tips that jumped.

  But the dragon seemed to have been amused in the fact and completely forgotten any quarrel he had been preparing to give it. He simply walked around her and headed for the mombelula ladder, saying:

  — Say goodbye to your parents and let's go!

  Chapter 19 – Fire Secret

  Garo-lin looked out the window and sighed heavily: all her classes had lost their meaning.

  Her room master's voice was just a steady, formless sound that she could not help but hear and that made no sense at the time. Beside her, Kidari read a book from the Lightning Dragon unrelated to the class and held such a concentrated expression that Garo-lin thought even a sneeze of her could go unnoticed by Kodorin. His wing cat had also reassumed his place of custody – and now, with the revelation of who Kidari Chanboni was to the rest of the Institute, he could remain with the owner all the time. But the only thing he did was sleep.

  Faced with his new vision of the reality of Almakia, Garo-lin could perceive things that did not make a difference just because she had no ground against them. Now every speech, every explanation, every approach, was directed, with the right purpose of alienating the students, of pruning their thoughts and always keeping them in the foreseen measures. Then, unable to act the way she wanted – which was to leave that room and go to her refuge – she remained bored there, just waiting for the time to pass quickly.

  When she left her village, Garo-lin believed that they were returning to the Fortress, but only knew that they would return directly to the Institute when they flew towards him. That was when he realized that Kandara Dul'Maojin was not with them. The Royal Dragon explained that she had left alone with the mimbres with which they came, since she had no intention of passing near the Fire Capital at that moment. She also learned that the other two missing Dragons had each gone to his Capital at the request of the heiress and would also return directly to the Institute.

  Not knowing exactly what to think about returning to the Institute after all that had happened in that short time, she wanted very much to be able to ask her mentor what would happen from then on.

  He is no longer my mentor – she remarked in her thoughts.

  When they returned to the Institute, it was certain that the Assignment was over. They would no longer have mentoring and protective attachments, but that did not nullify their Fire Dragon training and she did not know how to deal with the situation once passing the Black Gates.

  But she did not dare ask anything. Just being in the Institute again was enough for the Dragons to be surrounded, with the air of majestic – worn out in that period of coexistence.

  Once they reached the Fire Capital and landed within the Dul'Maojin properties, it was no longer possible for her to be anything other than a lower third-order almakin. Throughout that day, classes were suspended and the Institute lived to welcome their Dragons, not bothering with their fifth-graders who returned without even an excuse about a task they did not accomplish. Even the Royal Dragon had distanced itself and acted as if nothing had happened.

  And so Kidari and she remained, having to figure out for themselves what they would have to do and return to normal student life.

  Even though it was not supposed to be that way, Garo-lin had to keep quiet. She could not just surround the Fire Dragon as he walked past the dining hall and ask why he suddenly changed his attitude. Yet, there were two situations she could not avoid and that became his daily headache last week.

 
The main one was that now the almakins knew who Kidari was.

  The same students who had treated her so poorly on the first day of class at Kodorin now leaned around the Kodo Princess, ready to attend to any wish she expressed, delighted to have someone in the room in the hall. Becoming part of the upper echelon of the Dul'Maojin Institute, it was evident that she could not have any relation to a certain vilashi. Kidari would not listen to her insinuations about Garo-lin, but they did not even care if the one she mentioned was with him. The irritation he felt about it was so great that sometimes he had to control himself not to burn them. Which would not be wise, since he knew that revealing his condition of power to his teachers would be like lighting a fire that could not be erased.

  Added to this came the second problem, which was the ill-restrained grief of these same students – and practically everyone else in the Institute – in Garo-lin to have been protected from the Fire Dragon. Even their masters seemed unhappy with the idea and time and again did not hesitate to speak out loudly that they found the fact outrageous.

  — Burned smell – Kidari said, cutting her friend's line of thought.

  Garo-lin looked around and noticed that the other students felt the same and started looking around for what was causing it. And then she noticed that there was a smell of burning and that it came from very close to her.

  — Smoke! Sayed the princess, pointing to her friend's robes, and it was when Garo-lin remembered with alarm that she had the ball in her pocket.

  Thinking quickly, she stood up, pushing her chair, and announced to the teacher, who at that moment perceived the strange movement in her class:

  — I'm going to the bathroom! – and ran off without even waiting for a permit.

  After walking a few aisles to stay away from classrooms, she checked to see if anyone was around and took the ball out of her pocket. Even with the smell and the smoke, the warm sensation of the glass ball did not burn in his hand. It was as if she were producing almaki flames, as from the time the Fire Dragon had aided her with the colorful explosions. And as she looked at it, Garo-lin saw the miniature of the same dragon already growling at her: