Those words crossed Garo-lin as if they were impregnated with almaki flames. How could she forget that she was an almakin? All those years that had fallen silent within the walls of the Institute could not simply disappear at her will. All the suffering that his village was going through could not be easily ignored. The bubbling reached an unbearable level and she clenched her fists tightly. Then, to keep her almaki from exploding, she carried all her indignation to words:
-YOU ARE AN IDIOT?! THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ONLY BECAUSE IT'S A DRUG OF DUL'MAOJIN AND FEEL SUPERIOR TO EVERYONE?! DO NOT GO ON FROM A CHILD THINKING THAT WORLD IS A GAME ON YOUR HANDS! LET'S KNOW, GREAT LADY OF THE FIRE CAPITAL, THAT THE ABSOLUTE GARO-LIN COLINPIS HAS NO FEAR OF YOU AND THAT IF I WANT, I CAN EVEN LEARN HIS SECRET OF FIRE!
— WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TO TALK TO ME WITH THAT INSOLENT WAY?! She stood up violently, dragging her chair and undoing herself from his mask with a kind smile.
— I DO NOT LIVE FOR BE HUMILIATED BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU! – Garo-lin shouted, and at the same time made the fireplace beside the director's desk burst into living flames, as well as all the flame-throwers scattered around the room, causing the same distortion effect in the air. Fire Dragon had used it against the pirates.
Even as she was astonished at the level of power she let slip along with her words and the abnormal way she had done, the headmistress tried to steady herself, narrowing her eyes at her:
— So we do not have a deal, vilashi.
— NEVER!
— Keep your words well in your mind and repent of them in the future!
No longer able to stand in her presence, and knowing that she could not contain her soul, she turned and left, fully aware that she had just done something unimaginable that would totally change the course of her life.
***
Shaking from head to toe and unable to think anything neatly, Garo-lin wandered the unknown streets of the Fire Capital without paying attention to where was. All she wanted to do was go as far as she could and walk away from the people passing by without realizing who she was or what she had done.
At first she was furious and not at all worried about the direction she should go. But after she had breathed a lot and put her nerves in place, all the fury of moments before was becoming conscious and mingling with regret and fear. A sense of insecurity plagued her, and her steps slowed. It was when she realized that the sky was dark, preparing for one of the fickle storms that happened in that region of Almakia, and realized that had no idea where was or how got there.
It seemed to be a place on the outskirts of the Fire Capital, like the one on which she had landed with the mombelula the night before. But was surrounded by old, abandoned-looking buildings, which towered in a frightening way around him and gave him no view of the hill to guide himself. There was no one on the streets either, and that was terrifying.
— Aaargh! – She kicked the wall at her side and laid her forehead on it, as if the chill could come into her head and help her think of what to do.
A rumble coming from an alleyway just ahead of her made her stand in a position of attack, with the immediate idea that she had been followed by Director Dul'Maojin. To have someone fix the insignificant villain that upset his plans would be nothing to her who had all the power of Almakia in her hands. And she was already officially dead.
Fortunately, it was just a cat that had been stunned by her and had found an opportunity to run away, knocking over a few cans stacked in the process of jumping over the wall of the opposite street. Now, trembling even more with the fright and noticing every shadow and minimal movement of the street with her senses sharpened by the sensation of danger, she could not take another step. All that did was sit down right there on the edge of the street, and cringe. She needed to stop and put everything inside her in order or she would be permanently chained in that state of disorientation.
He could not remember exactly what his initial intention was when he entered the heart of the Capital to speak to the Lady of the Fire Capital. Naively, she thought that if she talked and made her see that she was not a threat, she would put an end to the siege against the Vashashis. Culd no longer explain where gotten all the courage to scream like that, let alone how gotten out of there without a single burn.
He had practically signed his death warrant by losing control. He should not have been carried away by emotion, he should have reached an agreement, as impossible as it might seem, and then...
— And then walk away as if nothing had happened? – She murmured, staring at the floor.
As if nothing had happened...
The idea resounded in Garo-lin's head, leaving her shocked.
To forget would be as selfish an attitude as that accused by director Dul'Maojin.
At the same moment, she shook her head, trying to stop all that flood of thoughts. She had to think about everything from the beginning and it did not matter if she was in the middle of a deserted street somewhere in the Fire Capital. She needed to get back to the Black Gates and everything they represented in her life.
From the moment she entered the Dul'Maojin Institute, she became aware that her masters were merely observing formalities, not at all worried about her as a person. To adapt and learn to live in a place completely different from his warm village, where everyone knew each other and treated well, like a big family, had been very difficult. This had created a shell of protection that he had only realized he had only recently. Then, meeting Kidari, and for the first time within those walls, to be the true Garo-lin with someone, it was like being released from prison. When his world had collapsed in the face of the odious Dragons, she had not imagined that with this she would discover that they were made of much more than the pure pride of Almakia. That, in fact, they were a group of friends, who grew up together and had their own problems before the title that they carried from very early.
How could he forget that Sumerin Gran'Otto was able to dispose of all his pompous Metal Dragon's robes to join the lower almakins in a building simply because he loved what he did? How could he forget that Benar Sfairul was venturing among the Mountain Pirates, going against his own father to help end the siege against the Vashashis? How can we forget that Vinshu Zawhart cured her so many times with her Family Secret? How could she lose that vision she had of the Royal Dragon smiling gently at her? And the thought that crushed her: how to get away from the Fire Dragon, the almakin who dared to face all the absolute certainties she had to regard her as an equal?
She remembered the punch she'd hit at Krission Dul'Maojin. Like all the anger she felt against him at that moment made her act recklessly and yet he had saved her from the lake instead of simply letting her drown as a punishment for the daring. How he had taught her to evolve her almaki. Even though he was not a patient mentor, he did for her what none of his masters at the Institute dared to do.
When they were on Routes, on a day that seemed totally out of their reality, he had led her through those streets showing things she never expected to know in life. In her stubborn way, she gave him that book she never left and was always in her backpack.
Also took her to his village and set aside all his supreme air of Fire Dragon to join vilashis in a celebration. And then there were the colorful explosions they'd made together, for the first time she could boast of being an almakin.
Handling with colorfire was only possible because of him. Then, when that incident with the pirates happened, he had gone after her, without a doubt even if he was doing the right thing. For the first time in life, she was left to hurt by those he learned to ignore, and all because of her. Garo-lin remembered the result of all this: his request that he always stay where he could see. And then the realization that the sphere he had won served this purpose.
Remembered how he saved her from the Institute's students, confronting them without fear and losing their admiration without hesitation. Without even thinking that this attitude, more than any other she had had with her before, could jeopardize her entire reputati
on as a Fire Dragon. From the Piece of Almakia, the way he had found to say they had something in common...
Even so, he was still the Fire Dragon: impulsive, proud and idiotic.
It did not matter if the heiress Dul'Maojin, the Dragons, and So-ren told her that she was the one who could change the future of the one who would dictate Almakia's course. A dragon could not be worth all his family, his village and the vilashis. All their suffering could not be justified by a change of attitude of a single person. Would it be acceptable to make the Realm a better place with the suffering of so many?
— Definitely not – she murmured, mentally emphasizing that she would never forgive herself if she let that happen.
Now Garo-lin realized that he had a perfect opportunity to get things right. It was enough to have swallowed up the anger that bubbled inside her, not to have shouted those things and accepted the proposal of the dragon's mother. If she had not been so obsessed with the idea of being manipulated, she might have realized that this really was the perfect way to solve all the problems. From the most basic – she being a useless almakin within the Realm – to the siege of her village.
I could have negotiated. He could have asked for an opportunity to persuade all the Vashashis to leave Almakia. She would have it easily if she had the support of the Lady of the Fire Capital. The vilashis did not deserve to be among the conflicts and disputes of the almakins, being slaughtered by them. It was simple! The only thing she would have to do in return for getting all the vilashis out of the Inland Valley, so they would not get involved in something they were innocent of, would just forget and go back to living normally elsewhere. To forget that he was an almakin, to forget the Institute, to forget the Dragons, to forget Kriss Dul'Maojin and all that he had done for her.
— GARO-LIN!
She froze at the echo of that voice calling.
He jumped up and looked at the deserted corners. Soon he could identify the place where the hard steps he heard came, and it was not long before those who had cried appeared before him.
At the beginning of the street, breathless and broken as he had never been before, was Krission Dul'Maojin, seeming to have run all over Almakia to get there.
— I found you! He said, smiling relieved.
Garo-lin felt his chest tighten and immediately all his thoughts from moments ago seemed absurd and completely meaningless.
Because of all the bad things that happened in that time when she had thrown herself into a pit of discouragement, added to the oppression in her village, seeing the Fire Dragon so, appearing suddenly, made her have a feeling that everything could end well if she would stay with him. And without realizing it, her eyes filled with tears.
When Dul'Maojin realized that the vilashi was crying, he stopped catching breath and ran to her, hugging her:
— No matter what happened, Garo-lin! I will not let it... – He did not finish, because he realized she did not hear.
Garo-lin only gripped him tightly, burying his face in his coat, weeping all that she had contained so far to be able to make herself strong.
Chapter 26 – The way we should go through
— How did you know I was here? – Garo-lin asked, after finally managing to control his crying.
— Are you sure you're okay? – The dragon asked worriedly, not knowing what to do if she started crying again.
— Hum – she said, sniffling.
Garo-lin could not explain exactly what had induced her to cling to him like that and cry uncontrollably. She was immensely grateful that all that sense of imprisonment had passed along with her tears, and now she was relieved in a way she had not remembered what it was like for a long time.
As lightning struck the skies and the damp wind from the pouring rain came blowing, the dragon pulled her down from a shroud of one of the enclosed buildings, grunting something about her to get wet and sneeze.
— Nu'lian warned me – he said, pointing to the sphere he was carrying around his neck. – I'd dumped her in one place, and all of a sudden my room was flooded. He said that if I delayed a little more, he would have flooded all the floors to get my attention. He told me about you and where you thought you had gone. So I ran there and, at the entrance, I heard people commenting on a vilashi who had invaded, demanding to speak to the Lady of the Fire Capital, and who had come to knock over everything.
— But... how did you find me here? I have no idea what this place is.
He looked awkwardly at the floor and tried to explain:
— Rusnance.
— What?
— That! – He picked up the ball and was a little irritated at having to explain. – I can feel your soul with that!
She just stared at him, not knowing what to say.
— When... when I thought... because of that fire... I could not feel it, so...
Resonance, the idea came clear in Garo-lin's head. That was how that sphere worked. There had to be two-way communication, and one had to recognize the other's soul.
She thought of the days she had traveled and of how she could not quite remember what had happened, as if she had been unconscious for the entire time and a mysterious force had taken responsibility for bringing her body back to Godan. Even if the dragon had tried to contact her, however much she sometimes remembered the sphere, it would be useless in the face of her own unwillingness to emanate, which had practically buried her power after being expelled.
Now there, walking furiously through the streets, emanating almaki in that strange way, as if everything she had accumulated during that time had surfaced, it was clear that her sphere would suffer influence even though it was well guarded.
— But you're alive! – He said with a smile, as if it were the best thing that had ever happened.
Garo-lin felt the whole floor beneath his feet disappear in front of that smile, and for a moment the noise of the rain seemed far away.
— Of course I'm alive – she mumbled, trying to get back to her normal state and ignoring that suddenly breathing had become more difficult. – I have always been!
And it was her turn to tell him what had happened.
Unlike the other times he'd told her about her expulsion, this time Garo-lin concentrated on counting in a detailed way, as if this could slow time down, and she could hold for a while longer that sense of relief the dragon had brought.
As the rain started in a torrential way, almost drowning out her voice, she talked about the pirates surrounding her village, how she had managed to get out and go to Routes for help. Of how he had found Kinaito and that he and the Metal Dragon had brought it to Kandara... but he stopped at that part. To say more than that meant telling the dragon that he knew about the Lady of the Fire Capital's plans. But as nothing occurred to him to disguise the situation, his sudden silence was enough for Dul'Maojin to suspect that she was hiding something.
— I'm not coming back – said seriously.
— Back where?
— To the Institute, home.
— As well?
— It was my mother who did this, did not she? The fire, her expulsion, the problems in her village... why else would a vilashi go to the Lady of the Fire Capital blowing things up along the way?
— Yeah... I blew up – she agreed, unable to help herself to imagine the scene and think how bizarre it was to see a vilashi tearing through the entrance hall of the most important building in the Fire Capital – I'm going to be banned from Almakia for that.
— You think that's why?
— I think I blew your mother's fireplace too... and her flame holder.
— Yes, the flame holder were made of crystal... but you did something much worse!
— What's worse than calling the Lady of the Fire Capital an Idiot?
— You punched my nose, do not you? How many times have you called me an idiot, too? And I was really hurt that time I had to go after you because of the pirates! If Garo-lin Colinpis should be expelled from Almakia, it is up to the person most harmed by h
er to do so, that is, the absolute I!
She smiled, leaning against the wall behind her. Terrible as his situation was with the Lady of the Fire Capital, the Fire Dragon's accusations were even worse.
— And as if that were not enough, this vilashi is now making the absolute Fire Dragon drop his title.
Garo-lin's smile disappeared.
— Now I know why Kandara left the house – he imitated her, leaning against the wall – I do not need the Dul'Maojin, I may as well be the Krission. Enough of being the heir, the Keeper of a Secret and the Fire Dragon!
— It can not be easy to quit – said Garo-lin, shocked.
— Why the astonishment? – Is it so hard to believe that I can drop all this?
— It's just... You're the Fire Dragon.
And always gone. To imagine him outside this context was like imagining a day without sun.
— So from now on, it's good to start reviewing your rights.
— ... concepts?
He stared at her in confusion, then realized that she was correcting him.
— You understand what I mean!
Holding himself so as not to laugh at his embarrassment at breaking the whole effect of what he thought was a great speech, she tried to bring him back to reality:
— It's not that simple. You can not come and say that you are no longer the Fire Dragon and expect everyone to accept it.
Dul'Maojin looked at the rain for a while. It was clear that he knew it was not really easy, but he really wanted it to be.
— You know... – Garo-lin began – I never liked you as Dragons. They were too big and they crushed the others. I was the one down there in the worst of situations. Still, these same Dragons seem to have learned as much as I do that whoever creates the differences are us... a wise dragon taught me that.
Almakia_The vilashi and the Dragons Page 35