— Are you going to leave from the port? -The dragon asked in shock – Why did not you tell us before, So-ren?
— Because, as you read here, the Dragons are no longer welcome. The port is filled with profiteers who know that they would profit greatly if they found them and took them to the Fire Capital. Knowing Kronar, she certainly offered a good prize for capturing all of you... even those who were not mentioned – she emphasized that last sentence, staring at Garo-lin.
A discouraging silence settled between them. As much they wanted to talk to with the Fire Dragon, and he was so close, it was as if there was a huge barrier between them.
— I may be a useless old woman when it is necessary to use almaki to fight, but no one can say that So-ren Dul'Maojin survived all these years being ignored by the Fire Family without learning a few tricks – she went to the bag she had left in the ground and poured all the contents of it, showing them a series of foreign clothes instead of the supposed provisions that she was supposed to bring. – I can not just stand still when the young Dragons are being crushed by the circumstances! – Can you sew, vilashi?
***
The hot midday sun in the harbor made Garo-lin's head cook under his wig and suffer from the uncomfortable tingling of his disguise. Even though neither she nor anyone in the group who was hiding in the small suburb of the Royal Capital were good at sewing, they had done reasonably acceptable work. Together with the wigs made of something that Garo-lin did not want to imagine, but reminiscent of animals, they managed to pass as exhausted travelers who made a short stop before resuming their work at sea.
Even though they seemed to have no trouble walking in the streets unnoticed in these disguises, there was something still buzzing inside Garo-lin's head, bothering her: the Lightning Dragon had refused to come with them.
He was the only one who had been silent all the time. In the face of all those problems, she had not realized that whoever was framing the whole plan of how they would be at the port was the Wind Dragon, not the clever Vinshu Zawhart – who in his eyes always seemed to be the leader in the absence of the Fire Dragon – and now he was far from demonstrating any act of leadership. When everyone began to move together to sort the disguises in time, he just stated:
— I will not go.
The others stared at him as if they could find no reason for his friend to act that way and wait for an explanation.
Then he asked:
— Why should we take such a risk? – Look what happened to Kandara! I think we should just stop and go home. It will not be difficult for us to be forgiven if we simply rectify ourselves for what we have done.
The heavy silence that settled in the room made Garo-lin feel as if he were on the edge of a cliff. The Wind Dragon was the one who broke that atmosphere by asking the question that seemed to be the same one of all:
— Give it up, Vin?!
Faced with the indignation of his friends, he simply began to pour out all his reasons:
— If the Lady of the Fire Capital is doing these things, it is surely for the good of all the souls! – What we must do is be faithful to our title and return immediately to our Families! We are Keepers of Secrets and it is our duty to return, for all the people who trust us! It is none of our business the subjects of vilashis, kodorins or whatever!
Rising from the ground on a determined impulse, Garo-lin reached the front of the Lightning Dragon and gave him a huge slap in the face, which made him stagger to the side.
— AND HOW ABOUT KIDARI?! – She snapped. – You may not care for vilashis and kodorins, but there's a special kodorin! – She came here to be herself and she chose to like you! Are you going to let it fall like this in the Lady of the Fire Capital's clutches, as if it were simply an object used to achieve its goals?! What kind of smart Lightning Dragon are you if you cannot notice that there's something so important right under your nose?!
Vinshu Zawhart heard all this with an expression of fury, holding the hit part of his face and not believing that vilashi had such boldness.
Before the eyes of his friends, who did not know what to expect of him in this rare situation, he hissed:
— Do whatever you want – and turned his back on them, going into the bedroom and slamming the door behind him.
— Let's do it! – Garo-lin replied in the same state of fury, demonstrating that there was no trace of the Dragons anymore, and he returned to his task of sewing.
Although everyone was bothered by this situation, they tried not to be discouraged and continued with what they had done before, acting as if that had not happened. They had little time and decisions should be taken immediately. Luckily, the Lightning Dragon seemed to be the only one who thought that way.
Then, late in the afternoon, there were the Dragons and Garo-lin, trying to walk away to keep their attention as they moved around the Royal Port – a much cleaner and more pleasant region than the commercial ports of loading and unloading by which they passed. There was already a large crowd, waiting in general uneasiness for that game that promised to be the beginning of a historic moment in Almakia.
As everyone considered her as a child, Garo-lin was not prevented from sneaking up to the front of the people, to be able to see better. Covertly, so that her eyes would not be noticed even if partially hidden under a thick fringe, she searched around and located the Dragons, a little further away and mixed with several faces. When Nu'lian met his gaze, he nodded, indicating that until then everything was okay.
Then the crowd erupted in shouts and greetings, and as they looked for what they acclaimed, Garo-lin spotted a chariot with the symbol of the Royal State approaching.
The crowd was contained by a rope arranged so as to create a corridor, at least three meters wide, where the entourage could pass smoothly.
Although there was nothing more that would separate the souls from the important almakins who would walk there, overcoming that barrier was unthinkable to anyone, almakin or not: the desire to be so close to a celebrity was not worth the price of the punishment they would have to bear after. As soon as the carriage stopped and the door was opened by servants, Lady of the Fire Capital appeared, gleaming in her height garments within the Almaki Society, not looking exactly like the mourning mother she had seen in the paper.
Behind her, the Fire Dragon came out and received a huge wave of applause and shouts of approval, as if all those people wanted to give him the message that no matter what he had done, they were still loyal to the title he carried.
He did not have to be around for Garo-lin to notice his state of despondency: with deep dark circles, as if he had not slept for a single moment since that night, and with the visible inability to smile diplomatically as his mother was doing. He just obediently followed her steps. After him, Kidari stepped out of the carriage, his hand on Shion's head, walking beside her like a faithful guard. Still behind her came two more almakins in their black robes like those who tried to put Garo-Lin out of the Power Center when she went to meet the Lady of the Fire Capital. And they joined the servants and another group that was there in the port just before the carriage arrived, forming an escort around the three. Then they made their way along the corridor lined by the ropes of protection to the waiting boat.
As the group passed them, Garo-lin held the glass ball in his hands, hoping the Fire Dragon would notice it and look in that direction. But he made no move to indicate that he had felt his calling. There was no resonance. He might just not be with the ball as he might have...
— Closed inside himself – she murmured, and the idea seemed obvious to be happening.
Just as it had happened when she was expelled, he could have created a protective shell on him and could not see clearly what was happening around him and just followed what they told him. But at the same time, she knew it was something much worse than what she had been through.
Losing his sister that way, at the hands of her own mother, should have caused huge damage inside him. Then, in a way she had n
ever wanted in life, she wanted him to look at her. She knew she could not solve everything if he simply saw her in the midst of those people, but she wanted to be able to give him that same sense of relief she had felt when he had found him in the Fire Capital.
Despite all that will, the dragon passed without noticing it. When she made a desperate move to draw his attention-she shrank back in time not to report herself-Garo-lin realized that someone had noticed. Kidari's large round green eyes were fixed on her and the princess seemed to hold her breath. Then she made a discreet gesture with her hands and asked for silence. Even though she was visibly against her will, Kodorin seemed to understand that she would only hurt her friend if she revealed her presence.
Then, acting in a surprisingly intelligent way for her, Kidari caught the Fire Dragon's attention in a unique way:
-ATCHIIIIN! – She sneezed in a false but scandalous way, which caught everyone's attention. – Excuse me – she said politely, sniffing and running his finger across his nose, indicating the audience to the Dragon.
Although it was a risky strategy, since Shion could understand her gestures, the cat seemed to be more concerned about the souls surrounding them, staring at them suspiciously. And the princess had succeeded.
The dragon seemed to understand what she meant and glanced at the crowd, and it was the Garo-lin's turn to hold her breath.
But felt as if the whole floor were opening to a vacuum beneath her feet when Krission Dul'Maojin only stared at her for a moment, acknowledging, and then turned his back on her and continued her way.
Without understanding, Kidari had no choice but to continue following the procession, casting one last pleading look at her friend.
While Garo-Lin remained anesthetized by the impact of being coldly ignored, the group climbed up the ramp and the crowd's racket intensified. The moorings were loosened, the ramp withdrawn, and slowly the ship began to move through the handling of the low-level almakins working on it. The crowd finally broke the barrier that held them and they all ran to the edge of the pier.
-NO! Kidari's scream came from somewhere up above, as the boat moved away from the harbor, not caring what the princess wanted.
And then she appeared on the ship's edge, crying and being held by Shion, who was trying to push her away from where everyone could see her.
Just standing between a crowd of strange people waving and celebrating the departure, idiotic thoughts about throw yourself into the sea and going after to the ship passed by Garo-lin's mind. For a second they seemed perfectly sensible and she moved, with the right intention to do that, but a vision made her stop and completely forget her place in the world.
On a baseline above Kidari, the Fire Dragon emerged, watching the harbor move away. She could not tell if he was looking directly at her, or if, somehow, Kidari's crying had made him act that way, but the mere sight of him made his whole chest tighten.
— Krission... – she murmured, and just pronouncing the name was as if something were slicing inside.
When she realized it, tears had already wet her face, and a sense of loss had plagued her. Only now, watching him walk away, she wondered how she had let this happen. Why had not she just thrown herself away from that mombelula that night and stayed with him? Had not she promised Kandara she'd watch over him?
Then, taking a deep breath and gathering all his strength and pride of a vilashi into a mixture that condensed inside her, Garo-lin made his way through the people and ran through the harbor until he reached its limit, where there was no alternative but to be jump into the sea and shouted:
— FIRE DRAGON IDIOOOOOT! YOU CAN'T LEAVE!
The ship pulled away, cutting off the calm sea of that day, uncaring of that insignificant creature who spent the air of its lungs in vain.
— YOU CAN NOT LEAVE, FIRE DRAGON! – Her voice came out strangey and hurt her throat. – I do not want you to go...
Finally, knowing that he could not hear her from that distance, she dropped to his knees on the floor, feeling useless.
— Vilashi!
She turned to hear the call, recognizing the voice, but not believing it: Vinshu Zawhart was at his side, staring at the ship. Even after he'd said it all, he'd still been there in disguise.
Feeling this a hopeful thing, Garo-lin stood up and wiped his face with the sleeves of his garments, saying:
— He saw me, but he did nothing.
The dragon remained impassive without taking his eyes off the sea. Then he declared, as if making a promise,
— No matter how long it takes and what method we're going to use, we'll bring them back! Even if we have to leave Almakia and cross the sea, even if I have to forget that I am a dragon and that you are a vilashi, we will bring Kris and Kidari back! – He reached his hando for her. – Do we agree, fire handler, who dared to stand on the same level as the Dragons?
She smiled at the recognition and stood up, recovering.
— You have my almaking word, Lightning Dragon – She declared, firmly shaking his hand in the way she had been taught to greet her mentor for the commencement of a Charge.
— Do not think you can do things without us! – Sumerin came running, followed by the other Dragons, and put his hand over their hand. – Count with the Metal Dragon!
— And with the Wind Dragon! – Benar stood beside them.
— And with the Water Dragon – Nu'lian completed the set. – We will not let Kandara's will get lost.
At that moment, with a feeling that she would be able to do anything with their help, all Garo-lin could do was put his other hand on theirs and say:
— Thank you, Dragons.
— Of course you have to thank us, vilashi! – Benar mimicked the absolute voice the Fire Dragon wore. – After all, we are the ones who will dictate the course of Almakia.
— And you are the one who has decided our course – Vinshu added.
A movement began nearby, and soon they realized that people looked suspiciously at that strange group of joined hands.
— Come on – said Garo-lin, in a tone of order that she would never have dared to use before, but which now seemed natural to her.
None of those people in the harbor, and indeed no other person inside or outside the Almakins Realm, had realized that there, within the boundaries of the Realm, the steps to a new History of Almakia began with the promise between their Dragons and a simple vilashi who, by chance, had been born able to handle fire.
Thanks
To all those who joined their dreams with me and ran out screaming for the future, not caring if it was the right thing to do or if we were going to fall, just believing in our own strengths:
To the B&C League: Yuri, Thiago, Thaíza and Eloise, for all the fun moments.
To Danúbia who trusted and helped open many portals since the LAP began.
To Carol who gave me the name and all her sense of justice to Garo-lin.
To my family, especially Thaira who also always enjoyed reading.
To Paula for the way of a decade, believing in the dream and to Alessandra who will always be the A of LAP.
Lhaisa Andria
Almakia II – Beyond the Secrets
(only brazilian portuguese)
After losing an important ally and being abandoned by their leader, the Dragons also lose their titles and face the reality of are no longer welcomed not Realm where they were born. Without choice, they help Garo-lin on the mission of protecting the vilashis and continuing the work begun by Kandara. Going beyond the Secrets, they find much more than friends and enemies. On that journey, past and present need to be united so that the dragons can again dictate the future of Almakia.
Almakia III – Dul’Maojin Institute
(only brazilian portuguese)
The new mission that extends to Garo-lin and the Dragons now has two directions: they must find the true Dragons – for Kanadi to face their opposite – at the same time they needing to enter in the Almakia's heart and convince the almakins about a danger
eminent. The discoveries continue through the mysteries that the buildings of the Dul'Maojin Institute hide. Still, something moves beyond the sea, and gradually brings to the Realm truths that should be forgotten. An old thought must be resumed and renewed, so that the future of Almakia may exist.
Book 4 – Almaki’s Realms
(only brazilian portuguese)
While they are still trying to find out if they can trust in the lady of the fire capital, Garo-lin needs to divert his focus from the future and look to the past, to understand where the roots of those who hitherto set Almakia's course begin. Under the command of the pure Almaki, the vilashi and the New Dragons unite to try to rescue old allies and fight against something greater than the pride of the almakins. In the consequences of their actions, it remains to be seen whether Almakins will continue to rule the Realms or whether there will be only the destruction of the Almakia's heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brazilian writer, Lhaisa Andria lives in Foz do Iguaçu, city of Iguazu Falls. From early on enchanted with fantastic worlds, soon she discovered the fanfics and improve your way of writing in this universe of possibilities. Along with friends during school, she created a group of writers, the LAP, active since 2001, where she produces texts and drawings related to her interests. Graduated in Literature, she is part of ALEFI (Foz do Iguaçu Academy of Letters).
almakia.com.br
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