Roshil wiped sweat from her brow, then brought her hammer down again. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a fire poker, but everyone needed them, and they wanted to stockpile them for the next cold season while they weren’t busy. At least, Roshil did, because the alternative was to knit, and she got restless if she sat still for too long.

“Apprentice Roshil!” Master Grund called from across the forge. “Put it down and come here!”

“But—” Roshil began, ready to argue her case again. Until she mastered knitting while walking, she wasn’t convinced she would be able to knit for very long. Even though Oshal and Aonva had both pointed out that she was willing to sit still to read, Roshil wasn’t convinced knitting was the same.

“Now!”

She put her hammer down, then stuck the unfinished poker into a bucket of water. Setting it carefully on the anvil so it didn’t fall (unless someone pushed it again), Roshil walked around the furnaces to find Master Grund. When she did, she found the reason that he had called her over. Also the reason the entire forge had gone quiet, which she would’ve noticed had she not been tuning out everyone and everything else.

King Fohra stood at the entrance to the forge. Apart from the gold trim on his tunic and the medallion around his neck with the Skwyr Court coat of arms, there was little to distinguish him from anyone else. He didn’t look old or wise like Roshil would’ve expected. She didn’t even know who he was when he’d first introduced himself to her after she’d been saved from the dragon. He just looked like a person. Not a person that kept order in the court, but an ordinary person.

“Apprentice Roshil,” he said with a smile. His voice was always calm. He never shouted. Roshil wasn’t sure he ever got angry. “I would like to speak with you and Lord Grund alone, if that’s alright with you.” He glanced over at the furnace at which Roshil had been working. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Despite her first instinct to tell him she had been in the middle of something, she could almost hear Aonva, Master Ekla, and Kurgm shouting at her not to talk back to the king.

“Nothing she can’t come back to later,” Master Grund said. He turned his chair around and started rolling through the forge. “This way.”

“Keep up the good work, everyone,” King Fohra said before following Master Grund and Roshil.

Master Grund led them to one of the rooms away from the furnaces. He motioned for them to go inside before following them and closing the door.

“Is there a reason you decided to stop by and hijack my apprentice?” Master Grund asked.

“That’s what I like about you, Lord Grund,” King Fohra said with a smile. “You treat everyone equally.” He turned to Roshil. “Apprentice Roshil, how are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess.” Roshil shrugged, although her mind immediately jumped to the scales that had been spreading over her back for almost a year.

Being king meant that Fohra had a mastery in all six specializations. Having grown up with a weaver, Roshil always assumed that any fleeting emotion would be sensed, and thus clamped down her mind before the king decided to go digging.

“There’s no need to worry,” he said, confirming her suspicions that he, like every other weaver she’d ever met, decided that her mind was open to the public. “I’m not here to check up on you.”

No, you’ve got Master Grund or Master Ekla for that.

“I’d hope not,” Master Grund said. “Not only am I perfectly capable of that, but you are perfectly capable of not doing that on my time.”

“I don’t want to keep you longer than necessary,” King Fohra said, “so I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve just come from a meeting with a friend of mine, and she’d like to meet you.”

“Why?” Roshil asked, but she already knew the answer. It was the only reason anyone wanted to meet her: her eyes. She was different, and people wanted to study the freak. Except Aonva; she was interested in the dragon’s curse, but only because she was interested in everything relating to dragons. She didn’t want to study Roshil, she wanted to help her.

“It’s her eyes, isn’t it?” Master Grund said, with a slight edge to his voice. Roshil was a little surprised; normally he would’ve started yelling by now if someone had brought up Roshil’s eyes.

“I’m afraid so,” King Fohra said.

“Tell your friend ‘no’,” Master Grund said. “Just ‘no’. Not even a ‘no, thank you’. No! Apprentice Roshil is not a test subject for your friend to poke and prod and study! She’s a human being! Whoever your friend is can get lost!” He paused for a moment, then added, “Your Majesty!”

King Fohra and Master Grund stared at one another for a minute. Roshil looked around, wondering if she was still needed, or if she could leave. She was quite sure she didn’t want to be there anymore.

“Are you finished?” King Fohra asked.

“No promises.”

“If you’d let me explain, this is no ordinary friend. I hope both of you know that I wouldn’t have interrupted you for another researcher. This friend of mine may be able to help Apprentice Roshil.”

“How?” Roshil asked.

“She doesn’t know, nor does she want to make any promises, but she understands the curse far better than anyone else I’ve met. I promise she isn’t dangerous, and Lord Grund, you, Lady Emgard, and I will be present the entire time.” He turned to Apprentice Roshil. “As well as anyone else you’d like to accompany us.”

Master Grund narrowed his eyes at King Fohra. “Your friend have a name?”

The king nodded. “Umkanokseh.”

“That’s a dragon’s name,” Master Grund said. “Either your friend is so smart she found a way to lie about her name, or…”

Again, the king nodded. “She is a dragon.”

#VolumeFour #TheDragonsCurse

The king gave Roshil time to think over his offer. He walked out of the forge, escorted by Master Grund. Once the king had left, Master Grund walked Roshil back to the office.

Roshil’s heart pounded in her ears. She felt sick. Why did a dragon want to talk to her? What help could anyone be to her? No, she didn’t care. She didn’t want to talk to a dragon. She never wanted to see another dragon again.

“What do you think?” Master Grund asked.

Roshil shook her head. “I don’t want to. I don’t want to. No. No, no, no, no!”

Visions of fire clouded her mind. She heard her mother screaming for her to stay hidden. To protect her brother. People were running everywhere, trying to escape before it came back for a second pass. Its eyes glistened in the light of the fires it had created. Its call broke through the panic, reaching out through the dark.

“Roshil.”

Her mother grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Roshil tried to tear her eyes away from the dragon, but it was coming toward them. It was coming to take her away and make her a monster.

“Apprentice Roshil!”

She drew a breath when she heard Master Grund’s voice coming out of her mother’s mouth. Roshil blinked, and the office in the forge came back into focus. Tears were running down her cheeks. Master Grund sat in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you back?” he asked.

She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak.

“Good. Thought I had to get the medics involved for a minute.”

Roshil shook her head again. “No, no, no. No hospitals. I don’t like hospitals.”

He guided her to a chair and had her sit down.

“Breathe. For now, focus on breathing.”

Roshil did as she was told, taking a breath, and letting it out. It was all in the past. The dragon couldn’t get to her. Master Grund wouldn’t let it. And Aonva was always there for her. Roshil didn’t think her friend would be helpful in a fight, but knowing she was there made Roshil feel better.

What about this new dragon? What if it attacked her? Who would be there to protect her? Would Master Grund be there with her? Who could protect her? Not even her mother could stop a dragon. What chance did anyone else have?

“I don’t want to meet the dragon. I don’t want to meet any more dragons.”

“No one’s going to make you,” Master Grund said. “But consider that no human understands what’s happened to you.”

“I don’t want to be alone with it.”

“You won’t be. I will be with you every step of the way. As will His Majesty, Lord Velal, and Lady Emgard. Both of them have experience fighting dragons.”

Roshil nodded. She’d been unconscious at the time, but she’d been told how those three had fended off the dragon the last time.

“Apprentice Roshil, I know you’re scared, but this might be your only chance of understanding what that thing did to you. Most dragons won’t talk about it. If there’s one that’s willing to, then maybe it’s worth it. You’ll never be alone with it. If she so much as looks at you like she’s gonna try something, I’ll kill her on the spot. I promise you that.”

Roshil shook her head. She knew Master Grund meant it, but he didn’t understand. No one could stop a dragon.

“You don’t understand!” she shouted. “You can’t stop it! Not even my mother could stop it!”

“I’m not asking you to meet with the dragon that hurt you,” Master Grund said, keeping his voice down.

She shook her head again. She was starting to feel dizzy.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re all the same. They all want to hurt me!”

“That’s enough, then. Take some time in here to relax. I’ll be outside.”

He wheeled around and started for the door. He paused before he left.

“I know you’ve made up your mind, but anyone else you wanted by your side would be with you.”

He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t want to keep talking about it. The more she thought about it, the worse it got.

“I’ll tell His Majesty that you’re not interested.”

Roshil nodded, but kept her gaze on the floor. She flinched when Master Grund closed the door.

What good would meeting a dragon do? It couldn’t fix her, could it? No, no one could. And dragons didn’t want to fix her. They wanted to hurt her. No one could stop them.

She rubbed some of the scales on her back. More and more kept appearing. What was next? Wings? A tail? She didn’t want to keep changing. She wanted it to stop before it got worse. But it didn’t. It only got worse, and no one could stop it. Not Master Grund, or Master Ekla, or Lady Emgard. No one.

She could hardly stand the sight of her own reflection. Her eyes were wrong. They were supposed to be her mother’s eyes. Now it was as though that thing stared back at her, laughing at her, full of glee that it’d ruined her. People hated her because of what that thing had done to her, and she was being asked to talk to another one. What was stopping it from doing something worse to her? They couldn’t stop a dragon. No one could!

I’m the only one who will ever love you.

Roshil closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was finished thinking about it. She left the office and went back to her furnace. Sure enough, someone had moved the poker to the other side of the forge. She walked over and grabbed it, noting that people were staring at her again. Fine. She could ignore them.

When she returned to her furnace, she stuck the poker back in, then reached for her hammer. With that, she got back to work, putting the dragon out of her mind.

#VolumeFour #TheDragonsCurse

The dragon was on Roshil’s mind all day. She couldn’t get the idea of meeting with one out of her head. She didn’t want to, she was sure of that. Then why was she still thinking about it? Something in her said she wanted to, but she hated the idea.

It was the curse. The curse that had changed her eyes and her hair. The curse that was spreading scales all over her. Changing her into something else. Something she didn’t want to be. She’d never been normal, but at least she’d been human before.

She met Aonva at the library, and tried to put it out of her mind. She was happy to be with her best friend. No matter how much studying they did, no matter how much she learned about past inventors, she couldn’t keep the dragon out of her mind.

“Aonva, can… can we go to one of the study rooms?”

“Um… I suppose so.”

The girls walked into one of the study rooms in the library. Roshil knew Aonva didn’t like the study rooms, on account of the fact that they made her a little claustrophobic, but Roshil didn’t want anyone to overhear their conversation.

After closing the door, Roshil gave an account of the day’s events.

“A dragon’s coming to the court?” Aonva asked when Roshil was finished. “That’s amazing! Dragons are seen so rarely, especially ones that are willing to talk to humans. Think of everything we could learn. We could…”

Roshil shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Aonva was more excited than Roshil had expected her to be. Dragons were a constant fascination of Aonva’s, and it didn’t surprise her that Aonva was so excited at the possibility of one coming to the court.

“But you don’t want to see it,” Aonva said.

Roshil shook her head, trying to keep herself together for Aonva. The last thing she wanted was to break down around her friend, but if it was safe to open up to anyone, it was Aonva.

“But… how many people get to meet a dragon? There’d be so much we could learn if we met with it. Do you know if it’s a male or female? You said His Majesty knew its name. Dragons are the only creatures that can change their own names, or lie about their names. It’s probably not its real name, because dragons wouldn’t reveal it. Names have so much power in them when it comes to magic. Of course, you know that, you’ve taken the same classes I have. If we met with this dragon—”

“I don’t want to meet a dragon! I didn’t want to meet the last one, and I don’t care about this one! I want to be left alone!”

Aonva recoiled at Roshil’s outburst. Roshil immediately felt guilty for yelling at Aonva.

“I didn’t mean to yell,” Roshil said. “Master Grund wants me to meet with it. With… with her. He said this might be the only chance I’ll ever have to figure out what that… thing did to me.”

Roshil waited for Aonva to say something. They both knew she wanted to. Master Grund was right. They’d exhausted all resources available to humans, and there was nothing. Most people didn’t even know what dragon-touched meant. If anyone could tell them anything about it, it was a dragon. Most of them didn’t talk about it, but this one would.

That didn’t matter to Roshil. She never wanted to see another dragon again.

“Um…”

Aonva’s voice was more like a squeak than an actual word.

“I… I know you don’t want to. But… Lady Emgard told me that when I get scared, ask myself what’s more important: My fear, or what I can gain from the thing of which I’m afraid?”

“I—”

“Please, let me finish,” Aonva said.

Roshil was almost startled by Aonva. She never cut people off.

“I know you’re scared of seeing a dragon again, but I also know you’re scared of what that curse is doing to you. I don’t think His Majesty would’ve asked if there was any problem with this dragon. I think it would be better to talk to it. At least then we might be able to find out something about the curse.”

Aonva trembled, but kept her eyes fixed on Roshil’s. Roshil looked away first. Her hands shook, and her breathing grew shallow. She didn’t want to face another dragon, but Aonva was right. This was the only chance to find out about the curse, and it did scare her. What if the scales grew on her face next? What if she couldn’t hide that she was changing anymore?

When the dragon had attacked the first time, her mother had ran in to protect them. She hadn’t thought twice. Her mother must’ve been afraid too, but she never showed it. She’d always protected them, no matter what. Right up until the end.

Roshil wanted to be like that. She wanted to face this new dragon, whatever the king had called her. Could she do it on her own? No, she wouldn’t be on her own. At least His Majesty, Lord Grund, Lady Emgard, and Lord Velal would be with her. She didn’t have to face a dragon alone.

What if Aonva were there with her? Maybe with Aonva, it wouldn’t be so bad.

“If… if I met with the dragon,” Roshil said. “Would you be there with me?”

“Could I? I’m sure His Majesty has a plan, but if he said it’s okay, I’d be thrilled. I mean, I don’t know that I’ll be of any use, but—”

“Master Grund said I could bring someone with me. I… I think I could face it if you were there.”

Roshil’s face grew hot. She felt like such an idiot. What if Master Grund hadn’t meant a friend? What if he’d meant Master Ekla or her father?

“I don’t know how much good I can be.”

“Just you being there is good enough.”

Roshil smiled, although in her head she was berating herself. It had sounded nice in her head, but ridiculous out loud.

Then Aonva smiled back at her, and everything was alright.

“Okay.”

#VolumeFour #TheDragonsCurse

They gathered together the next morning after breakfast. Roshil came with Master Grund. They met His Majesty and Lord Velal at the castle gates. Shortly thereafter, Aonva and Lady Emgard arrived.

Roshil smiled at Aonva, although more for herself than her friend. Fear still threatened to overwhelm her, but she had to go through with it now. Maybe she could with Aonva there.

“Is everyone ready?” King Fohra asked.

Everyone gave acknowledgment.

King Fohra tapped his staff and whispered something. Four beads at the top of his staff glowed and circled around him. The lights gathered in front of him and formed a rectangle. A light shone between the four points, and King Fohra and Lord Velal stepped through it.

Similar lights came from Master Grund’s chair and Lady Emgard’s staff. Roshil followed Master Grund through his gateway. Like the doors to the castle, which used a version of the spell, her body tingled as she stepped through it.

On the other side of the gateway, she arrived in a field. She saw a line of trees not far off. Behind them, hills stretched as far as she could see. In the distance, she could faintly make out some mountains.

Roshil realized that she recognized where they were. She’d been there with her family many times.

“We’re in the Western Plains,” she said.

“Well done,” King Fohra said. “Umkanokseh said she’d meet us out here. She should arrive any minute now.”

They stood and waited for a few minutes. Nothing happened.

“Hm,” King Fohra said. “That usually works. Let me try again. She should arrive—”

A shadow passed overhead. Every muscle in Roshil’s body tensed. She tried to stay calm, but she could feel herself slipping away. She fought the urge to run and hide, although her eyes still judged the distance to the line of trees, the closest safe place. She could hide there, and it would never find her.

“Roshil.”

Aonva’s voice came from far away, but Roshil held onto it. She ran back to it, back to reality.

Aonva stood beside her. The adults stood in front of her, keeping all eyes on the dragon as she landed. She was gray, like slate. Her scales glistened in the morning sun. She folded her wings as her eyes roamed over them, stopping on Roshil.

Those eyes. They were just like his eyes. They were just like Roshil’s eyes.

Roshil clenched her fists to stop them from shaking.

“Umkanokseh,” King Fohra said, spreading his arms wide. “How good to see you again.”

Umkanokseh’s eyes broke from Roshil and went back to King Fohra.

“King Fohra.” Her voice boomed over the field. Her long neck swiveled from His Majesty to Lady Emgard. “Lady Emgard, always a pleasure.”

“Always.” Lady Emgard gave a slight bow, then motioned to Lord Velal. “This is Lord Velal, The Lord True Knight of Skwyr Court.”

Lord Velal bowed low, keeping one hand on his sword.

“And Lord Grund, The Lord High Artisan of Skwyr Court.”

Master Grund glared at Umkanokseh, who stared back at him. The two of them silently sized up the other until Lady Emgard broke the silence.

“And Apprentices Aonva and Roshil.”

Once again, that gaze landed on Roshil, sweeping over Aonva without stopping. Roshil stepped back, but Aonva took a shaky step forward. Master Grund kept himself between the girls and the dragon.

“I promise you, I’m not going to harm her.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t take your word for it,” Master Grund growled.

“Do you really think you could stop me?” Even in a dragon’s voice, Roshil recognized condescension when she heard it.

“I will stop you.”

Umkanokseh’s gaze returned to Roshil. It almost looked like she was smiling, but her mouth hadn’t moved.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, little sister.”

Lady Emgard frowned at Roshil for a moment.

“I’m… I’m not your sister.”

“You and I were sired by Valignatiejir. I can sense him in you.”

Roshil’s body shook. She fell to her knees. Fire burned around her, but she flew into the air. Away from her home, her family. Trapped in his clutches. Carried off to be made into a monster. To be hurt over and over. Cut upon, bones broken. Her own blood everywhere. No way to escape.

I am the only one who will ever love you. You are mine, Roshil.

“No!” Roshil shook her head. “Leave me alone!”

“Roshil!”

“Aonva?”

“It’s… it’s okay.”

“She’s right,” another voice said. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Roshil slowly opened her eyes. Aonva’s hands were over hers, which were clutching her head. Lord Velal crouched beside them, his gaze on Roshil. Lady Emgard and the dragon were talking in Arcane. Roshil could only pick out a few words.

“I’m sorry, little sister,” Umkanokseh said. “I did not mean to scare you.”

“Why does she keep calling you that?” Aonva asked as she and Lord Velal helped Roshil to her feet.

“Good question,” Master Grund said. “Why do you keep calling her that?”

“I have the misfortune to have been sired by…” Umkanokseh glanced at Lady Emgard. “By the dragon that did this.”

“So what?” Master Grund said.

“Lord Grund, remember your manners,” King Fohra said. He addressed Umkanokseh. “And you believe this gives you a kinship with Apprentice Roshil?”

“No dragon has had a chance to see what happens when… he does this. We’ve had theories, and it looks to me like we were right.”

“What do you think?” Lady Emgard asked.

“Dragons didn’t discover magic; we were born into it. It is a part of us. But Val… the other dragon took a part of himself and put it into this girl. I can sense it in her. It’s a part of her too.”

Roshil couldn’t stop herself from shaking. Part of that thing was inside her? Was that why she was changing?

“Can it be removed?” Lord Velal asked.

“I do not know. A dragon and her magic are one and the same. I do not know how he managed this.”

“What happens if we kill him?” Master Grund asked. “What happens to her?”

“She is distinct from him. Separate. The magic in her came from him, but it is no longer a part of him. I can sense it changing her, growing stronger.”

Roshil fought the urge to rub her back.

Aonva raised her hand.

“Apprentice Aonva,” Lady Emgard said, “you don’t need to raise your hand.”

“I… I didn’t want to… I mean… everything I’ve read doesn’t say anything about one dragon doing this. It talks like all of them can do it, but… you’re saying that only that one dragon can do this. And… has no other dragon met someone who’s been dragon-touched? I know there aren’t many of them, but it seems like it must’ve happened. What I first read about it said it was a way to speed up the process that causes living things to mutate when exposed to magic.”

Umkanokseh leaned closer to them. All four adults huddled closer, keeping themselves between the dragon and the girls.

Roshil glared at Umkanokseh. She didn’t like how close the dragon was getting to her friend.

“I cannot account for humans, Apprentice Aonva. But yes, only the one dragon does this. We believe it is a way to mark what he believes he owns. He is quite possessive after that, so no, none of my kind have ever been able to study one such as my sister here. And yes, living things do change when exposed to too much of our magic, so it makes sense that with a human’s limited view, you would come to that conclusion. It is far more than that.”

Umkanokseh drew her head back. “I have spent enough of my time here. However, this has been enlightening. Perhaps I shall visit soon.”

“We look forward to it, of course,” King Fohra said, bowing.

Umkanokseh spread her wings, sending gusts of wind all over the field.

“Wait!” Roshil shouted. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“You will keep changing. Into what, even I cannot be sure. I am sorry, little sister. Perhaps you will turn into a dragon. If you do, I’d be happy to teach you to fly.”

She beat her wings and took off, nearly knocking everyone else over. Roshil watched her fly further and further, shrinking against the horizon. Such freedom up in the sky. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

She shuddered at the thought of being a dragon. Umkanokseh had been nice enough, though. At least they weren’t all bad. It sounded like most of them weren’t that bad.

“Alright,” Master Grund said. “Now that that’s done.” He turned to Roshil. “Apprentice Roshil!”

“Yes, Master Grund?”

“You and Apprentice Aonva are ordered to return to the castle and have pie.”

Roshil smiled and stood to attention. “Yes, Master Grund!”

“It’s still early to be having sweets,” Lady Emgard said.

“That’s why we’re having pie,” Master Grund said. “It has fruit in it! That’s healthy!”

“Can’t argue with that,” King Fohra said. “Flawless logic.”

Master Grund opened a gateway back to the castle, and Roshil stepped through it with him. After meeting Umkanokseh, she wanted nothing more than to sit with Aonva and eat pie.

#VolumeFour #TheDragonsCurse

Aonva tried to keep her breathing level as she approached the west tower. She clutched a summons from Lady Emgard in her hand. Despite the explicit note “You are not in trouble”, Aonva couldn’t stop herself from imagining everything that could possibly go wrong. She tried to organize her mental library, but even that couldn’t stop her anxiety from running rampant.

She turned into the corridor that led to the door. Flashes of two years ago came to her mind, the time Roshil had picked the lock. Even though Roshil didn’t break the rules so blatantly anymore, Aonva still worried about her.

“Apprentice Aonva.”

Aonva jumped. She’d been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Lady Emgard standing next to her. She stood at attention.

“Apologies, My Lady!” Aonva shouted louder than she’d intended.

Lady Emgard smiled at her, and she felt calmer. Her anxiety eased up somewhat, although it never left entirely.

Lady Emgard unlocked the door and led her through. Then she opened the second door and beckoned Aonva inside.

The chambers were decently sized, certainly bigger than any apprentice’s. Lady Emgard led her through a sitting room into a room covered with books. Lady Emgard pulled up a chair and motioned for Aonva to sit.

“Welcome to my study,” Lady Emgard said. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Aonva didn’t think she’d ever be comfortable in Lady Emgard’s study. She doubted most masters had ever been inside, but here she was, a third year apprentice, invited by Lady Emgard herself. She wanted to read every book she could see. Which ones hadn’t she read? She wished she and Roshil had figured out their book reading spell.

“I brought you here because the court has recovered something of great value. Umkanokseh helped us find it, and now, I’m sharing it with you.”

Lady Emgard took a book from the table beside her and handed it to Aonva. It looked new, although slightly worn. Aonva leafed through it. The ink still glistened. This book had been written recently.

“The original, which we put away for safekeeping, was written by a man called Veran. He was somewhat eccentric, but he had a fascination with dragons. One dragon in particular, which was why we’ve spent a lot of time tracking him down. There aren’t that many dragons in the world, but even so, they don’t know much of one another’s lives. They mostly keep themselves to themselves, rarely even speaking with humans.”

“Thank you so much for letting me speak with Umkanokseh!” Aonva blurted. “I know I didn’t say much, but it was a privilege even seeing her. That was amazing! I… I still don’t know what to say!”

Aonva closed her mouth before she rambled on and embarrassed herself even more in front of Lady Emgard.

“It wasn’t my decision, it was Apprentice Roshil’s. Without you, I doubt if she would’ve spoken to Umkanokseh at all. And this,” she motioned to the book, “might not have entered our possession.”

Aonva trembled. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a few squeaks.

“The council has already read the book you now hold. It has a lot to offer, but I wanted a fresh set of eyes on it. You are in a unique position, Apprentice Aonva. You’re clever, and you put pieces together that the rest of us don’t. That’s why I’m letting you borrow that.”

“Thank you,” Aonva squeaked.

“You’ve earned it. I think you’ll find it quite captivating. I certainly did. There are, however, a few rules.”

Aonva looked up from the book that she’d already started reading. Her first impression was confusion, but she was sure if she kept reading, everything would start to make sense.

“First, you must show this to no one. This includes Master Kaernin and Apprentice Roshil. The former has been informed that you have something in your possession that he’s not allowed to see.”

Aonva nodded, hoping she could keep it a secret. It would be easy enough not to show it to either of them, but she was worried she’d start on another panicked ramble.

“Second, do not discuss its contents with anyone apart from me. This specifically includes Apprentice Roshil.”

That would be tricky. Aonva loved talking to Roshil. She was the only person who always listened. When Aonva got excited, Roshil would be excited simply because Aonva was.

“I… Roshil might be…”

“Turn to page 15, and you’ll see why I say this.”

Aonva turned to page 15 and started reading.

I found him. After all this time, I found him. Valignatiejir, the great dragon of fear. I stayed far away so he wouldn’t sense me. Records of him date back centuries, millennia. There’s no telling what he can do.

Aonva looked up at Lady Emgard.

“It’s all like that. Veran was obsessed with Valignatiejir. It goes back decades. You may learn a lot about him, but you may not speak his name when Apprentice Roshil is near. Only take the book out in your room or in here. If you are having trouble, talk to Lord Grund. You may tell him about the book.”

Aonva looked down at the black book. An imprint of a dragon’s claw adorned the cover.

“Valignatiejir was the dragon that hurt her, wasn’t he?”

Lady Emgard stared at her with a gaze that could see into her soul. Aonva quivered with terror.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to speak out of turn! I just… Roshil won’t say, of course, but after hearing the name from Umkanokseh, who didn’t explicitly say it, but the way Roshil reacted I thought it must’ve been him.”

“You didn’t speak out of turn. It was Valignatiejir. Read the book, and it will answer most of your questions. I hope it proves helpful to you.” She got to her feet, if a little shakily. “Do not stay up all night reading it.”

Aonva got to her feet. “I won’t, I promise.”

Lady Emgard showed her out. Aonva carefully put the book in her bag before leaving.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Apprentice Aonva. Please, take care of yourself.”

“I will!”

Aonva left the west tower in a slight daze. She’d barely left the corridor when she bumped into Roshil.

“Hello!” Roshil beamed at her.

Aonva smiled back. Another great thing about Roshil: She was always happy to see Aonva.

“Everything okay?” Roshil asked.

“Fine. Lady Emgard… um… had an assignment for me.”

“Great! We can work on it tomorrow. Unless you wanted to cut curfew.”

“What? No! We’re not going to cut curfew!” She looked around to make sure no one had heard Roshil say that. “Don’t say things like that!”

“If we’re not cutting curfew, then we need to get going, because it’s almost curfew.”

“Right.” Aonva hadn’t realized it was that late. How long had Roshil been waiting for her?

“What’s the assignment?” Roshil asked as they started walking to the north tower.

“Oh… um… I’m not allowed to say.”

“Oooh! Secret assignment!”

Aonva nearly laughed at how excited Roshil looked. It was good to see her friend happy after seeing Umkanokseh a few weeks ago.

“Yes, I guess so.”

#VolumeFour #AbsoluteUnderstanding

It’s both awe inspiring and terrifying watching him work. Nelaro Court is in flames. He’s methodical in his destruction. Could it be that he grows stronger with each pass? Or is it that the flames burn hotter? Perhaps that’s what he wants them to think. Believing all is lost. There is no hope of salvation for them. Nelaro Court, in all its majesty, has fallen to a single dragon.

No! Wait! Something struck him! He falls through the air, spiraling down. Another bolt of some kind hit him, and another. Could they have killed him? After thousands of years, is the great Dragon of Fear dead?

I’m saddened by this possibility. My whole life tracking him down, and it’s all over. What is my life without him? There’s nothing left for me.

No! He lives! A blood chilling roar, and V is back in the air. He destroyed their weapons. They don’t stand a chance against him now.

It is truly a thrill to watch him work. I may be one of the only people to recount this historic event. How lucky am I to bear witness to one of V’s greatest triumphs!

People are trying to flee the court now. I almost regret not being closer, but I must maintain a safe distance. I find that I’m a little jealous of those who were in Nelaro Court to bear witness first hand to his awesome might, while I stayed at a distance.

But he won’t allow too many survivors. When they run, he widens his circle of destruction. He only allows some to escape, to tell of the horror. To tell of the day V destroyed Nelaro Court.

Aonva rubbed her eyes and checked the time. Curfew ended soon. She’d been up all night reading and rereading the book. Veran knew everything about Valignatiejir. Although “obsessed” didn’t begin to describe him. He worshiped the dragon.

Her own notebook was a mess of copied information and jotted down questions. Rubbing her eyes again and yawning, she turned to the last page of her notes. The book had mentioned several familiar names, but there was one name she hadn’t heard before: Lapurela. It was the name of a tribe Valignatiejir had destroyed about seven years ago. Next to it she’d written “Roshil?” and circled it.

It had to be. If it was, then Veran had been there. He’d sat in the safety of the woods and watched Roshil’s tribe, her family, burn. Further backing up this theory were the last few paragraphs.

He’s as thorough now as he was with Nelaro Court, more so. It is truly magnificent to behold. He swoops down out of the night, burning tents to ashes.

That mage. Was she in Nelaro? No, she couldn’t have been, or she’d be dead already. What did V call her? Prenowla. I can see tattoos all over her. They look arcane, like carvings on a mage’s staff. She must think she’s so clever, but she’s no match for him.

She tries spell after spell, creating walls of force, firing bolts of magic, but she doesn’t stand a chance. There’s a man with her. She tells him and two children to run. The girl slips out of her father’s grasp and clings to her mother. It’s almost sad to see these ill-fated people.

V attacks the family, and Prenowla becomes enraged. She unleashes a volley of spells on V, sending his own fire back on him, uprooting trees, and grinding rocks against him. He falters in the air, then crashes to the ground.

Just like at Nelaro, he gets back up. No one can stop him. No one. Not this woman. V kills her as her husband and son hide, but the girl has escaped again. He laughs as the girl runs to her mother.

He’s taking the girl. Why is he taking her? Some sort of trophy, perhaps? This is new.

Aonva had already read the passage five times over, but it still infuriated her. That was Roshil, Oshal, and Daylarl. Her friends. More of a family to her than her parents, and Veran was happy that their lives had been ruined. He was a horrible person.

She rubbed her eyes again, then closed them for a moment. She’d learned a lot about Valignatiejir that night. And more about Roshil’s old life. Aonva wished she could’ve met Roshil’s mother. The woman was amazing. She’d read about Prenowla before. Hundreds of discoveries were linked to her. It was going to be hard not to talk to Roshil about it.

Her identification orb went off. Aonva picked her head up from her desk. She tried silencing the orb, but it went off a minute later. She sighed, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, then stood up.

After trying to stretch out and work the stiffness out of her joints, Aonva got ready for the day. The lack of sleep was evident, but she forced herself through her routine. Even as she got ready, thoughts of the book danced in her head.

She still didn’t have an answer to the question “Why Roshil?” What had Valignatiejir hoped to gain by cursing her? Was it just a matter of branding his “property”? Or was there something more?

Umkanokseh had said Roshil had a piece of dragons’ magic in her, that it was changing her. Veran mentioned on occasion when Valignatiejir cursed humans, but didn’t know much about it either. In that regard, he wasn’t much help.

Aonva dragged herself out of her room. She ran through everything she needed, convinced that in her sleep deprived state, she’d forgotten something. Unable to think of anything else, she left her room.

“Good morning!”

Roshil’s mood in the morning varied from day to day. It was easy to tell when her heart wasn’t in it, but today, she seemed genuine. Of course. She was always happy to see Aonva.

“Morning,” Aonva said, fighting the urge to yawn.

“Did you sleep okay?” Roshil’s cheer turned to concern, enforced by a furled brow.

“I was… I’m fine.” Aonva remembered Lady Emgard’s instructions. She’d already mentioned the assignment to Roshil, which she wasn’t sure if she should’ve done in the first place, but she didn’t want to say anything more about it. She hoped Roshil wouldn’t ask too many questions. She figured the others were safe. Sirshi wouldn’t care, Oshal would pick up that she didn’t want to talk about it, and Kurgm would leave it if she said as much.

Roshil looked like she wanted to ask, but she decided against it. Even then, a frown occupied her face. They walked to the great hall in silence.

Aonva found herself wanting to comfort her friend. To tell her how sorry she was about what had happened to her all that time ago. But she kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t say a word about the book. Even the name of that dragon upset Roshil. Even part of it had sent her into a fit two years ago.

So Aonva said nothing. For her friend’s sake, she said nothing.

#VolumeFour #AbsoluteUnderstanding

Aonva recited word for word what she’d written. Master Kaernin, as usual, said nothing. If she got something wrong, he’d let her fail. If it would go horribly wrong, he’d stop her before things got out of hand.

Not this time. The ball in front of her moved up exactly two feet. Then it moved to her left, then her right, then back. With only a word from her, it stopped. With another word, it started again. One final word, and the ball floated back to the ground.

She grinned, excitement flooding her. Spells requiring input were harder to get working, but she’d done it. A smile from Master Kaernin was all the encouragement she ever got, but it was enough.

“It worked! It actually worked!” She started explaining it, but Master Kaernin held up a hand to stop her.

Aonva collected herself, taking a few deep breaths. She was progressing, and that was the important part.

Words and images from the book flashed in her head. She’d been thinking about it all day. The urge to tell someone had nearly overwhelmed her. But she’d stayed quiet. So far, so good.

Master Kaernin gave her another assignment, then had her recite the rules of magic.

“Rule One,” she recited, “Command the effect with absolute desire in the arcane language. Rule Two: Absolute desire requires absolute understanding. Rule Three: Don’t waste words.”

After a nod from Master Kaernin, she was free to go.

She’d received a message from Lady Emgard at breakfast. Once again, she was to meet her in the west tower. She was also to get more sleep in the future.

Absolute desire requires absolute understanding.

She stopped walking. Absolute understanding. If you wanted power over something, you needed to understand it. Power over nature? Understand nature. Power over humans? Understand humans. And if you wanted to understand humans, you had to study them.

First, you needed something to study. Someone to study.

Aonva nearly ran through the corridors to the west tower. She passed Roshil on her way.

“Aonva!”

“Can’t talk, Roshil! I need to see Lady Emgard!”

She got to the west tower corridor, but no one was there. She shifted her weight between her feet, her mind racing.

He wants power. They nearly killed him at Nelaro Court. Prenowla nearly killed him. He wants to stop that from happening ever again.

Someone cleared their throat behind her. Aonva spun around and stood to attention.

“My Lady, I have something!”

“Keep your voice down.” Lady Emgard walked past her and unlocked the door to the tower.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry!” Aonva whispered.

She followed Lady Emgard into her study. She waited, somewhat impatiently, for Lady Emgard to settle in. Once they were both sitting, Lady Emgard asked her about what she’d found.

“When Valignatiejir attacked Nelaro Court, he went down. Veran thought for a moment that they’d killed him, but then he got back up. This happens again when Valignatiejir attacks the Lapurela Tribe. Prenowla brings him down, but doesn’t kill him. The first question is, why attack the tribe in the first place? I think the answer is that he was trying to recruit Roshil’s mother. He nearly lost at Nelaro Court and doesn’t want that to happen again. He can’t use magic directly on humans because he doesn’t understand us. When he tried finding someone who did, she refused.”

She pulled out the book and her notes. There was no need for either, but she wanted to be prepared.

“Master Kaernin taught me that the fundamental rules of magic are ‘Command the effect with absolute desire in the arcane language,’ and ‘Absolute desire requires absolute understanding.’ Valignatiejir can’t use magic on humans directly because he doesn’t understand us. When Roshil’s mother refused to help him, he did the next best thing: he took a human prisoner to study her.”

Aonva panted, trying to catch her breath. She was certain she was right. She couldn’t remember being more certain of anything. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

“Well done putting together who Prenowla was. I expected nothing less of you.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“Your final conclusion is the reason I entrusted you with the book. Lord Grund came to the same conclusion after reading it. I wanted to see if you, the only other person who might know her better, agreed.”

“I’m certain of it, My Lady.”

“I can see that on your face. I also see that you were awake all night reading. I’m sure you’ve learned a lot more, but you need rest. Go back to your room and get some sleep before dinner.”

Aonva was never one to argue, especially with Lady Emgard. She packed up her books and stood up.

“We’ll meet tomorrow to discuss the rest of your findings. I look forward to hearing what else you have to say.”

Aonva felt embarrassed from all the praise she’d received.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

She left, still thinking about the book. Veran was a horrible person. How could he watch innocent people dying and rejoice to be in the presence of the thing that had murdered them? Never mind his obsession with Valignatiejir, a dragon that lived on fear.

What if he really did? What if—

“Aonva!”

She nearly walked into Roshil, who was standing at the end of the west tower corridor.

“Hello, Roshil. Were… what were you doing?”

“I was waiting for you. I thought we could go work on that spell to read books?”

Aonva wanted to spend time with Roshil, but she was exhausted. Lady Emgard herself had ordered her to rest.

“I need to get some rest. Maybe tomorrow?”

Roshil’s smile faded away. She visibly shrank.

“Oh. Okay. Tomorrow, then.”

“I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Okay.”

Aonva headed to her room. She wished she could tell Roshil everything, but it was too dangerous. The last thing she wanted was to upset Roshil.

Glancing over her shoulder, Roshil was sulking. Aonva wondered if she hadn’t already upset her friend.

#VolumeFour #AbsoluteUnderstanding

Their table was quiet at dinner. Oshal was the only one who tried to get anyone to talk, but no one else was in the mood. Kurgm wasn’t at their table, and Nourd didn’t have questions at that particular moment.

Aonva was worried about Roshil. She usually had something to say, but today, she was silent. Was she upset that Aonva hadn’t had time for her? Roshil hadn’t responded to her brother’s prompting, so Aonva didn’t want to keep prying.

“Roshil, would you like to work in the library?” Aonva asked after dinner. She smiled, hoping it was enough to cheer up Roshil.

Please don’t be my fault. Please don’t be my fault.

Roshil shook her head, avoiding Aonva’s gaze.

“I can’t. I have work to do in the forge.”

“Maybe tomorrow?”

“I’m busy.”

Roshil turned and walked through the crowd of people.

Aonva watched her go, her heart sinking. She’d only put off Roshil for a day. She wouldn’t have thought it’d be this bad. But then again, they were best friends. Roshil didn’t really have anyone else. And Aonva hadn’t been able to tell Roshil why she couldn’t talk to her.

Aonva hung her head. Surely Roshil would be okay, right? What if she wasn’t? Aonva didn’t want to go back to the way things had been last year. The two of them never talking. Aonva having no friends.

“What happened?”

Aonva jumped at Oshal’s voice. Her friend smiled apologetically.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. Roshil’s been upset. Do you know why?”

“She’s not supposed to work in the forge after dinner. But… I’ve had an assignment from Lady Emgard, and it’s taken so much of my time, and I feel like I don’t have time for anyone else.”

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t be working so hard.”

Aonva jumped again. She wondered why people had to keep sneaking up on her as she stood to attention.

“My Lady! I promise I haven’t said anything about it to anyone!”

Oshal frowned at them.

“I think I should go back to my room,” he said. “Good night, My Lady. Good night, Aonva.”

“Good night, Apprentice Oshal.”

Oshal followed the crowd to the north tower. After it thinned out, Lady Emgard spoke.

“I’m sure there’s no need to worry, just as I’m sure you will anyway. When Apprentice Roshil arrives at the forge, she’ll talk to Lord Grund, who will set her straight. When he does, I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you.”

Aonva gazed down the corridor.

“I don’t know, My Lady. Roshil didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“She’s only upset that you worked too hard. Much harder than you needed to work, I might add. I wasn’t expecting results until at least next week.”

Aonva looked back to Lady Emgard, who smiled back at her.

“Apprentice Aonva, being hardworking is a commendable trait to possess, but one mustn’t let one’s work be all-consuming. I understand that I’m not the only one asking something of you. If you feel overworked, or even if you don’t have time for your friends, I will think no lesser of you for speaking up.”

Lady Emgard nodded down the corridor. “This is twice, I believe, that you’ve done this. Allowed the work you do for Apprentice Roshil to limit the time you have to spend with her. Next time you find that happening, take a break. Spend time with the ones for whom you care. After all, it’s for them that people like us work so hard.”

Aonva nodded. She forgot that sometimes. Learning more and more about dragons, she loved it. But it wasn’t as much fun without Roshil with her.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“It’s the pleasure of wizened people, such as myself, to share our wisdom with those who have time left to use it.” She motioned down the corridor. “I believe they’re waiting for you.”

Aonva bowed to Lady Emgard, then started off to the forge. She tried rehearsing what she was going to say, but nothing sounded right.

She stepped through the door to the forge. None of the fires were going. No sound of metal hitting metal. But there was Roshil, sitting with Lord Grund.

“Right on time,” Lord Grund said. “Emgard said you were on your way.”

After some prompting from Lord Grund, Roshil stood up and walked over to Aonva.

“I’m sorry,” Roshil said. “I should’ve realized you had something important to do.”

“And?” Lord Grund’s voice boomed through the forge.

“And… it upsets me when you push me aside for work. I want to work together, and I didn’t understand why you couldn’t tell me. I should’ve trusted that there was a good reason.”

Aonva was a little startled. Roshil rarely opened up this much about her feelings.

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have worked so hard. I get caught up sometimes, and I forget about what’s really important.” She smiled at Roshil, but quickly looked away. “Who’s important.”

For a moment, neither said a word.

“It was about the dragon, wasn’t it?” Roshil asked.

“I… um… I’m not supposed to say.”

“It’s okay. You really don’t have to. The way you and Master Grund have been talking about your work, or not talking about it, I can tell you’re avoiding the subject. There’s only one subject people avoid around me.” Her gaze fell to the floor. “Thank you for whatever it is. I don’t know exactly what your secret assignment is, but I know you’re doing it for me.”

Roshil lifted her head and they smiled at one another. Aonva was glad she still had her best friend. She couldn’t think of anyone that meant more to her.

“Great, we’re all friends!” Lord Grund shouted, startling Aonva. “Now get out!”

“We’re going!” Roshil shouted back.

“I can’t believe you yell at him like that,” Aonva said, glancing over her shoulder as they left.

“We do that all the time. It’s how we talk.”

Aonva found herself laughing with Roshil as they walked back to their rooms. Her and her best friend. The person she understood most in the world. The more she thought about it, Roshil was the only one she really understood. She knew more about Valignatiejir now. It wasn’t enough yet, but she’d keep searching for a way to stop him. To keep Roshil safe.

Whatever it takes. I’ll keep her safe.

#VolumeFour #AbsoluteUnderstanding

“It was great to see you all again,” Daylarl said as he hugged his children. “You two stay out of trouble. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

While Kurgm found those two orders mutually exclusive, he stayed silent for Roshil and Oshal’s sake. Mostly Oshal, since Roshil wouldn’t listen to him anyway.

“Aonva, Nourd, it was nice to talk to you both as always.”

Aonva avoided eye contact, but still smiled.

“I enjoy knowing that you are still alive,” Nourd said, “as it makes Oshal happy.”

“It does,” Oshal said. He smiled and put his arm around Nourd for a moment.

“Sirshi, if anyone gives them trouble, rough ’em up.”

Sirshi grinned at Daylarl. He was one of the few people that Sirshi seemed to like.

“Kurgm, keep everyone on the straight and narrow.”

Kurgm adjusted his glasses and looked at his group of friends. They were unlike anyone he’d ever met, but he wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“I can only promise to try.”

Daylarl smiled and patted his shoulder.

“That’ll be good enough.”

They left Daylarl’s house and walked through the court back toward the castle.

“Thank you everyone for coming out with us,” Oshal said. “Father likes it when he has company.”

“I like him,” Nourd said. “He is nice to me.”

“He’s nice to all of our friends,” Roshil said, beaming at Aonva. “Right, Aonva?”

“He is pretty nice.” Aonva smiled back at Roshil.

“What does he do all day?” Kurgm asked, glancing back the way they’d been. “The court must have him doing something.”

“Who cares?” Sirshi said. “We just got free food on our day off.”

“Just because we all have the day off, doesn’t mean we can’t go back to the castle to eat,” Aonva said. “They still let apprentices eat meals.”

“But then we would have to eat in that large room,” Nourd said. “I do not like it there.”

They all talked on the way back. Kurgm couldn’t help noticing that Aonva was talking much more than when they’d first met. It was still about something she’d read, or the court, or magic, but she didn’t talk as loud or as fast as she used to. He wondered if that was Roshil’s influence. At least something good came of them being friends.

“There you are!”

When they returned to the castle, he immediately ran into Demndun. She glared at him with her arms folded.

“I thought we were going to spend our day off together,” she said.

Behind him, Sirshi had moved in front of Roshil and Aonva, and Oshal stepped up next to him.

“He told you he was spending his day off with us,” Oshal said. “Remember?”

“Stay out of this, Oshal. This is between me and Kurgm.”

Oshal backed up to stand with the others.

“I told you last week that I was going to spend my day off this week with them,” Kurgm said, remembering what Master Ekla had taught him about deescalating a situation.

Stay calm. Think carefully about what you’re saying.

“What about next week?” he asked.

“Next week? Next week! What about today?! We were supposed to spend the day together! Or would you rather spend it with a bunch of children?!”

Whatever the other person says, don’t let it get under your skin.

“But…”

Sometimes, you have to be ready to take the fall, even if you think you shouldn’t.

“How can I make it up to you?”

Demndun glared at him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

“We’ll talk during dinner.”

She turned around and walked down the corridors.

Kurgm sank a little. He wanted to collapse. He’d been having such a good day. What had he done wrong? Why was Demndun so upset about him spending time with his friends?

“Are you okay?” Oshal asked.

“Need us to rough her up?” Sirshi added.

“I’m fine.” He turned around and checked on his friends. Aonva was shaking and almost clinging to Roshil, who was glaring at the corridor down which Demndun had left. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alright,” Aonva said. “A little… no, I’m alright.”

“I don’t know why you people think dating’s so important,” Sirshi said. “I don’t want to deal with any of that.”

“I know I told her,” Kurgm said. “I kept reminding myself so she’d know. She said she was fine with it.”

“Sirshi has been trying to explain sarcasm to me,” Nourd said. “It is when a human lies to another on purpose. Oshal says it is to hide a person’s true feelings. Could she have been using sarcasm?”

“No, of course not,” Sirshi said, “Kurgm never ever misses sarcasm.” She gave him a significant glance. “Ever.”

Kurgm wasn’t sure what surprised him more: that Sirshi would go out of her way to explain something to Nourd, or that Nourd would’ve picked up on Demndun being sarcastic when he hadn’t. Also, why was Sirshi talking like that?

“Maybe she just doesn’t like us,” Roshil said. “Most people don’t.”

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” Oshal said. “It’s just a misunderstanding, that’s all. She did say she wanted to talk to you, and not like she was going to break up with you.”

Kurgm hoped that was true. Demndun had been more annoyed with him lately, but she wasn’t planning to break up with him, was she? He had to do something to make it up to her. Maybe he should’ve spent the day with her. He did enjoy being with her. There were few things he liked doing more, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to spend time with his other friends, as odd as they were.

“Aonva and me are going to the library,” Roshil said. “We need a break from people before dinner.”

“I… um… I’m sure everything will be okay,” Aonva said before she and Roshil left.

“Thanks,” Kurgm said. He liked how smart Aonva was, but it was hard to talk to her sometimes. Then there were other times when she didn’t want to be around people, apart from Roshil.

“We need to go too,” Oshal said. “We’ll see you soon.”

“I enjoyed spending the day with all of you,” Nourd said. “Please continue to be alive tomorrow.”

“Will do,” Kurgm said, giving him a thumbs up.

“What are you doing?” Nourd asked.

“Oh, I’ll… um… explain it later,” Kurgm said.

“Okay. I am sure I will enjoy learning more about human hands.”

After they walked off, Sirshi turned to him.

“Bye.”

With that, all his friends were gone. Kurgm turned his thoughts to dinner. He hoped that whatever it was Demndun had to say, it wouldn’t be too bad.

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

There wasn’t a lot of talking at dinner. Demndun hardly said a word, leaving Muwen and Zifor to pick up the slack. Even then, they mostly talked to each other. The longer the silence dragged on, the worse Kurgm felt. What had he done wrong?

After dinner, Demndun told him to wait with them.

“Come on,” she said.

The four of them walked through the corridors. He spotted Roshil and Aonva up ahead of them, then realized where they were all going.

“Are we—”

“Sh,” Demndun said. “Stay quiet. Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Kurgm didn’t like the sound of that, but he did as he was told. He was willing to do anything to avoid upsetting Demndun even more than he already had.

They walked into the library. Roshil and Aonva disappeared up a flight of steps. He spotted Roshil glancing back at him before they disappeared from view.

The four of them sat down at a table not far from the door to the court.

“We’re gonna let you in on a little secret,” Demndun said. “But you have to promise never to tell anyone.”

Kurgm looked from face to face, and they were all serious. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to disappoint them, not again.

“I’m not going to tell anyone. I promise.”

Zifor and Muwen narrowed their eyes at him. He wondered if Zifor was trying to read him. He often forgot that his friend was a weaver.

“He’s telling the truth,” Zifor said.

Kurgm knew it wasn’t entirely possible to tell if someone was lying, only what they were feeling. But he was being honest like always.

“Good.” Demndun smiled at him. It felt like years since he’d seen her smile at him. “Told you we could trust him.”

Kurgm smiled. Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad.

“They leave one of the doors in the school unlocked every night,” Muwen said. “No one knows why.”

“But that means we can get back into the castle,” Demndun said. “All we have to do is slip out through the library, where apprentices go all the time after dinner, then sneak back in through the school.”

Kurgm felt a little nauseous when he realized what they were suggesting.

“You’re talking about skipping curfew,” he said, keeping his voice at a whisper.

“Yeah,” Demndun said, smiling at him. “Don’t worry, we’ve done this before. We never get caught. Besides, who cares if we stay out a little late some nights?”

Skipping curfew was strictly forbidden. Lord Velal had taught him that every rule was in place for a reason. Surely this one was too.

“But… Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I knew it,” Muwen said. “Told you. Too goody goody to do it. That’s why Cremwa kept saying no.”

“Back off,” Demndun said, shooting a glare at Muwen. She slid closer to Kurgm, her eyes on his. She was close enough that he could smell mint on her breath. “We’ve never been caught. No one’s gonna know. Besides, this way, we can spend all the time we want together.”

Kurgm’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with Demndun. They wouldn’t be out all night. Just a little more time with her wouldn’t hurt.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “And I won’t tell anyone.”

Demndun leaned in and kissed him. She took his hand and they stood up. The four of them walked to the entrance to the court, and left the library.

“The hard part is avoiding other people,” Muwen said. “That’s what Zifor’s here for.”

“Not because I’m your friend or anything,” Zifor said, shoving Muwen.

“Yeah,” Muwen said, shoving him back, “who’d be friends with you?”

They both laughed as the sun dipped below the court walls. Demndun was still holding Kurgm’s hand. They were together. That was the important part.

“Really, it’s not a big deal,” Demndun said. “If people see us, they might ask where our parents are, or tell us to get back to the castle, or something. Most people just ignore us, though.”

“But if it’s a master or something, we’re in trouble,” Muwen said. “So Zifor senses for other threads around us and gets us to cover before we have a problem.”

“What about the officers?” Kurgm asked. “Oshal says he can’t sense their threads.”

“No one can, but they won’t leave the castle this late at night,” Zifor said.

“What do you do all night?” Kurgm asked.

“Explore the court,” Demndun said. “You grew up here, you should know how big the court is. All those places they don’t let apprentices go. Aren’t you curious what’s there?”

Kurgm had to admit, he was a little curious. Master Ekla had told him about the several parts of the court that were off limits to apprentices. Areas where houses had been built, but weren’t in use often attracted people who didn’t want to be found. She had also mentioned weaver dens, and told him to stay far away from them.

“Master Ekla told me—”

“Here we go,” Muwen said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone other than you say something nice about her. Don’t you get tired of being her pet all the time?”

“What? I’m not her pet. I was just saying—”

“Something she told you not to do?” Demndun asked.

“Well… kind of. Do you know what a weaver den is?”

“I do,” Zifor said. “It’s where a weaver pushes emotions into people for money. Seems like a good idea to me.”

“No! People get addicted to emotion like that. Master Ekla said it messes with their heads.”

“That’s stupid,” Muwen said. “How can people get addicted to emotion?”

“Well… I… don’t know.”

Demndun wrapped her arms around his. “Just forget about Master Ekla tonight. We’re here to have fun.”

All of their identification orbs buzzed, signaling the start of curfew.

“Alright, stay on guard,” Muwen said. “They’ll start sweeping the court for apprentices out after curfew soon.”

Kurgm focused his ki on his ears. He heard quick footsteps not far from them. Several of them, walking in step with one another.

“I hear a patrol,” he said. He nodded his head. “That way.”

Zifor stopped them. “Yup, that’s a patrol.”

They ducked between a few buildings. The patrol walked by them a few minutes later without noticing them. A few minutes later, the four of them left their cover.

Demndun pulled Kurgm in and kissed him.

“How’d you do that?” she asked. “Hear them coming?”

“You know those practice sessions that I’m always at?”

“Yes,” she grumbled.

“A lot of it’s ki practice. It’s one of the techniques Master Ekla taught me.”

“That’s a good trick to have,” Zifor said.

“You know what else is a good trick?”

Kurgm felt sick. He knew that voice.

The four of them turned around.

Master Ekla stood before them, arms folded.

“Masking one’s thread while tracking someone else’s.”

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules