Verina leapt from rung to rung, hidden by the dark of night as she silently stalked her target. The woman that walked through the alley below was only a few years older than she was, tall and slender with a powder blue dress that stood out amongst the dull and dreary buildings. There was no good reason for someone with such an innocent air to have been alone in the early hours of the morning, but that was exactly what made the situation so enticing. Verina made her way down the side of the buildings and dropped onto the stone of the alley with the softest of thuds. She slipped behind the woman and latched one arm around her waist and used the other to hold the dagger to her throat. Her skin was soft and the color of fine porcelain and her lilac hair flowed down her back in sweeping curls.50Please respect copyright.PENANAAWlsAZKLw2
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing alone at night?” Verina teased. The woman tried to break the hold and Verina tightened. “Don’t struggle. As much as I like the fight, there’s no need.”50Please respect copyright.PENANA4URJZDn6O2
“No need? But I like to play too,” The woman said and shoved her elbow hard into Verina’s side. Verina felt the sharp sting of pain shoot through her. She loosened her hold slightly, and the woman slipped out from underneath. Verina flipped her dagger around into a fighting stance, but the woman decked her across the jaw before she could progress. Verina fell to the stone floor, her dagger clattering against the ground. Her lip burned and started to swell. She wiped it and looked down at her glove. Blood. A group of four men came around into the front of the alley, while another three shuffled in from the back.50Please respect copyright.PENANAxNtb7PyH8M
“Oy, Elphana! Who’s this sweet tart you brought to us?” One of the men in the front shouted. Verina mentally kicked herself. Of course it was a trap.50Please respect copyright.PENANAC9vNrr5HW7
‘You couldn’t tell?’ Istio criticized. ‘It was incredibly obvious.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAfCqMhzEZ61
Verina didn’t respond, only fumed. She had been humiliated in front of her goddess, and it would be the last time she ever let something of the sort happen again. Her knees buckled under her as she tried to stand. “You’re going to pay for this,” She growled.50Please respect copyright.PENANAzB1fBGdz0d
“What was that?” Elphana mocked her with a hand pressed against her ear. She dropped down to face Verina. “I couldn’t make out what you said past that busted lip, you sad clown-looking freak.”50Please respect copyright.PENANACaHeSN60oz
Verina shook her left sleeve and another blade, short and thin with a hooked tip, dropped into her hand. She slipped it between her ring and middle fingers and slashed upward. Elphana shrieked and fell back, hands wrapped around her face. Verina reached out, snagged a handful of Elphana’s hair and yanked her head back. She grabbed her dagger with her free hand, then sawed through Elphana’s hair as roughly as she could. She tossed the chunks aside and kicked her face-first into the ground. 50Please respect copyright.PENANA76vC7Xq4Ir
‘Beautiful job,’ Istio said. ‘Now, kill.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAMijVz3pW5E
The group of men charged in and started to swing at Verina wildly. She dodged their punches and rolled between them, slashing and stabbing at their arms and legs. The familiar feeling of magical power swept through her veins. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAZcGnT7gYb3
“Pahszaraa!” Verina yelled out. Spinning blades of etheric energy flew out of her sleeves, lodged themselves into the three men closest to her, and pinned them to the alley walls. One of the men stepped in to fill the gap as Verina slid under him and stabbed her way up his back. The remaining men started to scramble away. There was no room for mercy and no chance for escape. “Jehanasas!”50Please respect copyright.PENANAzcKGZzb5FA
She crafted three sickly green bubbles in her left hand and tossed them toward her attackers. They struck, melded and expanded over the men’s bodies until they were enveloped in a mass of sizzling acid. Each of them fought futilely against the goo.50Please respect copyright.PENANADi1hTY2DfQ
‘Very inventive, my knife’s edge!’ Istio praised Verina. ‘Their suffering and screams will sustain me for now.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAVkfk3eggFK
A sense of pride built in Verina from the remark. She looked down at Elphana as she wept into the ground, then knelt down and ran the flat edge of her dagger against Elphana’s back. “I’ll spare you today, but only because I know that living with your shame will be a fate worse than death.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAa6U27RcSiW
Verina drove the tip of her boot into Elphana’s side and walked down the alley. Shadows crept up as dawn crested over the rooftops. Verina hopped onto a nearby cart and up onto the wooden rafters that stretched between the desolate buildings of the area. She hurried back to the inn. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAwSak3v7mwT
Fwen was still asleep as she entered their room, nestled up within her cloak. Her light snores were the only sound in the early hours of the morning. Verina silently dropped into her bed on the opposite end and closed her eyes to rest. A sudden yawn caused her to flick them back open.50Please respect copyright.PENANAiXCwSqj9wt
“Time to wake up, Verina,” Fwen said groggily as she pushed herself to the edge of the bed. She rubbed her eyes and tried to pat down her messy hair. “We have to get ready.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAEwyUgDH5ni
Verina felt the temptation of a deep slumber beckon to her, but Fwen moved around the room with a boisterous energy that prevented her from succumbing to its call. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAvifbKLK10R
“I see you’re covered in blood. Did you have a good night?” Fwen asked nonchalantly.50Please respect copyright.PENANASNzdmVpnpF
Verina giggled. “You could say that.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAZOu2QUTbe2
Fwen opened up her chest and rifled through it. She mumbled something to herself and started to toss the contents around. Verina watched as she continued to dig, surprised at Fwen’s ability to pack so much in such a limited space. Fwen popped her head up over the chest’s lid and tossed a cloak at Verina. It was made of black velvet with a dark green quatrefoil pattern weaved throughout. 50Please respect copyright.PENANA8dVPrNlZso
“I can’t have you going in front of the Monarch in stained clothes, can I?” Fwen said. “A composed appearance can get people to let their guard down more easily.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAr576k7EPiF
Verina held the gifted cloak up to her own. It was definitely an upgrade, but one she wasn’t sure she wanted. She rubbed the edge of her normal cloak with her thumb. It was special, and not in a way that she ever expected Fwen to understand. “I don’t have to get rid of this one, do I?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAO5j6L8TOWO
Fwen popped back up over the lid, hair fixed and black makeup reapplied. “I’m not going to tell you what to do with your possessions. You said never to speak for you, remember?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAoO3xMFECkx
Fwen disappeared into the chest once more, and Verina let a rare, genuine smile form for the briefest moment. She tugged on the strings of her cloak, removed it, and folded it with care into a square. Verina tucked it neatly into her chest and picked up the cloak Fwen had given her. The new one felt light in her hands despite its heavier appearance. She threw it around her shoulders and tied it. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAtGrLzkZ5bP
“It looks good,” Fwen stated. “It accentuates your face nicely. While it’s on my mind, do you want me to touch up your patterns?”50Please respect copyright.PENANA1y9u682UnR
Verina hadn’t thought about it, but figured it would be for the best. She nodded and Fwen popped up, wax pencils in hand. She stepped close, closer than she had ever gotten, and retraced the patterns on Verina’s face. Verina held her breath and tried her best to stay still despite the sudden burn in her chest and stomach. The soft wax melted against the heat of Verina’s cheeks. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAIW6NNV4HbI
“Done,” Fwen said suddenly.50Please respect copyright.PENANAbGBEXdlW2p
“That was fast, though I suppose you must be a professional at these things by now,” Verina replied. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAZlXtY3TE5w
Fwen snapped her fingers in approval. “One of the first things my mother taught me was the art of makeup and its many uses. I’m sure yours taught you as well?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAyNAvB3KM0E
A sudden pang went through Verina’s heart. “I taught myself, actually. I spent lots of time studying the other Terrolaffs and drawing my own designs.”50Please respect copyright.PENANADjNYz7jKXy
“Self-taught? I offer my praises. I don’t have the patience for such things,” Fwen responded. She closed the latch on her chest. “Are you ready?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAWgw3ezLP5I
“Let’s embrace our full potential,” Verina answered. She followed Fwen out the door, chest in hand, and up the stairs to the inn’s roof. She looked around in confusion as they stepped into the sun. “Shouldn’t we have gone downstairs to make our way to the castle?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAcEgoTdI6Jn
Fwen placed her belongings on the roof and turned to Verina. “Downstairs? Oh no! We’re not going to them, Verina. Quite the opposite.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAB1UTbJnDMh
Fwen took a few steps back and hunched her shoulders forward. Her cloak billowed before it split down the middle. Each half spread outward and melted into skeletal wings completely coated in dripping black tar. They were sharpened and almost three times bigger than Fwen herself. Without another word, she rose into Prodigium’s sky.
50Please respect copyright.PENANAKVCcTuYw9l
“What kind of bird is that?” Qio exclaimed as he pointed over the horizon. “I’ve never seen anything with wings that big!” 50Please respect copyright.PENANAUID5S7Wv6J
Irada placed his hand over his eyes and looked off into the distance. Far ahead, above the walls of Prodigium, was a dark figure with sprawling black wings. It flipped and spiraled over the cityscape before two golden streaks met it in the air. Something about the creature gave him an uneasy feeling.50Please respect copyright.PENANAuBDjjtmZ5d
“Qio, I don’t think that was a bird,” Irada told him.50Please respect copyright.PENANAzKwkgIhX7W
‘Agreed,’ Heivara added. ‘There’s a trail of dark magic behind it.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAcDxC5O828a
Qio scoffed. “Come on, Irada. I thought those carrots you’ve been farming were supposed to help you see better. It was obviously a bird. What else could it be?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAk2HEWHuCQw
“We’re heading to Prodigium, so another Tomekeeper, perhaps?” Irada offered.50Please respect copyright.PENANA3xKqoYizzL
“Yeah, sure!” Qio said with a snort. “Last I checked, Zhonitas was the only one that had any sort of flying ability.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAI4LzoJoLIw
Irada shrugged his shoulders, as he had at many points throughout their journey. He’d come to realize that, more often than not, Qio just wanted to be right. Providing logical arguments or trying to have Qio look at things from a different perspective hadn’t worked out at all. The Asceniate was hard-headed, probably more so than anyone else Irada had ever dealt with. It didn’t really bother him, but he wondered how Qio managed to live amongst anyone less patient.
A wailing cry caught his attention. He looked off to the right side of the road and saw a girl tucked against a mound of red clay, hands over her bawling face. She was younger than Qio and Irada, most likely a teenager, and her tan dress was caked in the clay that she sat next to. She looked up towards the cart as the two approached and waved her hands wildly.50Please respect copyright.PENANAneOktiKdUa
“Sirs! Please, I need help!” The girl shouted as she ran toward the cart. Qio looked at her, then Irada and shook his head. Irada wasn’t sure what that meant.50Please respect copyright.PENANA3zKY2W6qUO
Qio must have registered the confusion on Irada’s face. “No. We’re not stopping. The most important thing is that you get me to Prodigium, remember? We’re not going to waste time helping some poor down-on-her-luck village girl that probably got dumped off by her lover.”50Please respect copyright.PENANABI519ZC40B
‘Who hurt him?’ Heivara asked in surprise and concern.50Please respect copyright.PENANANrdKblLxWX
‘I’ve been wondering that myself,’ Irada replied. ‘Qio has a lot of anger built up in him.’50Please respect copyright.PENANA8UPEni4hvG
‘Maybe you can get through to him at some point,’ Heivara suggested, ‘In the meantime, we have to help her.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAxgyQMIC6gZ
“Qio, we can’t just leave someone on the outskirts of the city. There’s too many creatures out there, plus she could be hurt,” Irada told the Asceniate. He tugged on the reins and directed the horse toward the girl. Irada hopped down once the cart stopped while Qio pressed his face into his hands and let out an annoyed groan.50Please respect copyright.PENANAmCHuxGxrwQ
“Come on, you really can’t be serious. She doesn’t need help. I’d wager the whole thing is a trap,” Qio complained. Irada kept walking. “I know you hear me! Irada. Irada!”50Please respect copyright.PENANAd7qxkwyNds
Irada heard Qio jump off the cart and walk after him. The girl waved again as she slowed down just a few feet away.50Please respect copyright.PENANAKzlLRngRKw
“Oh, thank you, sirs!” She said between heavy breathes. Her rounded face was bright red from running. “My uncle and I were out hunting shadowreeves when one of them caught us from behind. He got bit badly on his side and rolled down the mound. You have to help him!”50Please respect copyright.PENANA2xt4GfY6GM
Irada took off toward the mound without hesitation. He had dealt with his fair share of shadowreeves before. They were nasty little creatures, half-dog and half-rat, that ate through everything they came across with their rows of needle-like teeth. If the girl’s uncle had been bitten, they would need to move quickly to ensure his survival. Irada ran around the mound, Qio close behind, and found nothing.50Please respect copyright.PENANARk52Pm3G4b
The crack of the reins and the whinny of his horse made Irada swivel back toward the cart. The girl and two others, another girl around the same age and a slightly older boy, had hopped onto the cart and were darting down the pathway. Irada took off after them, but it was no use. Qio ran past Irada and kept running down the road shouting curses before he eventually stopped too.50Please respect copyright.PENANAN29p2uN7g0
Irada met Qio halfway as the latter walked back in defeat. While Irada had tried to maintain a sense of peace despite his frustration, Qio held nothing back. He snatched the hat from Irada’s head and tossed it to the ground.50Please respect copyright.PENANAW19xCt4wFt
“I told you it was a trap!” Qio snapped. “I saw that coming, and I warned you! You have to listen to me. I am a Tomekeeper. I know what I’m talking about.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAwiWOHuYXLG
Qio kicked Irada’s hat into the air and it floated to the mound. Irada weighed going after it, but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead, he watched as Qio walked around and ranted angrily to himself. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAgaYUPjzGNy
‘Tomekeeper, I sense something,’ Heivara interrupted. Irada felt an odd tug and looked around before he caught sight of another cart coming toward them. He tapped Qio’s shoulder to grab his attention. Qio turned and perked up when he saw the cart, then ran towards the road to intercept.50Please respect copyright.PENANADN8uDK66ly
“Hey, you! Long ears! Get over here and help us out!” Qio yelled at the cart as it passed by. The Wojlidoj man driving gave him a scowl while the Phreeton woman seated next to him grabbed at her own ears in confusion. The man cracked the reins and their cart picked up speed as it passed them by.50Please respect copyright.PENANAqTWLda0AIF
Qio screamed in frustration and stamped the dirt. “What the Hael are we supposed to do now?” He asked Irada.50Please respect copyright.PENANAKp71cE3V4L
Irada shrugged once more and looked further down the road. Kephram’s Keep was still about ten minutes by wagon, which meant it would probably be closer to a two-and-a-half-hour trek by foot. He tightened the strap of his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “We do what everyone did before the gods gifted us the wheel, Qio. We walk.”
50Please respect copyright.PENANAzgmSR3BTWR
“Man, that guy was an arse,” Kliev said as he looked back over his shoulder at the pair in the distance. He noticed I’el had covered her ears. “Hey, you didn’t think he was calling you that, did you?”50Please respect copyright.PENANARmfmNsIHhq
I’el felt the heat of embarrassment wash over her. Even if the man hadn’t been talking to her specifically, she had already acknowledged that she believed the comment was directed toward her. She lowered her hands and rested them in her lap.50Please respect copyright.PENANAmLGBL2oOfN
“What? No, of course not. Nope, definitely not,” She said with a nervous laugh. “I just thought I felt something brush across them. It must be all the pollen in the air making them itch or something.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAU56i8rOx1O
Kliev’s expression lit up. “Yours itch too sometimes? I thought it was just because of my fur.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAAxoRRhvnfn
I’el couldn’t help but crack a smile at Kliev’s comment. She’d grown accustomed to the way that his words diffused the tension of a situation or just made her laugh for no reason. The thought of them eventually having to go their own ways made her a little somber. She studied the plains around them. The road to Prodigium cut through a mixture of grassy knolls with mounds of red clay protruding from flat patches of dirt. It made I’el yearn for the forests of the Orchard.50Please respect copyright.PENANAOMdn2nfRu1
“It’s sad, isn’t it?” She asked as she gazed into the distance.50Please respect copyright.PENANAElLkRuVqbU
“What is?” Kliev responded.50Please respect copyright.PENANAiC7Nxe4c4X
I’el waved her hands out in front of her for emphasis. “We’re heading to the largest city in Lideasea. Prodigium is home to some of the biggest and flashiest people, locations and trends around. Yet the area outside of those walls cries out for love and attention. Just look at the grass. It’s yellowed in some patches and dead in others. The clay is dry from a lack of moisture in the ground.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAzgvMwakvhq
‘And there are no trees anywhere to be found,’ Noli added.50Please respect copyright.PENANAsH2hZNe54M
“And, there are no trees anywhere to be found!” I’el repeated with added concern. “Would it kill the Wingsong to fly over and sprinkle some seeds or water the ground?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAVDi2fBgcSe
Kliev let out a hearty chuckle. “I should have guessed you would be so passionate about the environment.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAs1z8lSdr71
“I’m just saying that the Monarch can make things happen with a snap of his finger. Why not spread some of Ghantei’s love outside the city walls?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAoQuM1qkH1x
“Maybe he’s worried about having to take care of more than just the outskirts?” Kliev posited. “You know, the Krijyan mountains could use some love too.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAE5CW6QbZHW
I’el giggled. “You mean you Wojlidoj have eaten all the grass up there?”50Please respect copyright.PENANACIpiWxs6iO
“Hey, hold on a moment,” Kliev playfully huffed. “The idea that just because we have a rabbit’s ears and speed and hop must mean that we have a rabbit’s diet is a gross misunderstanding. We don’t eat grass. We eat hay.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAavrZand6es
I’el snorted. “You do know that hay is just dried grass, right?”50Please respect copyright.PENANATW3pl9Uxsk
Kliev’s cheeks reddened. “That’s not the point we’re trying to make here, remember? To be honest with you, though, I remember when I was a young boy. I would perch myself in a tree, usually dead from the frigid air, and look out down the mountainside to the Phreeton forests. They were always so vibrant and thick. A part of me always wondered what it would be like to actually explore them, but I never had the courage to.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAojtVGhT04w
“So what made you decide to come down from your mighty mountaintop, then?” I’el pressed. “You could have gone a number of different ways to get to Prodigium. Why through the Orchard?”50Please respect copyright.PENANArAybFTUxQp
She watched Kliev furrow his brow in thought, and she wondered what about the question might have triggered the response. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. After a long pause, he finally spoke.50Please respect copyright.PENANAlN1oIhZv12
“I’m going to be honest with you, I’el. I feel like I owe you that much. I was on the run.”50Please respect copyright.PENANA4olzJvn797
I’el angled herself toward Kliev and leaned in. Quiet concern riddled her voice. “What do you mean? Did you kill somebody?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAv7QIIF2ZXa
“Woah, what? No!” Kliev exclaimed. “I set our gathering hall on fire. I was talking to the Chief’s eldest daughter, Totkoyova, and then I was chosen and I shot a lightning bolt from the sky. It all happened very fast.”50Please respect copyright.PENANABZm6XgzDYS
“Did anyone get hurt when it burned down?”50Please respect copyright.PENANApKAzRofXUI
“Totkoyova got slightly burned by a piece of wood that fell, but that was it.”50Please respect copyright.PENANA0yTBn0tpV0
I’el was confused. “Then why were you on the run?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAH5nP0llhcC
Kliev tapped his hands together awkwardly. “Well you see, the reason I was talking to her was -”50Please respect copyright.PENANAqXOX9YJQEL
“Kliev, I’m a grown woman. I don’t need you to explain your attempt to seduce someone,” I’el interrupted before he could go into more detail. 50Please respect copyright.PENANA7TLRoS9xvg
Kliev scratched his temple. “No, I’el. That’s not it. I mean, that would have been a plus. She’s incredibly attractive, but we were supposed to get together that evening and talk about the truce our fathers were brokering.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAoWnrfdyQE4
I’el was even more lost than before. “Truce? Your father made a truce with the chief of the Wojlidoj? How did he even manage to get that type of power, and for what?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAcDwWvxbgPl
“The opposite, actually,” Kliev clarified. “Totkoyova’s father, Chief Vintar, made a truce with my dad, King Suhndher. I think he may have taken the whole lightning situation and harm to his daughter as a planned attack.”50Please respect copyright.PENANAeHMjenrz1p
I’el sat back against the cart bench. “Okay, I could see how that would make more sense,” She thought aloud. The realization struck. “Wait. Wait! You’re a prince?”50Please respect copyright.PENANAScnhkTiawR
‘What was that I said before about unknown soils?’ Noli chimed in.50Please respect copyright.PENANAaIzYCZ74rQ
‘Not now!’ I’el snapped at the goddess in her head.50Please respect copyright.PENANAEPCbKQhkXj
“I don’t really like to share that out,” Kliev told her. He was unusually subdued. I’el wondered if it was a point of shame rather than pride but, if so, she was curious as to why. She figured it was better to let it go for now.50Please respect copyright.PENANARgmeh2Nkds
“Your secret’s safe with me, Prince Rorn,” I’el promised with a soft smile.50Please respect copyright.PENANA2HI2l893bO
Kliev bowed his head and looked forward, reins grasped firmly in his hands. The golden walls of Prodigium grew higher by the minute. Kephram’s Keep, the city outside of Prodigium’s main gate, was just within reach. That somber feeling tugged at her once more.50Please respect copyright.PENANAYo2jG8WWRf
‘I’el, my sweet flower, I ask that you reflect on the situation. You have two men in very high positions that want your attention. You would have to try really hard to mess this up,’ Noli commented. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAiehrCWMuDy
‘I already told you that my heart belongs to my sweet Friston,’ I’el grumbled internally. ‘Why are you so invested in my love life, anyway?’ 50Please respect copyright.PENANAm4xq4yJSrM
‘I love to watch all things grow,’ Noli answered. ‘Especially the seeds of love.’50Please respect copyright.PENANAUK3vrhHxLp
The horses pulling the cart neighed and slowed as the duo entered Kephram’s outer edge. The change from quiet plains to bustling city was almost instant. A crowd began to fill in around them, pushing and shoving one another as Kliev followed other carts in the direction of the gate. I’el lifted her head and soaked in the full size of Prodigium’s wall. Something about it made her feel insignificant in the grand scheme of everything - another drop in the ocean or leaf lost to the forest - yet she knew in her heart that there were big things in store for her on the other side. 50Please respect copyright.PENANAt7JB1o0kRS
“We finally made it,” Kliev said with an immense sigh of relief. His whole body seemed to deflate from the absence of tension. “So the question now becomes: how do we get in?”
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