Chapter One

The Streets of Dauthrmir

The foreign scents and sounds of Dauthrmir assaulted my senses as I followed Darius through the city’s streets. Although Devillians were the most prevalent of the citizens, there were also Humans, Elves, and people of races I didn’t recognize. Almost every inch of the streets bustled with people, food carts, or stands selling every manner of trinket. Guards sporting Dauthrmiran colors—black, silver, and sapphire—stood at major street corners whilst others patrolled, keeping a vigilant eye on the myriad of people visiting this district.

I found myself overwhelmed by the cacophony of unfamiliar scents and sights. It wasn’t until Darius latched onto my left arm that my attention snapped back to the present.

“Ari, we still have time to look around before we go find our house right?” Darius grinned at me and pointed towards a clock tower with his free hand. “It’s still early afternoon regardless of what this crazy-gorgeous sky would have us believe!”

“I…suppose we can look around for a little while.” I glanced at our surroundings from within my hood, a knot forming in my stomach. ‘I don’t like how some of these people are watching us…’

In truth, I wasn’t sure if the filthy and disgruntled glares were because we were Human, because of Darius’ loud mouth, or because of my hood and mask. A few more subtle glances at our surroundings and passing citizens told me that even the Humans were shooting us strange looks; and some of them didn’t even look to be locals.

‘Ah…shit. My crest is probably a problem.’ I clenched my jaw to suppress a grimace. ‘I forgot it’s so similar to their oh-so precious general’s. Ugh.’

“What’s wrong, Ari? You should be happy!” Darius exclaimed, squeezing my arm and motioning at our surroundings with the other. “It’s so beautiful and different here!”

“There’s just so much power,” I deflected, looking around again. That one’s magic ran over my skin like water and made the air tremble in its wake, yet I didn’t see him anywhere. Not finding a trace of him was almost worse, and made me bristle. “Mrirtec, why didn’t you and our parents tell them that I’m—?”

I raised my fingers to my temples and sighed when I spotted Darius wandering down the street without me.

‘Darius seems genuinely happy, for once.’ I glanced at my brother’s expression when I caught up to him, finding that his cheerful façade had been replaced with genuine delight. “Since we have limited time…what do you want to see?”

“Let’s go shopping!” Darius hugged my right arm with enough force to make my elbow pop.

“Shopping?” I frowned at him. “With what mon—?”

Darius held up a thin crystal with silver etchings on its surface. According to him, it was “linked” to some form of bank account here; one of the “benefits of being a prince”, perhaps. The hexagonal rod didn’t emit any noticeable aether to speak of, though its entire surface was coated in what looked like nonsensical patterns. How the damned thing was supposed to produce money was beyond me.

“Ari? Please?” Darius pouted at me, his eyes wide.

“Fine; as long as you don’t overspend, and as long as you don’t wander out of my sight.” I gave him the firmest look I could muster with half my face being covered; it seemed to have little effect.

‘I spoke with Eyrian whilst you slept.’ Djialkan nuzzled my cheek and then spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, ‘Both of you will be working during your stay here—nobility and royalty are not exempt from such things in Dauthrmir, especially not whilst studying.’

‘Darius? Work?’ I arched an eyebrow and glanced at Djialkan. A wet nose nudged me from my other shoulder, so I reached up to pet both Alala and Djialkan as we followed my brother.

‘Aye. Vorpmasian royals and nobles both work, just as commoners do. They are not pampered like Humans.’ Djialkan snorted with laughter. ‘Particularly students, of course, as many of them could use a lesson in humility. Your role or job will depend more on who you are partnered with after your tests.’

‘Partner?’ I frowned. ‘I don’t much like the sound of that…’

‘I will explain it to you later tonight if your brother neglects to do so.’ Djialkan nosed my hand once before leaping into the air. ‘Fraelfnir, Alala, and I will gather groceries for your new lodgings whilst Darius drags you around. We will await you both at the house.’

Before I could protest, Alala leapt from my shoulder and chased after Djialkan. Before they disappeared around a corner, I caught a glimpse of Djialkan taking on the form of a young Devillian boy and hefting the white fox into his arms. The sight of the usually cranky fae-dragon holding or cuddling with something so fluffy made an amused smirk cross my lips.

‘A…partner?’ I looked down in thought, my heart falling as I contemplated the idea. ‘Why does that seem like it should be familiar to me? I work alone. I always have.’

I chose to dwell on it later. Lifting my gaze, I caught up to Darius once more and fell into my role of “silent protector.” I chewed on the inside of my lip and swept along after him, stealing the occasional glance at our surroundings before refocusing my attention on the giddy Darius. The way the Devillian and Elven citizens watched my brother stifled my excitement, turning it to unease instead.

It was clear that I needed to keep a watchful eye on my brother instead of reveling in our new surroundings.

The Merchant’s Plaza bustled with even more people than the streets leading to it. I accompanied Darius from store-to-store, soon realizing that “plaza” wasn’t quite the correct term for this district. Most of the district we’d seen thus far was a labyrinth of narrow, winding roads lined with both stalls and businesses alike; all of which surrounded the massive plaza the district took its name from.

The plaza itself was home to restaurants, cafes, and a few boutiques on the southern end. On the northern end were temples and shrines to many different gods. Judging by the power radiating from that section of the district I could only assume that some of the deities were actually in the city today.

‘Hmmm… He is a deity, right? I wonder if he has a temple here as well.’ I tilted my head, scanning the eclectic buildings to our north, before turning and catching sight of my brother trying to slip away. The corner of my eye twitched as I shoved my intrigue away and chased after Darius.

Out of habit I remained silent and stayed several paces behind my brother while following him through the city. I watched as he darted from stall to stall and eventually from business to business. He ordered all manner of trinkets, books, and even some artwork and furniture that caught his fancy. As an Astral Mage it would have been very inappropriate for him to buy me, an Umbral Mage, anything…and yet he still offered. Several times.

‘Perhaps he’s not as “corrupted” by the X’shmirans I thought?’ I shook my head at my brother when he held up a massive gold necklace to me. ‘Or is he trying to keep up appearances? I can never tell with this one.’

When in public places such as this I wasn’t allowed to speak with anyone other than “the young master” without his explicit permission. Djialkan usually spoke for me if it was truly necessary to say something. I linked my hands behind my back and clenched them so hard that the leather of my gloves squeaked; I wanted Djialkan and Alala to come back.

Despite the uneasy glances, many of the citizens were quite chatty. It frustrated me to come off as rude or haughty but the pain I’d have to endure for speaking without permission was far worse. Letting myself suffer for the sake of a few words wasn’t an option.

‘Really. Darius is so thick sometimes.’ I crossed my arms and watched my brother. ‘Does he really wish to keep me silent this badly? He could have given me permission to speak with store owners, at least! I’ll be doing most of the cooking and shopping anyway—he’ll have to let me at some point! Tch.’

Ultimately, Darius even moved on to purchasing clothing in Dauthrmiran, Draemiran, and Suthsul styles. I was forced to decline with a shake of my head every time a store owner inquired if I wished to try anything on, and they were all far too eager to chat with me. Even though I didn’t respond they talked my ear off anyway. However, I did learn from them that Draemir was the territory directly south of Dauthrmir; and thanks to Djialkan I knew that it was the homeland of the Adinvyr.

Suthsul was home to Desert Elves—Vunsori in their own tongue—and a Devillian race known as “Sizoul”. The Sizoul, apparently, were artisans and scholars. Nomadic Human and Elven tribes were also common in Suthsul but they disliked the idea of making their home in the stationary capital city V’frul.

The Suthsul Desert was apparently one of the few remaining territories in the known world that wasn’t under the reign of the Vorpmasian or Beshulthien Empires. Instead, it retained its independence. The Sizoul, however, were still Vorpmasian citizens. As such, their small province within the desert was also considered part of the Empire.

“Ari, what should we go see next?” Darius asked with a cheerful grin as we exited the umpteenth shop.

I paused before answering my twin and glanced around us. An unfamiliar but weak power crept along both of our barriers. It seemed harmless, but… ‘Why is someone that weak bothering with us?’

“We should be heading off soon.” I sighed before glancing to the side, catching sight of a group of Devillians and the troubled stares they’d fixed on me. “Pick one or two more things to go do. After that, we should leave.”

“Fine,” Darius grumbled, pouting for all of two seconds before perking up and looking around with a curious grin. “What do you think we should get?”

The question must have been rhetorical because Darius’ focus shifted instantly and he wandered down the street once more in search of something interesting. Of course everything interested him, but at least now he was being a little choosier since I’d stated only one or two more stops would be acceptable.

I crossed my arms within my sleeves and followed my twin. My back tensed, feeling many pairs of eyes following me down the road. They all seemed more curious than anything, but it still felt strange. In X’shmir, I would have been ignored or spat at.

“Those two must be the Human mages from X’shmir, right?” A female whispered to someone nearby. “Why is she covered in so much clothing? All the way to her jaw! That can’t be comfy.”

“I heard X’shmir follows the Old Ways still.” Another woman snorted with clear distaste. “Poor thing.”

“Mrirtec, what did I say about wandering off?!” I looked up to see my brother chasing after something. I moved to run after him but making my way through the crowded street proved difficult as it narrowed. “Dehsul! I’ll hang him by his ears when I catch him!”

I muttered apologies as I pushed my way through the crowds of Devillians and Elves. When I came to an intersection, I couldn’t spot Darius anywhere. My blood boiled as I tried to decide which way to go. Two of my options led toward the Scarlet District, while the other four streets all led to other parts of the Merchants’ District. Darius could have wandered down any one of them.

“Your charge slip away already, my dear?” The powerful, purring voice spoke in Draemiran and was followed by a low chuckle. A large hand came to rest on my right shoulder, causing me to stop and turn abruptly. I would have recognized that voice anywhere.

‘Damn it, he’s found me already?!’

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