12

A Sorcerer's Turmoil

An older gentleman ran around the travel wagon sitting outside Dragonwallow Inn. Aviana sat on the back watching Temperance splash around in some puddles from last night’s rain storm with her toy dragon. Xalanath leaned against the outside of the building watching the two.

They’d stayed for a few days and now planned to head up to Lakecross with the intent to end in Kirdarim, stopping at the Arcanist’s Academy on Erik’s behalf to deliver supplies to them and his daughter and granddaughter.

Several of the men hired to protect this wagon to be part of a larger caravan, wandered around in their boredom. Aviana did a better job at keeping an eye on things than they did, even with her watching her sister, which only proved a point during an altercation earlier. She’d offered to be a hired hand but the three men already hired took offense to her attempt. They didn’t think she could handle the job. How little they know.

As much as he and Aviana had issues, Xalanath could admit she was a formidable woman. And anyone who tried to dismiss her was only putting themselves on a path to be proven wrong. Akorith knows that’s what she does every time we interact.

Krax exited the tavern and walked over to Aviana, engaging in conversation. Xalanath listened in.

“Keep your eye out, Aviana,” Krax said. “The clan has been moving around Lakecross.”

She smiled. “Well, if that’s the case, the caravan will be glad I’m here.”

Krax grinned. “Show these sissy boys what you’re made of on this trip.”

“You know I will.” She gave him an affectionate pat on the cheek. “And if I see that disgraceful cousin of yours, I’ll give him a good wallop.”

Krax chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re always looking out of the clan and my family. There’s not enough gratitude in all of Aecis I can give. But don’t go out of your way. You know an exiled orc doesn’t get picked up by other clans. They live with their dishonor alone.”

“Very well.” She also placed a hand on his shoulder. “Strength and honor.”

“Strength and honor.” Krax pulled away and walked back toward the tavern. Xalanath found Aviana’s relationship with the half-orc interesting. After Tar’kash’s death, she’d stepped in to help Lydia raise her two children whenever she was in town. She turned into a type of aunt and bonded with Krax. Lyra had been another story, but Aviana did her best to be there even if Lyra didn’t want her to.

Xalanath passed Krax a nod and received a grunt in response. While he’d been on good terms with Tar’kash, Xalanath had never formed a similar bond with his son. Xalanath suspected there may be some resentment toward him, even though Xalanath had done everything he could to protect his friend.

When he noticed the wagon owner was nearly finished with his duties, Xalanath pushed away from the building and sauntered over to the two women.

“So, this is goodbye, for now,” Aviana said.

Xalanath nodded and leaned against the wagon next to her. “For now. You always come back at some point.”

Aviana laughed, a sound he loathed to admit to enjoying hearing. “I’m more resilient than you give me credit for.”

He gave her more credit than she knew.

Aviana focused her attention on her younger sister. “Tempy, time to go.”

Temperance stopped playing and slumped her shoulders. “But, Avi, I want to keep playing!”

“I know, but we can’t go on our adventure if you stay, and we’re on the wagon driver’s time.”

Temperance pouted as if that would work.

“Temperance, you behave for your sister,” Xalanath said. “She’ll only ever do anything with your best interest in mind.”

Temperance’s mood didn’t change as she left the puddle reluctantly. “Yeah, I know…”

“And, you need to be extra careful out there. Some puddles are dangerous.”

The young redhead pursed her lips, her brow furrowing. “What are you talking about? Puddles are fun and—and—go splashy-splashy.”

“Some seem fun and harmless, and most of them are, however, the ones that are not can be very dangerous.”

Temperance shook her head. “Nope, not possible. And if you played in puddles too, you’d know this.”

Aviana smirked. “Who says he doesn’t?”

Xalanath’s eyes cut to her. There she went, giving away his secrets.

Temperance’s eyes went wide. “Really? Will you play with me some time? Maybe when Avi and I come back?”

Xalanath took a moment to think about this. “Tell you what, little puddle jumper. You behave on this trip, and we can play in puddles. Maybe we can even play at the beach.”

Temperance’s face lit up. “I’m going to hold you to that!” She looked to Aviana. “Sorry, but I’m stealing your lover for puddle jumps.”

Aviana rested her forehead in her hand and let out a deep sigh. “How many times am I going to have to tell you this before you get it? We’re not lovers. Never will be.”

Xalanath chuckled. Her sister’s insistence in the delusion amused him. He of course agreed with Aviana. She was an alluring young woman, he’d give her that. It made some of her antics hard to deal with. But he wouldn’t be fooled by the illusion she wore. He wouldn’t fall for her acts for friendship. Not again.

The wagon driver shouted he’d be shoving off in a few minutes. Xalanath helped Temperance up into the wagon, only for her to jump out almost immediately and run off. This irritated him, though to his surprise, not Aviana.

Xalanath followed her gaze to where Temperance ran over to Gerrad, the strange stalker of Terrance’s. What is she up to? Aviana told him about Terrance’s wish to remain hidden from the boy, and Temperance knew this as well. But Xalanath also knew the reward she expected from the young man. So why wasn’t Aviana worried?

“Gerrad! Gerrad!” Temperance yelled out.

He looked to her, rebalancing some books in his arms. “Oh, Temperance. Um, hi.”

Xalanath glanced to Aviana to find her still calm. Why? He weaved a subtle spell and opened a temporary telepathic communication with her. “Shouldn’t you stop her?”

Aviana barely passed him a glance. “Just watch.”

What had these two concocted?

The young red head stopped just in front of Gerrad, and placed her hands behind her back. “Hi. My sister and I are leaving town, but I wanted to tell you I did some searching for Terrance like I promised.”

Gerrad’s eyes lit up. “Did you find him?”

She shook her head. “No. I talked to a lot of people, but they all said he left town. A few people said something about an emergency trip to Nardrul.”

Xalanath’s brow spiked. That was the plan? What did it benefit her?

Gerrad’s eyes went wide. “What? No. That can’t be. He wouldn’t leave without me.”

Those words didn’t sit well with Xalanath. He lied far too easily. And if it hadn’t been for Aviana and him, Temperance would have continued to fall easy prey to him. Aviana has her hands full with this woman. He didn’t envy her, that’s for sure.

Temperance ducked her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could have brought you better news.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. You did what you promised, even if the answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear. This just means I have to find passage to that town and hope to find him.”

The wagon driver shouted out a last call warning. Temperance glanced back at the wagon, though Xalanath could tell her eyes focused on her sister. Aviana’s expression remained neutral and that perturbed Xalanath. He would have thought she’d go into a protective state, like he’d overheard her go into the night they met Gerrad. What’s going on in her head?

Why was he asking these questions? He shouldn’t care. It wasn’t his business.

“I have to go, Gerrad,” Temperance said. “I don’t want to miss my ride out.”

He nodded. “I understand. Um…” He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. “Travel safe.”

Temperance’s cheeks reddened and she lightly touched the warming area with a light hand. Gerrad ran off before she could say anything, not that Xalanath expected her to. A clouded gaze covered her face as she wandered back over to the wagon. Aviana still didn’t act out of the ordinary. Xalanath didn’t understand her. That kiss, as innocent as it was, should have set her off.

Temperance climbed into the wagon, mumbling something out to Aviana. “Thanks, Avi.”

“It’s within the rules,” Aviana said, her expression still neutral. “But don’t get used to it. I won’t continue to allow it until you pass your tests.”

Oh, that’s it. He thought Aviana wasn’t reacting, but really, she was hiding her reaction for her sister’s benefit. That was something he should have expected from her.

Temperance let out a breath but didn’t put up a fuss. The wagon driver hopped up onto his perch and the hired guards piled into the wagon as well.

Xalanath looked to Aviana as she settled herself in a good spot. “Be safe, Avi.”

She gazed at him a moment and then shrugged. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. If you were actually truly worried.”

Those last words hit him harder than he liked. He shouldn’t be worried about her safety. Even beyond the fact she could handle herself. He shouldn’t care if someone like her was safe or not.

Xalanath held up his hands and backed away from the wagon. “Have to keep up appearances, you know?”

She snorted and focused on Erik, Lily, and the kids as they filed out to see their friend off. They exchanged some words, and Lily gave them some travel food, doting mother as always. Then the wagon driver pulled away.

Xalanath watched them leave and remained in his spot after they’d disappeared around the bend. He couldn’t explain why, but something didn’t feel right with that departure… again.

Erik patted him on the shoulder. “Regretting not giving your special lady a kiss goodbye?”

This snapped Xalanath out of his weird state and he smacked Erik in the arm. “We’re not. I was just thinking about the message to relay to my father about her plans to see him in Natamere during her trip.”

Erik’s eyes said he didn’t believe a word Xalanath said, and a part of him didn’t believe it either. “Sure. Whatever you say, lad. Just don’t take too long with her, else some other lucky man will take her away.”

Would one person suffice for her? She insisted her mother cared for both Raileth and his father. And what he’d learned about the Shikala culture from them both, that was an accepted lifestyle in the clan. Why am I even pondering this?

Xalanath snapped his fingers and he teleported away from the tavern. He stood in a large, well decorated foyer, leading into a spacious home. The large windows behind him allowed a spectacular view of the ocean, but no doors could be found leading out to it. A pocket dimension didn’t need doors, and if he really wanted to go to that spot shown outside, he could just teleport there.

Unlike other dragons, Xalanath prided himself in his unique way of hiding his lair. No one had ever been here before. Not even Aviana, at least, not fully. The room he conjured at the Dragonwallow Inn was a singular room of this place he’d crafted for private conversations without risking the sanctity of the rest of his lair.

Xalanath walked up the curved staircase leading to the second floor and strolled down the long decorated hall leading to a pair of mahogany and gold double doors. They swung open as he approached and he entered the spacious room. Mounds of gold, gems, and jewelry, beautifully crafted sculptures, and masterful paintings, among other things, filled the area. All various things he’d collected over the last century and a half.

He strode through his hoard to another door on the back end of the room. Upon opening, the hum of strong arcane energy seeped out. Xalanath stepped into the new space, constructed with stone and magic runes carved into the surfaces, all in a particular pattern leading to the center of the room. An intricate set of stones and carved runes resided in the middle, the pulse of magic the strongest there.

Xalanath closed himself in, and walked into the middle of the room, embracing the sensation of magic mixing with his innate electrical energy coursing through him. He weaved his hands as he went, summoning a strong communication spell. By the time he stood dead center in the area, the spell completed and leapt from his fingers, coalescing as energy in front of him. The arcane twisted and grew. Within it, the colors morphed until the scarred, rugged face of his father reflected through the center of the energy.

A brute of a man, the constant scowl on his face was an all too constant reminder of why Xalanath never cared for contact with him. He spoke to the man in their native Draconic tongue, “Father.”

Siverath’s scowl worsened, his green eyes flashing. “Xalanath. You’d best have a good reason for using your perverse magic in my presence.”

Yep, here we go. “I assure you, this won’t take long and it’s quite important. Aviana came to Windshire for a visit.”

His father’s posture changed to a lighter one. It stirred a strong resentment he pushed away. Now wasn’t the time for that. “How long was she there?”

“A few days. She brought her younger sister along this time.”

Siverath’s brow rose. “How did the two act? Why did she bring the girl?”

Here it came. “They weren’t doing any hiding. Aviana herself even told me they’re going to be traveling for several months to allow her sister to grow in experience outside Starglade. Something about her sister’s overprotective mother stunting her mental growth, which can be believed by the way she acts.”

Siverath thought for a moment, while also doing something on his end. Xalanath guessed he was sorting through paperwork. The high priest wasn’t well as of late. This forced his father to act in his stead, since the high priest’s daughter was quite useless. “Did she give you an idea of where she planned to travel?”

“She didn’t share her exact travel route plans, but she did mention visiting you in Natamere,” Xalanath said.

His father nodded. “Good. I’ll make preparations to anticipate their arrival in a few months.”

Irritation flared in Xalanth’s chest. He gave his father an incredulous look. “That’s it?”

His father didn’t look up from his work. “Something the matter, Xalanath?”

“I tell you she’s leaving for several months, and you’re okay with this?” He couldn’t believe this. Well, he could, he just wished it’d be different. “She’s our only line to Raileth at this point, and you’re not upset she’s going to be gone?”

His father sighed and faced the magic connection. “She’s never been an informant, Xalanath. You know this well. Just as Yivira never was either.” His father’s gaze hardened. “Besides, this little trip of her isn’t the first she’s made, nor is it the first time she’s disappeared for a long period of time. Or must I remind you of how you caused her to leave for an entire decade?”

A knot formed in Xalanth’s stomach. He remembered. He remembered all too well the day that lead to her extended absence—to the start of the tension that still remained between the two of them to this day. The day I saw through her façade.

“Now,” his father said. “If that’s all, I have important matters to deal with. And I hope the next time I see you, you’ll have finally turned back to the light and be rid of this perverse habit of yours.”

Xalanath’s eyes darkened. “Why must you act this way with me? Aviana doesn’t deal in holy magic and you have no trouble with her.”

His father’s eyes remained neutral. “She also doesn’t play with arcane.”

“No, but she wants to. Just like that snake of a dragon she calls father.”

“But she won’t.” Siverath shook his head. “Can’t is a better word. She chose her path of natural magic. That cannot mix with your kind of magic. That just shows how wrong it is.”

Xalanath took a breath. “Not according to her. And if she did somehow learn this magic, we both know you wouldn’t cause her any trouble.”

His father’s expression never changed. “We’re done here, Xalanath.”

He waved his hand over the magic transmission and the connection cut. Rage boiled over and Xalanath roared in frustrations, lighting sparking and flying everywhere. “That conniving bitch!”

He took strong labored breaths as the lightning died down. She had his father so wrapped around her finger. She had everyone wrapped up in her lie.

Xalanath stormed out of the room into his hoard. He paced back and forth like a caged animal. He almost fell prey to her act too, but he caught it, one decade into knowing her. He broke from that spell and was sure to keep a close eye on her from then on when she returned to Windshire because of Tar’kash, after a decade of absence. She was just like her father. She was up to something and couldn’t be trusted. His father was a fool.

His feet stopped in front of a vanity. Something he’d snatched off a merchant ship early in his adult life. On it sat a well-crafted wooden box carved with a symbol of the Shikala. Xalanath’s fingers traced the symbol, as well as the decorative marks around it.

“Xal, I have something for you.”

Aviana had been a thorn in his side since she first arrived. She acted so innocent—trying to play games of friendship.

Xalanath opened the box, finding several lovely items inside. Jewels, figurines, jewelry… She tried to bribe him with gifts and smiles—with stories of a place that he should have grown up in instead of living in exile like the rest of the bronze.

A plant next to the box caught his eye. An unusual lily that glowed and dripped with sparkling light, potted in soil rich with arcane power.

“Happy birthday, Xal!”

Deep within the soil, were special rocks infused with arcane, keeping the plant alive. A unique flora only found in and around Starglade. Something he could take care of by refreshing the power in the rocks, halting its natural state to wilt and die mere days after bloom. And watering the plant now and then. It didn’t even need sunlight. On the contrary, it did better in darkness—even more so when he exposed it to moonlight. It’s beautiful… like her.

He tore his gaze away from everything, irritation flaring up again. He shouldn’t think these things. But his gaze wandered back to the box, to a gold ring in particular. Xalanath picked it up and looked it over. Nothing about it screamed “special.” The only defining feature was three sapphire gems set inside a grove in the middle, and Aviana’s family crest stamped inside. Xalanath slipped the ring over his index finger, the jewelry fitting like a glove. A trained eye knew there was more to it than its look and easy fit.

The last ever gift she’d given him, a few years after she’d returned from her ten year absence.

“This is for you. I made it myself. Though, you probably still don’t care…”

She didn’t hand it to him personally that time. Left it in a small box in front of his conjured door at the inn with a note. She didn’t even knock. Something twisted in his chest upon remembering.

Xalanath pulled the ring off his index finger and slipped it onto his middle finger, the ring resizing to fit. Not only had she crafted a beautiful ring herself, she had it enchanted.

His eyes fell over each gift she’d ever given. Aviana had always put thought into these. He never thanked her for them. Maybe once or twice, or several times, he’d prank her in return instead of giving her some real gift. She even once saw him seeming giving one away to someone else.

The memory caused a bitterness to tinge his tongue. His hand clenched, his mind reminding him of the neutral glances she now gave him. The untrusting looked any time he would be serious with her, as rare as it was. The rarity of a laugh or smile he’d receive when speaking to her.

No matter what he tried to make himself believe she was an enemy and not to be trusted, Xalanath struggled to deny, he was just as big a fool as his father.