“Incredible, even after all that she carries on. I hardly caught a glimpse of her before she disappeared again too. She’s on her guard. This may prove difficult if she’s trying to stay hidden.”

Madia

Madia raised a finger to the air as she closed her eyes, the wind blowing around her as she took careful breaths, the grass bending around her sandals as she let nothing distract from her focus.

“Imagine a world before innovation,” she whispered to herself. Though closed, her eyes tensed up. “A world before man discovered the intricacies of magic,” she continued. Her eyes opened as she lowered her hand and let out a breath. Just focus on the first era, when magic was not governed by reagents.

Now in a state of meditation, the young lady allowed herself to sit down in the tall grass, nearly disappearing in it as her gaze wandered over the distant mountains. Think, Madia. The techniques of our ancestors… she wondered as she plucked a blade of grass from the dirt, watching it sway in the wind. She admired the blade as it danced in front of her, the wind guiding its movements.

Her mind went back to her time in the Realm of Dreams, where she pranced and skipped across the waters to calm them and appreciated the delicate movements of every step. Even without casting, I can feel magic flowing around me if I concentrate. If I simply manipulate that, I may be able to spare myself the dangers of magic without reagents.

Madia paused as her head went blank for a moment, before she let out a frustrated sigh. If I had someone to share these thoughts with, it would be much easier! I am no scholar.

With a huff, she rose up out of the grass again, placing a hand over her eyes as she shielded the sun. She let out a yawn as she turned south. “The Fihulen villages are filled with scholars, but it would take me days to reach there.” A mental map began forming in her head as she tried to chart her course. “There is a small trading town not far north from the Hivoria Basin, and further still is Keshkin.”

As she spoke, she remembered the enchanted boundary that Keshkin was built against, wincing a bit as she recalled its destruction. Similarly, she was reminded of Cael’s plan to repair the boundary. “She would be the best fit to return it to its former strength, but did she succeed?” Madia muttered as she narrowed her eyes, trying to see across the fields and letting her gaze rise upwards. Despite the glaring sun, she was just able to make out a shimmer in the distance. Madia let out a relieved sigh. Cael is likely still alive, and if she succeeded in her mission, perhaps there is yet hope.

Madia let herself look around again, the lake behind her, Elra to her right, and an expansive valley ahead. “North is my best option. If Cael is still near Keshkin I may be able to find her, and if my hunch is correct, the princesses were surely sent this direction. Aevum’s magic could not have sent them much further south.”

Madia nodded to herself, confidence growing as she began to piece together what Aevum had been likely planning. Though he was never much of a strategist, he knew how to make the best of a situation. I have to trust that he knew what he was doing.

Though the world around her seemed at peace, Madia knew it was anything but. She began trying to comprehend what had happened, and what could yet come. I know I need to be ready for anything, and if Tuulin is smart, he will have more tricks up his sleeve. I wonder if word of the takeover has reached the villages further out from Elra. It’s not even a day’s travel to reach the Basin from Elra…

After spending what seemed like hours walking through the fields, she began to approach the trading town, letting out a sigh of relief as her tired legs ached. She picked up her pace as she approached, pushing herself into a run. As she neared the town, however, she saw a pair of figures in the air and immediately dropped down into the grass, hiding herself as she kept her eyes on the sky. Her heart froze as she watched the draconian figures descend upon the trading town. Don’t tell me they’re attacking a trading village of all things!

As if on cue, she heard the batting of wings above her. She held her breath as she remained in the grass, willing herself to be as small and as invisible as possible. She dared to look up again as another Arden man flew overhead, paying the fields no mind as he made his way to the same village.

Two parties of Dragonkind men, each from different directions. Are they searching? This wouldn’t be enough to ransack a village, especially not such a populated trading village.

Madia pondered the situation before deciding it would be best to lay low. She crouched as she began making her way to the left in an effort to stay away from the main paths into the village. She shifted along the ground, as the grass began to give way to shrubs and scattered trees, closer to the forest beyond the village. After a short time of remaining as quiet and unnoticeable as possible, she reached a large oak tree just behind one of the nearby buildings.

She glanced over her shoulder before slowly rising up out of the grass, staying close to the tree for cover as she tried to see what was happening in the village.

There were several Arden men gathered in the main plaza, discussing something with great urgency. Magic, Madia. Remember you can still use magic, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath and focused her senses forward, taking in the sounds of the wind, the shifting of armor, and even the creaking of wood as people moved around in nearby buildings. At last, she managed to pick up the words escaping the Dragonkind as her hands grew hot with magic.

“He’s not going to be impressed.”

“To hell with ‘impressed.’ We have plenty of time and he has no business being any angrier just because we didn’t find her immediately.”

They’re looking for me, Madia instinctively gripped the tree a bit as she tried harder still to remain hidden as she began to pant from the exertion of her spell.

“And what of the princesses. Any sign of them?”

“Nothing. The people in this village seem to be keeping their lips tightly sealed as well; ‘course, that leads me to believe they know something.”

Madia couldn’t help but grin. Thank goodness. The locals are keeping quiet. The people still have their hearts in the right place.

“Can we force some information out of them?”

“Tuulin wouldn’t be too pleased with that, we don’t want to give these people any more reasons to hate us than they already have.”

“Right, and Undar found nothing in the woods?”

“Nothing, although knowing him I doubt he looked all that hard.”

“Surely we can convince some sort of tracker to help our cause. Haven’t we any of our own?”

Madia frowned. So he’s out to build a positive reputation. He’s not going to get far if he goes hunting and killing children. Madia looked around again, before leaving her spot at the tree and darting behind a building. She scanned the area for any other Dragonkind aside from the group of six or seven in the center. There was a singular wagon coming down the path, but otherwise the town was still quiet.

“Oi, merchant. You seen any of the nobles around here?” One of the Arden spoke up as the wagon approached.

The man at the front of the buggy flinched at first before frowning. “Nobles? You mean folk from Elra Castle? Not in these parts.”

“Hm, is that so? Well if you see anyone, let us know right away. We’re looking to… negotiate with them.”

The merchant’s frown curled into a nervous smile. “Of course! I will keep you informed.”

Madia narrowed her eyes as she studied the merchant. Judging by how quickly his attitude shifted, he’s playing it safe. He’s being remarkably pleasant to such an aggressive approach. Is it fear, or has he something to hide? Madia began calculating in her head as the merchant’s wagon rolled by.

She began tracing his movement as he moved through the plaza, the ex-Keeper following him while staying out of sight. Eventually he tugged gently on the reins and steered the wagon to the side, conveniently between a pair of buildings. The horse whinnied and shook its head in disapproval. “Ah, woah… easy there, girl. I’ve had enough fuss as is today,” the merchant muttered.

Do I approach or do I continue watching? Madia wondered. She could tell by looking at him that he knew something; evidently the Arden hadn’t caught on. But operating on a guess is dangerous work. Do I trust this merchant? She bit her lip as she struggled for a moment to make up her mind.

Finally, she summed up her courage and relaxed herself, before carefully sneaking out of her hiding spot. There was a brief moment where she was in plain sight, and she bolted behind the carriage. She could hear the gentle clattering of the goods in the back of the cart, and up ahead the sound of the leather ropes being tied to keep the horse in place. Wait… sounds from outside AND inside the carriage.

Madia tensed up as she realized there was someone in the buggy. The young lady realized she had to make a dangerous decision, and fast. She couldn’t risk causing a commotion and attracting the attention of the Arden, and she had no idea how this man would respond if she began to sneak into his goods. I could scare him if I sneak up on him, yet if I raise my voice in casual greeting, I’ll surely be found out.

Madia frowned before reaching behind her and tightening her belt, feeling the sheathe of her knife. She rolled up her sleeves and slowed her breathing. Light on her feet, she stepped out around the cart. The merchant was looking the other direction, holding a bucket of water up to his horse. Not making a single sound, she continued forward until she was right behind him, before in one swift motion, standing tall and swinging a hand over around to him. Her hand connected with his mouth and she held tight as he let out a muffled shout.

“Shhh… stay quiet!” Madia whispered with urgency. The man struggled for a moment, dropping the water bucket as it splashed to the ground. It was so loud to her, the impact sounded as though glass had broken on the ground. She winced, daring to look over her shoulder. Thankfully nobody had noticed them, but having distracted herself for just a moment, the merchant suddenly pulled himself free and pulled a short sword off the saddle of his horse.

Instinctively Madia pulled her own knife out and held it forward. The merchant clenched his teeth. “I’ve lost enough as is, thief, and my blade is far greater than yours.”

Madia kept her knife up and tried to remain calm, keeping her voice to a quiet mutter. “I am not trying to steal from you. I just want to talk to you.”

“A likely ruse, stay right where you are!”

Madia felt her fear beginning to rise. “Please, just quiet down, or we’ll attract too much attention!”

“M-Madia?”

A soft voice suddenly interrupted the two, and Madia froze as her eyes went wide. Simultaneously, her and the merchant turned their heads to the cart, where a young girl was peeking her head out from under a blanket within, brushing a curtain of black hair to the side.

“Rune-!” It came out as little more than a breath as she nearly leapt into the cart, recognizing the dark-haired child immediately.

Rune didn’t say a word but stared anxiously as she remained in the covers. Madia rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the girl as she got up on her knees, embracing her desperately. Moments later, Rell arose from the other side of the carriage, climbing out to meet Madia who pulled the two princesses close. “Oh, thank goodness you’re safe!”

Madia could hear Rell sobbing as she pushed into her. Madia stroked them as she whispered. “Shh, shh, it’s okay. We’re gonna be okay.”

“So you’re it… you’re the Keeper of Mind,” the merchant behind stuttered in shock.

Madia looked over her shoulder, not letting go of the children. “Madia Nullan; ex-Keeper of Mind. Have you been keeping these two hidden?”

The merchant grimaced. “At great cost. Maybe you can tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s a long story. We can’t stay here though, not with all these Dragonkind nearby,” Madia insisted. “What is your name?”

“It’s Alverd. I trust you’ll keep those kids quiet? They’ve already given me enough trouble today.”

Madia nodded. “Just get us out of here; somewhere away from the Dragonkind.”

Alverd sighed and stroked his horse’s mane. “Fine, but give Elena here a moments rest before we set out again.”

Madia hardly even let him finish his sentence before she returned her focus to the princesses, one hand to Rell’s head and the other around Rune’s waist. “Oh, I’m so thankful you’re okay.”

“W-we thought we were gonna die!” Rell stammered.

“It’ll be fine now. I’m here, we’ll get you somewhere safe.” Madia reassured.

“What are we gonna do?” Rune questioned.

Madia caught her breath for a second. “W-we’ll figure that out once we’re safe, but I’ll protect you I promise. I’m not letting you go again.”

Elena whinnied as Alverd climbed back up onto the front of the carriage, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Alright, let’s not waste any more time here. The people in this town won’t be interested in trade as long as they are around,” he grumbled, nodding towards the Arden in the plaza. “Make yourselves unseen, and not a word from any of you until I say we’re clear. Got it?”

The three girls nodded, before Madia pulled the woolen blanket up and beckoned the princesses under. “Come on you two, stay right there.”

Rell and Rune did as they were told and got down on the floor, before Madia lowered the blanket and let it cover them.

“You too, miss. They’re not just looking for the princesses,” Alverd requested.

Madia looked around the back of the carriage, frowning as she tried to find a way to hide herself. “I may be small, but I’m still bigger than them.”

Alverd grunted. “You’re a magician, aren’t you? Can’t you whip some sort of magic up?”

Madia paused in thought a moment. “I haven’t the reagents to cast, do you have any sensory tomes?”

Alverd shook his head. “I deal in carpentry, not magic…”

“Psst, Madia…” Madia turned around to find Rell peeking up from under the blanket, holding out a small pouch.

Madia beamed as Rell handed it to her. “Of course, Cael’s dust!” Madia opened it and peered in. “It’s not specifically for sensory magic, but it’ll have to do. Thank you Rell.”

Rell was already back under cover as Madia crawled to the side of the carriage. She sat down and sighed, lifting a hand in front of her as a small light flickered on her finger tip. The feeling of magic flowing through her hands gave her an odd comfort, as with a single graceful motion, the light traced through the air, leaving a sparkling trail behind it before vanishing entirely.

“That should do it. Alverd, can you see me, here in the corner,” Madia asked.

Alverd looked over his shoulder and blinked in surprise as he glanced around, before focusing hard on Madia. “Only if I’m really looking for you.”

Madia nodded. “It will suffice. They didn’t pay you much mind on the way in.”

Alverd seemed satisfied with that and looked forward again, visibly relaxing as some of the tension left him. “Alright.” He raised his voice a bit. “Come on Elena, these people aren’t interested in trade,” he said as he gave the reins a gentle whip.

Madia let out a heavy breath as the cart lurched and began moving forward. She felt it sway a bit as it bumped over the uneven turf, gently turning back onto the main road before there was a firm THUMP and the road smoothed. The horse’s hooves clip-clopped onwards as Madia watched the village go by, shutters closed as though avoiding contact. It feels like a ghost town out there… it’s almost unnatural for a bustling trade village to be so quiet, especially so close to mid-day. Something isn’t right.

Madia felt her anxiety rising as she tried to keep herself calm and still. She knew any movement she made would make her that much easier to see. The illusion masks my presence, but only if I remain still. She slowly turned her head to look at the princesses hiding beneath the blanket. There wasn’t a single sign of movement. Madia closed her eyes as she heard armor nearby, slowing her breathing to appear as invisible as possible.

“You there. Merchant.” A voice spoke up from shortly ahead. “Have you seen any noble folk around here?”

The merchant let out a sigh that turned into a gentle chuckle. “You already asked me, friend. No I haven’t, but I’ll be sure to send them your way if I see any.”

Madia’s eyes locked onto Alverd as she saw an Arden man approach him. “Hmm, very well…” He was right in front of the opening to the buggy, considerably taller than Madia had anticipated as he was at an easy height to look straight into the buggy, and look in he did.

His eyes glanced into the cart and scanned around inside it for a moment.

“A-ah, well I am a busy man, I’m sure you know. But if time permits I will certainly escort anyone I should find here,” he said with a nod. “In fact, I’ll just be heading to the nearby village a little further north-north-east. I’ll ask around there if they’ve seen anyone.”

He puts on a convincing display, despite that initial stutter, Madia reassured herself.

The Arden man looked straight at Madia’s location and she froze again. She let her eyes drift to his face, and his eyes almost seemed to do the same as they narrowed. He reached down as though to grip his sword handle.

Madia knew she had to act fast, so she closed her eyes briefly and refocused the energy of her spell and directed it at the Arden. There was a brief green light at her fingertip once again, before a glimmering trail whipped across the Dragonkind’s face. He flinched, but then suddenly relaxed. He seemed dazed for a moment as he looked around inside the cart again, before he shook his head, removing his hand from the blade. “There’ll be no need. We will visit the village ourselves. Go on, sell whatever it is you’re keeping back there.”

Madia dared to let out a silent sigh as she felt magic envelop her again, her presence once more disappearing out of sight as the Dragonkind backed away. With a gentle whip, the buggy began moving forward yet again, clearing the buildings, and out onto the main roads. Alverd scanned the area around them as he gave another whip, causing Elena – and the wagon by extension - to pick up speed.

A few minutes of silence passed, where Madia remained hidden and Alverd didn’t even look over his shoulder, until at last, he let out a sigh. “Alright, we should be clear now.”

Madia let herself breathe at last as the spell surrounding her immediately dispersed. A small puff of smoke rose up out of the pouch that she was gripping in her hand tightly. She opened it up and frowned. That used a lot more than I would have hoped.

“What happened back there? He was looking right at you,” Alverd questioned.

“It was a spontaneous spell. I played a quick mind-game. I knew he was looking at me, so I just convinced him he was seeing things,” Madia explained.

Alverd raised an eyebrow. “That simple, eh?”

Madia smiled a bit and rubbed her head. “Well, not quite. It was a gamble. If he’d second guessed himself, or wanted to be sure, it would have all been over.”

“I see. Well fortunately, it paid off.”

“Yes, but for how long…” Madia wondered aloud.

“Eh?”

Madia raised her head. “Think about it. They know I’m one of the only surviving keepers. The Keeper of Mind. Frankly, they should be expecting mind tricks and illusions.”

Alverd bit his lip. “So you expect…?”

“I expect that if he says anything about it to his comrades they’ll catch on.” Madia spoke urgently.

“Then what do we do if that happens?” Alverd asked.

Madia rubbed her head, applying pressure just above her eyes. “We’re approaching a forest. If we suspect we’re being chased, we may need to hide in there somewhere. If it comes to it, we may need to ditch the wagon to stay out of sight.”

Alverd winced at that and just grunted. “Hm. Understood…”

Madia nodded gratefully, before turning her gaze back to the blanket on the floor. “Girls? It’s safe, you can come out now.”

Rell immediately flung the blanket off and rushed over to Madia, nearly tackling her as she stumbled forward. Madia gasped as she was winded for a moment. She chuckled a bit as Rell once again gripped her tightly.

Alverd snickered. “Well, isn’t she a cuddle bug.”

Rell lifted her head up from Madia and looked up at her. The child’s eyes were watering as though bordering tears as she finally smiled back. “I missed you so much,” Rell said quietly.

Madia gave her a painful smile. “I missed you too, Rell. Maybe even more than you missed me.”

Rune suddenly plopped down beside Rell. “No, I missed you more!” Rune insisted.

Madia chuckled as she patted Rune’s head. “Yes, Rune... I’m sure you did.”

Alverd glanced over his shoulder. “Are you a mother, Madia?”

Madia laughed a little louder than she meant to. However, as Madia said “no,” Rell piped up and proclaimed “yes.”

Madia’s eyes went wide as she stared blankly for a moment, before she and Rell simultaneously looked at each other. There was a long pause where the two stared, Rell tilting her head a bit in curiosity, and Madia blinked as she processed what Rell had just said.

Alverd simply turned forward again. “I’ll let you two work that out.”

Rell blushed a little bit and shrunk away from Madia. “S-sorry, that wasn’t my question to answer.”

Madia smiled awkwardly, placing a hand on Rell’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Perhaps I’ve become like a mother to some people.”

Rell looked back up at Madia and beamed with delight.

“Weeeeeell, you do take care of us in the castle…” Rune muttered.

“Oh! And keep us on task for our studying!” Rell added in happily.

“Alright, alright you two! Take it easy,” Madia said, waving her hands down towards the ground.

Mother… I’d never even thought of that, Madia wondered to herself as she looked back out past Alverd. She felt a slight pain in her chest as she was quickly reminded of the future she’d lost. Aevum…

Madia paused for a while. The princesses; they’re my priority right now. I can’t think about what I’ve lost, she told herself. Besides, as long as I have them with me… she looked back at them as Rell got comfortable by Madia’s side, nearly leaning into her. I don’t think a world without the Keepers would be so bad.