“Talynn, are you finished packing? Everyone’s waiting outside,” Versutana yelled, her voice echoing through the castle courtyard.
“Coming, coming, just had to grab a few books for the road,” Talynn said as he held onto his mage’s hat and rushed down the stairs, his dark red cloak flowing behind him.
“We finally get to leave Albustone! Isn’t this exciting?” Versutana skipped along in her pale green dress under a brown leather bodice as they met Mavence just outside the castle.
“It’s about time. We haven’t left the city since we arrived here,” Mavence sheathed his trusty sword in the scabbard draped over the back of his azure blue tunic as they walked along.
The early-morning songs of birds echoed through the empty streets of Albustone. Talynn leaned his head back and let out a mighty yawn. The light of the sunrise just before breaking the horizon painted the sky above a serene gradient of blue.
“Well, you finally decided to join us. We haven’t even begun our journey and we’re already late,” a stern-faced female knight chastised the trio as they neared the city gates.
“Relax, Daecus. It’s a vacation, we don’t have to abide by a schedule,” Versutana patted the shoulder of the royal knight’s silvery armor as she walked by.
“Milady, I told you we needed to leave before dawn for a reason. Travel by night is unsafe. It is my duty to protect you,” Daecus said, only to have Versutana walk past indifferently. The knight let out a sigh, preparing for the headaches she knew would follow. “Let’s load up the curstilios.”
“The what?” Mavence tilted his head.
“I guess if you haven’t traveled outside the city you’ve never seen one before,” said Versutana. “They’re pretty awesome.”
Daecus signaled for her subordinates to open the gates to the stables. The knights led out several large animals by rein. The beasts of burden looked like prehistoric raptors, but with bodies slightly larger than horses. Despite being distinctly reptilian, their skin was covered with semiplume feathers ranging from gray to brown in color.
“See! They’re so soft and fluffy,” Versutana ran over to one of the animals and hugged it around the base of its large neck.
“Well, they’re much bigger than I thought they’d be,” Talynn gulped as he and Mavence stood a healthy distance away, their attention captured more by the creature’s massive claws and large mouths than its soft feathers.
“Oh come on, get over here you guys,” Versutana beckoned to the boys. “Man up. You look like you’re about to wet your pants. They’re the sweetest things!”
The boys cautiously approached, feeling more at ease as they saw the beast lower its head, allowing Versutana to pet the feathers on his neck.
“Come on, you’ll be fine.”
“Look at the size of these talons, Talynn!” Mavence exclaimed as he got a closer look at the curved claws on its hands and feet, each several inches long. “I don't even want to know how this thing eats.”
“I read that these things are actually herbivores. Their claws are just for defense,” Talynn said as he slowly put his hand out and began running his fingers through the beast’s feathers.
“Are you sure? Because they look like they could eat a person in two seconds,” Mavence looked up at the curstilio’s head, well above eight feet from the ground.
“Yep, you can tell by looking at their teeth. They have molars instead of canines, which means they eat plants instead of meat,” said Talynn. “They’re related to the carstilio, which are like smaller carnivorous versions of them. Those ones don’t have feathers though, so they can’t survive in a climate like this.”
“Come, children. Enough lollygagging. It’s time we depart,” Daecus took the helmet she was holding between her arm and waist and placed it over her short bob-cut brown hair.
The dozen other members of the Royal Guard each took a curstilio from the stables and led them out to the front of the city gates. Versutana glanced back to the stables, a familiar face catching her eye. She hopped back and forth on her feet in excitement for a moment before sprinting over to a stall and opening the gate.
“Shadow! You’ve grown so much!” Versutana led the young curstilio out. This one was smaller than the rest, but her feathers were strikingly black with a wide gray stripe running along her sides.
“Milady, I suggest we leave her be. She’s too young and ill-tempered to be taken on a long journey,” Daecus objected and went to grab the reins from her.
“No! She’s almost full-grown now. I’m a girl and I’m not wearing armor, she’ll be fine. I’m not that heavy,” Versutana yanked the reins away and squeezed her beloved curstilio tightly. The creature made a cross between a cooing noise and a low growl, indicating that it was happy.
“Fine. Don’t come complaining to me when she can’t keep up,” Daecus said under her breath before turning away.
Versutana stuck her tongue out while one of the guards outfitted her curstilio with a saddle. The others helped Talynn and Mavence climb onto their saddles, strapping their bags to the sides. Daecus took the lead of the group, with a knight riding on either side of her and the rest of them following closely behind Talynn, Mavence, and Versutana.
The early morning sun cast long shadows as they descended down a gently sloping hill into the valley surrounding Albustone city. Open green fields coated in morning dew extended in every direction. A great mountain range stood in the distance to the south.
Talynn couldn’t help but grin as he rode the curstilio, running his hand through the soft feathers on the back of its neck as it as the wind tugged at his cloak. The soft growling coos and the pace of its quick and heavy footsteps captivated him.
As they continued riding at a swift trot, their southeastern course took them past large farms and their fields of crop. The brisk morning air had begun to turn quite warm. An hour before noon, the caravan slowed to a halt.
“We rest here,” Daecus held up her hand as they reached a public well. The group dismounted, a couple of the knights beginning to drawing water while the others retrieved oat bread and hoggeth jerky from the provisions bags.
“Is the water cold?” One of the knights asked.
“Lukewarm,” the knight drawing the water shook his head.
“As if wearing metal armor on a hot day isn’t punishment enough.”
“Here, let me try something,” Talynn said after overhearing their conversation. He used his lux chalk to draw a small inscription circle on the wide rim of the well and gestured for the knights to place the jug of water on it. Talynn touched the inscription circle and activated the spell. A layer of frost appeared on the wooden surface of the jug
“Try it now,” he said.
One of the knights took a gulp of the water. The other knights stood there, waiting for his verdict.
“It’s like stream water directly from a glacier,” the knight said before zealously taking another drink. The other knights crowded around, giving satisfied sighs as they drank the cool, refreshing water.
“Thanks kid, you’re a lifesaver.”
“That’s not the only thing I can do. Anybody care for some toasted bread?” Talynn crossed his arms and then struck his bracelets together. The sparks burst into an orb of fire as he focused his lumi into it. He proudly held it on display as the knights excitedly crowded around and warmed their food.
“Nice to know that four years of study has adequately trained him for party tricks,” Daecus rolled her eyes in the background and muttered something about the intelligence of men.
“Is he done showing off yet?” Versutana said to Mavence.
“Just let him have this. It's the first time in his life that he feels like a real mage. Look at that dorky grin on his face,” Mavence smiled.
“Hey mister mage, it’d be great if you learn a spell that can pour us some water without having to use a well,” Versutana said as Talynn returned to them and began feasting on his food.
“Yeah, you should learn some water element spells or something. It could be quite useful,” Mavence nodded in agreement.
“Sorry, but ‘water element’ isn’t a thing,” Talynn shook his head and took another bite of his food.
“What? How is that not a thing?”
“There’s only wind, lightning, ice, and fire. Each element works by manipulating energy in a different way. Fire emits thermal energy, ice absorbs thermal energy, lightning emits electrical energy, and wind manipulates kinetic energy. Creating something like water is an entirely different thing. You can’t just create matter out of nothing.”
“Well that’s lame. Hey look, Talynn. They have novis in that field,” Mavence tilted his head towards a pasturage filled with the docile creatures that looked like cotton balls with legs.
“Reminds me of old man Kerrick. Poor guy, I never did go back to watch his novis. Hope he’s still alive and well,” Talynn said.
“Hey Talynn.”
“Yes, Ver?”
“Catch me if you can!” Versutana snatched Talynn’s mage hat off of his head and hopped onto her curstilio.
“Oh no you don’t,” Talynn scrambled over to his curstilio and mounted the tall creature with some difficulty.
Versutana donned the mage hat with a mischievous grin and clicked her tongue, Shadow immediately beginning to sprint. Talynn pulled on the reins of his curstilio and began to give chase as she disappeared into a field of maizo stalks.
“I’ll wait here, you guys go ahead,” Mavence waved and continued eating as the flustered knights mounted their curstilios and began pursuit. Daecus gave a long sigh and pulled out a flask, taking a large swig of it before mounting her curstilio.
“Geez, how do you keep this thing on,” Versutana used her left hand to secure the hat to her head while the wind attempted to rip it away. Talynn winced as the thick leaves of the maizo stalks inflicted small cuts on his face.
After they finally broke out of the maizo field into an open pasture, Talynn struck his bracelets together. A frown formed on his face as the spark was quickly carried away by the wind before he could start a fire orb. He let go of the reins and spun around in his saddle, using his body as a windshield. The flint struck the steel and formed a shower of sparks. He threw his lumi further this time, catching the sparks before the wind carried them away.
Talynn spun back around in his saddle to face forward, his eyes tracking Versutana. She continued through the fields thirty yards ahead, her curstilio easily outpacing his own. He formed an inscription circle around his orb of fire and then hurled it at her.
“Hey Ver, check this out!”
Versutana turned back to look at him, her smile quickly turning to a flinch as the fireball flew straight towards her. She released her grasp on the hat. The fireball knocked the hat away and quickly dissipated. Talynn pulled the reins to ease his curstilio to a stop and hopped off, picking up up his hat off of the grass.
“Looks like I caught you.”
“How could you throw a fireball at me! Were you trying to catch my hair on fire?” Versutana fumed as she dismounted her curstilio and punched Talynn in the arm.
“Hey, chill out,” Talynn rubbed his bruising arm. “I lowered the heat of the flames and made the lumi thinner. It was as harmless as a snowball. Besides, you can’t get mad because you’ve caught me on fire before!”
“You’re a fire mage, I knew you’d be fine!”
“Well now we’re even,” Talynn went to stick his tongue out, but something in the distance caught his eye. “Hey, do you see that over there?”
“That little stone and wood building over there? That’s probably the housing for the lord of the manor’s serfs. You see them a lot in the farms outside of Albustone.”
“Not the building itself, the smoke coming out of it.”
“It’s noon, the serfs are likely cooking up their meals,” Versutana shrugged.
“No, that’s not it. Get Shadow,” said Talynn,his voice growing more urgent. “We need to go there now!”
“Are you going to explain to me what’s happening?” Versutana said as she hopped onto Shadow and pulled Talynn up onto the saddle behind her.
“Smoke comes from fire, and I know fire. If they were just cooking a meal, there should be a little bit of light-gray smoke coming out of that chimney,” Talynn pointed as Shadow sprinted towards the building. “The smoke we’re seeing is way too dark and way too thick, which means it’s getting hotter and larger, and fast. I don’t see anyone leaving the building, so they probably tried to put out the fire and got trapped.”
“All right, what do I do?” Versutana asked as they arrived. Black smoke began to billow out of the roof, the heat seeping through the walls despite the flames not yet being visible.
“Stay here,” Talynn said as he hopped off of Shadow and raced for the door.
“No! I’m not letting you go alone while I stand here and do nothing!” Versutana dismounted and began to follow him.
“I need you to pull the kids out once I get them to the door. Besides, I don’t want you to burn your hair,” Talynn said as he opened the door and rushed into the building.
A small hallway lay between him and the main room. He almost reached the end, but a pile of burning wood from a fallen wall blocked his path. He pulled out his lux chalk and drew inscription circles on the walls on either side of him. Sticking his arms out, he activated both circles at once and sent two spinning disks of wind at the pile. The disks cut through the thin planks like paper. Talynn leapt over the debris and entered the main room.
It looked like a small barn, with the center area holding several small fire pits with rusted cooking utensils around them. The outer walls of the building were six foot high cobblestone walls that met with wooden walls and a roof. Stalls lined the insides of the building, forming makeshift rooms for the serfs.
Talynn located three boys, each less than twelve years of age, huddled near the center of the room. Several of the vertical beams around them were burning and starting to catch the loft above them on fire.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to rescue you! Here, stay under my cloak. It’s heat-resistant,” Talynn placed the cloak around the young boys.
Maneuvering around the fallen rubble, he pulled out his chalk once more and drew an ice spell on the nearest support beam, hoping to extinguish it. He activated the spell, the frost traveling a couple feet up the burning beam before sizzling away in the heat of the fire.
“Come on,” Talynn drew another inscription circle, but the heat easily overpowered the spell. More of the loft began to fall around them as the flames raged up to the underside of the roof. He scanned the room for windows, but each laid behind a pile of hay that could go up in an instant. Smoke began to fill his lungs, sending him into a coughing fit.
I’ve got three kids and no way to get them all out. What do I do? It’s getting hard to breathe. My eyes burn. Once the fire takes out too many support beams, the roof will cave in and crush us. Come on, think. What if… what if I made the roof go up instead of down?
Talynn retrieved a small book from his cloak pocket and flipped through the pages, kneeling closer to the ground where the smoke didn’t obscure his vision as much. After finding the spell he was looking for, he struck the flint and steel on his bracelets together and formed a flame. Holding the flame above him, he began forming a large inscription circle around it with his lumi.
“Come on, Talynn. Where are you?” Versutana shouted from outside as smoke billowed out of the roof. Shadow gave distressed growl as she backed away from the fire.
The building made a terrible creaking sound as the roof began to cave in. Versutana’s heart sank. Suddenly, the roof erupted in a ball of fire, wooden boards and beams exploding forth as if someone had detonated a barrel of gunpowder beneath them.
Talynn removed the arm that had been shielding his face, the sunlight streaming through the hole in the roof a welcome sight. His look of triumph faded as one of the large support beams that had been launched straight up into the air began hurtling down towards them. Talynn threw himself over the serfs, bracing himself for the impact. He heard the beam strike something, but he felt no pain on his back. He raised his head, a puzzled look on his face.
“Move,” grunted Mavence from behind him, his arms shaking with strain after catching the falling wooden beam. Holding the burning piece of wood over his shoulder with his legs in a half squat, he waited for Talynn to relocate the three serfs before dropping the beam.
“The building is still on fire, we need to leave,” Mavence picked up a boy in each arm while Talynn picked up the remaining one. They rushed out the door to the safety outside. The cool fresh air was like water in an arid desert.
“Talynn, Mavence, you’re okay!” Versutana ran up and helped guide the serfs a safe distance away. Talynn and the boys all joined in on a coughing fit from smoke inhalation.
“Thanks Mav. Saved me again. But dang, how did you catch that thing? It must’ve weighed a ton,” Talynn said as he vigorously rubbed his eyes.
“It’s all in the legs. Definitely gonna hurt later. I think I felt something crack,” Mavence massaged his left shoulder.
“What have you done, you little ingrates?!”
The group turned their heads quizzically, trying to identify the man shouting and running towards them. It was surprising how fast he moved, considering the sizable beer belly he attempted to hide under his fancy blue and white doublet.497Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQnnWBN9DU
“Master is angry,” one of the serfs winced as if he could already feel the lashings of the lord of the manor.
“What have you done to my storehouse! Oh, you useless slaves will pay for this,” the lord said, the veins on his forehead bulging.
“We’re sorry, master Porcuso-”
“They didn’t do anything wrong! It was my fault, they had nothing to do with it,” Talynn immediately stepped between the angry lord and his serfs.
“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll let your master know he’ll be paying for your arson,” the lord shoved Talynn away from him. “What were you boys doing on my land in the first place? You should be working in the fields of your master, not fraternizing with my slaves.”
“Us? I think you’re mistaken, we’re not serfs. I’m a mage, and my friend is a knight of the empire,” Talynn replied.
“Oh, what have we here? A little liar,” Porcuso said with a sardonic tone. “Look at you, your clothes are filthy. And he’s no knight, look at that cheap excuse for armor. You’re peasants playing dress-up. Now get-”
“Shut it, you old fart. I’ll have you know, I’m the daughter of the emperor. I will not have you speak to my friends this way,” Versutana stood between them.
“Don’t you dare interrupt me with your lies, little girl. I’ve seen the empress,” said the lord, his mouth spraying saliva. “You look nothing like her. You must’ve taken your father’s curstilio and decided to play with the farm boys. Now go back home before I drag you there and speak to your father myself!”
“Step back, sir. Laying a hand on another lord’s daughter is not wise,” Mavence stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Porcuso growled, but knew he was right.
“Get out, the lot of you. I have some unruly servants to punish,” the lord grabbed one of the serfs and violently yanked him to his feet.
“Hey, get off of them, can’t you see they’re hurt?” Talynn shoved the lord away, breaking his grasp on the boy.
“Talynn! Stop, you can’t do that to a lord,” Mavence yanked his friend back.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my again boy, or I’ll have you thrown in the stocks! I could have bought ten serfs for the price of the building you just burnt down. My slaves will be getting no food for a week, and you can be certain I’ll have your master do the same to you.”
“For the last time, I'm not a serf, I'm a mage. Watch, I'll prove it to you!”
Talynn crossed his arms and struck his bracelets together. He brought his hands around the small spark to form a fire orb, but nothing happened.
“You made a spark with flint and steel. Is that supposed to convince me that you're a mage?” The lord crossed his arms and gave Talynn a simmering glare.
“Okay, usually it makes a fireball, but I must have used all my lumi. But I am a mage!”
“And if you lay a hand on him again, I’ll make sure the emperor hears about it,” Versutana pointed at the lord.
“I’m quite finished with you snot-nosed brats. I’m taking all of you to your masters where you’ll be-” Porcuso paused as a group of curstilio appeared at the top of the hill a short distance away.
“Hah! Imperial knights. You miserable miscreants are in for it now,” Porcuso said with an evil grin before waving his arms. “Yoohoo! Over here!”
“What is the meaning of this?” Daecus said with a reprimanding tone as she rode in and looked upon the smoldering wreckage nearby.
“Greetings, fair knight. My name is Marquet Porcuso, lord of this estate. I was just in the middle of apprehending these troublemakers trespassing and causing destruction upon my property!”
“Is that so,” Daecus said as she dismounted her curstilio and removed her helmet. “Tell me what happened.”
“Well, I was enjoying second lunch when I beheld one of my storehouses to be on fire. This one here, who claims to be a mage of the empire, he has declared himself to be responsible for this fire. And all of them are guilty of leaving their masters to fraternize with my serfs!”
“Not true, you lying pig-” Talynn began, but was silenced by a piercing glare from Daecus.
“Rest assured, knight, I will be punishing my slaves to a full measure. But, I want a guarantee that these two slaves are duly disciplined as well. I find lashings and a few days without food to be effective. Don’t let that young lass there off easy either. I do not know what house she is from, but any respectable lord ought to train their daughters to be less ill-behaved.”
“Thank you, lord Porcuso. I will let the emperor know that you disagree with the parenting of his daughter.”
“T-the emperor?” Porcuso instantly paled and began to stutter.
“Yes, this is the emperor’s youngest daughter. She is in my care, hence the sigil of the Royal Guard on our armor.”
“Ah, yes. I thought I saw that. Well, on second thought, no need to do that. I’m sure the emperor has much on his plate. Such a minor incident to trouble him with, really.”
Versutana stuck her tongue out at the lord, who glared at her in return.
“Excellent. Thank you for your understanding. I think it’s time we left. Come, children,” Daecus beckoned.
“I bid you good day, fair knight,” Porcuso bowed.
Mavence and Versutana nodded and headed to their curstilios. Talynn looked back at the three young serfs and then up at Daecus with pleading eyes, saying nothing.
“Talynn, we cannot interfere in a lord’s business,” Daecus began, but saw Porcuso viciously yanking up one of his slaves by the ear and whispering the terrible punishment that he would inflict upon them. She rolled her eyes and and turned back to address them.
“Lord Porcuso.”
“Yes, ma'am?” He quickly let go of the serf and feigned a smile.
“Seeing as our young guest of the emperor was responsible for the destruction of your property, I will have my notary write a charter to settle the debts incurred in restoring your building.”
“I appreciate the generosity of the emperor.”
“Your servants should be absolved of guilt from this incident. No need to punish the innocent for the deeds of another person.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, royal knight,” Porcuso gave another curt bow, his intentions unchanging.
“That wasn’t a suggestion, lord Porcuso. I expect to see these serfs to be well-fed and in good health when we pass back through. I’m sure the emperor would like to see evidence of your appreciation.”
“So it shall be,” said Porcuso, his eye twitching.
As the knights began to depart and Porcuso stormed back to his mansion, Talynn turned to the three young serfs.
“Hopefully we didn’t make things too bad for you. Here,” Talynn reached into his knapsack. “I want you guys to have this. It’s my favorite book; Legend of the Four Sages. I think you’ll like it.”
“Thank you, sir,” the boys graciously bowed their heads.
“Talynn,” Versutana leaned over and whispered. “I don’t think you-”
“No. I want them to have this. Maybe the stories will bring a little light into their lives,” Talynn said, his mind made up.
“All right, we must be off. Farewell!” Talynn mounted his curstillio along with Mavence and Versutana. As they crested the hill, Talynn gave a final wave.
“Talynn, about your book,” Mavence began.
“You don’t need to lecture me! It may be my favorite book of all time, but I wanted to give them something.”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t a nice gesture, I’m saying that wasn’t something they can really appreciate.”
“Maybe they won’t treasure it as much as I had, but everyone needs something that inspires their imagination. Especially kids like them.”
“That’s not what he’s saying. Talynn,” Versutana interjected. “Those serfs are illiterate.”
Talynn stared at her with a blank face.
“Sorry man,” Mavence said, trying to hold back a smirk. “But you gave them a book they can’t read.”
Talynn laid back on his curstilio with a defeated look, his arms limp at his sides.
“I’m sorry Talynn,” Versutana said, she too trying to refrain from laughing.
“Versutana!” Daecus shouted from the front of the formation. Versutana sighed and sped up to meet her. After a minute or two of heated exchange, she returned and gestured to Talynn.
“Your turn to get lectured by the grumpy knight.”
Talynn gulped and whipped the reins on his curstilio, weaving to the front of the caravan.
“Yes ma'am?”
“Talynn, I allowed it this time, but I will not let it pass again. You are not to interfere with the lives of the lords. Do you hear?”
“All I did was save those kids from a fire!” Talynn protested.
“You blew up lord Porcuso’s building and insulted him to his face. And, you disgraced the name of the emperor by bringing it into this mess,” Daecus raised her voice and pointed her finger at him.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to help. He was being so cruel to those poor boys,” Talynn lowered his head.
Daecus paused at seeing his reaction, so used to dealing with Versutana’s combative nature.
“I know, child, I know,” Daecus said in a softer tone. “I admire that about you and Mavence. You both have a strong sense of justice. Some lords are cruel and corrupt men. But it is not our place to meddle in their affairs.”
“Why not? You would have let that pass? How can knights of the empire like you just sit by and idly watch while evil men like him oppress people?” Talynn said, the anger in his voice rising sharply.
“Lords and nobles such as him are not direct citizens of Aedon. They are not subject to the same laws as the people you know in Albustone. Their loyalty to the empire exists simply as an exchange of services. The last thing the empire needs is for them to defect and join the Griseans because we overstepped our bounds.”
“I don’t see a problem with that. Good riddance,” Talynn spat. “Why would the empire even need evil nobles like him to begin with?”
“Emperor Prosephius would never have conquered the five kingdoms had he not rallied the forces of the nobles throughout the land. I know it’s difficult to understand, but sometimes injustices have to be endured for the greater good. If the kingdom of Grisea ever attacked again, we’ll need all the allies that we can get,” said Daecus.
“Well either way, I don’t like it. People shouldn’t be able to get away with treating others like dirt just because of their nobility.”
“I know. But that’s the way it is, Talynn. You can’t change the world.”
“Maybe not,” Talynn shrugged. “But I’ll change what I can. You can count on that.”
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