Chapter 10
Amber
Amber walked through the forest, savouring the peace and quiet that sometimes came with exploring Drakania. The birds and woodland creatures had returned, filling the previously eerie silence with their faint chirping and calls. It was so much different than the first time she visited; it was as if the forest had come alive over the past year.
She had learned so much as well. The dragons, when she managed to communicate her point, were extremely helpful. A lot of them claimed it was because she helped end the line of Erythrean dragons, even if she had been Bonded to one. Queen Lapis even showed her a cave where hundreds of rock slabs were stacked up, lining the perimeter. Through a series of looking, pointing with wings, and chirping, she was able to explain that these slabs were records of Drakania, and that Amber could look through them anytime she wanted. At least, that’s what the girl believed.
She had looked at the slabs several times, realising at first glance that these were picture records. Roughly carved shapes and lines depicted important events in Drakanian history. One of them was an image of three dragons standing on the raised slab in the Drakanian City. There was red powder dusted in the lines, leading her to believe that this was Crimson’s ancestors, or maybe even her family, ruling over the kingdom.
She had spent hours upon hours in that cave, poring over different slabs, jotting down notes when she read something interesting. She only left when she felt hungry, or when she felt like her head was exploding with information.
Like now.
She had just finished analysing several slabs detailing the history of Drakanian rulers, these ones carved on obsidian and the lines dusted with silver. It was intricately carved, with details such as individual scales, the glint in the eyes, all rendered as well as claws dragging on stone could. As someone who had spent a lot of time observing things, then attempting to recreate the image on paper, Amber could tell the carvings were done extremely well.
There were so many carvings, most of which showed dragons similar to Crimson, but she noticed the images start to shift toward bearing similarity to Lapis the more she read.
Even with her attempt at organizing them in a way she could understand more easily, the information was still a lot to take in. She had left her own little message, after learning that the dragons could easily communicate with her if she drew things. She left her notebook open, with a rough sketch of her walking around in the forest on a flat-topped stone that acted as a table. She weighed it down with another stone, knowing that the wind dragon sentries had a tendency to wander down here to check up on her to make sure she ate or wasn’t overworking herself.
Then she’d slipped out of the City, taking one of the many hidden tunnels that led to the outside world.
Even though she was by herself in the forests, walking for hours on end, she didn’t feel alone.
She felt even more free than before, quite literally, since Crimson wasn’t here to dictate her every move. That’s what it was, wasn’t it? Control and the need to hold onto power. It was always about that. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that she met Crimson the day she started exploring Drakania. Crimson probably planned this for years, waiting for the right human to wander across the border. She wondered if her father had been one of the…options before he died.
She stopped by the border, sitting down on one of the many boulders that were piled in a small hill and opened her hands.
Coaxing out that first spark was difficult. It had been a while since she had sat down with the intention of practicing and honing her abilities, but her muscle memory seemed to remain intact, and soon there were wispy bits of green floating around her. Nothing like the previously explosive sparks, or the energy blast that she sometimes caused happened.
She concentrated, focusing on keeping a sphere of green around herself. With every breath she released, she tried to transfer that power and will to the shield around her. With every breath, the shield shined brighter and grew larger, until it completely surrounded the small hill of boulders she sat on.
Breathe in, breathe out, she repeated to herself. I control the power, it doesn't control me.
She felt a calmness settle over her shoulders and opened her eyes. Her vision didn’t hold a green tint like the last time she tried to use her powers, which was when she faced off against Crimson, and she allowed herself to smile. Overcoming that barrier on its own was a feat to her and she was proud.
Amber let herself relax and rested her palms against the stones. The shield remained up, glittering under the rays of sunlight that filtered through the canopy. She leaned back, lying down on the slightly bumpy surface, and lifted a hand, spinning a finger in a circular motion. The shield moved according to her hand movements, burning a circle into the stone and grass around her as it spun, faster and faster as her confidence in her abilities grew.
She was interrupted again by someone, but she only lifted herself up with her arms instead of jumping and expelling a large radius of energy. She raised a hand and the shield dissolved into green sparkles that showered down, fizzing out before they touched the ground.
“You’ve improved,” Casmir said, moving a branch aside as he stepped out from behind a tree. Then his eyes widened as he looked at hers. They weren’t the blue-purple he’d gotten accustomed to seeing, they were bright green. Both of them. And they were glowing slightly, the colour matching her necklace pendant. “Amber, your eyes. They’re—”
“My eyes?” she asked, a hand shooting up to cover them. She dropped her hand and gave him a look of confusion. “What about them? They’re working fine.”
“Uh, nothing,” he shook his head and smiled at her. “I see you’ve been practicing your abilities.”
“It’s not as big or dramatic as what I used to be able to do,” she replied, crossing her legs. “I haven’t used my abilities since…Crimson.” At the mention of her deceased dragon, her face fell slightly. Then her eyes shone with something akin to excitement as she thought of everything she had learned since. “I’ve been researching and exploring the City.”
“Are you still—” Casmir made a few vague hand gestures and offered a smile. “—okay?”
Amber nodded, returning a smile of her own. “I’m fine,” she said. “What about you?”
“People at Regia Liavis still want to know who the Unlocked is.” he said. “They thought that I would’ve figured out who it was, since I came here twice.”
“Are you gonna tell them?” Her tone became slightly defensive and her entire body tensed, as if preparing to sprint off into the woods at any given moment.
“No.” Casmir’s response was short and instantaneous. “I won’t.”
She smiled again. “Thank you,” she said quietly. Then she cleared her throat and said in a louder voice, “Will I see you again? Like, dropping by or…?”
Casmir’s smile faded, as did Amber’s when she predicted what he might say.
“I…” He looked away, making a point to stare at anything but her. “Amber, I can’t drop my duties like that. I’m not like you.”
She slid off the rock, tilting her head as she casually rested one hand at her hip, close to the handle of her knife. “What do you mean by that?” Her voice was dangerously calm.
“I work for Regia Liavis,” he said stiffly. “It’s my job to protect the kingdom from the supposed danger, namely you, in their eyes.”
“Yes, I’m dangerous,” she said with mild annoyance. “We’ve been over that before, in the dungeon, remember?”
“What I mean is that I can’t leave without notice again.”
Amber narrowed her eyes slightly, the action going unnoticed by her best friend. “What about the I’m not like you part?” she asked. “Aside from the obvious ‘Amber is the Unlocked and I’m not’, how are we—”
“We’re not the same!” he finally snapped. “You’re…you explore Drakania, half the time you’re not even in Liavis, you’re free to do whatever you want.” He exhaled deeply. “And I’m expected to do my duty. It’s what my family expects of me. And you know that family will always come first. That’s why you’re exploring, isn’t it? To carry on your father’s legacy?”
Though she was taken back by his sudden question, she didn’t let it show. “Yes,” she managed to say. As much as she tried, she couldn’t conceal the sarcasm in her words. “That’s exactly why I’m exploring.” She didn’t say that she used exploring and carrying on her father’s legacy as an excuse to leave the city even though she did want to do both those things. That she wanted to get away so badly because she had zero control over her powers and had started to believe she was insane.
Casmir seemed to understand what she was trying to convey, and he seemed almost disappointed. He nodded once and turned, disappearing over the border just as silently as he had appeared.
Casmir
Casmir was disappointed, but even then, disappointment was an understatement for what he felt. He knew what Amber meant, and that was only because he had known her for so long. He didn’t look back, even as he made his way back to Liavis, where he knew his father would be waiting.
He could imagine the conversation:
“Have you found the Unlocked yet?” his father would ask. And he would reply with, “No, they’re really clever and I haven’t seen them.” And they would go in circles until one of them made an excuse to go do something else.
A part of him wanted to tell his father. It’ll put a stop to the conversations that had no end, no point, and it’ll probably also prompt Amber to do something about the situation. Another part of him wanted to keep it a secret like he had promised her. That part said that if Amber wants to share her secret she’ll tell when she’s ready, which most likely meant never.
Casmir wondered which part would win the argument today. It was usually the latter, but recently, the former had gotten close to gaining the upper hand, and there were many occasions where he almost started talking about everything that’s happened during his two, very brief, visits to Drakania.
He thought about his conversation with Amber, how he’d snapped and all but blamed her for doing what she loved.
Face it, his mind said. You’re jealous. The truth stung a bit.
“I’m not jealous,” he muttered out loud. “I just wish I had her freedom.”
“Who’s freedom?” his father asked.
Casmir didn’t realize how fast he had walked. He was at home already.
“Uh, nothing,” he said. “I didn’t say anything.” He brushed past his father and headed up the stairs, hoping to lock himself in his room while he contemplated his thoughts.
“It doesn’t seem like nothing,” his father said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Casmir bit out. “I’m perfect. That’s what everyone else says, apparently.” He kicked at the ground, noticing that some of the carpet threads were loose. He hated being perfect all the time, hated the need to set the expectation for others, and above all else, hated that he should feel glad that he was so perfect. It wasn’t fun, it was exhausting.
“Casmir,” his father said gently. “If you’re too stressed, or if you feel—”
“Father, I’m fine,” he said, finally unable to keep the words to himself. “I’m just tired of this whole Unlocked thing.” He laughed without humour and met his father’s gaze. “I mean, I’ve tried to talk to her so many times, but she’s just not listening, you know?”
His father didn’t say anything. Instead, he prompted him to continue. Casmir did, not stopping to process the words as they tumbled out of his mouth.
“And,” he shook his head as he gradually started to lose his train of thought. “Did you know that she had a dragon, but the dragon ended up trying to kill her, so I had to help her and I killed the dragon. Now I think she’s mad at me, which is understandable.”
“I mean, sure, I’ve had that conversation with Amber so many times.” He tried to mimic her sarcastic tone of voice as he said, “Casmir, I’m dangerous,” before sighing and giving his father a weak smile. “But despite saying that, she never tried to hurt me. Good thing I’m her best friend, right?”
“So aside from that, I’m doing great,” he finished. “What about you, father?”
“Amber’s the Unlocked?” his father asked, delivering the sentence as a statement rather than a question. “That’s what you’re saying?”
Horror dawned on Casmir and he quickly tried to take his words back. “No, I didn’t say that,” he muttered. “I—” She is going to kill me, he thought as he edged in the direction of his room. Maybe if I run fast enough, I can make it to my room and—
“Casmir, if she’s the Unlocked, then Regia Liavis and Diavum needs to know,” his father said. “You said it yourself, she’s dangerous.”
“But she didn’t do anything, just let her be!” He knew it was pointless to keep denying the fact, and instead, tried to change his father’s mind. “Please, she’s not hurting anyone, just leave her alone!”
“You said that you found her in the courtyard after it was reduced to rubble and dust,” his father said. “Was she the one who did that?” His eyes said that he knew, but he wanted to hear the words from Casmir himself.
“No,” Casmir said too quickly. “Father, please don’t say anything, she’s not a danger to us, or to the kingdom.”
His words fell on deaf ears as his father headed into his study, most likely to draft up a report to deliver to the Regias the following day.
“She’s not even in Liavis half the time, so why are you so focused on finding and catching her?” he asked just as the door to his father’s study closed, a click sounding as the lock snapped in place.
He woke the next morning to a silent house and assumed the worst. A quick search around the halls told him that he was truly alone, which was strange considering neither of his parents usually had work on this particular day of the week.
Without thinking, he got dressed as fast as he could, sprinting out of his home and into the forests. The least he could do was let Amber know. She deserved that much.
He reached the borders faster than he anticipated and looked around as he caught his breath. She wasn’t by the boulders like she was yesterday.
“You’re back!” Amber said suddenly. She sounded happy, though he swore there was a hint of confusion masked by the contentment. He didn’t blame her. Usually weeks or months would pass between each time they saw one another.
He looked up, breathing out a sigh of relief as he spotted her sitting on a tree branch, high above his head. Her hand was glowing green, as if she was preparing to launch an energy ball at him. The light faded away as she relaxed.
“I thought—”
“Amber, I’m so sorry,” he blurted out, cutting off her words.
“What?”
“I’m sorry, I was upset and—” he inhaled deeply, then exhaled to calm himself down. “—I shouldn’t have said anything.” He hoped that she could understand what he wanted to say. He didn’t want to say “I accidentally told my father everything and now you might be hunted down and killed” because that would just end badly for both of them.
Amber’s eyes flicked to something behind him and she nodded, her face mirroring the disappointment that was on his own yesterday. “Alright,” she said, giving no sign that she caught what he was trying to say, instead, keeping her voice level and calm. “I’ll see you then.”
Then she jumped down from her perch, landing in a crouch before getting to her feet and disappearing into the forest. He noticed that she ran in the direction of Liavis, not Drakania, but didn’t say anything.
“So she is the Unlocked,” his father said from behind him. It didn’t shock him. Especially since Amber had glanced almost to the side only moments ago before disappearing. What did shock him was when Lance and Melody stepped out from behind his father. Both looked equally as shocked as he did, though their shock was for a completely different reason.
“What are you two—” Casmir started before he halted abruptly. “Father, you had them follow me?”
“Your father said that we should trail behind,” Melody said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “Just in case something comes up.”
“Why?” he asked. “I’m fine. No one’s gonna hurt me. The Unlocked—”
“Is Amber,” his father said. “Lance, go make sure she—”
“Father, don’t.” Casmir muttered, not caring that he interrupted his father while giving a direct order. “She’s not harming anyone. Just keep this a secret. The situation will blow over on its own.”
“Should I still go after her, Captain?” Lance asked.
“No.” Casmir said immediately. “I don’t even know where she went. She knows these forests better than anyone.”
For the first time in his life, Casmir noticed that his father looked conflicted. “I want to believe you,” his father said quietly.
“Then believe me,” he pleaded. His hope started to crumble the longer his father remained silent. “Please,” he added in a whisper.
“But she did destroy that courtyard, didn’t she?”
“You said that wasn’t her!” Lance exclaimed.
“I said I hope it wasn’t her.” Casmir felt more and more irritated as his friends and his father (but mostly his friends) tried to make sense of the situation. Then he felt his heart plummet. The tone of voice his father used was one that meant I know the truth, but I want to hear it from you. It almost always worked, and he found himself nodding slowly, an air of defeat and sorrow surrounding him.
Casmir felt his heart plummet. The tone of voice his father used was one that meant I know the truth, but I want to hear it from you. It almost always worked, and he found himself nodding slowly, an air of defeat and sorrow surrounding him.
“I had no idea until she told me,” he whispered. “But she didn’t do anything else after, so…”
“Casmir, she destroyed public property.” At this moment, Casmir knew that his father wasn’t speaking to him as a parental figure, but as the Captain. “And it’s also against the law to have an arkey, so even if her arson charges are cleared, there’s still that to deal with. I know she’s close to you—”
“Father, she’s my best friend!”
“Erm, Captain, if I may interrupt,” Melody started. “Isn’t this going a bit too far? Amber and Casmir are inseparable! They’re a duo! You can’t make him do this! What if it was y—”
Both their words went unheard as his father said, “Casmir, remember what I always told you?”
He stiffened and nodded. “Duty comes first,” he recited in a monotonous voice. “And the needs of the majority will always outweigh the needs of a few individuals.”
“Very good,” his father said. Even though his words were ones of praise, they sounded like anything but. Even though he smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes. If anything, his father looked slightly pained. “So what are you going to do, Casmir?”
Casmir closed his eyes, breathing in, then out as he tried to clear his mind of anything that could make him change his mind. He couldn’t be conflicted now, especially since he was practically being given a mission on the spot. He opened them, standing up straighter as he said, “I’m going to do my duty to the kingdom.”
“And that is…?”
He clenched his teeth, his hands curling into tight fists. He was fighting a losing battle. Even with the (sort of) help from his friends, he knew there was no way to change his father’s mind when it was made up.
“I’m going to find the Unlocked.” he forced himself to say, his words becoming more and more quiet as he spoke, until it was no more than a mere whisper. “And I’ll make sure she won’t be a danger to the kingdom anymore.”
