Chapter 11
A stage and podium were set up in the middle of the courtyard, drawing the attention of curious onlookers.
Casmir stood on one side of the stage, hands clasped behind his back and standing with a straight back. He looked dead ahead, not meeting the gaze of the crowds, even as they called his name and asked what was going on. He was standing so still, he might as well be a statue if not for the barely noticeable rising and falling of his chest.
Today was an important day. At least, in the eyes of those working for Regia Liavis, it was important.
His father was going to inform the citizens of Liavis of the Unlocked. They would know that the Unlocked is a girl, and that she was responsible for the destruction of the very same courtyard everyone gathered in, four years ago. They would know that her powers were green, corrosive energy, and that she could use them with skill and precision.
Casmir had managed to convince his father to not say Amber’s name during the announcement. He was grateful for that.
Very slowly, he allowed his gaze to travel over the crowd, scanning each face carefully to see if there was anyone he knew. His eyes zoomed in on a familiar face, framed by strands of auburn hair that peeked out from under a dark grey hood.
He prayed that his facial expression didn’t stray from the emotionless mask he was wearing as stone cold shock slammed through his body.
Why was Amber here?
He let his eyes narrow just slightly as he focused on her expression. She was staring right at him, never breaking eye contact. Her eyes, flashing green even in the shadows casted by her hood, were calm. She tilted her head to the side, the action seemingly only noticed by him.
What are you doing, Casmir? she seemed to ask. He could almost hear her saying those words.
This is a pretty setup, Casmir, he imagined her saying. Something important to announce?
And then she’d flash a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He blinked, making sure she wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. She wasn’t.
Then the crowd hushed. Casmir snuck a glance to the side and spotted his father making his way to the center of the stage.
“Thank you for gathering here on such a short notice,” his father began. “We have discovered a lead on the potential identity of the Unlocked.”
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Casmir searched for Amber’s face again and found that she was staring at him like before. This time, her eyes were narrowed slightly like his, only they weren’t burning with anger and disbelief like he’d expected. Instead, she looked rather delighted and smug. Then he watched as her face slowly settled a mask of calmness, with only the eyes betraying her true emotions. He forced himself to look away and pay attention to his father’s words.
“We believe that she is also responsible for the destruction of this very same courtyard, four years ago,” his father continued. “She can control green energy that burns like fire and eats through material like acid, and she is very comfortable with using them.”
The last part was a lie. Csamir knew that Amber would never use her powers unless she’s training or unless she absolutely had to. She had only been comfortable with using them at any given moment because she had been under the influence of Crimson.
He spotted her, smirking to herself as those words were taken in by the crowd. Then he blinked and she was gone, melting away into the audience as if her power was invisibility instead of acid manipulation. That didn’t make him feel any better.
The rest of the announcement went well, though Casmir paid little attention to anything else after the information about Amber was said. By the time he brought himself out of his daydreams, the crowd was half dispersed and his father was talking with some of his fellow trainees at Regia Liavis.
“Casmir!” his father called, noticing him standing alone by the edge.
“Yes, father?” Casmir made his way over.
“I want you to start searching for the girl immediately,” he said. “You seemed to have the most… experience with this.”
“If you mean my previous two journeys to Drakania, I—”
“Yes, I mean your two previous journeys to Drakania,” his father said almost impatiently. “The girl could be heading there right now.”
“Should we go with him?” Lance asked. He seemed almost doubtful about the idea, and Casmir wanted to agree with him.
“No,” his father said. “I need you and Melody to oversee the training while he’s gone. Aside from him, you two are the best I’ve trained.”
Casmir barely managed to hide his relief. He’d have a better chance of talking to Amber alone.
“I’ll head off right now,” he said, making his way off the stage. His bag was leaning at the side and he picked it up, brushing dust off the base as he slung it over his shoulder. As he was about to leave, his father pulled him aside, away from his friends and what remained of the crowd.
“Casmir, you better succeed,” his father said in an almost warning tone. He looked around for eavesdroppers before continuing. “If you don’t, it wouldn’t be good for us, or our family name.”
“Father, I don’t see how this relates to our family name—” Casmir started to say, but was cut off.
“What I’m saying is that your mother and I might take most of the consequences, whatever they might be, if you fail,” his father practically hissed. “The ruler likes to punish the loved ones of the person who committed the crime, rather than them directly. It’s just something they’re known to do.”
His father’s words made him pause and rethink this whole situation.
“I-I’ll try, Father,” he said quietly. “But I can’t just betray her like this.”
“Casmir, just do what your heart tells you.”
That was the end of the conversation, and Casmir knew it. He turned and waved a quick goodbye to his friends before setting off, practically running through the empty streets.
The sun was setting when he reached that worn, overgrown path in the forest. It was quiet as he started walking through the trees, not a single chirp or squawk was heard. Light from his lantern cast long, reaching shadows across the ground and he was suddenly reminded of his near death experience from when he fought Crimson, Amber’s crazed, overly ambitious Bonded dragon.
The scar of his left elbow suddenly stung as if it was a fresh wound, not something that had two years to heal itself.
He found the boulders with relative ease and was relieved to find Amber sitting by them, unharmed. Her hood was off, draped over her shoulders and she was staring at her hands. There was a small, green dragon curled up in her palms. Wisps trailed from its wings, then its body as its form dissolved into green sparkles.
“I expected you to come here,” she said before he had a chance to speak. She looked up at him, bright green eyes glinting in the light of his lantern. He thought they were both beautiful and terrifying.
“Amber, your eyes,” Casmir said softly, just like he had the last time he saw her.
“What about my eyes?” she asked, though she seemed to know what he was talking about.
“They’ve changed,” he said. “They’re green.”
“I told you, I’ve changed,” Amber said. “The arkey, it gave me powers, but it also changed my eyes.”
“Yeah, I’ve read about that.” Casmir felt somewhat prepared for the conversation this time. “It’s some sort of chemical reaction with the pigments in the iris.”
Amber didn’t bother concealing her surprise. “Look at you, studying and researching the Unlocked,” she said without a hint of condescension. “Any other facts I should know?”
“My father wants me to capture you.”
“Yes, I know,” she said, standing up and striding in his direction. “I was in the courtyard, I heard the announcement.”
“Aren’t you the least bit worried?” Casmir exclaimed. “Concerned, even?”
“No.” Though that was her response, Amber’s eyes told him yes. They practically shone with fear, and that was enough to make him reconsider the choices he made in the past few days.
“What are you going to do about it?” he asked again, hoping he might get some clear answer.
“Nothing.” Again, her eyes told a different story and this time, her indifference caused him to snap.
“Amber, stop that,” he muttered. “Stop pretending like everything is fine, because it’s not!”
“Then what should I say?” Amber hissed. She cleared her throat and said in an exaggerated version of her voice, “I’m sorry for blowing up the courtyard. Here, I willingly surrender myself. Before I forget, would you also like directions to the nearest dragon city?”
“Well…”
“Oh, how about this,” she stepped closer to him and whispered, “I surrender, because the needs of the majority will always outweigh the needs of a few individuals.” The words, along with her piercing green gaze, sent a shiver down his back.
“Amber, stop,” he warned, one hand resting on his sword. Her eyes flicked, noticing the movement, though she was as relaxed as ever.
“Or else what?” She laughed without humour and one hand lit up as she called upon her powers. “You’re gonna use that sword? You and I both know you won’t dare hurt those you care about.” The energy in her hand glowed brighter and the ball hovered in the air between them. “But me? I will do what I must, even if it means inflicting something more than a mere scratch on you.”
Casmir hated that she was right. He hated that, even with rage taking over her very being, she still managed to keep a clear mind. He supposed that being mind controlled by a dragon for two years, then suddenly being free of said control had something to do with it. He wondered if she meditated, or did something similar.
When it became apparent that neither of them were going to say anything else, Amber scoffed and turned around. The energy ball that hovered around them vanished in a shower of green sparkles. By the time Casmir blinked the spots away from his eyes, Amber was gone.
“So much for talking to her,” he grumbled, pacing back and forth in front of the boulders. He couldn’t go home now. His father would be so disappointed in him. That was another thing he hated. He was almost twenty five, and he was still afraid of disappointing his parents.
A chirp came from somewhere beyond his circle of light and he was on guard immediately. His sword was drawn, held out in front of him in a defensive position.
From the foliage, a multicoloured dragon emerged. Casmir breathed a sigh of relief for the second time that day.
“Springroll!” he laughed, tossing his blade aside and jumping up to greet his Bonded dragon.
:You disappeared for four years: the dragon growled. This Springroll was different from the upbeat, energetic dragon that Casmir had gotten to know. :You didn’t even visit. At least Amber stayed:
“I’m sorry,” Casmir said gently. “I was busy, I really was.”
:With what?:
“I…” he didn’t want to say that he was a soldier of Regia Liavis, recently promoted to field commander alongside his friends. He didn’t want to say that he’d been training and going over strategies and theories on ways to capture the Unlocked. He didn’t want to say that he didn’t dare reach out in fear of other people finding him staring blankly at a wall, talking to no one.
“I was training,” he ended up saying. He picked up his sword and sheathed it.
:Like Amber with her silver knives?:
“Yes.”
:Oh, then I guess that is a good reason:
Casmir smiled, reaching out a hand. “So, we’re cool?” he asked, feeling more relief wash over him when Springroll nodded and his bright green eyes lit up with excitement.
:We can go to Mons Serpentium: Springroll suggested. :We can meet Lapis again!:
Casmir had a flashback to the first time he met the Drakanian Queen. The regal blue dragon had thanked him for the gemstone, and had commented that he was so similar to Amber. He still didn’t know why she said that.
“Yes,” he said, clearing his mind of past memories. “Let’s go meet Lapis again.”
The Drakanian City was still as impressive as ever. The dragons also were less wary of him. It probably had something to do with Amber, who was a human like him, who had lived in this very city for the past two years. One dragon, an orange one with a cream underbelly, even came up to him and chirped. Springroll told him that the dragon had said hello.
They walked down the winding pathway that circled the perimeter of the caves, passing many levels until they reached the raised stone platform at the bottom.
Lapis was still sitting there, beautiful and regal as she watched them with intelligent blue eyes.
:You’ve returned to our City after four years: a smooth, feminine voice said in his head. :I remember you. You’re Amber’s male human friend:
Casmir barely managed to conceal his shock and blurted out, “You talk!”
Lapis laughed, as did Springroll. :Yes: she said. :Amber has been assisting us in the ways of communicating. She figured out how to let me communicate with her:
“But…” Casmir racked his brain, trying to recall information that Amber had told him in exchange for him sparring with her. “But she said that only Bonded dragon-human pairs can communicate like this!”
:I am Drakania’s queen: Lapis said. Her voice sounded a bit angry. :Amber found out that as the queen, I can communicate with humans as if I were Bonded to them. It was in one of the slabs:
“Then…” Casmir decided to keep his mouth shut. He knew that saying, why didn’t you do that the first time I visited? probably wouldn’t help his case here.
:When you visited the first time, I wasn’t aware of this gift: The blue dragon tilted her head to the side. :Perhaps I’ve only just unlocked it now:
:Lapis is a mature dragon now: Springroll said. Lapis seemed unaware of his silent conversation with Casmir. :I think that’s why. And the queen thing makes sense, too:
“Excellent,” Casmir said, not realizing how sarcastic he sounded.
:Enjoy your stay, human: Lapis said with an air of finality around her.
“I will,” he said, bowing his head as he followed Springroll into one of the tunnels.
His mind whirled at the information he just learned. There had to be some explanation for Lapis’ sudden ability to communicate with all humans. Sure, the queen theory made sense, and the coming of age theory does as well, but he had the feeling there was something more. He always thought it was only possible for Bonds to happen between one human and one dragon. That’s what Amber told him.
He should read some of the slabs that Lapis mentioned. Amber had said something about them too. She mentioned that they held information that the dragons learned throughout their lives.
The only setback was that he couldn’t find her anywhere in the City. The maze-like tunnels all look the same, and it didn’t help that Springroll seemed equally as lost as he was.
After going around in circles (that’s how it felt to him), he passed a large, circular room. Grateful for a change in scenery, he looked inside the cave. It was carved of dark basalt, with bits of calcite clinging to parts of the ceiling and ground. Growing out on top of the calcite were clusters of purple and green quartz. He knew the purple ones were amethysts, but the green variation was new to him.
On one side of the cave, there was a slab of rock, carved to form a crude desk. That was all he needed to know that this cave probably belonged to Amber. The singular notebook with a dragon motif on the cover, placed at the center of the desk only confirmed it. After a quick look around the room and spotting a set of knives hung on a roughly carved outcropping, Casmir turned to leave. The last thing he wanted was for Amber to be upset with him, even more so than she was already.
“How in Drakania did you find this place?” Amber suddenly brushed past him, snatching her notebook and shoving it into her bag. Surprisingly, her presence did little to startle him. “I had some of the earth dragons carve a new tunnel system so only I could find it.”
:I found it: Springroll said, his head poking around the entrance. :I’m a good tracker:
Thank you, Casmir said silently and kept his focus on Amber. “What’s the green crystals?” he found himself asking.
Taken back by his question, Amber blinked a few times before answering. “Prasiolite,” she said slowly, acting like she couldn’t believe he’d asked something like that. “They’re amethysts that have been treated with heat.”
“Fascinating,” he said.
“Anything else?” she asked. She sounded tired, defeated, even. It was like the argument they had a few hours ago by the border had sapped all her energy. “You’re here, I’m here…I might as well be helpful, right?”
That was when Casmir realized that, aside from being here because it was what he had to do, because it was his duty, he had no other reason to come here. But there was another reason, and he had buried it deep in the back of his mind. He’d forced himself to forget it, but now it started to worm its way back to the surface. He pushed it back down again.
“What’s with Lapis being able to communicate with me?” he ended up asking. “I thought only—”
“Bonded human-dragon pairs can communicate with their minds?” Amber finished.
He nodded, hope creeping up as he realized Amber might know why.
“Did you notice her crown?” she asked. She sounded amused, maybe even relieved that they were back to their old routine of her explaining things of interest to him. It wasn’t even her explaining. It was her providing hints and clues that prodded at his memory, pulling up facts and information that he already knew, but couldn’t recall.
“Yes,” Casmir said. “It’s that black circlet with the gemstone in the middle.” He tried to piece the answer together with what little clues she’d revealed. “So, the crown is the reason that she can talk to us?”
Amber laughed this time, any stress that had previously burdened her now gone within seconds. “Partially, yes,” she replied. “Lapis recently passed the age of maturity for dragons, which is fifty years old.”
“I think Springroll mentioned that.”
“She’s also the queen,” Amber continued. “Queens have to be able to communicate well with their subjects, right?” She didn’t wait for him to nod or agree with her as she ploughed on ahead with her explanations. “The gemstone on her crown is similar to my arkey. Only, instead of giving her powers like it does with me, it’s acting like the bridge between our minds and hers. That crown is the reason why Drakania’s rulers were so feared and respected. At least, it is in the dragons’ case.”
“And this crown is why Crimson wanted the throne back so badly?” he asked, knowing he was correct based on the change in expression on her face.
She almost glared at him at the mention of Crimson. “Yes,” she said stiffly.
“And this crown, in addition to being of age and being Drakania’s queen, is the reason why Lapis can communicate with all humans and dragons,” he said, doing his best to summarize what information he managed to remember.
“Yes.”
“That’s amazing,” he said after a few minutes of silence. He wondered what might happen if a human wore the crown and almost immediately after thinking the thought, he berated himself. Still, he couldn’t help asking, “And if a human wore the crown? What would happen then?”
“You want to wear it?”
“No.” But I know people who want to, he added silently. She seemed to understand what he was trying to say, even if he kept his thoughts to himself. She’d always been good at reading people.
“I don’t know,” Amber said quietly. “And I don’t want to find out.” She gave him a weak smile. “The effects might be disastrous.”
Casmir noticed that her hand started drifting towards her necklace, her fingers tracing the pale green gemstone almost in an attempt to calm herself.
“Wearing this necklace already does things to me,” she whispered. “I can’t part with it, it leaves me feeling hollow and dead inside. I don’t want to imagine what a crown like that would do to a human.”
Amber had offered Casmir a place to stay in the Drakanian City, though he declined. He could tell that it unsettled her, even as she claimed that “it was alright”, and that she “wasn’t worried at all”. He knew she was paranoid that he might try and stab her in her sleep. As if the announcement in the courtyard didn’t unsettle her enough already.
Before he left, he asked her about the courtyard, why she was there.
“It was supposed to be a friendly visit,” she replied with a faint smile on her lips. “I wanted to see you. I promised I’d visit, didn’t I?”
A warm feeling spread through his body and he smiled as well, though it faded rather quickly. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you,” he said.
“I’m not disappointed,” she said, albeit too quickly. “I’m just…shocked, and a bit confused. Then I was angry.”
“You have every right to be,” he said. “I broke the promise. It’s my fault. If anything, I’d be surprised if you weren’t angry with me.”
Amber only smiled some more and turned away, returning her focus to her notes and a pile of stone slabs that rested on and beside her legs.
“I’ll just stay by the entrance to the city,” he said and hopped on Springroll’s back. He waited for her to respond, but she remained silent, eyes taking in whatever information the slab held. “I can find you if I need to, Springroll is a good tracker, apparently.”
She mumbled a distant, “he is, isn’t he?” and fell silent once more.
The light dragon took off, zooming through the tunnels. This time, Casmir found his balance relatively quickly, and managed to stay upright even with Springroll flying at a blinding speed. They arrived at the cavernous entrance after a few minutes and he slid off the dragon’s back. The crystals were still glowing, the Erythrean and Caeruleum dragon statues were still lined up in a row, there were still small lizards running along the thin spires of rock. Nothing had changed in this place.
But he did, and clearly, Amber did as well, if her green eyes indicated anything.
He had the pressure and expectations from his father and the Regias within the kingdom. He knew that everyone was relying on him and him alone to capture the Unlocked… and it was all too much. He didn’t know what else Amber had gone through, but he tried to remain positive and told himself that she was learning and exploring to her heart’s desire. It might not even be the truth, but it gave him some sense of reassurance amidst all the conflict he’d been experiencing lately. Too often recently, the question on his mind was always Amber or Liavis?
“Springroll,” he said suddenly, sitting down on a boulder and tracing random lines in the dirt with his sword. “I’m conflicted.” He realized he’d drawn out overlapping triangles that formed the symbol on his medallion.
:How so?: Springroll asked. He was curled up by the entrance, in the shade of a tree.
“My father wants me to capture the Unlocked—”
:Dragonborn:
“—but Amber’s my best friend,” he said. “And I can’t do that to her.”
Springroll lifted his head, bright green eyes burning into him. :Just do what you feel is best: he suggested. :If you think helping your human dragonborn friend is the best way to go, then do that. If you think helping your father is, then do that:
It wasn’t much, but it was advice. Advice that he’d needed to hear for the longest time. With a grateful smile he rose, hugging his dragon tightly. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’ll think about it. It’s helpful.”
He took out his medallion, staring at the overlapping triangles and lines that formed a crude diamond shape. The lines were supposed to symbolize loyalty, his father had told him. The lines that meant promises were made and kept. Loyalty to whom, he wondered now. Amber or Liavis?
It shouldn’t be a hard decision, but it was. When he thought he was going to make up his mind, another thought would cross and he’d be back at the start, sorting through mental details and information and the process would repeat.
Amber or Liavis?
His father also told him that as long as he had the medallion and believed in himself, he could do the right thing. That self assurance usually worked and he was usually able to come to a quick decision. Not this time. There were many benefits if he chose one over the other, but there were consequences as well.
Amber or Liavis?
This time, instead of making a split-second decision, he remained puzzled and mulled over his choices.
Do the right thing, he thought. It was almost enough to make him laugh. How was he supposed to do the right thing when he didn’t know which “right thing” he had to do?
Amber or Liavis?
