Chapter 8
Sounds of training and exertion rang across the field as members of the Regia Liavis Guard sparred and trained. There was a path that wrapped around the field, as well as cutting right down the middle of it, allowing the instructors to walk amongst the trainees without disturbing them.
Casmir raised his sword above his head and parried a strike from Melody while also twisting his blade so it sliced down toward her arm. She ducked out of the way, reaching for her throwing stars at the same time and flung one at his face. It had a dull blade, so if he really was hit, it wouldn’t do much damage, but he still spun to the side to avoid getting hit altogether.
The star flew past his face and for a moment he was reminded of Amber’s throwing knives and the way she wielded them with deadly accuracy. He never asked her where she learned them, but still occasionally helped her hone her skills. The thought of his best friend, and how he hadn’t seen her for two years, made him falter and he lowered his sword slightly. He thought about his dragon, whom he’d only met for a few hours that day, and wondered if their Bond was still intact. He never tried to contact Springroll again, mostly out of fear that someone was going to see him spaced out and talking to no one. Now he regretted it.
That second of hesitation allowed Melody to gain the upper hand and she had him disarmed and pinned in a few minutes.
Almost at the same time, a bell rang, the clear chime overpowering the clanging of blades and the occasional call for friends to hurry and finish up. As the last of the trainees hurried into the blackstone manor, Melody extended a hand and easily pulled Casmir up, handing him his sword. They followed the rest of the trainees, though unlike the others, they took a detour to the armoury first.
“What was that about?” she asked, her usual enthusiasm replaced with worry. “You never space out like that.” She signed her name on the bottom of a massive list of names and started to clean up the armoury. Casmir followed her, and though it wasn’t his turn to take inventory, he still helped.
“Sorry,” he said, dropping an armful of swords into a storage bin and then cringing as metallic screeching echoed through the room. “Uh, I was just…worrying about the—” he thought hard about what to say and ended up going with, “—the new training course.”
He wasn’t worried about the training course. His father had a similar replica of it in the extensive field behind his house and it was required of him to train on it every morning. The course at his home had turned out to be even more challenging than the one the Regia offered, and after months of non-stop practice, he was able to run through the course with minimal mistakes.
Melody seemed to have the same thought and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “You sure?” she asked. She removed her belt of throwing stars and hung them in her personal storage unit. After fastening something around her wrist and slamming the door shut, she turned to him. “You’re not still hung up about Amber not coming back, are you?” She paused, as if rethinking her word choices. "I mean, she hasn't come back in a while so I don't know if she'll return."
He stopped, pausing as his hand hovered over a neat stack of training mats that didn’t need anymore adjusting. Slowly, he turned, facing his friend, who wore an expression of shock at the realization that he had no idea.
“Wait, what’d you mean she’s not coming back?” he asked. He quickly removed his training gear and didn’t bother organizing it as he shoved a sword and several different pieces of leather armour into his storage unit. By the time he closed the door, Melody was already making her way out of the armoury as if she wanted to hurry away. “Wait! Mel!”
“You didn’t know?” she asked, finally slowing to let him catch up. “Huh, that’s strange. She came by a few weeks ago and told me. You weren’t busy a few weeks ago, right?” They walked from the armoury, making their way back to their houses, coincidentally built side-by-side in the upper class Palatials residences.
“No, I had no patrol shifts,” Casmir said. He had his training and patrolling schedule memorized from the moment he started training at Regia Liavis and he knew for a fact that he did not have anything to do when Amber supposedly came back a few weeks ago. “Did she say anything?”
“Just the usual,” Melody said, her delivery of words leading Casmir to believe that Amber did return to visit, she just didn’t seek him out. The thought stung a bit. “She asked how I was doing and brought me a crystal as a souvenir from Drakania.” She lifted her wrist, where a small charm dangled from a silver chain. The stone itself was a bright blue, reminding Casmir of the sky and of Lapis the dragon queen. But it also reminded him of Amber’s own necklace pendant.
Because the little blue stone flashed with the same light that Amber’s green stone did. Because he was sure that it was exactly like Amber’s necklace.
A thought hit him and in the most discreet manner he could muster, he asked, “Did anything…strange happen after she gave you that charm?”
“No, why?”
He kept his thoughts to himself in case his theory was wrong and said, “No reason, just curious.” He even laughed in an attempt to show that he was joking. “You know how I am.”
Pushing his crazy theory about his other friend becoming an Unlocked aside, he changed the subject. “Anything else that Amber said?”
“Just that she might not be visiting as much as before and that she, and I quote, ‘misses her friends a lot’,” Melody gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I told her about you.” Her smile only grew as she said, “She says she misses you too.”
“I can tell,” Casmir said sarcastically though he hid his contentment from that casual mention. “She certainly has been telling me that.”
“Well she does, and she told me to give this to you if I see you.” She held up a closed box made of the grey stone that most of Drakania’s caves were formed of, held shut with a simple clasp. “Said it was something ‘top secret’ and I can’t look at it unless you decide to show me.” She sounded like she hadn’t tried to guess what was in the box, though he could see the curiosity in her eyes. "I completely forgot about it."
He accepted the box, noting that it was lighter than it looked, and there was something clattering around inside. Quickly dropping it into his bag, he said, “Thanks,” though he wasn’t sure if he should be thankful or wary. He knew Amber never did things without reason. He wondered what the reason was this time.
Casmir waited until he was in the privacy of his own room before he dared to remove the stone box. He set the container on his desk, watching as the dancing flame of his candle casted a warm, flickering light across the grey surface. He noted how simple it was. It was a standard, cube-shaped box that looked like a jewelry box though he knew the contents probably were nothing related to jewelry.
He noticed the carved dragon insignia on the lid, one that he had sometimes seen imprinted on the covers of Amber’s notebooks, on the flap of her bag, and even sewn on her green coat as a badge. Another question was added to the growing list of questions he had to ask her. He wanted to know why she chose that dragon symbol and not a simple triangle to represent her stone. It would be easier to carve, that's for sure.
He must’ve been staring at it for several minutes because when he blinked, he realized that some of the wax on his candle had melted into a lump of misshapen white in his candleholder. Not that it mattered. The candle was already half used.
Might as well do it now, he thought, sliding the swinging lock mechanism up from all four sides of the box. He lifted the lid, again noticing how lightweight and delicate it seemed even though it was carved out of solid rock. Then he admired the craftsmanship, how the lock was so intricately made and was strong despite some pieces looking like they might snap at any moment.
He looked inside, realizing that there were several things inside the seemingly small box.
A note, crumpled up and slightly squashed under everything else, was the first thing that caught his eye. Then there was the white iridescent stone that glowed even in the warm candlelight, like his dragon’s scales.
Then he took out a larger, folded piece of paper that turned out to be a detailed, well drawn map of Drakania from a bird’s eye view. He smiled, shaking his head with amusement. She did make one for him after all, despite her claiming that she lacked the skills to do so.
A blackstone cuff clattered onto his desk when he took the map out. It was the same one that was locked on Amber’s wrist, the one she’d shown him when she asked about it. A note was tied to it.
[I should’ve returned this, I don’t need it]
And finally, scattered along the bottom of the box, was a handful of those sleek and smooth scales that he immediately knew came from Springroll. There must’ve been hundreds of those reflective, rainbow-coloured scales.
He picked up the white stone, noting the flashes of light that were so similar to that of his dragon’s and knew. He knew what it was and he sort of knew why she decided to give him something like this.
It was perfectly round, with a slightly flattened surface so it could sit on a table without rolling around. Aside from the white colour of the stone, he noticed that the pulsing light within was a variety of colours. Pink, orange, green, blue… they were almost identical to the way Springroll’s scales would glow when he spun around in a circle. Deciding to not touch the stone anymore, he put it away for now and focused on the note.
He quickly smoothed out the note and skimmed it, noting that his name was scrawled in a neat, casual script along the top. The note itself was also longer than he thought, the paper being half his arm’s length and the print was small.
[Casmir] was the only word in the first line, and it was the neatest one on that page by far. Her writing slowly became more and more frantic as the note progressed, until the last lines. Then, her writing suddenly became neater again, like she was writing something for an assignment in class.
[I’m sorry I never visited. I couldn’t. Crimson wouldn’t let me, and she said I wouldn’t understand why, either. I’ve been helping her, you see. She wishes to reclaim the throne. Seeing as it was her family who ruled Drakania before they died, the least I could do is help her. I gave you some shed scales since dragons shed a lot. Don't worry, Springroll is fine. The stone is supposed to help you. Springroll insisted, at least that’s what Crimson said. He said, and I quote, “I want to have a Bonded human who has powers like mine”, kind of like me and Crimson with our powers. It’s kinda sweet, really. He—]
It was at this moment when his room door opened, and his father came in. Casmir all but threw the note and stone back into the box and slammed the lid shut. He spun around, standing up slowly from his chair as his father approached him.
“You’re late,” was all his father said in a voice that was neither happy nor upset.
“I was cleaning up the armoury.” he replied, nudging the box behind him so it was hidden.
He nodded and Casmir found himself studying the few medals that were pinned on his father’s simple black uniform. He knew each one indicated a rank; he knew his father had earned them all, and had risen to the top as the best of the best; he knew that this was what’s expected of him, being the only child in his family.
“What’s that you were reading?” his father asked, and the question made him freeze as he tried to come up with anything but the truth to say.
“It’s one of those research notes that I made,” he said, hating how easily lying came to him these days. “On Drakania—”
“Any closer to catching the Unlocked?”
Casmir, to his credit, didn’t falter as he said, “I haven’t found them yet. They’re very elusive, and clever.”
“Did you find any leads?” his father asked. “I may need to adjust the soldiers’ skill and endurance training exercises.”
“No leads so far,” he said. Unless you count the fact that she’s not coming back as a lead, he added silently.
“Casmir, you know those at Regia Diavum are—”
“Getting impatient,” Casmir said. He sighed with exasperation and continued, “I know, but there’s only so much I can do.” When he saw his father’s expression, he sighed again and nodded. “I could go to Drakania again tomorrow, to see if the Unlocked is there.”
A faint smile crossed his father’s face and Casmir knew that marked the end of the conversation.
He waited until his father had left before opening the box again. He quickly skimmed over the rest of the note, taking in details about what Amber had been doing for the past two years and what things she’d learned. The very last line was short, and it was meant to be an ending statement to the note.
[Crimson’s asking when you’re coming. I told you she’d warm up to you and I also told her it wasn’t likely you’re coming back. Unless other things happen, of course.]
That was the end, though there was a large smudge of black that looked like it had been hastily scribbled out at the last minute.
Picking up the white gemstone again, Casmir tossed it up a few times, until the tenth time. That’s when energy resembling sunlight shone from his fingertips. Bright and white, just like Springroll’s fire blasts. He dropped it immediately and sealed it in the box. He could feel the energy draining away from his veins, no doubt returning to that stone and that alone was enough to make him never want to touch it again.
“Oh, Amber,” he murmured as he calmed his racing heart. “What’d you do this time?”
Casmir waited by the fountain, watching throngs of people pass him without so much as a glance. The stone fountain had been fixed after it had been blown up two years ago and it was reinforced with blackstone. He’d actually suggested this change, using the little bit of information that Amber had revealed to him; that blackstone did something to her powers. Word had spread, and it became normal for the Regia soldiers to carry around weapons that had been carved of this stone, then coated with a layer of molten steel. He had a pair of these swords, but they remained displayed in his room as he preferred his normal sword instead of the newer, but also heavier blade.
A few minutes passed and he finally spotted two people approaching him. One was Melody, back to her cheerful, eccentric self. The other was a younger girl that he’d never seen before, but he somehow knew that that was Amber’s sister. He could definitely see the resemblance, though this girl was a lot more spirited and didn’t have the same air of wariness around her like Amber does.
The first thing that Amber’s sister said was, “Why am I here?” and Casmir thought that was a very fitting question for what he wanted to tell her.
“Yes, why are we here?” Melody added. “Actually, I just ran into Evangeline and she said you were going to tell her something so I thought I’d tag along—”
“I’m just going to search for the Unlocked again.” he said, trying to keep his words as vague as possible, though it was hard given the subject he brought up. “I’m going to Drakania—”
Evangeline suddenly reached out her arm and gripped his own tightly. He fought back a wince and allowed her to lead him to the side. Melody decided that this was her cue to leave, and she did, giving them both a wave and disappearing into the crowds.
“You’re not going,” she said, eyes flashing with anger as he saw the surge of protectiveness in the way her posture shifted, the way her expression became more suspicious. “You—”
“You know,” he said, and it was enough to make her halt in her rant. “You know about…her.”
“You’re not going to hurt her,” she hissed. “I promised her and I intend on keeping that promise.” Her grip tightened if that was possible and he swore her eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
“I won’t hurt her.” Casmir said, knowing that this was one promise he would keep. “You can trust me.”
“You better keep that promise,” Evangeline said reluctantly after a few minutes of silence. Then something snapped in her and her posture sagged. If Casmir looked closely, her eyes were glossy and distant.
"I miss her," she said quietly. Then came some hesitation. “Have you…have you seen her use her abilities before?” The words were so quiet, Casmir had to strain to hear them. He understood though: she didn’t want anyone to overhear.
He nodded, remembering the blast of energy she had shot out, how it had burned through the trees and even made some topple over. “It’s spectacular,” he said. “And she’s good at it, too.”
The positive comment seemed to bring Evangeline out of her stupor and she smiled. “She made a dragon once,” she said, eyes brightening as she recalled the wispy dragon her sister had called Crimson. “She said that the dragon is a princess.”
“Y-yeah.” Casmir decided to not say anything about the “exiled Princess of Drakania”. He gave the younger girl a reassuring nod as he stepped back, ending the conversation. “I’m gonna go to Drakania now. And I’ll look out for her, I promise.”
She nodded as well and looked around, making sure that no one was eavesdropping. Then with one last glance back, she too, vanished amongst the sea of people milling around.
He exhaled once the girl was out of sight and quickly left the courtyard. What was it with Amber’s family and giving people looks that unsettle them, he thought as he walked. He managed to avoid drawing too much attention to himself and made it to the forests, where he knew a worn, trodden path would lead him straight to the borders.
The forest grew more and more quiet as he walked along the path. The long, winding path that had somehow become more overgrown in the last two years, and more than once, Casmir found himself distracted with something interesting that caught his eye. Most of the time, it was a rustling of bushes and foliage, causing him to be on guard for a fraction of a second before some harmless woodland creature appeared and made him feel foolish for almost drawing his blade. After the fifth time something like that happened, he started ignoring it.
Then a small green lizard darted out, scampering up his legs until it reached the sheath for his sword. With an amused laugh, he carefully picked up the lizard and set it down on the grass before continuing on his way. The lizard came back minutes later, then again, even though he made sure to place it on the grass each time. The third time it came back, he let it sit on his shoulder.
He didn’t realize how far and fast he’d walked until a voice called out, “Never thought I’d see you here.”
He was by the borders, slightly past it, actually. And he wasn’t alone.
He knew that voice, despite not hearing it for a long time. His heart hammered as he turned and spotted Amber, bracing one hand against a branch from her position in a tall evergreen. She didn’t look happy, or excited, or any of those positive emotions he was currently feeling. If anything, she looked bored. Slightly annoyed, even. Then she jumped down, branches and dead leaves crunching beneath her feet as she strode toward him.
“What are you—” she started.
Before she could finish her sentence, Casmir held up that stone box. “I wanted to ask about this.”
“I don’t want it back,” she said, pushing it into his hands when he tried to give it to her. “It’s a gift, keep it.” Her eyes moved to his shoulder and she huffed. “You again?” She picked up the lizard and placed it on the ground. “I’m not gonna ask. Go back to the caves.”
The lizard chirped once and disappeared.
“Why’d you put an arkey in there?” he asked once she stood. “I don’t need it.”
Her eyes flashed green as she responded. “I never put an arkey in there.” Then she tilted her head to the side as if listening for something and she seemed to become distant. “I mean… I-I might’ve? I don’t remember a lot of what’s happened lately.”
Casmir noted the change in personality and kept it to himself.
“What’d you mean,” he asked. “It’s yes or no.”
“I don’t know,” Amber snapped. “If that’s all you’re here for, I’m going back home.”
Home.
The word struck a chord in him. He wanted to tell her that Liavis was her home, that she had family waiting for her and that he promised her sister that he’d look out for her. But he felt the anger, the confusion, the impatience she radiated and he chose to tell her that another day. He supposed that Drakania was her home now, based on the way she kept drifting in that direction.
As if sensing his now-downcast emotions, she offered, “Why don’t you come back, just for a day?” She was smiling; a genuine smile, and held out her hand, like he had done two years ago. “Your dragon misses you. I did too.”
Unlike her, who’d disappeared into the forests and never looked back, he took her hand and agreed.
It’s a trick, some part of him said. Remember that eye glowing?
He knew it wasn’t a trick because he’d done his research. Eyes glowing was merely a part of becoming an Unlocked. It had something to do with the energy reacting to the body’s hormones and some really complex chemical reactions that he didn’t understand.
What about that personality shift? the voice asked again.
It’s nothing, he told himself firmly. She wouldn’t go to this great of a length just to play a trick.
He knew that personality shifts had nothing to do with being an Unlocked, it was what came with being a human, so he thought little of that as well. A glance to the side told him that Amber was unaware of his inner turmoil and was becoming more and more cheerful the closer they got to the Drakanian City even though the mountain didn’t seem to grow any closer as the time passed. Her steps now carried a light spring to it and she was smiling more.
“You’re not staying in that clearing anymore?” he found himself asking when they passed it after nearly an hour of walking.
“I stay there sometimes,” Amber replied. She sounded and looked like she was in a dream-like state. “But mostly I’m helping Crimson. She’s my best friend, aside from you.”
They arrived at Mons Serpentium after walking for way too long. They passed through the grand entrance, passed the carved red obsidian statues of the Erythrean dragons, passed the statue of Lapis, and entered the dragon city. Somehow, Casmir thought that seeing the crystals and piles of gold and gemstones was less overwhelming and impressive the second time.
“I’m going to find Crimson,” she said, giving his hand a light squeeze before drifting off.
Casmir narrowed his eyes, knowing that in all his years as Amber’s best friend, she’d never acted like this before. He followed her, though he kept his distance, and made sure to stick close to the shadows.
All the training, everything I’ve done has led to this, he thought with sarcasm as he hid behind a column of stone and watched Amber disappear down a darker tunnel. I’m following my best friend as she goes and talks to her dragon. Everyone would be so pleased by what I’m able to do. Then he reminded himself that if he wasn’t doing this for himself or Amber, it was for Regia Liavis. They should know something about the dragons, not just that they’re mindless killing machines.
He spotted Crimson as well, sitting on a slab of dark red stone as she and Amber talked. One of his hands rested on the hilt of his sword, the other bracing against the wall as he strained to listen to what they were saying.
“—not going to hurt me!” Amber was saying. Her voice had gone from sounding dream-like to nonchalance with a hint of anger. “Crimson, just listen to me!”
A few growls sounded, followed by silence. Then…
“What do you mean he’s planning to ambush me?”
Some more growling, then came Amber’s response. “He wouldn’t!”
He caught sight of a flash of auburn as she looked around the corner. She didn’t seem to see him and disappeared again.
“He’s not even here!”
Then Casmir dared to look around the corner as she did and quickly managed to lean back somewhat casually against the wall before Amber appeared in front of him again. She looked more confused than anything as she looked back into the room she was in then back at him several times.
“Wait, I thought you were…” she shook her head and was about to say something else when a growl interrupted her mid-sentence and a blur of dark red and gold tackled him.
He hit his head on the rocky ground and saw stars while several large shapes faded in and out of clarity.
“Crimson!” he could hear Amber exclaim, though her voice sounded distorted and far away. “What’re you doing, he’s our friend!”
He only heard an ear-splitting roar of anger and rage before something sliced through muscle and tissue, narrowly missing several major and probably important blood vessels. Pain exploded up his arm and adrenaline shot through his veins as he did the only thing his mind told him to do; defend yourself.
