In the annals of history, few accounts have stirred as much intrigue as the discovery of the Vazul, a race dwelling in the most inaccessible heights known to mankind. Their settlements can be found more than thirty thousand feet above sea level within the Mountain Range of the Gods.
For countless generations, their existence was unknown, a secret guarded by the very geography that protected them. It was only the advancement of magic and the daring ambition of mountaineering adventurers that caused their discovery. As magic-assisted climbers set out to conquer these insurmountable peaks, they returned with tales of a civilization hidden in the snow-cloaked heights. Astonishingly, these isolated highland folk extended warm hospitality to the visitors, inviting them into their homes and offering aid to help facilitate their journey to the mountaintops.
The adventurers referred to them as the "Griffin Riders", inspired by their unique companions which resemble the griffin of Sihayan mythology. Majestic creatures with the forequarters of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion. Their powerful wings giving them the ability to traverse the imposing mountainous terrain with ease.
It is theorized that the domestication of these animals might be the reason for the Vazul's extraordinary survival, as they must rely on periodic journeys to lower elevations for the gathering of food and material.
~ The History and Peoples of Magic by Sir Rainaldus Gale
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"Keep her still!"
Lidea tightened her hold on the patient, her struggles growing more frantic as she screamed incomprehensibly. Crystal's face pinched at the loud noise but didn't complain as she started treating her burn wounds. At every touch of the cooling gel, the patient's screaming grew louder as her pain-riddled brain couldn't distinguish the cold sensation from being burned again.
Her anguish was hard to listen to and made the other conscious patients in the room uneasy. No doubt, it didn't help with the suspicions Crystal's strange appearance had caused. More than one had already refused to be treated by her, something the healer hadn't contested. There were simply too many others to attend to, and time couldn't be wasted on unwilling patients.
All whose life wasn't in immediate danger had been stationed outside, cared for by any able-bodied individuals who had been roped into helping. Still, the infirmary was filled to the brim with patients in need of urgent care.
Upon her return to the shelter, Lidea had been utterly overwhelmed by the chaos that greeted her. The cavern was teeming with people. The wounded lay scattered throughout the space, and members of the resistance scurried about, doing their best to follow Crystal's orders.
The healer was in desperate need of help as she tried to both command others as well as help patients who were at risk of dying. The sight had urged Lidea to immediate action, leaving Warchief to organize the chaos in the cavern while helping Crystal work on patients inside of the infirmary.
She had been helping ever since, with no idea of how much time had passed. Her own hands trembled with exhaustion, and even Crystal had dark circles beneath her eyes.
They had started with the most dire cases. A solemn task as for many their efforts came far too late.
Lidea had to admire the healer's grim ability to assess who could still be saved and who should be granted the solace of a peaceful passing. Every death made her heart feel heavier but she didn't say anything. Knowing that there was nothing more they could do.
The woman they had been treating eased under her hands, likely due to the sleeping draught that the healer had injected. Releasing her grip, she rose in preparation to go to the following patient but Crystal gestured her to follow her instead. They entered the small, dimly lit side room, which served as Crystal's bedroom.
"I'm running out of materials. We can make bandages from any kind of cloth, but I'll need more herbs soon."
The healer whispered, exhaustion evident in her words
"The worst cases have been attended to, so we are in good shape for now. But I wanted to raise the issue before it becomes a problem. Can you talk to Warchief about sending someone to the city? I would go myself but I can't leave now."
Lidea nodded in understanding, there was no need for the healer to explain.
"Of course I can. In the worst case, I will go to the city myself."
Crystal turned her unnatural blue eyes toward Lidea, a concerned expression crossing her face. Lidea could almost predict what she was about to say.
"It isn't needed in a hurry. Though I'd appreciate it, you need to rest first."
"Everyone needs to rest."
Lidea countered, knowing this was more important.
"You are right. I'm planning to have a nap after doing a last round of checks, just to make sure everyone is stable for now. I advise you to do the same, now that you can."
Lidea wasn't entirely sure if she believed the healer. Something told her that she would be right back to work as soon as she left the infirmary. Still, her weariness made her give Crystal her way and she answered with a deep sigh.
"I will too, after I talked to Warchief. I assume he sent part of the group to sleep as soon as it was possible. If so, someone might be fresh enough to do this for you. Believe me, I would also rather have someone else go. My eyes feel as if they will close on their own soon and I must need a bad desperately."
She couldn't smell it but knew that her clothes would have to soak for days to even have a chance at getting the stench of smoke out of them.
"You do."
Crystal replied, her nose wrinkling as if she suddenly smelled something unpleasant and hadn't been working right beside Lidea for hours by that point.
"My apologies, Your Highness. I should have known better than to start helping you before cleaning myself up."
The healer chuckled softly at her offended tone and Lidea grinned in return. Both of them needing some levity after the day they have been having.
"Well, let me go find Warchief then. I swear, if he's asleep, there will be a fight."
"If that's the case, let me know, and I'll wake up to join in."
Walking out of the building felt surreal. Nobody was on the street anymore, and she might have thought she had imagined everything if not for the warm glow emanating from almost every house, and even the majority of rooms within the main building. A testament to the population having at least tripled in a single day.
Lidea glanced to where she knew Warchief's office to be and she could see light flickering through the window. As she had expected, he was still slaving away as well.
The promise of sleep prompted her to quicken her pace up the moss-covered stairs, almost slipping more than once. Every time she cursed and gave the offending step the evil eye as if it had personally chosen to attack her that day.
I should have made the guys clean it.
With a frustrated sigh, she eventually reached the third floor and entered the main hallway. Fortunately, Warchief's office was nearby, illuminated by a soft glow seeping from beneath the door. After catching her breath for a moment, she knocked on the door, but there was no immediate response. She knocked again, her concern growing.
Maybe he had fallen asleep.
"Warchief? It's Lidea. Can I come in?"
The door creaked open, revealing a fresh-faced Warchief. He had washed his face as most of the soot had been removed, but she could still see traces of it within his hair and on his clothes. His eyes had returned to normal and none of the radiating heat had remained. He looked as he normally did, except for his complexion being a bit lighter than it normally was.
He stepped aside to allow her entry, closing the door behind her. His desk was strewn with what appeared to be maps, a sight that puzzled her.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. Did you finish at the infirmary? Or did the boss chase you away?"
He asked with an easy smile, leaning against the stone desk. His energy seemed to contrast sharply with her bone-deep exhaustion, and a part of her couldn't help but resent it.
"Both. We finished with the worst cases, and she told me to rest. But she wanted me to ask you about supplies."
The smile disappeared as he sighed deeply before turning towards the maps again.
"Unless we have a miracle, she might have to wait a while."
"What do you mean?"
Moving to stand beside him, she noticed that he was shivering slightly. Perhaps he was more tired than she had initially thought.
Looking down at the maps, she could see that she had been right. They were the ones of the tunnel system, which the guys had created through trial and error.
"The guards followed us down and haven't left since."
It took a moment for his words to fully register in her fatigued mind. When they did, a sense of dread washed over her. Their worst nightmare might be coming true.
"Is there a chance they might leave? They don't know that we have no way out, right?"
Her voice trembled with suppressed panic, and Warchief regarded her with an understanding gaze.
"Hopefully. I've stationed some of the guys at the entrance just in case the barrier fails us, but I don't know how much they could do if it did. They're too exhausted. As soon as the others have had a chance to rest, I'll replace them."
Staring at the map of tunnels, she wracked her brain for a solution only to leave her with a headache.
A comforting hand on her shoulder startled her, and she turned to see Warchief, his expression filled with concern.
"You don't look well. Go to bed, Lidea. They might be gone by morning, and if not, we can search for a solution then."
While she knew he was right, she couldn't let go, not now that the threat was clear.
"You are awake as well."
"Yes, but I'm not tired yet. You, however, are practically asleep on your feet. So go to bed, and we can stare at that map the whole day tomorrow if you want to. There is no point in worrying already when it might be unnecessary."
Seeing him still shiver, she knew he was lying.
"I have eyes, Warchief. You are shivering."
For an instant, he looked confused, then glanced at his trembling hands and started chuckling.
"Oh, this? I'm not cold due to tiredness. It's a side effect of using my magic. The shivers will go away as my magic regenerates."
She digested that tidbit of information surprised that his magic wasn't inexhaustible.
"How long does that take?"
Her switch to curiosity seemed to amuse him as he grinned while answering.
"It depends on the amount of magic used or how much I've eaten and slept. At this point, it might take a couple of hours still."
"So if you would go and sleep, then it would be quicker?"
He chuckled again, catching on to where she was going.
"No, because I am not tired. But yes, if I was, it would help."
Lidea just couldn't believe him but staring at his face, she couldn't find any hint of deception.
"Are you even human?"
"P...Pardon?"
She wouldn't have noticed that she had spoken out loud if it wasn't for Warchief's shaken reaction. He quickly avoided her eyes by looking back to the maps, but his shifty behavior made Lidea only more suspicious. Thinking back, she had noticed his extreme agility and strength, she just had never considered if it could be inhuman.
"Wait, you aren't human. Are you a hybrid as well?"
Her curiosity got the better of her as she tried to discern any sign of his heritage from his features. No wonder she hadn't been to guess where he came from. The more she stared, the more uncomfortable he seemed to get, raising his hands as if to hold her off.
"Not exactly. It is complicated."
"How can it be complicated? It's a yes or no question, and as you didn't immediately deny it, I guess the answer is yes. Why didn't you say anything?"
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, replaced by an expression she couldn't read.
"Sure the answer is probably simple, but that doesn't mean that I know that answer."
"I don't get it."
Her confusion was answered by a deep sigh and she got the feeling, that she was asking something she shouldn't have. But before she got the chance to change the subject, he replied.
"I was born into slavery."
That short sentence left her speechless. She knew of slaves, even if they were less common in Lynoës than in other countries, but she had never spoken to one. Everyone knew they were prisoners of war or criminals whose misdeeds cost them their freedom. Never had she considered that one could be born a slave.
"I'm so sorry."
She hated how she stuttered through her words, but Warchief just shared a sympathetic smile.
"Don't let it bother you too much. I don't remember anything of when I was a slave."
Her insensitivity still didn't sit well with her, especially since the admittance of his birth had only caused more questions to rise in her mind. None of which she was comfortable asking.
"Ask away, Lidea. I'll tell you when I don't want to talk about something."
Why was everyone so good at reading her thoughts?
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You won't. Are you wondering how I became free?"
She nodded slowly, feeling better that he was offering the information instead of her having to ask.
"My mother took me with her when she escaped the camps. I was only a toddler, but somehow we managed to flee from Drugh'Ras to Sihaya. I remember living on the streets for some years. Mother did what was necessary to provide for us until she met my father. He was a Deloshran trader, who took us into his home and treated me and my siblings as his own, even if we didn't share his blood."
His words were filled with love for his family and she understood the distant gaze he had as he fell silent. It sounded like his family was a good one. His mother must have been extremely strong to do what she did, and it was rare to find a man so kind as to raise several children that weren't his.
He must have had a happy childhood before he lost his family.
She still wondered what had happened but knew better than to ask about it. From their earlier interactions, she figured that it must have been something traumatic. Perhaps it was related to his nightmares as well.
"Thank you for sharing that with me."
"You don't need to thank me for something like that."
"I do. It is clear you miss them."
His expression turned complex and she guessed he was holding back tears. Sitting in silence, she gave him a moment before trying to lighten the mood and distract him.
"Well, you must be part demon."
Her sudden declaration made him grin before he wiggled his eyebrows at her in feigned seduction.
"Because of my devilish good looks?"
Pulling a face, she gave a soft shove against his shoulder, making him grin wider.
"Because of your arrogance."
"Arrogance!? I'm just confident!"
They were both laughing before they were interrupted by a rhythmic flutter that echoed through the cavern. The both of them turned like one to the window where a small black dot appeared to be flying.
"Is that a bird?"
"No. It is even better, a reply."
He sounded reverend and it took her a moment to understand. Someone had responded. Her message had been read by someone powerful and they had decided to answer. Excitement ran through her veins as she stared at the increasing black dot. Only looking away because of the noise Warchief made as he promptly took everything off his desk and dropped it onto the floor. Creating a mess of papers.
"Warchief? What are you thinking?"
She started picking up the maps but he stopped her.
"He needs a spot to land."
"A messenger bird doesn't need a whole table!"
He grinned in mischievous excitement.
"Just trust me, this one does."
His answers confused her further, but she decided to listen and turned her attention back to the window. The sound was louder now, more of a swooshing than fluttering, due to the weight of the flying animal. Lidea narrowed her eyes as it kept increasing in size. She had never seen as big of a bird before.
Where is it coming from? How did it even know how to find us?
As it neared, it stopped flapping its wings, gliding in the air gracefully and heading directly to their window. It was only now that she saw what Warchief had meant, as it was no bird at all.
"Dragon?"