Audrey woke up at first light as she had been doing for the past ten days. A loud yawn ripped free from her throat as she stretched hard. She sat up and stared straight ahead for a moment, her mind buffering. Her body still believed that it would be in for yet another grueling day of walking. She could feel her muscles tensing, practically whining and complaining, but the moment she cleared the morning fog, she was able to relax.
No walking today. No traveling, no hiking, and no dredging through a swamp. It was a break she needed badly, so badly that she almost forgot that she couldn't sleep the entire day away. Taron wanted her to help him teach his class, though he hadn't told her when that was. The only way she could find out was by getting up and moving.
She rolled out of bed and let a small flame dance between her fingers. With a simple flick, small balls of fire leapt from her hand and towards the candlewicks in the room. Light flooded into the dark room, and swiftly began to dress. She only had one fully intact outfit left, a simple white blouse and a pair of trousers. She slipped on her boots and pushed her red hair to the side of her face.
She left the flames burning, a silent hope that she would be able to return to this room once she found the answer to her question. She stepped into the warm hallway, burning sconces providing both light and heat. She looked around before spotting a door opening down the hall, with what looked like students pouring out.
They were short and wearing simple clothes, not Fire Mage uniforms, so she just assumed. She watched them walk down the hall, passing by her room, and then turning the corner and continuing along. Audrey didn't want to follow directly behind them, but she had no idea what she should be doing or going. So she began trailing them a good distance away.
She turned the corner and walked past the chapel, following the students down the square hallway. They turned another corner and headed towards a pair of double doors. Audrey slowed, letting a few seconds pass before entering the room after them. The double doors swung open and swung back right behind her as she looked into a large mess hall.
A pair of Veiled stood behind a bar, plates of food laid out all across the countertop. The students walked in a line towards the bar, taking plates one at a time. The redhead hesitated for a beat, before getting in line, towering over the younger Initiates. They marched through the lunch line, taking plate after plate. By the time Audrey got to the front of the line, there were no plates of food left.
"Uh..." the redhead trailed off, glancing at the two Veiled behind the counter.
"You look too old to be a new Initiate," the taller of the Veiled, clearly male, said. The smoldering, eternally smoking veil covered his face and the heavy cloak he wore hid all of his features. Just like any other failed mage.
"This line is for students of the Church only," the shorter of the Veiled said. Her voice was feminine, though there was a slight lisp, and she was a full head shorter than the other Veiled who was in turn a head shorter than Audrey.
"Then where do the mages eat?" Audrey asked, narrowing her eyes. She crossed her arms, flexing just a bit to make her tattoo jump out.
The two Veiled glanced at each other, before turning back to Audrey. "We apologize, mistress... but the cafeteria is for students. Most mages have their own homes and make their own food," the male said, bowing his head slightly.
"Master Taron is the only mage who stays within the church, and he takes his son out to eat at a number of fabulous restaurants in town," the female continued, also bowing her head.
"That sounds... incredibly expensive. And I have no money," Audrey said, feeling one of her eyes twitching as her frustrations rose. She was used to having very little money, but she was also used to having a job. She made just enough from working on the Gregson farm to sustain herself and her mother.
At this rate, she was going to have to hunt down Cindy and beg her for cash. Either that, or get a job somewhere in town. She wasn't even sure where to start with that, maybe Taron would have some ideas.
"We apologize, mistress," the two Veiled continued to bow their heads, their tones even and respectful.
Audrey opened her mouth to respond, before slowly shutting it. A burning sensation crept into her bandaged hand, causing her to grip the thin wooden countertop harder and harder. She did her best to ignore that sensation, but the cracking and breaking of the counter couldn't be ignored. The two Veiled looked back up, their smoldering veils hiding their panicked expressions, but Audrey could still tell.
"I don't think you heard me. I have no money and I'm not from this town. I don't care what it is, make me a tray," the redhead ordered. A glare settled on her face as she felt dozens of pairs of eyes from the Initiates staring at her. Watching her to see what would happen.
"O-of course mistress!" the male stuttered out, followed swiftly by the female echoing his exclamation. "Gives us j-just a moment." The two turned and dashed towards a door behind the counter. Audrey got the slightest glance at the kitchen beyond the door, before it was shut behind the Veiled.
The moment they disappeared, that burning sensation in her hand disappeared and she relaxed her grip on the countertop. A broken chunk of wood clattered loudly to the ground, making the burning stares of the students even more prominent upon Audrey. But she stayed facing forward, refusing to turn to meet their curious gazes, her back straight and her shoulders squared. As if she had meant to break a piece of the countertop.
She had never imagined ordering around a Veiled like that. She knew, of course, that they were required to serve the every demand of a fully fledged mage, but she had always thought she would leave them alone. Surely they got enough work from the other mages. But in this one instance, it was clear they were happy to tell her no until she ordered them otherwise.
Several minutes passed before the Veiled came back through the door, carrying a tray with a sandwich on top of it. "Your breakfast, mistress," the female said. "Thank you for your patience."
Audrey just nodded, before accepting the tray and making her way towards an empty seat. She continued to ignore the stares of the Initiates, who had all crowded together at one table. There were about twenty of them, just enough to prevent Audrey from finding a spot. She would have to sit by herself.
She took a seat, before picking up the sandwich and chomping down on it. Her nose crinkled as she tasted stale bread, and a plain, boring piece of meat. It took her a moment to realize it was a very thinly sliced piece of pork that was heavily salted to preserve it. But there was nothing else. No sauce, no veggies, and nothing more than a glass of water on the side.
She risked a glance over at the table full of Initiates, trying to make out what they were eating. The only thing she could make out was gray slop, some sort of gruel that could be quickly made and slapped onto a tray for the students. She looked back down at her sandwich, wondering if she was just lucky that they were out of the gruel, or if they felt she deserved better because she was a mage.
She ate her sandwich slowly, not wanting to be the first one out of the cafeteria. Eventually, the Initiates had stomached as much of the slop as they could, before piling their trays up in the center of the table, and leaving. Audrey wolfed down the rest of her breakfast, before following behind them.
She felt like a lost puppy, unsure of where to go or what to do. She hadn't been told much by Taron, just that she would be acting as his teaching assistant today, and for the foreseeable future. So, as an assistant, she did the only logical thing she could think of. Follow the students, and she would eventually find Taron.
The students filtered down the hallway and towards the chapel. They pushed the large doors open, setting door stoppers in the way to prevent them from shutting on their own. The Initiates made their way into the chapel. They spread out and found seats in the pews all throughout the room. It looked like they had assigned seats, giving Audrey pause, unsure of where she should sit.
In the end, she decided to pick a pew all the way in the back of the room, far away from everyone else. The Initiates continued to give her strange looks, though they looked more curious than malicious. Audrey kept her head down, staring down at her feet. She wasn't sure what she would even say if one of them came up to talk to her.
Initiates filed into the chapel for the next hour. They took their seats, talking loudly with each other. Hundreds of conversations all happening at once, echoing throughout the chapel, creating a cacophony that made it difficult for Audrey to even think. She had to resist the urge to cover her ears. She had never been in a room with this many people before, especially people younger than her.
The youngest Initiates were the loudest, even though they sat the furthest away from Audrey. Starry-eyed and bushy-tailed, they were clearly the newest recruits to the church. They all sat in the very front, the closest to the raised dais that made up the stage. Some of them looked so young, that Audrey had a feeling they had just turned eight, and this was their first day in the church.
She remembered her own first day in church. She had been separated from her friends, she sat next to her mother, no one else talked to her. She looked down at her feet, just as she was doing now, just waiting for the day to end. She didn't remember the sermon that was given, nor what her first instructor had taught, or tried to teach, her. The only thing she remembered was the first spell she had been given.
Tuz. The simplest spell any Fire Mage could learn, and the basic building block for all other fire spells. It meant fire, and with the right gesture, it could make flames from nothing but one's own Essence. Despite it being the simplest spell, it was also the deepest. The young Initiates just joining the church had years ahead of them to learn the thousands of years of theory that made up the simple spell Tuz.
The older students sat near the back, though none sat anywhere near Audrey. The older students were exchanging notes, talking about the spells they had learned the previous days, and helping each other rapidly finish any homework they had. While the youngest Initiates were eager to begin learning, the older students were stressed and neurotic. Audrey didn't have to guess why. Their Trials were approaching and their lives were on the line.
An hour passed before Taron and his son entered the chapel, followed by two Veiled Knights who stopped by the doors. Tyr sent Audrey a glare, before walking towards his seat, plopping down next to a few other older Initiates who immediately tried to include him into their conversation. But he continued to send glares at the redhead.
"Ah, Audrey, you're here earlier than I expected," Taron said as he leaned against the pew Audrey was sitting on.
"You didn't tell me what I should be doing," Audrey replied. "You just said that I would be helping you teach."
"I said you would be helping in the afternoon," the Priest chuckled, a friendly smile still on his face. "When we do sparring practice."
"I guess I forgot," the redhead shrugged. She searched her memories, trying to remember what he had told her. But she could only recall the blood pounding in her ears, making it difficult to hear what the blond had said.
"In any case, it's actually fortuitous that you're here early. That way you won't miss the sermon," Taron said with a hearty chuckle. "A good Fire Mage should worship frequently to gain favor from Arkosh."
"Er... right," Audrey hesitated. It was something she had been told time and time again while she was an Initiate.
"Oh! And I also wanted to tell you that I spoke to the Wind Priest, Master Revvi earlier this morning," the muscular blond said. "I made sure he knew you and your dragon are under the church's protection. Those Wind Mages shouldn't bother you again."
"Uh... thank you," the redhead said. She remembered Istvan telling her that Taron would take care of it, but she hadn't actually believed he would.
Taron just gave her a wink, before walking towards the front of the chapel. He had a saunter in his step, and hopped onto the stage with ease. Several others joined him on the dais, all of them older than the Initiates and Audrey herself. It was obvious they were mages, most likely the instructors. Redwood had only two instructors, besides Deacon Harold himself. Including Taron, nine instructors stood on stage, waiting for their Priest to begin the sermon.
Taron set his hands on the sides of a podium near the front of the stage. He took a moment to rake his eyes across the chapel, as if he was doing a headcount, making sure everyone was present. "Welcome, Initiates, to the house of Arkosh. I see we have some new faces with us today, fresh voices in the worship of our God," he said, looking towards the younger students sitting at the front of the chapel.
"Please, stand and tell us a bit about yourselves. We want to get to know you and to make you feel welcome," he continued, gesturing for the kid at the end of the pews to stand and begin. The young boy looked surprised at the invitation, but was encouraged by many of the other newer Initiates to stand and give his name.
Audrey watched as four students eagerly stood and did the same as the first. Each one was more confident than the last, as the other Initiates seemed welcoming and friendly. Audrey watched, unable to help but compare how this church operated and the church in Redwood. The class was much smaller, and she had been the youngest Initiate for over a year before another one joined. She had been mostly alone, surrounded by kids much older than her, making it hard to make friends.
"Thank you, thank you," Taron said as the last new face sat down, the other students giving him a few reassuring pats on the shoulder. "You are taking your first steps onto the long road of worship. There are many trials and tribulations ahead of you, but it is my job, and the job of your instructors, to prepare you for anything you may encounter. You will be taught magic, to do your duties, combat to defend yourselves, and faith to guide you through the darkness."
"Some say that Arkosh is the strongest of all the Gods, but if you joined this church just for that, you are sorely misguided. You will gain power here, yes, but you will learn to temper it with wisdom. Arkosh is not only the strongest of the Gods, but also the kindest," he continued. "We are not Arkosh's children, nor are we the children of any of the Gods. Yet, despite that, it was Arkosh who first gave our race fire while we were still huddled in caves. It was Arkosh who put his faith in the human First Mage, who stopped the Cataclysm. And when the dust settled and the Gods were banished, it was Arkosh who first granted his worshipers the use of his magic."
Taron held out one of his hands and summoned a small flame to flicker in his palm. "Fire brings not just destruction, but also life. Weeds, dirt, debris all choke the forest floor, and it is the cleansing flame that wipes it all away, recycling the nutrients back into the ground for new life to grow," he said, the small flame growing and pulsing with each of his words until it was a raging inferno, towering in his hand. "We are the burning guardians of the Empire. Our fires purge the heretics to the north, the monsters that roam the wilderness, and the threats that lurk within our towns. Never forget that, in your trials to come."
His hand snapped shut into a fist, quenching the flames before they burned too far out of control. Audrey could feel her heart pounding, hanging onto every word he had said. Deacon Harold had never given a sermon with that sort of passion or zeal before. He was an old man, reading from a book. But judging by the wide eyes and raised eyebrows from not just the Initiates, but the instructors sharing the stage with Taron, he had never given a sermon like that before.
She wondered if it was for her benefit, and not the new students.
Taron cleared his throat and readjusted his grip onto his podium. "In any case, I like to keep things brief when we have new Initiates," he said. "Tomorrow, I'll give a longer, more typical sermon. But for today, I would like you to have as much time with your fellow students and instructors as possible."
He paused, before his grin widened just a bit. "Speaking of instructors, Instructor Marton injured himself during the parade yesterday," he said. "Luckily, we have another fresh face amongst us today. Miss Caminus, how about you join us on stage?"
Audrey froze as Taron pointed straight at her, causing everyone to shift and turn in their seats to stare at her. It was like a nightmare coming true. She was only able to offer a feeble, "Huh?" in response, but Taron was insistent, beckoning her to stand up.
She pulled herself up on shaky legs, before wobbling towards the stage. She could feel her heart in her ears again, thumping loudly while her blood practically boiled in embarrassment. She only glanced at one of the students on the long walk to the dais. Tyr's glare only hardened as his arms crossed while she passed him by.
She stumbled onto the stage and went to stand beside Taron. "What the Abyss is going on?" she hissed, hoping that the students couldn't hear her.
Taron just winked at her, ignoring her question for the moment. "Meet your new instructor, Audrey Caminus," he said. "She's recently passed her own Mage's Trials and made her way to Radhin on foot, all the way from a village far south of here."
Audrey swallowed hard, before giving the crowd of students a small wave and a crooked smile. She could see students turning to talk to each other, their whispers not reaching her ears past the pounding of her heart. She noticed more than a few Initiates shrinking away from her, ones she recognized from the cafeteria earlier today. Had her outburst there given her a reputation already?
Taron seemed oblivious to the gossip already blossoming between the Initiates. "You are all dismissed to your classes. Your instructors will join you momentarily," he said. The students quickly got up and began filing out of the chapel, their loud conversations immediately picked back up. Only for the voices to slowly fade as they made their way through the hall and finding their classrooms.
The moment the students were out of earshot, Audrey whipped around to snarl at Taron, "Could you explain yourself now?! I'm not a teacher!"
"I did say it was fortuitous that you came early, didn't I?" Taron replied with a chuckle. "Besides. You can learn a lot from teaching. I have a feeling you've forgotten some of your instruction, so what better way to relearn than to teach?"
"This is about that whole 'lack of control' thing, isn't it?" the redhead let out an annoyed huff.
"Indeed," the Priest nodded slowly. "Don't worry, you're teaching the youngest students. All you have to do is get them to summon fire."
"I really don't know if I can-"
"Now, now, none of that," Taron interrupted, "What I said was true. Instructor Marton threw his back out yesterday. Crotchety old man insisted on helping carry one of the barges."
"Can't you just... ask someone else? Surely there's a more experienced mage at this church," Audrey said, her heart beating faster and faster. The thought of teaching anyone had never entered her mind.
Taron's smirk only widened as he crossed his arms. The other instructors exchanged glances, wondering what was going on. They were all much older than Audrey, some of them quite a bit older than Taron himself. "You know, your father wasn't nearly as hesitant when he came through here all those years ago," he said.
Audrey felt her mouth go dry as Taron's words smashed into her like his fists during their sparring match last night. "How do you know my father?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.
"I'll tell you all about it tonight, if you teach this class," Taron suggested.
The redhead frowned as that nervousness swelled within her once again. But her curiosity overpowered that anxiety, she wanted to know. "Fine," she huffed.
"You're in classroom one," he said, pointing in the direction of the room.
Audrey rolled her eyes, before storming out of the chapel. She made her way down the hall, turning the corner and walking all the way down to the end of the hallway. She stopped upon reaching a door with a large, brass 'one' nailed to it. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to temper her roiling emotions.
She knew this was a lesson in control. Taron's words from last night echoed in her head, and she knew he was right. She had always had trouble controlling her fire, the burn marks scorched into the floor of her room made that very clear. She wasn't sure how teaching a class of eight-year-olds was supposed to help her learn to control her flame, but she didn't have a choice.
She opened the door and stepped into the classroom, awkwardly slamming the door behind her. The students all turned to look at her, silencing the conversations she had just barely heard on the other side of the door. She cleared her throat, before walking to the front of the class, where a podium was waiting for her. A chalkboard lined the wall just behind her, with plenty of chalk and erasers for her to use.
There were ten students in the room, the oldest of which looked to be ten. Each student sat at a desk, where they had a small notebook, a quill, and an inkwell. All the students looked eager to learn, the ones that she had seen standing and introducing themselves earlier seemed to have stars in their eyes. The excitement was palpable, causing Audrey to swallow dryly.
"Uh... my name is Audrey Caminus, and I guess I'll be your instructor today," the redhead said.
"Just for today?" one of the students at the front of the class asked.
Audrey paused, not really sure what she should reply with. "Well, uh... I don't know, honestly. I'm just filling in for your actual instructor," she said. "I'm not actually from here, and I won't be staying."
"Where are you from?"
"Where are you going?"
"How did you get here?"
"Your dress is really pretty, where did you get it?"
Audrey practically took a step backwards as the class erupted into a thousand questions, rapidly overwhelming her. She didn't remember being this curious, or eager to speak out at this age! She almost never asked questions of her instructors. "Woah, one at a time!" she said, holding up her hands.
The class slowly quieted down, giving Audrey a moment to gather her courage. "I'm from a small village south of here. I'm heading north, to Arkosh's Heart. I walked here, and I'll be walking from here," she said. "My... mom made this dress."
She could feel the class bursting with even more questions, but she kept her hands held up, hoping to keep them from talking. "But enough about me," she said. She had a feeling the kids could keep her busy for hours. "You're here to learn... and I guess I'm here to teach. How many of you know how to summon a flame?"
The older kids raised their hands, but the younger kids just shook their heads. She had expected that answer, but she wanted to be sure. She had no notes and had only been told to teach the kids how to make fire. It sounded simple, the spell was just a single word. But she knew there was more to it than that.
Ten years was a long time ago, and remembering lessons she had barely paid attention to was impossible. The only experience she had to draw on was her own. She just hoped the students would understand. "I'm not the right person to teach you the theories involved with spellcasting. I barely understand it myself, and I'm sure the older kids have heard this lesson more than once," she said. "So I'm just going to show you how it's done... and you'll practice until you get it right."
She turned around and grabbed a piece of chalk. In big letters on the board, she wrote, Tuz. "Everyone do as I do," she said as she held out her hand. She waited until all of the students copied what she was doing, before she spoke the word of power, saying it slowly so the new students could understand what she was saying. A small flame flickered into life in the center of her palm, just big enough to be visible.
A chorus of spells filled the room as each Initiate attempted to summon a flame. Audrey made it look simple, and she had given them very little information to actually help them. The newest students looked intense, staring at their palms as they spoke the spell. Confusion crossed their faces as nothing happened, causing them to continue shouting the spell.
The students who had been in the church for a few weeks at this point looked strained. Their muscles tensed and their faces scrunched up as if they were constipated, struggling to conjure fire. They knew just enough that they didn't know anything, and it wasn't as simple as just speaking a word of power. But they still couldn't conjure fire.
The older students gritted their teeth as great burning bonfires erupted in the center of their palms, quickly burning out of control. They struggled to tamp down their own power, to quench the fire until it was the same size as Audrey's. But they struggled and failed, unable to prevent the flames getting bigger and bigger, small sparks dripping from their hands and onto their wooden desks.
"Woah!" Audrey exclaimed as she quickly stepped in, reaching out with her power to wrest the fires under control. She put out the flames beginning to spread on their desks and did her best to prevent their notebooks from being destroyed.
Once the fires were out, she took a step back and breathed a small sigh of relief. Why did the Fire Church have wooden desks? "Let that... er, be a lesson!" she exclaimed, unable to stop the dragonshit from spilling from her mouth. "There's a lot more to casting spells than just saying a word."
She turned around and walked over to the chalkboard, quickly erasing what she had just written. She could feel herself beginning to sweat, she knew her cheeks were flushed, and her mouth felt as dry as a desert. That had been a terrible idea. She really did have no idea what she was doing. She had been under no illusions that this was going to be easy... but this was going to be even harder than she thought.
Agni opened her mouth wide in a yawn. He stretched his arms forward, splaying out his claw-tipped fingers as his back arched like a cat. He yawned and stretched for a solid minute, feeling his muscles strain, before relaxing as he slumped back down onto his pile of pillows. He smacked his lips, wondering what time it was and whether or not he should go searching for food.
This was the life he was used to. Traveling, even when flying, for hours at a time wasn't something he enjoyed. He spent most of his days relaxing in the sun, avoiding his lessons, and hiding from his instructors. He didn't care how often he was admonished for being lazy, he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
He was a dragon prince, shouldn't he be allowed to do whatever he wanted? And what he wanted was to be lazy. He didn't want to learn the arts of war. He didn't want to learn how to fight. He didn't even really want to learn history either. He wanted to sunbathe and study his plants. He wanted to make strange potions and balms, learning what he wanted to learn at his own pace.
But his father didn't agree. To Alkam, it was Agni's duty to prepare for the day when he took the throne. When he took over the war against the Giants. Just as Alkam did when his father passed all those years ago.
Agni shut his eyes and tried to banish those thoughts. Despite not agreeing with his father's plans for his life, he didn't want Alkam to die. Dragons lived an incredibly long time, in fact, no one actually knew how long a dragon could live. If Alkam died, it would be at the hands of the Giants he warred against.
Agni didn't want to think about that. If his father died and he was forced to take the crown of the Successor King... would he be able to continue the war? It felt so far away, almost ethereal and unreal. He always believed that there was a way to end the war peacefully, but if those Giants killed his father... would he feel the tug of vengeance?
The little, red dragon just sighed and rolled off his pile of pillows. He was so far away from home, and there was still so much of the journey left to go. All just to get this tattoo removed from his arm. Then he would go back home... to hide and avoid his lessons once again. It sounded silly, now that he thought about it. He reached up to touch the pelt that was still hanging around his neck. Bringing it to his father wasn't going to make him leave the little dragon alone.
He trotted towards the door and slipped out into the hallway. The hallway was huge, easily able to hold a dragon twice his size. He trotted down the hall, squeezing past a group of students heading towards their classes. They paid hardly any attention to him, just enough to move out of his way. He had to remind himself that this was a Fire Church, and there was at least one other dragon who stayed here. Unlike in Redwood, dragons weren't an unusual sight.
He trotted down the hall, taking a turn at the end, and nudging open the door leading to the cafeteria. He remembered finding a half-eaten pig just sitting out and he hoped to find something similar. The door to the cafeteria was sized for humans and he had to fold his wings and duck his head a bit to not clip his horns against the doorframe.
To his disappointment, there was no hog sitting on any of the tables. But as he began looking and sniffing around, he spotted a pair of humans standing behind a bar. He blinked at them, cocking his head as he noticed they were wearing some sort of veil over their faces. "Uh... hey there," he said, his tail flicking back and forth, knocking chairs over.
"Oh, master dragon, welcome to our humble kitchen," the male said, standing a bit straighter. "What can we help you with?"
"Well... last night I found some food here, and I was wondering if there was any more of it," Agni replied.
The two Veiled exchanged glances, before looking back at the dragon. "The pig was for the students," the shorter female said.
"Not that you're in trouble," the male quickly added. "But imagine our surprise when we had nothing to feed the students with this morning."
"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't know," Agni blinked a few times. "But, uh... do you have anything that I can eat?"
"We're sorry, master dragon, but there's nothing we can give you here," the male said while bowing his head. "This kitchen is for students only."
"The dragons that live here hunt for themselves, outside the town walls," the female said, copying the other Veiled and bowing her head.
"Ah..." the red dragon muttered. But, now that he thought about it, it made sense. The door to the cafeteria could barely fit him, he doubted any other dragon could squeeze their way in here. "I don't really hunt, though. Uh... so is there any way I could get... something from here?"
"A dragon that doesn't hunt?" the male said, bowing just a bit lower. "That's... unusual. My apologies, master dragon, but we cannot help you."
"Yeah, we already had some upstart mage who wasn't supposed to be here demand a meal," the female huffed. "We don't have anything for you here."
Upstart mage? Agni pondered while furrowing his eye ridge. That sounded like Audrey. He wasn't going to be able to hunt, but if Audrey had managed to get these two to put out, then maybe she could get something for him too.
"I'll just... be on my way then," the dragon said. He turned around quickly, his tail scraping against the ground, knocking aside both chairs and tables alike. "Oops!" he muttered quietly, before bolting towards the door. Leaving behind the two bewildered Veiled.
Agni padded back out into the hallway, before putting his nose to the ground. Dragons had incredibly powerful senses, their eyes could see a mouse from a mile off the ground and their noses could detect that a deer had passed by a week ago. He immediately detected Audrey's scent and began tracking it back to its source.
He wove through the halls, passing by the chapel, and turning towards her room. He could tell which room was hers just by her smell, but he also knew she wasn't there right now. So he pressed on, before coming to a door at the end of the hall where her scent was the strongest, and the freshest. He pressed his ear against the door, trying to see if he could hear her voice.
A series of shouts and cries, followed by Audrey's commanding voice permeated through the door, "Hey! You need to control yourself a bit more! Focus on quashing the flames, not growing them! You! You need to focus on growing the flames, not quashing them! Wait... no, reverse that! Agh!"
The red dragon blinked a few times, before rearing his head back. She sounded busy... and she didn't sound alone. He could hear other voices in the room, all shouting Audrey's name as if trying to get her attention. She wouldn't be able to help him right now... he'd try and speak to her later.
He slunk away, heading back to his room. He was getting hungrier and hungrier, but taking a nap would help him ignore his grumbling belly. Then he'd get Audrey to feed him when he woke up. With his head held high, he pushed open the door to his room, only to pause the moment the door swung open.
His pile of pillows was gone, all put back in their places on the huge cots designed for larger dragons. In the center of the room stood one of those larger dragons, several feet taller than the red dragon and well over a dozen feet longer. This dragon's scales were a deep blue color, contrasting nicely with Agni's. A brown satchel was hung over the blue dragon's neck, hanging off its flank.
The door came swinging back, smacking Agni right on the nose, causing him to let out a yelp of surprise. The blue dragon whipped around to stare at him, teeth ever so slightly bared. Judging by the horns pointing straight back on his head, this dragon was male. "You must be one of those messenger dragons I was told about..." Agni said as he stepped into the room, rubbing his nose from where the door had hit him.
"I wasn't told that a wyrmling had taken over my room," the larger dragon huffed. "You must've been the one to pile all my pillows on the floor."
"Well, I didn't want to actually sleep in your bed," Agni replied, his eyes wide. "And, uh... I'm not a wyrmling! I'm just... small. My one hundredth hatching day is only a few weeks away!"
"You're a hundred?!" the blue dragon exclaimed. "Ha... hahahahahaha! I'd hate to see your parents! I'm sure they're just as pathetic as you."
"H-hey now... you shouldn't talk about someone's parents without knowing who they are," Agni said, furrowing his eye ridge. He had to bite his tongue to not
"Spoken like a true wimp," the larger dragon cackled. "I'm still twenty years from my hundredth, I haven't been your size in fifty years. I'm Rodon, messenger for Radhin."
"U-uh... I'm Agni," the little, red dragon said.
Rodon immediately rounded on him, lowering his head to be nearly nose to nose with the red dragon. "Agni, huh? 'A' names and red scales carry a certain... royal quality that you don't really live up to."
Agni immediately looked away, unable to meet Rodon's eyes. "I... don't know what you mean by that," he huffed. "I'm just traveling through here with my friend, uh... we're on our way to Arkosh's Heart."
"Hmph," the blue dragon rolled his eyes, before pulling away from Agni. He removed the bag around his neck and hung it on a hook near his bed. "Well, little one, I've had quite a long flight. How about you fluff my pillows so I can lay down and nap?"
"Why don't you do that yourself?" Agni huffed.
Rodon whipped back around, his teeth bared. "Because I wasn't the one to pile them in the center of the room! Fluff my pillows!" he ordered.
Agni swallowed as he heard the growl deep in Rodon's throat. He wasn't back home, where his name actually meant something. Where the dragons were forced to follow his commands, unless they had orders from his father that trumped his. Rodon didn't know, and couldn't know who Agni was. If it ever got back to Alkam's ears that he had left the forest... he would be in so much trouble. He didn't even want to think about it.
He slowly stumbled towards the bed and grabbed onto one of Rodon's pillows. He had no choice, he just hoped the blue dragon would leave him alone after this. But he could feel the smirk on his back, and he had a feeling things were going to get much worse. Rodon was much bigger than him, and one of the few things that could harm a dragon was another dragon.
With the pillows properly fluffed, Agni took a few, embarrassed, steps backwards, leaving plenty of room for Rodon to climb onto his bed and stretch. "Ah... much better. Now, when I wake up, I'd better see you here, ready to serve again," the blue dragon grinned. "My scales need to be scrubbed and shined. You seem to be just the right size to clean every inch of me."
Agni opened his mouth to object, but nothing came out. It would only get worse for him if he mouthed off. So instead, he just let his head and tail droop as he made his way over to one of the other cots in the room, hoping that he could also get some sleep. "Hey now! Those beds don't belong to you," Rodon spoke up. "You'll sleep on the floor."
Agni let out a little whine as he lied down on the stone floor. This day had gone from good to bad so quickly! He wondered if this could have been avoided in any way. His only hope now was to get the rest he needed, and then to wake up before Rodon did and sneak out before he noticed. A prince of his stature wasn't supposed to be cleaning anyone! He was going to find Audrey, and she was going to help him set things straight.
There was a very noticeable crack in the wooden podium that Audrey was currently gripping onto. And a matching bruise on her forehead. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened here, as the redhead's head was pressed against the divot she had created, hair splayed across the podium. She gripped onto the sides for dear life, her fingernails digging into the wood as she quietly prayed for a second chance.
She didn't pray often, and she certainly wasn't praying for a second chance to teach these kids. Oh no, she was praying for a second chance at today. She would stay in bed until afternoon like Taron had told her and she would avoid the entire ordeal that she had been through. As it turned out, she was a terrible teacher, who knew? She knew, she had known from the very start that she wasn't cut out for this.
"Audrey?" a familiar voice drew the redhead's attention from her self-loathing back to reality. She picked her head up just enough to see over the edge of the podium. Taron was only a few feet away from her, having stealthily entered the classroom without her noticing.
The students had long since left for their lunch break, but they wouldn't be coming back here. The younger students only suffered through a few hours of learning each day. Then, after lunch, they would have the whole day to play and just be kids. Of course, they would be expected to do some homework or some reading, but Audrey had forgotten to even assign anything. What was she supposed to assign, she didn't have any books!
And now Taron was here, hands on his hips as he looked down at her with a small grin on his face. Just like he always had. "How did it go?" he asked, ignoring the obvious burn marks dotting the room, and the fact that one of the desks was nearly completely scorched.
"How did it go? How did it go?! Terribly, that's how!" Audrey snarled as she stood up completely, still barely coming up to Taron's clavicle. "Just like I said it would! I'm not a teacher, Taron. I couldn't even teach the basics!"
"Hmm," Taron hummed. "Well, in order to teach you need to be able to learn."
Audrey just stared at him, her mouth agape in sheer confusion. "Well I guess I don't know how to learn then," she let out an annoyed huff.
"Yes, I had figured that, by the way you spoke about struggling with your own lessons. I thought that perhaps you needed to do the opposite. You needed to teach in order to be able to learn," he replied, running his fingers across his smooth chin.
"Well, you were wrong. I just suck," she grumbled right back. "But at least this is behind me now. I'll never have to do this crap again!"
"On the contrary! You'll be teaching again tomorrow," Taron said, his grin returning. "I'm deadly serious about needing a replacement."
"But Taron... you just said that without being able to learn I can't teach... and I just proved that!" she exclaimed. "I think I'm just going to end up hurting these kids."
"Sorry, Audrey, but you're just going to have to learn to learn so you can teach," Taron shrugged. "Sometimes there's no avoiding it."
One of Audrey's eyes twitched as her nose crinkled into a snarl. "You know I'm not staying here forever, right?! Once Agni and Ci-... er, Agni and I are ready, we're leaving!" she growled.
"Then you're just going to have to learn fast, aren't you?" Taron chuckled, before turning around and heading towards the door. "Come on, you're due as my sparring partner today."
Taron vanished through the door, leaving Audrey momentarily alone. With a burst of frustration and rage, she hefted the podium over her head and threw it across the room, smashing into one of the desks and shattering it. The podium was made of solid wood and managed to hold, but the flimsy desk was reduced to scraps. But with that little outburst released, she followed behind the blond and out of the room.
"Hey!" Audrey spoke up as she dashed after Taron, suddenly remembering something. "You promised to tell me how you knew my dad."
Taron paused, but only for a moment. "There's not much to tell. He passed through here some eighteen years ago," he said. "The Priest of this church at the time asked him to teach a class while the caravan took a few days to rest before starting off again."
Audrey fell silent as she followed Taron towards the chapel. She could tell that the Priest was hiding something. There had to be more to that story, why else would Taron have even brought it up? They entered the chapel to see the altar had already been moved, leaving the path open to the sandpits below the church.
Audrey could see nine students waiting by the edge of one of the pits. She immediately recognized Tyr as one of the students, but the others were unknown to her. They seemed to be good friends, though, as they were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they waited for their instructor to return. Once Taron approached, they quickly quieted and stood a bit straighter, ready to hear whatever the Priest had to say.
Only Tyr continued to slump with his arms crossed, refusing to stand at attention. Audrey could see the bored expression plastered across his face, as if he believed he had better things to do than be here. Something that confused the redhead... surely with his trial approaching, he would want as much imparted knowledge from his instructors, especially his father, to succeed.
Though she could certainly relate. She hadn't done much listening to her instructors either. But they were just holding her back! And besides, from what Audrey had seen so far, the teachers at this church were much better than the ones in Redwood.
"Now then," Taron said as he approached the pit, gesturing for Audrey to go ahead and hop down. She landed with a grunt, staring up at Taron as he continued to address the students. "Starting today, and going for the next few weeks, we will be practicing our sparring. I have taught you every spell I am allowed to, and now you must hone your skills."
"I have taught you how to cast these spells, but now you must learn how to apply them in combat," Taron continued, his smirk dropping. "There is an art to battle, not just between two mages, but between yourself and any other creature you face. You must discover your own style and tricks to help you succeed, and it is not something I can teach you. Only through experience will you learn what to do. Which is why from now until all nine of you take on your trial, I will present you with a place to experiment, and different scenarios to test your knowledge."
"The only thing I can do is tell you what you're doing wrong, no longer can I give you the answers. Out there, you'll be on your own. You won't be able to fall back on me," Taron finished, bowing his head slightly. He took a short breath, before looking up with his signature grin back on his face. "Now then, let's start with some scenarios. Audrey, dear! What all have you faced during your journey from Redwood?"
Audrey's eyes widened as she was suddenly singled out. She took an involuntary step backwards, her back straightening as a dozen pairs of eyes turned to her. "U-uh... one of the first foes I ever faced was a Lightning Mage!" she exclaimed, her mind whirling to think of something fast. Her thoughts turned to Cindy first, as she had been not just a traveling companion, but also her first obstacle.
"Lightning Mage? I didn't know there was a Lightning Church in Redwood," Taron chuckled. "What was that like?"
"Well, Lightning Mages fight differently than Fire Mages. They're fast and the one I faced was strong too," Audrey said, furrowing her brow as she tried to think of what she should say. She hoped she wasn't rambling.
"How did you win?" one of the students asked, clearly interested in her story. Something that got Audrey's attention.
"Luck, I think. And a healthy amount of help from Arkosh... and Agni, the dragon I met in the Reaches," the redhead said, perking up a little bit. She wasn't sure anyone really cared, but she couldn't stop herself from talking. "Lightning Mages use hit and run tactics... so you have to take a hit and then counterpunch!" she struck a pose, holding up a fist.
That earned her a few chuckles, including one from Taron. "What else did you fight during your travels?" he asked, as if he was hunting for a specific answer.
Her eyebrows furrowed again, wondering what he was trying to get out of her. Her entire journey played through her mind, trying to think of the most exciting encounter she had. One in particular stood out. "I slew a Ghast and some Ghouls in a desolated village south of here," she said.
"Oh, interesting," Taron spoke up, before glancing over to see the confused expressions dotting the students' faces. "Undead are uncommon, even in the wilds. They don't typically spawn on their own, either. Where did they come from?"
"I'm not really sure. The entire village seemed to be cursed, like all the moisture had been drawn from the fields... we couldn't find any food anywhere," Audrey said with a shrug.
"Ah," was Taron's only response. He seemed to suddenly enter a state of deep contemplation. He was quiet for a moment, as the students exchanged glances, not sure what was going on.
Eventually, one of them spoke up, "An entire village... destroyed?" Audrey could see Tyr rolling his eyes, but the other students had concern sprawled all over their faces. "By a curse? Is the curse spreading? Did you bring it with you?!"
Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but Taron beat her to it. "Not even curses spread easily through the wilderness. Besides, I'm sure Audrey took care of it!" he said, a cheerful grin tugging at his lips.
"O-of course! The Ghouls are nothing but ash and the Ghast lay broken after it tried to flee," Audrey grinned, before she felt an intense spark of pain lance through her hand. She couldn't help but let out an audible, "Ow!" before quickly clenching her bandaged fist.
She looked spooked, before hiding her arm behind her back, an innocent smile on her face. "Not to say it was easy, of course," she said. "The Ghouls were pretty flammable, but the Ghast was much harder to hurt."
"That certainly makes sense," Taron chuckled. "And that brings me up to the main point of these sparring sessions. Ghouls are flesh-hungry monsters raised from ordinary people. Ghasts are made from Mages, typically willing Mages. As such, they keep a Mage's magic resistance."
Confusion ran rampant from the students, even Audrey looked confused. She had never heard that term before. "I see some of you have been lacking in your studies," Taron smirked. "As all of you know, Essence is contained within your soul. As you get stronger and your soul gets larger, it also grows to protect you from outside Essence. Magic is made from Essence, so your soul gives you a sort of resistance to magic. Magic resistance."
It was a phenomenon that Audrey had never heard of before, but it made an intuitive sense. It wasn't something that was conscious, it was just something that powerful creatures had. That certainly explained how the Ghast had shrugged off her ash torpedoes so easily. And how she had managed to weather Cindy's lightning storms.
"Audrey here could actually give you a sort of visual example, though I'm sure she is loath to do so in that outfit," Taron explained as he pointed down at her. "As some of you saw, or witnessed firsthand, during her bout with Tyr last night, Audrey caught fire. The wreath that surrounded her outlines her soul and defines her magic resistance."
"But I thought you said-" Audrey tried to speak up, but was quickly silenced by Taron holding a finger up to his lips. He gave her a little wink, further confusing her, before turning back towards the students.
"Your soul cannot protect you forever. As your soul is battered by Essence from the outside, it shrinks and lessens your protection," Taron continued. Audrey nodded her head in understanding, making connections to how her flame wreath weakened as she took damage. "I should also be clear that your soul will not protect you from physical damage."
The students were quiet and so was Audrey. The students didn't quite have the power to experience what Taron was talking about, but Audrey understood intimately. It had just never been put into words for her. She had felt something protecting her from magic, while at the same time failing to stop claws and blades from slicing into her skin.
"So, like I said, it will be up to you to learn how your spells are best applied. Our fire is made from pure Essence, but even then, some spells can also do physical damage," the Priest said. "But I've prattled on enough. I think it's time to start sparring."
The students cheered and Audrey took a deep breath. She already knew what was coming. There was an uneven number of students in this class, one of them was going to be matched up with her. And she knew which one before the words ever left Taron's mouth. "Tyr, why don't you pair up with Audrey? You seem to be on a similar level to her," the blond suggested, though it was certainly implied to be an order.
"Tch," Tyr rolled his eyes, grimacing as if he had just been insulted. Though, Audrey couldn't help but feel the true insult was aimed at her. He leapt from the sidelines and into the pit while the other students paired off and found themselves their own space to fight.
"For now, we're going to focus on moving while casting. Staying mobile is going to be crucial when fighting not just Lightning Mages, but also the horrors you'll face in the wilderness!" Taron exclaimed. "Move, cast, dodge, cast, reposition, cast... duel until one of you can't go any further. Begin!"
Audrey barely had time to react as Tyr summoned his first spell, one familiar to her. A Fire Lance aimed straight for her heart. She jerked her bandaged hand just fast enough to smack the missile away, before responding with her strongest spell. She recalled being warned that no one ever wanted to be Taron's teaching assistant. She wondered if that was because of Taron... or because of Tyr. Regardless, this was going to be a long day.