Cold. It was all Aldeheid could feel. Seeping through his flesh, turning his bones to ice. Above him, the sky was covered with thick grey clouds, just as dull and lifeless as the tundra they hung over. Snow fell, the flakes dancing to the symphony of perpetual wind.
He exhaled, his wheezing breath sounding like the cry of dying animal. His body had long given up on him. His muscles had become too stiff and achy to carry him any further. And so, he'd collapsed in the snow. His will was faring no better, abandoning him to the merciless tundra.
This was it. The last of Aldeheid.
"Al?" Wenry's voice was tiny and hoarse, a mere whisper on the wind. She was beside him, frost covering her body up to her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and glassy with tears. "I don't want to die. Please don't let me die."
He tried to reach for her as the frost climbed up to her neck, spreading like some kind of plague. But his hand refused to move.
Wenry whimpered as the ice crawled up to her face. "Al help... Help!"
Aldeheid jerked awake, ramming his head into the bunk above his. Pain radiated through his skull, and he swore under his breath as he rubbed at the bump.
"Having nightmares, angel eyes?" Kitaya was kneeling beside his bunk, dressed in silver and black regalia, with her lion's head pauldron gracing her shoulder. "You were sleeping so fitfully."
I can imagine. . . He grimaced and glanced pass her at their small berth. It was nicer and less cramped than the one he remembered falling asleep in. The bed he was in cushioned his body like a cloud, and his feet didn't dangle off the edge. "Where are we?"
"On a river boat." She rose and stretched, her hands nearly touching the ceiling. "We swapped vessels last night. I couldn't rouse you so I carried you over."
"Oh. . . Well... I'm uh... s-sorry for the trouble."
Kitaya tilted her head at him. "Are you alright? You're shaking."
"Yes. Don't worry it's nothing. I promise." The words came out of his mouth in a rush, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
She scrunched her brow, not seeming convinced, but didn't push the issue further. "I put your gear in the cubbyhole. Hurry and get dressed. There are some people I want you to meet." With that, she walked out of the room, her footsteps gradually disappearing.
Aldeheid leaned his head against the wall and rubbed at his arms to warm them up. It wasn't real. Then why was he still shaking? He tossed the tangled bedding from his body and swung his legs out. The cool floor against his bare feet helped to ground him in reality.
At least Kitaya seemed to be in better spirits.
Aldeheid had watched her mood gradually brighten in the four days since they'd fought Glaciados. A boat had been sent to rescue them from the island, and he guessed they'd hit land during the sleeping hours. They'd both been quiet and solemn since then, but the closer they got to the desert, the more nervous he became.
Seeing a new place with new opportunities had been exciting enough. But anxiety surfaced when he realized he had nowhere to go after. Kitaya had already shot down the prospect of joining their cause, and the thought of returning to Etheria made him want to wretch. Perhaps he could convince the desert dwellers to let him stay, make his new home there.
Being capeless for so long had hindered his growth as a magician, despite the training from Mellidius. He needed to hone his mind and body before proving himself worthy of any cause. Kitaya had been right when she said he should focus on bettering himself.
And so, with a new sense of purpose, Aldeheid donned his gear and headed up to the deck. The change in light made him squint, and the sun warmed his face. The dry, desert air was a stark change to the salty ocean breezes from the previous days. The boat was gliding down the river with ease, aided by the wind traveling unimpeded over the sandy desert.
Aldeheid rounded the wheelhouse to the bow where Kitaya stood conversing with two people. The first was a woman, shorter, with wavy black hair and olive skin. She was armoured down in silver and black as well, but her breast plate had a bird emblazoned on front. The male of the pair was more casually dressed, but had a long sword on his hip.
"Come, angel eyes, let me introduce you." Kitaya gestured to the woman. "This is Lady Ayzel Hiroh."
Aldeheid's lips parted. "Of the Hiroh clan? The Nomads used to bring stories about you all to the north."
Ayzel smiled and extended a gauntleted hand. "'Tis a pleasure. Kitaya has told us much about you." She clasped forearms with him, a gesture that meant she saw him as an equal.
Aldeheid frowned down at their hands. Surely any Hiroh was leagues above him, both in terms of power and laurels. The Nomads used to speak about them as though they were the heroes of bedtime tales told to children. To see one in the flesh was surreal. He wasn't sure what to say without sounding like an idiot.
"This is my partner and cape, Leandyr." Lady Hiroh flicked her head towards the man behind her.
Leandyr pointed to the sword on Aldeheid's hip. "Did Mellidius teach you how to use that?"
Kitaya rolled her eyes. "Here we go."
"Somewhat," Aldeheid said, his eyes shifting between Kitaya, who was backing away, and Leandyr, who had a hand on his own blade.
He arched a brow, a devious smile crossing his face. "Surely you wouldn't mind sparring with me then?"
"I... guess not."
"Good." He took a few steps back. "Come at me whenever you're ready." Leandyr didn't draw his blade, not even when Aldeheid took out his own.
Aldeheid looked towards where Kitaya and Ayzel stood, and they both gave him encouraging nods.
"Alright." Mellidius' sword felt as well-balanced in his hands as always. His strides felt sure as he close the distance between himself and Leandyr, and the sword cut through the air, aiming for his opponent's head.
He didn't see when Leandyr drew his sword, only heard the metallic cry of their blades crashing together. The force of the clash rattled the bones in his arms and sent him tumbling back across the deck. He tried to push to his feet, but his arms were too weak to support him.
"Come now," Leandyr said. "I'm sure Mellidius taught you better than that."
Aldeheid finally managed to get to his feet. But his grip on his sword didn't feel as sure anymore. That blow had shook him, and he was sure that was the intention. Even his heart was still rattling from the attack.
Leandyr held his sword in a loose one-handed grip – the tip pointed at Aldeheid's chest. He didn't move, so much as glide over the deck, like an apparition made flesh.
What is this guy? Aldeheid matched his movements, but not his grace. He suddenly felt clumsy, like a child who'd yet to figure out how to use their limbs properly.
"Again," Leandyr said. "Like you mean it."
Aldeheid lunged full speed towards him. And again, he didn't even see Leandyr's movements. It was as though he were fighting a ghost.
The sword was ripped from his grasp and his legs swept from under him. He grunted as he landed on his back and the air left his lungs in a rush. Through hazed vision he saw Leandyr standing over him, both swords in hand.
"I expected better from someone who's been under Mellidius' tutelage. Did he not teach you to respect this weapon." He dropped Mellidius' sword beside Aldeheid's head. "It's a sword, not some barbaric club used to chase away predators." With that, Leandyr disappeared from sight.
Kitaya replaced him a moment later, looking down at Aldeheid with her head tilted. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. My pride is another story." He pushed to his feet and plucked the sword from the ground. "Is he always like that?"
"Leandyr?" Kitaya rolled her eyes. "He's just a bully who likes to beat people up."
"I heard that!" Leandyr's voice came from below deck.
"Come on. I don't want you to miss the view." She took his arm and led him to the bow.
They came around a bend in the river, and Aldeheid's breath caught in his throat. A gleaming marble arch welcomed them to the desert city. A network of green veins covered its surface, and intricate carvings of people and beats graced its crown. It connected the two colossal buildings on either side of the river that watched over the city beyond like a stone guardian.
What is this place?" Aldeheid asked, as he turned his head every which way.
Kitaya chuckled. "This is the Aiisha Bastion. It was built many thousands of years ago by refugees from the Ahmarosis region of Magika. It's the second oldest Bastion this realm."
The boat stopped just beyond the arch, at a stone dock where another, larger one was tethered. A few men threw out ropes to moor it to the dock's posts.
Aldeheid did his best to stay out of the way, while also admiring the view. The Aiisha Bastion was at least four times the size of the Etheria one. The two stone buildings that made it up seemed larger than life to him, and he found himself wondering what kind of knowledge was held within their walls.
He didn't know much about the Ahmarosis region of Magika. Or much of anything that existed outside of the tundra, except what he'd learned from the oral history of the nomadic tribes. There seemed to be a lot to be learned in this desert.
Kitaya jumped off the boat first, but didn't make it far down the dock before someone called her. A woman emerged from the eastern building and all but tackled her. They squealed and held each other at arm's length, speaking in a language Aldeheid couldn't understand.
Aldeheid chose to stroll down the gangplank, hanging back as he studied the other woman. She was shorter than Kitaya and her glossy, black hair fell straight from the crown of her head. Her skin was fallow like the sands of the desert, and Aldeheid didn't miss the markings on her right hand. The jagged lines through the intricate swirls indicated that she was bonded to a magician.
"Don't be shy." Lady Hiroh jumped down beside him and gave him a pat on the back before going to meet up with Kitaya and the other woman. A moment later they were walking towards him.
"Aldeheid, this is Serecia, Queen of the Aiisha Bastion," Kitaya said, placing a hand on the shoulder of the fallow-skinned woman. "Serecia, this is Aldeheid, Mellidius' apprentice."
Serecia took his marked hand in both of hers and smiled. "It's a pleasure Aldeheid. Please make yourself at home. Any apprentice of Mellidius is welcomed here." Her voice had a lovely, lilting quality to it that was almost musical.
"The pleasure is all mine, and thank you for your kind hospitality." He brought her hands to his lips and brushed a kiss over them.
"Careful with that one, angel eyes," Kitaya warned through a laugh. "If her magician decides to come after you, you're on your own."
Serecia only rolled her eyes. "Come, all of you, everyone else is waiting on us." She led them through a door on the southern side of the veranda. They walked through a marble foyer with tall windows, hand-carved pillars and statues that stretched up to the roof.
Serecia and Lady Hiroh conversed in hushed whispers as they walked, while Aldeheid and Kitaya followed behind. They ascended what seemed like endless stairs and followed a hallway to its end before finally reaching their destination.
The room beyond the arched door was light and open. The sheer curtains in the back partitioned it from the balcony beyond. Two people occupied the arrangement of settees and chaise lounges. One was a bald man with skin the colour of wheat. He was adorned in colourful dress, with a jeweled collar around his neck.
The other made Aldeheid stop in his tracks.
Nothing had changed about him, same dark hair, same grey eyes. Said eyes flicked to Aldeheid, and widened. "Aldeheid..." he breathed, his face blanching as though he'd seen a ghost.
Aldeheid was rooted in place, a gambit of emotions pasing over him, making him dizzy. The first one he latched on to was unhushed, primal rage. "Jayer."