Elyssa had shifted around to lay across the chair, putting her feet up on the wall of the carriage. The older man in the carriage with her, whose name she learned to be Thomas, had not objected to it. She watched the clouds drift across the sky, not thinking of anything. The questions that she had started to pose had been shushed by Thomas. "I'm not the one for telling, I'm just here for transport. Leave it to the... teachers," he'd said.

The carriage jolted, most likely from a rock on the road, and Elyssa blinked and shook her head. "How long is this journey?"

"Not very long. For you, at least, Miss Elyssa." Thomas replied, sticking his head out the window. "We're almost there. Pack your belongings now."

Elyssa stared at him in alarm. "My what?"

Thomas looked back at her, half his face still out of the window. He kept his poker face for a heartbeat, then burst out laughing. "I love that. Been doing it for four years after a smart one gave me the idea. If you find Joshua, tell him I did it again. Also, tell him he's still not welcome at he-knows-where." Elyssa found such a strange message to be surprisingly easy to commit to memory. Why can't he go he-knows-where? What did Jacob do?

"You'll need this, too." He reached out the window to somewhere behind him, and pulled in a grey cloak.

"Why?" Elyssa asked as she caught it and felt its thick, blanket-like fabric.

"It's late summer. I won't be needing this, surely." "Ah, that's where you're wrong, young lass. Uh, Lyss." He blinked, seemingly surprised at himself. His accent had changed for a moment, into one more rough. He continued as if nothing was wrong. "You'll be glad this cloak is given to you here. Makes the rest of the journey somewhat comfortable." The carriage slowed, and Jake whistled. "That's our stop. My advice; don't eat too much. Oh, you aren't afraid of heights, are you?"

Elyssa frowned at him. "I'm fairly sure I'm not."

"Good, good." Thomas nodded and opened the carriage door. Elyssa got out. The place was far too small to be her destination. A tower loomed above the few houses and single tavern that served as a landmark in the fields surrounding them. The only difference in the horizon was a snow-capped mountain range. "See those mountains there? Ever seen a mountain before?" Elyssa shook her head. She had only seen pictures in school. "Wouldn't think so. Your mother seemed quite... protective. These here mountains are bigger than most mountains, would you believe. Not just in height, but in size too." Elyssa gaped at them. It was positively beautiful.

The clanking of armor distracted her from the sight. A soldier leaned out of the tower and waved, his brightly polished armor glinting in the early afternoon sun. "Alright there, Thomas?" he shouted.

"Yeah, hooked another one, Gary. How's it lookin'?" Elyssa stared at Thomas. He was talking completely differently, like that moment in the carriage. Nothing like the clear-cut English he talked to her with. His speech now seemed more... natural.

"Clouds are movin' out, so should be smooth sailin' for the lady."

Thomas nodded. "Is the eagle on the horizon?"

Gary produced a telescope and looked through it to the mountain range. "That it is, Thomas, that it is."

"Good news. Alright, talk to ya later, Gary."

"Talk to ya later." Gary withdrew from the window, and Thomas turned to Elyssa.

"Try the cloak on for size. I got one for a girl, but I think it might be a little short." Elyssa was indeed tall for her age, but the cloak fitted just fine, reaching halfway down her calves. The inside was lined with thick rabbits fur.

"Ah, your transport's in view now."

Elyssa looked down the road, excited. But she could see nothing. "Where are they?"

Thomas ignored her question. "Follow me, try to see your ride." Elyssa's eyes began searching frantically as they left the tiny village behind them. She looked left and right, even behind her. Until she noticed Thomas was looking at the mountains in the distance. Adjusting her cloak, Elyssa did the same. There was a bright blue bird in the distance. She watched it as it came closer.

Her arms went limp. It was no bird. The large, bat-like wings and curving horns were unmistakable. Elyssa's transport was a dragon. "It's a bit of a tradition for the... first flyers... to bring in the new recruits."

"What? First flyers?" Elyssa's heart rate increased. She hoped the dragon would be able to stay steady on it's own.

"It's still a fair way away, Miss Elyssa. That's a fine name, by the way. You should get some lunch. I'll be helping Jake with the carriage." Elyssa looked over to the carriage, where the horses were being untethered. "See you in about..." Thomas peered at the dragon, licked his finger and stuck it up in the air. "Twenty minutes. Watch yourself here, and don't lose that cloak. You get free food as long as you wear it. Just remember: not everyone here is friendly, there's a lot of travelers here."

Elyssa nodded. If the dragon was really twenty minutes away, it must be massive. Elyssa turned and looked towards the tavern. It seemed well maintained. The sign above the door clearly read "The Twisted Wyrm." Underneath, a picture of a long, legless dragon coiled around itself almost in a knot was painted in vivid indigo. "I wonder if the name is a coincidence." She muttered as she entered.

The place assaulted her senses like most taverns do. The stench of sweaty drunks, the noise of their slurred singing or fighting, the sight of them shakily reaching for the barmaid or laying around. The worst part was the feel. Almost every surface was slightly sticky from spilled alcohol from who knows when. "Charming." Elyssa said. The door swung shut behind her, and everyone in the Twisted Wyrm went silent and stared at her. The barmaid acted quickly and escorted her to a seperate room among increasingly loud wolf whistles and catcalls.

"Oh, dearie. This is the worst time to have come. Everyone stops by our little town of Warlen Down in the middle of the day before moving on to wherever they need to go before sundown. Here, this is the separate room for you Mancer folk." She opened the door they had been awkwardly standing at for a few moments. Elyssa expressed her gratefulness and looked inside.

The room was quite the contrast. There was only one other person in there, the hood of their cloak pulled up, their hand resting idly beside their drink. The room was cleaner. It smelled fresher, and not every surface was covered in stains. "This room is far easier to keep clean, you understand I'm sure. Just yell if you need anything." The barmaid wiggled her fingers at Elyssa in a goodbye and closed the door, leaving the two Mancers alone.

"Um... hello. My name is Elyssa, what's yours?" The Mancer didn't answer. Their cloak was a deep ink black with gold trimmings, and strangely their hood seemed to contain shadows. "Well, you've been to Derkesthai Mountain before, right?" The Mancer nodded. Elyssa was relieved that they gave some form of communication. "Is it... fun there?" The Mancer was still for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is up to opinion." Her stomach rumbled. "Oh! Is the food good?" The Mancer nodded long and slow, as if reminiscing.

"Are you going back there?" The Mancer shook their head in the same, slow way. "Is Derkesthai mountain more than a dragons den?" The Mancer looked up from their drink to stare at her. She had been right. No light penetrated the hood's shadowy depths. "Sorry, stupid question." Elyssa' mind focused. "What exactly is a Mancer?"

The Mancer sat straighter. They raised their hand and pointed at the window looking out to the fields. Elyssa watched as the few clouds in the sky came together and poured onto a weak rose bush. The roses bloomed to their fullest. Elyssa could only imagine the smell that would be wafting around them. "Wow." She smiled giddily at the Mancer. "You're amazing... uh..." Elyssa frowned at the Mancer. "I'm going to need to call you something, aren't I?" The Mancer cocked their head. "I'll just call you Eclipse for now." Eclipse began laughing through their nose, then outright laughing. Elyssa still couldn't determine a gender, but was happy she'd made Eclipse laugh. The laughter went on for perhaps slightly too long. Eclipse finished their drink and waved their hand at the wall before getting up and leaving. Elyssa looked at the wall and was delighted to see, written in shadow on the wall, a message.

Thank you. I needed that.