Tamer kicked the door open and entered the tavern. He brought Clara closer to his chest, making sure her neck wasn’t hurt. She was limp in his arms and something ticked in his mind, compelling him to move her as far away from danger as possible.

Rai dragged an unconscious Enki to the stables, invisible ropes tied around the man’s body to keep him restrained. The tavern owner stopped in front of Tamer as he made a step for the stairs.

“You saved us!” the owner said. “Let me repay you for your kindness.”

“I don’t need anything.” He pushed through the stairs but the man trailed behind him.

“Allow me to show my gratitude. I will offer you the best of the rooms at no charge. Please, accept it!”

Tamer didn’t have the time to argue with him. “Show me.”

The tavern owner led the way. Once had had left, Tamer settled Clara on the bed in a comfortable position and heard footsteps as Eryx approached them.

“Help her, Eryx,” he said.

Eryx came to stand by her bed. “I can’t. She’s going through the initiation.”

“What the hell does that mean?” he snapped.

“It’s the change. When a mage awakens their power, the body needs to adjust. Usually, the symptoms are minor like headaches or nausea and it goes away quickly,” he said. “Clara has a fever because she’s different. She has more power than we all do. When she fortified the walls around the village, she drew more power than her body could cope.”

Tamer draped the covers over Clara. “How can I help her?”

“Let her rest. She’ll be fine in a few hours.” Eryx gripped the shoulder that he had healed moments ago, and made him turn his back on Clara. “I have to heal the villagers and I need you to bring the wounded.”

He sucked in a breath and stomped out of the room before he could change his mind. He met Rai at the bar, the Sweeper in his hands. Rai took off the covering from the massive rifle and swung the belt over his shoulder.

“The village is clear. I’ll take out the creatures outside the borders,” Rai said.

As Rai left, Eryx came downstairs. Tamer followed the healer into the streets until they reached the village hall that now served as a temporary infirmary. Men lay on the benches and the floor with various wounds. A Shima elder clutched his stomach, a Zamari wrapped a cloth round his bleeding arm and a human stared blankly at the bone that peeked out of his knee. Women and older children sat beside them to console them. Two mieras and a nurse scurried back and forth, tending to the wounded.

“I’ll send the nurse to check up on Clara,” Eryx said before rushing into the hall.

He spent the next two hours searching for the injured and helping them get to the hall. He had seen Rai standing in the tower with the bell, rifle aimed at the borders, gunshots ripping through the air like the rumblings of thunder.

Settling the last of the wounded on a stretcher, Tamer observed a miera clean a nasty gash on the man’s foot. She was as efficient as Eryx. A miera couldn’t fix broken bones, realign muscles, mend flesh or cure ailments in a matter of minutes like a healer could. They had no magic to aid them. They had to do it the traditional way.

When the villagers had been healed, he accompanied Eryx back to the tavern. He was exhausted and his temper rose up with each passing moment. He needed to rest before he could snap but before that, they had to make plans for the next seal. They went to his old room and he found Rai taking a nap. Eryx shook him.

Tamer told them of the seal in Shabar and the reason for the invasion. They weren’t pleased. Rai took out a plain map and spread it on the table. Tamer kept the one he had stolen in his pocket. No one needed to know about that one.

“Well, Kasar Cove is too far from here. Unless we hijack an airship, I don’t see how we can get there before Enki’s friends,” Rai said. “And since the nearest landing strip is in Shabar, let alone an airship, we stand no chance.”

 “I don’t care whether we stand a chance or not,” Eryx said. “We’re leaving tomorrow at noon.”

Tamer examined the map. Aurion was split up in four parts, each given a different color. To the north was Ashura. It was a strip of black, a dark region polluted by miasma and invaded by monsters. To the west was Kaaf, painted in silver, a land rich in minerals. The green color at the south represented Lamr, an area populated by rare species of plants and animals. The east was Rafka, home to Amarant. It was coated in red. At the center of Aurion was a series of floating islands, the palace marked in white. It was ironic considering the building itself was as black as coal.

A Vanguard was assigned to each part with the exception of Ashura. They acted as the guardians of the lands, the emissaries to the king. He tapped his index finger at a small forest below Ibisa Mountains, closer to the south.

“We’ll go here tomorrow and then we’ll reach Kasar Cove by evening,” he said.

“How do we get there so fast?” Eryx asked.

“By flying.”

Rai flashed a lopsided grin. “Don’t tell me you stole an airship and hid it there, you clever thief.”

“I would have shown you if I did,” he replied. “There are ragars in the forest. We can use them to fly to the next location.”

“Oh no, not those damn hellions. The last time you tried taming one of them, it almost bit your head off!”

Tamer sighed. “I was fifteen. It wasn’t trying to bite me. It was sniffing and prodding.”

“It had teeth on its beak. Dangerously sharp teeth!” Rai crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “I’m not riding a ragar.”

“You can always take the firis and get there in fifty days. Lots of sight-seeing. You would enjoy it.” He smirked.

“Quiet, you two. We’ll take the ragar. I’m going to bed.” Eryx said, dropping on one of the beds and placing a pillow on his face.

Rai groaned. “I swear if I get eaten, I will haunt your arse for the rest of your life, Tamer.”

Smiling, he folded the map and gave it to Rai. He leant on the table and remained silent until Eryx’s breathing turned deep and soft.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

“We were held up.” Rai looked at the sleeping Eryx and lowered his voice. “We tried contacting Lady Alora but she never responded. I felt suspicious so I told Eryx. He searched for his wife’s soul only to find it missing. We returned to the guild to see what was wrong. It was sealed in an unbreakable barrier. Nothing could bring it down. Eryx went crazy.”

The news stunned him. Concern clogged his throat. So many guild members lived in the fortress, including Freya and Lady Alora. He didn’t know how to ask Rai whether they were alive or dead but his friend got the hint from his reaction.

“They’re alive. We called the guild master from Nerium and he came to help us.”

Nerium was the only other guild in Aurion. Their members were mercenaries who never took a mission unless there was payment. He suspected helping them wasn’t the only reason their guild master came.

“He agreed to help us though he was more interested in knowing who set up the barrier. He said it couldn’t have been done by one person. It was too powerful.”

“Did he break it?” he asked even though he knew the answer.

“Not yet. Since he could communicate with earth spirits, he managed to speak with Lady Alora through them. She said everyone’s fine. They’re doing their best to break the barrier from inside. She also said one other thing: Hadar.”

It was a coded message that meant “danger”. She had been referring to their mission and had meant they had to put it at top priority and reveal nothing to no one.

“Do you think she knows about the seals?”

“Maybe she does. We mustn’t tell anyone about this.” Rai strolled to the window. “We left Umardt and his team to make sure Nerium wasn’t doing anything suspicious. Eryx didn’t want to leave but his wife ordered him to accompany us.”

“How long will it take to break the barrier?”

“Two weeks at most.”

That didn’t sound good. The fortress had food in the pantries and water in the wells but the thought of his guild members isolated from the rest of the world unsettled him. He assumed Enki’s master was involved with the incident. Someone wanted to take out Amarant, someone who knew they had found out about the seals.

“Enki knows the answers,” he said.

“We both know he won’t talk, Tamer.”

“He will.”

 Rai sighed at the sharp edge of his voice.

He held back his anger. He would deal with Enki later. Taking his bag, Tamer opened it and peered inside. Mecha nuzzled in his clothes. He had told her to shut down and rest when they had left Ibisa Mountains.

Rai stepped back from the window and faced him. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For doubting you.” Rai looked back at Eryx. “He’s sorry too.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

He saw the steely determination in Rai’s face and knew without a doubt, he meant it. Tamer was grateful that they believed him. He had faced betrayal before at the hands of his father and he didn’t want to go through that again.

“So Tamizan, eh?” Rai clicked his tongue. “Tamer suits you better.”

“Yes, stick with it. I wouldn’t want soldiers coming after me.”

“Or the ladies.” He contorted his face in disgust. “They always fawn over princes.”

Tamer chuckled. “You’re just jealous.”

“I am not!” Rai flexed his muscles. “I’m doing fine on my own, thank you. Although, Eryx almost ruined it.”

He snorted. “What did he do?”

“He broke my nose.”

“And I fixed it.” Eryx replied, lifting the pillow away from his face.

“Damn the old man and his good hearing,” Rai murmured.

“I heard that,” Eryx said.

A smack rang in the room and Rai rubbed the back of his head while muttering a string of expletives. Eryx had used invisible magic to hit him. Tamer watched the banter with a smile on his face.

“Curse you, you vile shrivelling old fart!” Rai said in Shimian tongue.

Eryx sighed and turned to Tamer. “Tell him to shut up. I need to rest.”

Tamer couldn’t hold back any longer. He burst into loud laughter, the weight in his chest lifting a little. It was like the old times, before he had left Amarant. They would sit over a campfire and argue over little things. They would joke and laugh and forget the hardships in their lives.

He was glad Eryx had cheered up. He had never seen him so aloof and detached. He could understand his pain. Freya was special to him. To all of them.

When they had quieted, he left them and went to Clara. Closing the door behind him, he picked a chair and put it next to the bed. He sat down and took her hand. She was cold. Earlier, when she had woken him up, he had hurt her. His warrior instinct had preceded his conscience. He rubbed his thumb over her wrist in smooth circles and hoped that the small gesture would comfort her.

She mumbled something but he couldn’t decipher it. Her pale face contorted. Was she having nightmares? She looked so alone and feverish and he felt a strong need to protect her and ease her pain. He had tried convincing himself that it was because she was their saviour and it was his duty to keep her safe but his heart said otherwise.

Pull yourself together, man.

Tamer set her hand back to her side. She trembled. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Still cold. She curled up in the sheets, her small body jacking up in cold shivers.

Standing up, he took off his boots and settled on the bed. He moved close, close enough to brush those thick curls away from her face, close enough to keep her warm. With his arm wrapped around her, Tamer closed his eyes.

----------

Something poked his chest. He woke up to Clara’s vicious glare. She jerked back to the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped and she squealed, her movements a flurry of white and crimson. Tamer caught her hand and pulled her to him before she toppled over.

They were mere inches apart. He could feel her breath fanning his neck. Her mouth parted as if to say something. Then the glare was back. He moved behind before she turned that anger into something else—like slapping him. His lips twitched.

“You were cold,” he explained.

She disentangled herself from the sheets and ran her hands along her chest to her stomach, her eyes widening when she noticed the change of clothes. She looked at him and her face turned red.

“I…I didn’t,” he said, his voice marked with embarrassment. “It was the nurse. She changed your clothes because there was blood on you.”

Her shoulders relaxed. She bent her knees and sat cross-legged.

“Do you feel better?” he asked.

“I do,” she said.

Sunlight sneaked through the drawn curtains, brightening the room. Birds squeaked outside and feet shuffled as the villagers began rebuilding their homes. They still had a few hours to spare. He adjusted his pillow over the bed post and leant on it.

The tavern master had given them the biggest room as a show of gratitude for defending the village. He hadn’t paid much attention to the furniture or the layout but he liked the bed. It was large and comfortable.

“We have a monarchy too,” Clara said. “A great queen rules our country.”

“No king?” he asked.

“No king. When he passed away, the queen went into mourning for so long but she eventually came out of seclusion.”

“I see.”

“What’s the palace like?” She gave him a curious glance.

A sharp sting pricked his chest. He lay still until it receded.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

“It’s okay.” He hooked his legs at the ankles. “The palace is grand and stunning. It’s made of fedht, a black substance that resembles glass but is as hard as steel. It stands on a floating island. There are hundreds of rooms, spacious ballrooms and flourishing gardens. My mother loved the gardens.”

Memories of his mother teaching him how to plant seeds and water the flowers and how to keep the pests at bay and prune the weeds passed through his mind. The servants had been mortified but she had ignored them. She had told him gardening wasn’t much different from ruling a kingdom and the little boy that he was, he had worked hard day by day to prove that that he would one day become a powerful prince. His mother had been proud of his handiwork.

“You’re smiling,” Clara said, her own lips pulling back into a grin. “She must have been wonderful.”

“She was. Mother was gifted,” he said. “She was a Healer.”

“Like Eryx?”

“Mother’s healing worked differently. She didn’t heal wounds or cure diseases. She healed the soul.”

Her expression was that of wonder and curiosity so he explained further.

“She purged evil out of men. She could turn a mass murderer into a pious saint. Mother couldn’t put her power to full use though. It weakened her.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Each time she cleansed a soul, she would absorb the evil infection. It would stay latent inside her heart but leave her weak for some days,” he replied. “Watching her heal is still the most inspiring thing I have ever witnessed. It always left us with a feeling of hope.”

“That sounds beautiful.”

He nodded.

Clara fell back on the bed and stretched her body. There was no tension in her movements anymore. She seemed relaxed.

“Thank you.”

He was about to ask her what he had done when she gave him a sweet smile that left him tongue-tied.

“For staying with me.”

She closed the distance between them until they were lying side by side. As she rested her head on his shoulder and slung a hand across his waist, his pulse ratcheted up. He breathed in the scent of soap, flowers and just Clara.

Desire coursed through his body. He wanted to move aside before he did something stupid and scare her but she surprised him when she slid her fingers from his side to the center of his chest, where his heart beat fast, and placed her palm there.

“You’re not a monster, Tamer.”

He let those words sink in until he drowned in them. When he reached down to stroke the small of her back, she had fallen asleep.