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They had a full week of travel without any incidents, something none of them were used to. The weather had been fair and slowly warmed over the course of the journey, making each day a bit more comfortable than the last. As they crested a small hill on the seventh day they found themselves at the foot of a low plain covered in blooming wildflowers. All manner of colors were splashed across the grass, giving it the look of a swaying painting in the cool breeze that came from across the sea. On the northwestern side of the plain was a small village nestled against the rocky shore. It didn’t look like much, but they were running low on supplies and there were still many miles to go.
With his legs dangling over the back of the cart, Dusk allowed the flowers and tall grasses to brush against his boots as they slipped by. Turning his head off to the northwest he saw a tall dark shape in the distance, surrounded by water. He let his mind wander, wondering what they would find at the Anthurium Mountain that had just become visible in the past few days. They already knew that a dragon awaited them there, but beyond that, he had no other details. Tephyss mentioned that he needed training but he had no idea what to expect. The dragon living inside the crystal had yet to speak to him again. He was beginning to worry that he had somehow killed Tephyss, but every now and again the crystal would warm against his skin before fading back to it’s normal temperature. Tephyss was still there, but greatly diminished. Knowing that he’d used up most of the most powerful dragon to have ever lived caused him great anxiety. A time would come again when he needed to use the crystal, but he dreaded that day knowing he had no real control over how much power he used. He felt exposed without Tephyss at his side.
“The flowers are beautiful,” Lex said casually from the other side of the cart, not making eye contact with Dusk.
They’d taken to riding together, although rarely did more than a handful of words pass between them. They were still trying to figure out how to communicate again, testing the waters one phrase at a time.
“They are,” Dusk replied, snapping back to reality. “I’ve never seen so many.”
“Back in Ronja there are fields of flowers grown from bulbs,” he continued, gazing into the distance. “The farmers grow all different colors and sell them to the townsfolk. There’s a festival each year when they bloom. Everyone comes out to enjoy them. There’s food and dancing and too much ale.” He looked off into the distance as if recalling fond memories. “Then, at the end of the night, there’s a huge bonfire that people leap over for good luck in the coming year. That was always the best part when I was a kid.” He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly through his pursed lips. “It was always one of my favorite times of the year.”
“That sounds wonderful, like a real party,” Dusk said, trying to imagine what such a thing was like. “I’ve never been to anything like that.”
“I miss home,” Lex stated, as if he’d only just realized it. He glanced back at Dusk. “Not what people expect from me there or my family. But I do miss the familiarity and some of my friends.” He slouched his shoulders forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I had to leave, I didn’t have a choice, but it was a lot to give up.”
“This world,” Dusk responded, gesturing out to the field and remembering Lex’s words after their narrow escape at Windshear Pass, “is much bigger than I anticipated too. I don’t miss what I left behind either, but familiarity is a comfort that I didn’t know I had. It seems possible to make the right decision and still miss parts of an old life, even if there wasn’t anything good about it.” He paused, confused by his own words and shaking his head. “That sounds stupid...”
“No, you’re right.” Lex looked up at him, blond hair blowing in the breeze. “I don’t want my life back, but knowing how things felt and what to expect, there’s comfort in that even if the situation is a bad one. I didn’t wake up everyday wondering what was going to happen. I already knew.”
Dusk shot a half-smile his way, nodding that he understood. It was enough to show Lex he cared and not make the situation awkward. They both turned back towards the field that was slipping away beneath them, watching the flowers dance in the breeze. Behind him Dusk heard the telltale cry of gulls, meaning they were approaching the coast and the village. He ignored it until the flowers finally stopped streaming from under the cart, watching them as long as he could. The scent of nectar and sweetness meant to attract the bees was replaced by the fishy stench of fisherman’s scraps left out for the gulls and the sharks.
The village was small and unassuming, just a nowhere place located on the rocky shore. The beach was nothing but boulders continuing out into the shallow water and it didn’t take long for Dusk to realize it would have been almost impossible to pull a ship into those waters to dock. There were only a few short docks with small rowboats tied up to their sides. He saw numerous netted buoys floating on the surface, bobbing in place. He wasn’t quite sure what they were for, but he didn’t have time to ask as the cart was pulled up to the only small tavern in town. Tara shouted at a young boy standing on the steps to stable their horses for the night. Dusk followed the other three into the dingy bar that was poorly lit by a couple oil lamps in the far corners of the room.
The tavern only had three small rooms available and Tara bought all three for the night along with the stabling for the animals. Quickly she whisked Nedarya away through a back hallway leading to the rooms. Dusk wondered what the rush was, but ordered food for the four of them anyway. He took a table near the back of the room, one of the five there, away from the glowing lamps. Although they had done little but ride on the cart for the day, he found himself exhausted and unwilling to be so close to the light. Plopping down in a chair, he kicked his feet out, resting them crossed at the ankles on the floor. Lex sat opposite him, keeping to himself as usual.
Off to their left, there was a small group of men, villagers he assumed, that were talking amongst themselves. Most of their conversation was in low whispers, but here and there Dusk caught pieces of it.
“They say Ditania is on the march,” one of the men said, leaning in. “Headed for Windshear Pass I hear! And ready to take back the tower.”
Dusk leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head and closing his eyes. He tilted his head back, pretending to be resting while tuning into their hushed tones.
“It’s a defensible position,” another replied, nodding his head. “It’s the easiest way into Inahan without taking a ship and nobody can get through the blockade in the southern ocean. Not after that ship was blown up.”
“King Arius is determined, he could make it through,” the first responded, clicking his tongue. “That boy has been waiting for years for his old man to die just so he could sanction a bloodbath. What we really need is for that whole family to die.”
“Don’t say that!” the second hissed. “You don’t know who could be listening...”
Dusk opened one eye to see the men at the table looking in his direction. He smiled nonchalantly with a small wave, trying to play it off, but their conversation immediately died. A moment later he heard the whispers again, but this time they were too soft to make out.
“Will your friends be joining you?” a hardy woman with pin-straight brown hair and dark copper skin asked, thunking down two tankards on the table. “Or should I take their meal to their room?”
Dusk glanced at Lex who just shrugged his shoulders.
“Just take it to their room I guess,” Dusk sighed. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all darlin’,” she nodded, flashing him a smile. He noticed one of her teeth was made of silver. She leaned back and put one hand on her hip, ruffling her dirty apron. “What brings you to a backwater place like this?” She looked between the two of them, her face suddenly serious. “Runnin’ from the war?”
“You could say that,” Dusk muttered slowly, not sure if he should tell her the truth. “We’re headed to Birchwood.”
“That’s what I thought.” She grabbed one of the chairs and spun it around, straddling it backwards and leaning on the back of it. “A lot of people are running north to get away from the fighting.”
“Lots coming through?” Dusk asked, leaning in a bit closer.
“A fair few have passed this way. The poor things. They’re just trying to keep their families safe and together, what with the army snatching up any able bodied person they can get hold of. Queen Lobelia and King Arius are quite the match for one another. Hard headed fools, the both of them!” She paused for a moment, looking between them. “But I shouldn’t be saying such things out loud.”
“I... I don’t think you’ll need to worry about the Queen anymore,” Dusk stammered, unsure if he should tell the truth. But after a brief pause, he decided it couldn’t hurt anything. “We’ve had news that she was overthrown.”
“Overthrown?!” the woman gasped. “By who?”
“The... rumor is that it was done by the Legion of the Twilight.”
“By the gods...” she whispered, clutching at her sternum. “That’s the best news I’ve had in ages!” She looked back to Dusk, her eyes sparkling. “We were starting to get worried that there was no hope left to be had. What with the war and all the burnings, we were beginning to think the world itself was ending.”
“Burnings?” Lex asked, leaning in. “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t heard of them on your travels?” She looked back at him, her hand dropping to the back of the chair once more. “There have been rumors and stories from travelers that villages up and down both countries are being burned, seemingly at random. At first it was just a couple of nowhere places in Ditania, but it seems to be spreading. Just last month we heard that a village only sixty miles southeast of here was burned without any survivors. When the travelers passed through looking for supplies, they found nothing but ashes and charred bodies.”
“Could that have been done by the soldiers?”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” she replied. “It’s been happening on both sides and as far as anyone can tell, there’s no rhyme or reason to it.” She stopped, looking up towards the ceiling in thought. “It’s almost as if some other group is doing it, but nobody knows why. Bandits can’t steal from dead people or burned villages, so that seems unlikely. But then again, maybe it’s just rumors.” She shrugged, leaning back in the seat. “Most of the people that come through here are so scared already, who knows what they’ve made up in their heads to cope with it or what rumors they’ve heard along the way.”
“That’s still odd though,” Lex replied, his hand on his chin stroking the light beard that had started to grow in. “Soldiers would leave a trail, but you’re right, bandits wouldn’t destroy their only source of goods and coin.”
“Either way,” she said, pushing herself up from the chair and tucking it back into its proper place. “Just keep your eyes open as you travel.” She clapped her hands together, breaking the tension between them all. “But on a better note, we’ve had good pull the past few days on the pots, so supper is a treat tonight at no extra charge.”
She disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a platter full of something red and steaming. She sat it down on the table along with a few utensils and looked at the pair of them. “If you need any help with these, just let me know. I’m an expert,” she said before rushing back to the bar to deliver Tara and Nedarya’s food to their room.
Dusk stared down at the strange creatures on the plate. They were vibrant red and looked like massive, overgrown bugs, both as long as his forearm and at least as thick.They had two beady black eyes at the front with a bundle of weird antennae spraying out in front of what he assumed was a mouth. He couldn’t see if they had mouths, but what he did notice was the giant, bone-crushing claws as big as his hand. Something about them seemed alien, like they didn’t quite belong in the world.
“What the fuck is that...” he whispered, looking up at Lex.
“It’s a lobster!” Lex replied with a big smile, picking up the metal utensils. “They are delicious.”
“I’m supposed to eat that?”
“You’ll never want to eat anything else after you’ve had it.”
“It looks... poisonous... and terrifying.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you out.” Lex reached forward and grabbed a claw, ripping it from the creature’s body. He held it up and pulled the two pieces apart, the shell cracking and juices flowing down the sides. “These are the second-best part,” he said, pulling out a wiggly piece of white flesh and popping it in his mouth with a slurp.
Dusk felt his stomach turn over and lunch was threatening to come back up.