by Eric Vall
All around the trunk of the tree, Haruhi and her father placed large, overstuffed chairs and couches for the library’s patrons. Each one was a different color and pattern, but it gave off a warm, comforting aura that usually hung around the sage’s shoulders. Everything smelled like her here, and I glanced back over my shoulder towards my other minions as they spoke excitedly to each other.
“Do you think Haruhi will be the next?” a soft voice asked, and I turned my head right as Morrigan glanced at me with a soft, knowing smile.
“The next?” I asked as I turned back towards the white-haired woman, and she tilted her head at me.
The light shifted around her, and I took in all of her beauty. Her long white hair came down to her waist and created a curtain around her shoulders. The bright sunlight beat down through the glass panes from above and bathed her in shifting shadows from the tree leaves. Her dark eyes found mine as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear then let the hand drop as she looked back towards Haruhi and the others.
“Do you think you’ll marry Haruhi next?” Morrigan asked as she fiddled with her soul stone wedding band.
I raised my eyebrows and chuckled deep in the back of my throat as I stepped closer to her. I reached out a hand, and she took it gently in her own as our shoulders bumped comfortably together. We watched as Carmedy told the other feline a story animatedly and threw her paws into the air. Haruhi nodded along and laughed loudly as she pressed her paws to her chest. I hadn’t thought about it in all honesty, I intended to marry each of my minions and make them my wives, but I wasn’t going in any order. I also knew that my minions were happy for whichever sister was chosen, but I knew for certain that Rana and Carmedy would feel slighted if I married the newest member next. The two women celebrated both my marriages to Annalise and Morrigan, but I could tell that they eagerly waited for the day that I would make them my wives, and they all anxiously awaited the chance to bear me children.
“Though I love Haruhi, and she would make an excellent wife like you or Annalise, it would be unfair,” I stated in a soft voice as I ran my thumb over the back of Morrigan’s hand.
“You are wise, Master,” Morrigan smiled as she looked up into my face, and I stared right back. “Though I think that Carmedy would be more upset than Rana. Rana would like you to marry her, but she already knows that you are not going in order and you care and love all of us the same.”
“So, are you suggesting that I marry Carmedy?” I snickered as I lifted my eyes back towards the animated feline as she held her slingshot in the air and mimed firing it for Haruhi.
“I am suggesting nothing at all.” The elven woman uttered as she attempted to hide the small smile that peeked through.
“To be completely honest, I don’t give it much thought. I love each of you equally, and as you said, I’m not marrying you in any order, but as someone who’s younger brother was favored over me, I know what it’s like to be chosen last. I don’t want any of you to feel that way, ever.”
I had to stop and swallow the emotion I felt building in my voice. I was still angry with the gods, but most of all, I was angry at my parents. My bastard of a brother was the one who’d gotten me thrown out of the heavens, and I wanted nothing more than to watch the light leave his eyes. While in Nergal’s dungeon, he’d told me that they still watched over me, and I hoped they saw every time I slaughtered another god. It wouldn’t be long before I took to the heavens and ripped it to shreds with my bare hands. I didn’t want to watch the world burn, I wanted to rule the world with my women by my side, but most of all, I wanted to destroy the god’s realm.
I took a deep breath and pushed down the building rage in my belly as I turned back toward the elven woman. Her dark eyes moved over me, and she blinked slowly as she brought my closed fist to her lips and kissed it. I was the only one who had the ability to read minds here, but it looked like she listened in to my thoughts.
Morrigan had been the only one of my minions who had reservations about allowing Haruhi into our party, but from the way she turned her head and looked fondly over at the white-eared cat, I knew she was glad. The sage’s knowledge of gods and legends would help us exponentially in the future but more importantly, my other women liked her and wanted the second feline along for the journey.
I knew that Morrigan asked about marriage solely out of curiosity, and for a moment, I thought about it too. My original four minions had been with me for a long time, I couldn’t say if it’d been years yet, but I knew each of them like the backs of my avatar’s hands. I loved them more than anything and would cross oceans to give them anything they wanted.
Fea cooed up in the branches of the mighty oak, and I lifted my eyes to the bird. The raven fluttered her wings and turned her head to stare down at me, then flitted away to a higher branch above our heads. Morrigan giggled from beside me, and I glanced at her as she looked up into the shifting leaves at her companion. Macha sat on the elf’s shoulder then joined her sister in the tree, and they cawed at each other softly. Whatever type of magical power the tree held, both birds liked it and wanted to stay near it. I felt the magic contained within its bark though I couldn’t place exactly what it was.
I let go of Morrigan’s hand and stepped closer to the huge trunk. I pressed my palm against the rough exterior and closed my eyes as I concentrated on the power within. I listened to the soft whispers around me but couldn’t pick out a single voice or language that I could understand. I stood there for a good while as I tried to puzzle out what power was hidden within the tree until someone cleared their throat from behind me. I turned and noticed Haruhi’s father behind me as he leaned against his cane and looked up into the branches of the tree warmly.
“Dryad.” He smiled as his hazel eyes flitted to me for a moment, then back up into the tree.
“Excuse me?” I asked as I let my hand drop, and I turned to face him.
“What you’re feeling is a Dryad, she’s lived with us for a very long time,” the older man smiled fondly as he came closer and rested his hand where I’d placed mine a few moments ago. “I actually built the library around this tree so she would never grow lonely again.”
I couldn’t write this off as the ramblings of a senile old man as I’d heard stories about Dryad’s since I was a child. I was intrigued by the notion that he’d built the library around the tree for a spirit and went to ask when he spoke again.
“Well, I guess what I said is wrong, she’s not a Dryad but instead a Hamadryad. The whole island used to be overrun by them, but as more people moved to Nekoka and used the trees for building homes, they were killed off,” Haruhi’s father told me as he let his hand drop and a faraway smile played over his lips. “People don’t care for things like they used to, but you already know that, don’t you? As a god who watched over the earth from the heavens, you must have seen how humans stopped worshipping gods and started killing off others in some way or another, though the Dryad’s and the Hamadryad’s aren’t gods; they are merely spirits.”
“You built the library around this one?” I questioned as I leaned my head back and watched Fea and Macha hop from branch to branch happily.
“Oh yes, about sixty or seventy years ago, the council wanted to expand the outer reaches of the city into the forest beyond. My wife, Haruhi’s mother, rest her soul, was blessed with a sense of sight, if you know what I mean, and heard the voices of the forest. This Hamadryad was the closest one to our town, and once one of these spirits finds a home in a tree, they can never leave, and if the tree dies…they die along with it,” The older man told me, and I looked into his face with wonder. This man must have been over the age of eighty, and though his hearing was going, he didn’t look a day over fifty. “The council wanted to tear it down and build houses and businesses in this area, but my wife was dead set on keeping the Hamadryad alive, she was a fiery one, Haruhi reminds me of her every day. This was long before land contracts of any sort on Nekoka so the day before they were supposed to break ground,
my wife dragged me up onto this damn hill and constructed a tiny shanty beside the tree, barely big enough for the two of us to stand in.”
“And that was the first library of Nekoka?” I laughed as I glanced down at Haruhi’s father, and his wrinkled face split into a wide smile.
“We weren’t exactly sure what it was going to be yet, but yes, we later decided on a library. We built our home here, and the library expanded out around us, part of the shanty still exists but its more for decoration now, hung up on the sixth floor for all patrons to see.” Haruhi’s father laughed, then held out his hand to me. “Adrian, it’s good to finally meet you face to face, Kazama.”
I stiffened at the use of my holy name, but he waved me off nonchalantly as he glanced back at Morrigan, who’d rejoined the rest of my minions.
“Haruhi isn’t the only one well-versed in the history of the gods. She may have surpassed me in her knowledge, but I still learned a thing or two that I remembered. Don’t worry, I won’t mention it to your other women… I assume they don’t know?” He questioned as he raised his bushy eyebrows and I bowed my head.
“They know some, and I plan on telling them soon but…” I trailed off as I watched my women interact together happily.
“Your past isn’t exactly…” Adrian started, then stopped as he puffed out his cheeks and widened his eyes. “The easiest out of all the gods in the heavens, and I can understand your hesitation to tell them.”
“That is one of the many reasons I’ve chosen your daughter to be one of my minions,” I told him in a cautious, but firm voice and Adrian nodded along. “Haruhi and I have an… understanding that my other minions and I do not. When we first met her on Machstein, she recognized and knew who I was immediately.”
“There is no need to hide who you are when she is around,” Adrian finished for me, and I turned to look the older man in the face as he continued. “My daughter knows your past, and so do I. If I were any other father without the knowledge that I already have, I would’ve run you off with a pitchfork in hand, but I do know, and I know all about the Betrayal of Otia. You are welcome here. I welcome you not as a friend or a brother but as a son. My daughter hasn’t spoken of anything but you and your women since she got home from Tintagal. I couldn’t tear her away from you even if I tried.”
“Thank you, Haruhi will be safe with me. I will protect her with my life and honor,” I told him as I bowed to him respectfully, and he patted my shoulder as he brought me back up to my full height.
“Now, now, son, there’s no need for that, we’re practically family now.” Adrian laughed as he guided me back towards the group.
“Adrian, I was actually wondering if you could help us with something,” I said as I paused, and the old man turned back to me with a grin.
“Ah, yes, I couldn’t help but overhear your women’s conversation,” Adrian tittered as he lifted his ear trumpet and waggled it at me. “You want to learn more about the elusive Qianlong, the last dragon in the world. The only surviving Qianlong that lives on this very island, correct?”
Chapter Twelve
“Here, let me get you some tea.” Adrian smiled as he hobbled around the small back room of his and Haruhi’s apartment.
My women and I sat at the small dining room table that the sage and I had sat at together a while back. The apartment looked much different in the daylight, but the only thing that hadn’t changed was the massive stacks of ancient books everywhere. My other four minions looked around the space curiously, and Rana even leaned back in her chair to lift one of the covers of a massive textbook on a shelf beside the table. The redhead covered her mouth and stifled coughs as a cloud of dust lifted into the air. Carmedy giggled softly beside the fox, then turned her attention towards the older male as he worked at the wood-burning stove. Not to my surprise, the petite alchemist rose from her chair and hurried to his side as he struggled to lift the oven on his own with shaking hands.
“Here, let me do it.” The black-haired cat smiled, and Adrian nodded as he handed over an unlit match.
“Thank you very much, young lady.” Adrian nodded as he took the cast-iron kettle and headed towards the hand-pump sink.
Carmedy knelt beside the stove, lit the match on the side of it, and carefully placed it into the small pile of kindling under the burner. The feline poked at it until all the pieces started to smolder and catch fire then she placed larger pieces of kindling on top and slid the burner into place.
Adrian filled the kettle and came back over with it in hand. He held out his palm over the warming burner, nodded towards Carmedy with a smile then placed the kettle on top. Haruhi’s father came over to the small table and sat down while we waited for the water to boil, and as we did, the sage entered through the door with an armful of books. Her hair was ruffled like she’d ran her fingers through it a few times in thought, but other than that, she looked stunning in the bright afternoon sunlight. Her dark cyan dress fluttered around her as our eyes connected, and my heart stopped for a moment as I tried to tear my eyes away from her. Her plump, cherry red lips spread into a wide smile as she hurried over to the table and set her books down on top of it. The sage brushed off the front of her dress and arranged the books in front of her seat.
The librarian adjusted her glasses, and the lenses flashed in the light as she opened the smallest book and flipped through the cream colored pages. The book she held was heavily weathered, the pages soft and frayed at the edges like hundreds of different people read it many times before. The volume was so old that the worn leather cover didn’t have a title or author name on it anymore from being handled so often. My minions settled into their chairs, and Rana leaned forward onto the table with her elbows as she prepared for what Haruhi was about to tell us.
“It was the Qianlong you saw, correct?” Haruhi asked as she glanced up at Morrigan and the pale woman leaned forward with hooded, emotionless eyes.
“It was a dream, but yes, we believe it was the Qianlong.” The elf nodded as she gestured between herself and Carmedy.
“What color was it? This is important.” The sage asked as she let the book rest in her lap and folded her paws over the tabletop.
“Blue, like the color of the sky on a cloudless day. Its underbelly was as white as snow, as white as my hair.” Morrigan answered in a soft voice.
“Okay, so it is one of the Qianlong like we suspected,” Haruhi nodded as she went back to the book and flipped three more pages. “The Akalong are typically blood red with yellow underbellies. Now, did you see the color of its eyes? This isn’t as important, but I was hoping that if you saw those I could narrow down the lineage of this specific Qianlong.”
“Really? You can do that?” Annalise asked as she leaned across the table interested, and the sage nodded vehemently.
“Most of the Qianlong and Akalong histories were well documented, who married who, who gave birth to who and what traits the child inherited from the breeding. Along with studying the god’s realm and gods, I’m also pretty well versed in Canartian history, and that includes the dragon lore that comes with the islands.”
I continued to be impressed by Haruhi. Her knowledge of the gods was extensive and impressive, but she knew more than I ever imagined. She’d told me once before that she’d read almost all the books in her father’s library and I knew for a fact there had to be thousands of books held in these halls. She held so much information in that pretty head of hers, and I admired her for it, just like I admired Carmedy for her proficiency with alchemy and Morrigan’s talent with black magic.
All of my minions had their own special skill sets, and it only made our family stronger. Annalise’s element was out on the battlefield, and Rana’s was best when sneaking around, but this was Haruhi’s, surrounded by the books she loved so much. Her hazel eyes were intensely locked onto Morrigan’s almost black ones, and the elf stared right back as she remembered the dream.
“Icy blue in the middle around the pupil, royal blue in the middle like a gradi
ent and blood red around the edges.” The elven woman stated in a cold tone, and Haruhi didn’t look down at the book, only squinted her eyes as she concentrated hard.
“Wow, Morrigan, that’s amazing that you can remember something that far back!” Carmedy praised, and the pale-woman bowed her head and smiled slightly.
“It is not a dream that I will soon forget …it’s reoccurred twice now, once on the way here on the ship and last night in the boat. I wonder what it means?” Morrigan whispered almost to herself.
“Red around the edges? Are you sure?” Haruhi pressed in a tense voice as she fiddled with the pages of the book in her lap.
“What is it?” I asked as I reached out and placed a hand on top of hers.
“Most Qianlongs don’t have red in their eyes, that is a trait of the Akalong from Kegawa. The Qianlong usually have blue, purple, or white eyes. Akalong almost always has yellow, red or orange eyes, it’s a trait that’s been passed down from generations,” Haruhi said as she raised the book and pointed to a complicated looking family tree of names and different traits under each one.
“No, it most definitely had red around the rim of its eyes,” Morrigan assured Haruhi, and the cat sighed as she placed the book onto the table and furrowed her brow.
“If that’s true, then there has to be some type of cross between the bloodlines which are totally unheard of in the Canartian dragon culture. The Qianlong and Akalong were sworn enemies from the moment they landed on the islands,” the sage said as she opened up a second book and let it lay flat against the table as she set down the one in her lap next to it. “Hmmm, maybe it’s here? There’s one break in the timeline of both family trees about seven hundred years ago, that could be it, but there’s no way to tell. Maybe there was an indiscretion? The wars between the two clans were almost constant…Pappa, do you know of any breaks in the wars between the Qianlong and the Akalong?”
