“Laz.” I looked at Shva’sika when she called my name to find her pulling out large, rolled-up papers that looked weathered and old. “Look what I found.”
My eyes lit up. “Maps!”
Raikidan looked at me funny and Ryoko giggled. “Laz loves her maps.”
“Paper ones, especially,” Shva’sika giggled out as I took the maps from her and laid them out on the table excitedly.
Raikidan joined me, and I compared the maps with him while Lazei watched. I wasn’t sure why he was sticking around, but I only cared about the maps at the moment.
With Raikidan’s help, I was able to lay the maps out in what appeared to be chronological order. Some of the maps had writing in Elvish, and Raikidan thankfully was able to read what I couldn’t translate myself, since Shva’sika was now engrossed in her own findings. Some others were in Dwarvish, which Raikidan was also capable of translating. But most of the maps had writing in Old Tongue, so it was impossible to know for certain if we had the order right.
Raikidan and I traced the maps and compared them. I was having fun, and from what I could tell, Raikidan found it fun too. It was nice seeing at least one person enjoy looking at maps, even if it wasn’t as much as me. I wasn’t sure why I liked them. I wasn’t sure why I liked paper ones more than digital ones either. It’s probably because I’m weird.
I looked up when Ryoko gasped. She had a large book in her hands and her eyes shone with joy. Her ears also twitched, indicating the level of her excitement.
Lazei appeared behind her and looked over her shoulder before looking at me. “Entry about wogrons.”
I chuckled. “I’m not surprised. Her ears are twitching. That only happens when she’s excited, and wogron entries excite her the most these days.”
“She hasn’t been exposed to all the grand things in life,” Shva’sika remarked slyly. “I’m thinking there’s going to be at least one other thing to get her ears twitching.”
I stared at her for a moment and then laughed, though Ryoko was too engrossed with her find to hear the sexual tease, disappointing Shva’sika a little. Rylan, on the other hand, had heard, and his face reddened a bit as he stared at Shva’sika, keeping her from being completely disappointed.
Raikidan began carefully rolling the maps up when there wasn’t any reason to continue looking at them and I helped. When we had them put away I searched through the books on the shelves of the bookcase until one in particular caught my eye. It looked so old—far older than any book I had ever laid eyes on.
I dusted the book off and laid it down on the table as Raikidan pulled up a chair for himself and me. He looked just as interested.
“What do you have there?” Shva’sika asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” I replied as I ran my hand over the leather cover. “The title is in Old Tongue.”
This made her curious, and she abandoned her find to sit with us. Even Lazei appeared a bit curious. I opened the book and my eyes lit up. The contents were written in Old Tongue and, after making an attempt, I found out rather quickly the Library wasn’t capable of reading it out to me.
“You’re flipping pages. Can the Library not read it to you?” Shva’sika asked.
I shook my head. “This book was handwritten.”
“That’s rare,” Shva’sika said. “Even for Old Tongue entries.”
I nodded. “I don’t think any scholars have seen this book before.”
“I don’t think anyone has been in this room in forever,” Ryoko voiced as she put her book away to come over and investigate our find. “All these books and scrolls are covered in an even layer of dust that’s so thick, I don’t want to think how long they’ve been here.”
I nodded as I flipped another page. “That would make sense. I didn’t even know the Library had rooms.”
Rylan looked at me funny. “What?”
I pointed to the doorway that led to the rest of the Library. “Go take a look out there.”
He and Ryoko did as I asked, and Ryoko gasped in awe. “Whoa…”
I chuckled and desperately looked for some sort of translation in here.
“Any words you recognize?” Shva’sika whispered.
I shook my head. “No not—wait, this here.” I pointed to a particular word.
She looked at me. “What does it say?”
“Mukarna. ‘Makers.’”
Raikidan’s brow rose. “Makers? What’s that?”
“We’re not fully sure,” Shva’sika admitted. “There are few texts on them, and all of them are in Old Tongue, so only Scholars are capable of deciphering them. What we do know, is none are around anymore and they had amazing craftsman skills. Some say they had the ability to craft anything from a god’s weapon, and some even believe they were the ones to create the Dragon’s Eye gems.”
Ryoko looked at me. “Isn’t that the gem you have?”
I nodded. “Yes. They have incredible power, if you know how to use them. But once they’re used, they’re gone. They’ve become extremely rare over the millennia, due to the lack of knowledge on how to make them.”
Lazei took great interest in my words. “You have one of the legendary Dragon’s eye gems?”
I nodded. “I guess they were around when you were alive then?”
“Yes. They were rare in my time, too. Can I see it?” he asked.
I hesitated, but finally reached into my bag and pulled out the one that was left. Lazei’s eyes lit up at the sight.
“Laz, where’s the other one?” Shva’sika asked.
“You had two?” Lazei appeared unable to believe that.
“I… used it,” I admitted quietly.
Shva’sika tilted her head. “You used it? On what?”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell her. I wasn’t ashamed of what I had done, but I wasn’t sure if Raikidan—
“She used it as a tribute,” Raikidan stated.
Shva’sika’s brow rose. “Tribute? You mean for the alliance with the shamans?”
I went to respond, but Raikidan spoke for me. “No, for Pyralis. That’s why we went to the South.”
“Pyralis? You’re joking, right?” Ryoko couldn’t believe us. “No one knows where his grave is.”
“The dragons do,” Raikidan countered.
“But, if that was the reason you left, why didn’t you just tell me when you came back, instead of saying you never reached your initial destination?” Shva’sika questioned.
“Because I promised I wouldn’t,” I said as I went back to looking at the book. Everyone took that as a sign to drop the topic.
“It’s a shame we can’t take this out,” Shva’sika murmured. “We know quite a few scholars who would love to see this.”
I nodded. “I really want to know what this book says myself.”
“Laz has a bit of an obsession with the Makers,” Shva’sika whispered to Ryoko.
“I do not!” I argued.
Ryoko giggled and whispered back, “It’s probably ‘cause Ryder shows signs of being one.”
I gave her a stern look. “He’s not a Maker. At least not this kind of Maker.”
“Then tell me, how did he make that special weapon of yours?” Ryoko challenged.
I sighed. “I don’t know. He won’t tell me.”
“Won’t?”
I nodded. “I’ve asked several times, since it’s so unique, but he says it’s a secret.” I rubbed my chin with my thumb. “Now that I think about it, he never tells me how he’s done any of his projects.”
“That’s strange,” Ryoko murmured. “He’s usually really open with you.”
I nodded as I thought about this.
“What are his limitations?” Lazei asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. For all I know, he c
ould make the first flawlessly-working plasma gun.”
“Since he was able to make a shifting weapon that has the ability to become more than one, I can’t disagree with that possibility,” Rylan agreed.
“Sounds like a Maker to me,” Lazei said.
Ryoko held out her hands to him. “Thank you.”
I shook my head and put the book away. There hadn’t been Makers in forever. There was no way Ryder was one. Besides, wouldn’t that mean Rylan or I would be a Maker as well? I shook those ludicrous ideas away and ventured out into the Library. Today would be a good day to read, and no one else protested.
Chapter 6
Isat down on the couch with a sigh. We had only just gotten back from our vacation, and I had a lot of planning and catching up to do. Genesis had informed me she might have something for us to do later in the evening, while at the same time managing to avoid my question about the pace of the rebellion. That type of reaction had me assuming the Council was either still “talking” about it, or not listening to the concern, which was irritating to think about. But at the moment, I didn’t have as much of a care about it as I normally would. I only cared about curling up and going to bed.
We had come back in a rush, and I wasn’t even sure why. One moment, I had been sleeping peacefully by the dead fire, and the next moment I was being woken up and pushed to pack so we could get back to the city. No one had told me why, but I knew by the quickness of the pace Ryoko set, something was up. We had made it back here in record time, but nothing was amiss when we made it home, so I couldn’t understand what the rush had been about. Now I had no energy and couldn’t think about important things.
My eyes started to close, but before I had to force myself to wake up, the sound of footsteps on the basement floor did it for me. The door creaked open and, to my surprise, a lean woman with mocha skin, crimson eyes, and shoulder-length black-and-red hair strolled into the living room.
“Hey, Aurora,” Rylan greeted from his spot at the bar.
“Hey, babe.”
I looked at the window to find the sun still casting orange and purple hues across the skyline. “It’s not like you to leave the underground before dark.”
Aurora shrugged. “It’s close enough. Where’s Ryoko? I have something for her.”
I went to respond, but Ryoko poked her head out of her room before I could. “I heard someone was looking for me?”
Aurora reached into the messenger bag she carried, and pulled out a white bottle with no label. “I brought what you asked for.”
Ryoko’s eyes lit up, and she went over to Aurora to take the bottle. “Thanks. I was in dire need of those.”
I eyed the bottle suspiciously. Something didn’t feel right about this bottle. Raikidan and Shva’sika looked at me, but I shrugged and shook my head. I stood up. “Ryoko what is that?”
Ryoko waved me off. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Ryoko, tell me what is in that bottle.”
“Seriously, Laz, it’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“Why should I? It’s none of your business.”
I stepped forward. “Don’t make me turn that into an order.”
Ryoko gasped. “You promised you’d never do that!”
“You never gave me a reason to. You’ve never done anything suspicious.”
“I told you it’s nothing to worry about! What’s your problem?”
I ignored her question and looked at Aurora. I didn’t want to have to order Ryoko to tell me. It wasn’t fair. But asking Aurora, while not fair of me either, wasn’t off limits. “Aurora?”
“Don’t you say a word, Aurora,” Ryoko ordered.
I narrowed my eyes. Now I knew something was up. Aurora looked at me, and then at Ryoko. She looked torn, and I felt sorry for her. This situation wasn’t fair for her, but I needed to know what Ryoko was hiding. “Aurora, what’s going on?”
Aurora bit her lip and looked at Ryoko.
“You promised,” Ryoko pleaded.
I was getting sick of this. “Now, Aurora!”
“They’re anti-transformation pills!” She gasped and held her hands up to her mouth.
“Aurora!” Ryoko shrieked.
“I’m sorry. I can’t ignore her order over yours. You know that.”
I stared at the two of them in disbelief. “A–anti-transformation pills? Tell me you’re joking.” Aurora looked down at the floor and shook her head. I exhaled slowly and glared at Ryoko. “What are you doing with anti-transformation pills?”
Ryoko backed up toward her room. “It’s none of your business.”
I advanced with my hand held out. “Give them to me.”
“No.”
I narrowed my eyes and rushed over the couch. “Now, Ryoko!”
“Screw you. What I’m using them for is none of your business.”
“You have no need for them, unless you’re hiding something from me. Like a particular promise you made me.”
“Screw off and leave me alone!”
I scowled. “Give it to me, now.”
“Go to hell.”
“That’s enough!” Ryoko and I looked down the hall to see Genesis standing in the middle of it, her black hair hanging freely around her tiny form, and her livid eyes bearing into all of us. “I’m ending this right now. Ryoko keeps the pills.” Ryoko stuck her tongue out at me, but sucked it back in when Genesis continued. “But it will be the last she gets. Aurora, you are not to give her any more. I don’t care the reason for her having them. Those must be obtained from active scientists, and they are much too dangerous to continue to get. There will be no negotiating this. Now, I’m sending you all out on weapons pick-up duty, and Laz and Ryoko will be split up.”
“Fine by me,” I growled.
I headed for the basement door, but Genesis stopped me. “Raikidan will go with you. Rylan will go with Ryoko. Seda will tell you where to find the weapons, and where to drop them off.”
“Whatever.”
I thundered down the stairs and headed for the secret passage. The sooner I got this done, the sooner I could get to bed and forget all about this.
A thick fog obscured my vision. I wandered around in hopes to find something, even if it was just a rock or a shrub, but I found nothing. I didn’t know where I was, or how I ended up here, but it didn’t feel like a place I should be. It felt… forbidden.
“What are you doing here?” I spun around but didn’t see anyone. “What are you doing here?”
I spun back around when the voice came from behind me, but again I was only met by fog. “Who’s there?”
In the fog, a black shape appeared, and as it moved closer, I was able to make out the shape of a man. My brow furrowed when the shape came into full view. It was Raikidan, but it also wasn’t. There was something weird about him. His eyes were emotionless and dull, and his hair had no red in it anywhere. He looked guarded and cold.
“How did you get here?” Raikidan asked. “You are no Dreamwalker.”
Dreamwalker? I had no idea what he was talking about. “Raikidan, where am I?”
“I see.” I blinked with confusion at his strange reply. “He pulled you here.”
I tilted my head. “Raikidan, what are you talking about?”
“If he brought you here, then you are welcome. I will not bother you anymore.”
“Raikidan, no—wait!” My plea came too late. He disappeared back into the fog, and I was alone again. “Great. Now what do I do?”
Sighing quietly, I continued to wonder around. It wasn’t long before I noticed the fog dispersing and I heard quiet voices. I stopped walking when two people came into view. One person was Raikidan, and the other was me, but there was something strange about this Eira. Something… not human abou
t her. Curious about what was going on, I stayed quiet and watched.
“Eira, what is it?” Raikidan asked. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
The Eira he was talking to smiled. “Not talk to you about. Show you.”
Raikidan shook his head with a chuckle. “All right then, what did you want to show me?”
Eira pulled out a small white bottle from a pouch that hung from her belt loop. “I’ve been keeping something from you. Something I don’t think it necessary to keep anymore.”
“Eira?”
Eira stepped back and let the white bottle drop to the ground. The bottle broke open and blue and red pills spilled out everywhere.
“I stopped taking these a while ago. They no longer affect me. They no longer hide the truth.”
Raikidan took a small step forward, taking a great interest in what this Eira was doing. Eira closed her eyes, and her body began to change. I watched as she became a magnificent purple-and-blue-scaled creature, and noticed a small, delighted smile spread across Raikidan’s face as he gazed upon the dragon before him. Pain flared in my chest. The pain grew when he, too, shifted to his dragon form and touched noses with her, while moving his body closer. This affection increased to playful behavior Raikidan had never shown toward the human version of me. Deep down, something told me this was more than a nightmare—it was a little more real than that.
All Raikidan wanted was for me to be a dragon, even if I was a different color. He wanted me to be something I’m not. He couldn’t accept that I was human. He couldn’t accept me as me, like everyone else. My chest felt like it was being squeezed. What I was, what everyone saw me as, was never good enough for anyone. What I did was never good enough. Why could I never please anyone?
I had to get away from this. I couldn’t handle it. Spinning on my heels, I made a hasty retreat. I didn’t know where I was going, but I also didn’t care. I just wanted the fog to come back and hide what I had seen.
“You want to leave,” a familiar masculine voice stated.
I glanced back to see Raikidan casually strolling next to me, except it wasn’t the Raikidan I had just been watching. This was the Raikidan I had met in the fog.
Secrets Page 6
