Putting politics and war out of his mind for the moment, Arius took in a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. He stretched his sore muscles while getting his first glimpse of the south side of Calrisan in more than two years.
Skyscrapers and palaces of the purest white and silver and the most ornate spiraling glass crowded the skyscape. Maji walked and flew about their business just like every other city Arius had ever been to --Well, perhaps flying wasn‘t that ordinary -- but the majesty of this skytropolis always made it feel grandiose to him.
Tarnishing the view a bit, Arius could see Korii’s Wall in the distance. The monstrosity separating the two races of Maji cast an ominous shadow over even the highest edifice in southern Calrisan. It was a constant reminder of the perpetual strife that existed between these people.
He shouldered his pack and made sure his sword was safely tucked away. Weapons were outlawed in Calrisan for visitors until the Talon Watch, the Raachon royal guard, searched you and approved them. The only other exception was if you were a personal guest of the royal family.
Arius had barely made it off the ramp and into the outskirts of the city before the Talon Watch had him thoroughly surrounded; a dozen heavily armed Watchmen to be precise. Bows knocked with arrows were all drawn and being steadily aimed at his heart. They all had shining black hair and royal blue eyes that were narrowed in suspicion. They also bore the silver wings that marked them of the Raachon royal bloodline. Their cousins, the Korii, had wings of gold in their royal bloodline. Luckily for Arius, all the guardsmen’s wings were folded around flamboyant gray and navy armor; if their wings were displayed it would mean that they viewed him as hostile and were at liberty to use force.
Arius smiled warmly and raised his arms in mock surrender at the Raachon princess. She was the only one unarmed among his welcoming party. Bowing deeply, he addressed her, speaking the Maji’s formal greeting.
“Upon Jenukai’s winds I rode. Lost. Searching for his domain. His winds have shown me here. Is this the sanctuary that I have sought?”
Karena Alunna bowed back to him, unfolding her resplendent wings. Karena was as regal and stunning as he remembered, and like all of the angelic looking Maji, she towered over Arius. She too responded using the formal greeting.
“Search no more weary traveler, for you are in his sanctuary. Jenukai’s winds have guided you true. Be welcome.”
Formalities aside, Karena folded her wings back and beckoned him forward. “Your pack, please, Arius.”
Arius handed it over, and she tossed it back to one of the Talon Watchmen, who quickly inspected its contents before handing it back. He nodded in assent that nothing was amiss or awry.
“You may keep your weapons.”
Arius bowed slightly in thanks and hooked his scabbard onto his back.
“To what do we owe the honor of the First Knight of Gaelaria coming to Calrisan?” she asked in a politely interested voice.
“I seek an audience with your father. It is a matter of an urgent nature,” Arius replied as they walked side by side down a crowded boulevard. The Watch kept a tight circle around them, and they had not put away their bows. They kept a keen eye on the shops and passersby.
“Unfortunately, that may take some time to arrange, Arius,” Karena said. “My father hasn’t taken an audience in over a month and has barely been seen at all in a year. He will only speak to his own advisors, and he consults with them sparingly or not at all. Things have changed drastically since you were last here. Father has grown… mistrustful of outsiders. Well, more mistrustful, I might say. I think the latest news of the war has shaken him to the core. If mighty Tryss can fall, so too can Calrisan.
“Father has become extraordinarily abstemious regarding his dealings with foreigners from below,” she continued. “He understands the need for allies to a degree, but he has so far only reached out to the Aernilles. I admit that the Aernilles are loyal and powerful, but even our combined strength isn’t enough to keep Dantron at bay. I fear that a divided Calrisan will ultimately be our undoing.”
Arius listened intently while she spoke. The Maji were a proud race, almost to a fault. They had stubbornly shunned every offer of a coalition the Gaelarian Alliance had ever extended to them since the beginning of the war. Now that Aequin Alunna had succumbed to common sense that his race would not be spared the tribulations of war, a pact between Gaelaria and Calrisan might finally be negotiated. Arius had not come here for that, but perhaps the timing was right to begin negotiating. Calrisan would be a vital ally to Gaelaria, and Arius felt his hopes rising at the thought.
“These issues will need to be addressed once I sit down with Aequin. I assure you that Gaelaria wants nothing more than to aid Calrisan in any way we are permitted. For now I just want to freshen up a bit. Please, tell your father that I will await his summons at the Emperor’s Gail. If that pleases you, princess?”
Karena nodded solemnly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable at the palace?”
“I appreciate the kind gesture, Karena, but I do have a forty-foot-tall dragon I need to also find lodging for. I know of your father’s, ah, intolerance for that kind of houseguest.”
Karena smiled a sad smile. “You know how my race is, Arius. They feel that they alone should rule the skies. As voluminous as the sky is, in the hearts of my people there is no sharing what they believe to be theirs. I fear that particular prejudice will never be discarded. Shall we escort you to your inn?”
“I must respectfully decline, Karena. I know the way.”
With another deep bow, the circle of guards parted, and Arius excused himself. Before he could walk away, Karena grabbed his arm and drew him close. Bending down, she whispered into his ear. “Be mindful of your surroundings during your stay, my old friend. I fear Calrisan isn’t secure…” With that she was ushered away by her guards.
Arius considered Karena’s departing warning as he made his way into the heart of southern Calrisan.
Is any place truly safe anymore?
Gaelaria, for example, had remained virtually untouched by the war, but that was only because Dantron meant to make an example of his homeland. Dantron was so confident of their undisputed victory that they had allowed The Circle of Seven to construct the Seven Cities and to amass an army and dragon armada without interfering. They were complacent in conquering every other nation one by one, saving Gaelaria for last. Gaelaria had tried without success to aid Tryss, but in the end The Circle of Seven had ordered Arius to concentrate on solidifying Gaelaria’s own defenses.
After walking for a quarter of an hour, Arius spotted the Emperor’s Gail. The inn was five stories tall, and the sign portrayed a member of the Raachon royalty with a gold crown on his head in mid-flight.
All the inns in Calrisan were immaculate, but what made Arius frequent the Emperor’s Gail were the dragon hangars that they alone rented out. He nodded to the young, black winged guard at the door and entered the common room. The inn was richly decorated with hardwood floors and priceless area rugs that were like ostentatious little islands for the two-top tables that stood in neat rows throughout the room. The innkeeper obviously had an affinity for frilly blue because the tablecloths and padding on the furniture were all variations of that color.
The inn was unsurprisingly quiet for this time of day. It was mid-morning, so the few patrons that were there either sat at the bar eating breakfast or stooped in high backed chairs near the fire enjoying hot wine or coffee. A human waitress in a flowing dress the color of the tablecloths with a white apron greeted Arius. She was a cute little thing, he noted. He guessed she was probably around eighteen, with curly blonde hair she wore up in a bun that seemed inadequate to the task of subduing such long hair.
“Welcome to the Emperor’s Gail. My name is Mya. How can I be of service?” She curtsied in a distracted sort of way and drew out a pad and quill.
“Hello, Mya. I’ll be needing a word with the proprietor.”
Arius handed her a gold c
rown. She took the coin and told him that she would return with the innkeeper shortly. It was obvious she made good money because she didn’t even bat an eye at the gaudy tip. She recommended he wait at the bar, and after his last few nights spent lying in a snowbank, he was only too happy to oblige her. By the time the innkeeper tapped him on the shoulder, he had already enjoyed two cups of a rich Athenrian coffee with a considerable amount of whiskey mixed in for good measure. His sour mood from earlier had dissipated halfway through the first mug.
“So, I suppose you’ll want a permit to house that beast across the street?” Vontes asked in his sardonic voice.
Arius spun on his barstool and fixed him with a warm smile.
“There’s no rush, I’ve just ordered a third coffee. Please, join me.”
Vontes was one of the few human business owners in all of Calrisan. He and his wife had once been wealthy merchants from Petra. When the moon came down on the capital, they had been tending their vineyards outside of Axion and had escaped with their lives, if not their livelihood. With his home and businesses in ruins, Vontes knew that war was coming, so he took his wife and their remaining fortune and fled to Calrisan. Every crown he had ever made had gone into the Emperor’s Gail, and though he complained endlessly about its costly upkeep, he was unabashedly proud of his acceptance into the Maji’s society.
Vontes was everything Arius thought an innkeeper should be. He was fat and grumpy, with sparse gray hair and an insatiable appetite for gossip. He took an empty stool next to Arius at the bar and ordered himself a cup of tea.
Without preamble, Vontes launched into a long winded rant.
“It’s about time you came back, you know,” he began. “Those lousy hangars have been vacant since the last time you and your commanders came! I’ve been forced to use them as storage. I was just telling the wife the other day that if a patron didn’t come in this very week asking to rent one, I was liable to burn them down and collect the insurance. Just kidding, of course, but it has been a rather lousy year for business. Alunna isn’t letting in foreigners the way he used to. The locals are gracious and they usually go out of their way to eat here, but that basically sums up the business I partake in these days. Had I known it would be like this I would have become a chef, not an innkeeper. Not that I would need to with the way Raina cooks.”
He paused briefly to sip his tea. This was usually how his conversations went with Vontes. The innkeeper complained for fifteen minutes before getting into any truly enthralling information. Arius nodded and grunted with half and ear while Vontes went on and on about minute issues like his favorite team in the fast-paced sport of Siege, or how hard it was to find human employees in Calrisan. The Maji were happy to eat at the Emperor’s Gail, but no self-respecting Maji would ever work for a human.
“Noric, the lad guarding the door, only took the position because he has a clipped wing and is unable to join the Talon Watch,” he added.
“How is your wife?” Arius asked, setting his finished cup down and waving away a fourth the bartender began to fill. He was beginning to feel warm in the face and slow of wit, and he reminded himself that he still had things to do before he settled in for the rest of the day.
“You smell that breakfast?” Vontes asked.
Arius took in a deep whiff and smiled at the delightful aroma drifting from the kitchen.
“That’s how she’s doing! That woman is the reason I’m still in business. Her marvelous cooking has made my inn the envy of all of south Calrisan. But you’re not interested in my wife’s culinary expertise are you?” He lowered his voice to a near whisper, looking around as if everyone in the inn were eavesdropping. “The truth of the matter Arius is that the city has grown dangerous. That’s right. The royals are being assassinated at an astonishing rate by Jenukai knows who. If only that were the end of it, though. High-standing members of society’s elite have turned up missing, too. Why, just four nights ago Peria Alluna, who, if I’m not very mistaken, is third in line in the succession... or is she fifth? Hmmm… Well, anyhow, the poor girl was found by the Talon Watch with her wings ripped off her body! Her poor head was smashed in as well. Simply a ghastly thing to happen!”
Arius had to hide his surprise at this bit of information. The politics in Calrisan could be brutal, but harming the royal family was considered to be off-limits.
“That isn’t even the worst of it” Vontes continued. “Romil Varso, the head of the largest bank in all of Calrisan, died almost a month ago now. The reports said he had choked to death while snacking in bed. The Healers, of course, double-check everyone, and my sources told me they discovered that he had been force fed coins until his stomach exploded. Anybody who is anybody won’t leave their palaces and mansions at night now. Even during the day they insist on walking around with heavily armed escorts.”
Arius had suspected something was off. Karena had never met him under such a heavy guard before. Still, he would never have guessed that it was something so heinous. This certainly explained why King Aequin had become so paranoid.
Vontes went on. “Everyone thinks it’s the Korii. They think that the peace treaty has been broken and that it will be civil war all over again.”
Arius accidentally interrupted him by thinking out loud. “Or someone wants the two factions to believe that the treaty has been severed, turning the two against each other for someone’s own hidden agenda or personal gain.”
Vontes wiped sweat from his brow. “Oh dear! I certainly hope that neither is true. That would undoubtedly be the end for my inn!”
Arius laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder, getting up to go collect Alrukar.
“At least you don’t have your priorities muddled. Have my pack and the paperwork for the hangar sent up to my usual room, if you wouldn’t mind. I have a beast to accrue.”
Vontes assured him he would take care of everything, so Arius took his time walking back to the sky docks. Heeding both Karena’s and Vontes’ warnings, he made sure his sword was loose in its scabbard; after all, there was no use being careless. While he walked, he saw for himself that things were definitely out of sorts. He had never seen so many bands of armed Maji during his previous visits. The tension in the morning air was palpable, and he received many icy and challenging glares from the winged locals he passed.
Once Arius arrived back at the docks, he studied the Aernilles working their ships. They were all rather tall and lanky with skin like that of someone with albinism. Their hair color ranged from outlandish green to blue to orange. All of the Aernilles that was gathered at the docks, man or woman, had vibrantly elaborate tattoos from head to toe in colors just as shocking to the eye as their hair color. They all carried two wicked looking curved blade at their hips as well. Arius had heard that Aernilles warriors were cunning and dangerous, but he never had the honor of fighting one personally. Apparently they used crescent shaped discs to fly on wind that they manipulated with Elemantic air. Even just glimpsing them from afar, he got the sense that they were formidable warriors.
Instinctually, he closed his eyes and cast forth a power probe with his Adimus Aura and discovered a hint of battle magic in all the Aernilles present. That took him slightly aback. He hadn’t realized the Aernilles were capable of wielding the Adimus Aura. Like the Maji, they kept mostly to themselves in their homes in the Athenry Mountains, so what knowledge he did have of them was extremely limited. Perhaps he shouldn’t be that surprised after all. Races like the Maji and Aernilles worked hard to keep outsiders away and were bound to have their secrets.
Arius mused if it would be possible to have the Aernilles leader present at his meeting with Aequin. As he collected Alrukar and traversed the skyscrapers on his flight back to the inn, fatigue began to wear on him, and all he could think about was getting in a nap on a nice feathered mattress. By the time he had Alrukar stowed comfortably away across the street from the Emperor’s Gail, he was feeling drowsy, and he let all thoughts of alliances and politics drift away like smoke in
a lazy breeze.
Arius reentered the common room, but Vontes was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a shy human waitress with dark hair and that baby blue frock told him his room was ready.
“Have a bottle of your finest red wine sent up and a plate of whatever the lady of the house is making for lunch,” Arius told her.
His room was on the top floor, so he avoided the stairs, instead making use of the lift. Exiting out of the modern convenience, Arius traipsed to the end of the hall to his room, eager for his pillows.
He was humming a bawdy tune he had once heard as a child about a girl whose blouse blows off at a windy picnic when he turned the knob and pushed open the rich oak wood door to his suite. Sitting on his bed was a golden winged Maji. All fatigue rushed out of him in that instant, replaced by the predatory instincts of a trained soldier and killer. Arius pulled forth his blade and kicked the door shut behind him.
Chapter 7
“Who the hells are you?!” Arius demanded of the Korii stranger.
The man wore a green tunic covered in golden scroll work, golden breeches, and a devious smile. Perhaps in his mid-twenties, he lounged as if this were his suite. He appeared to be unarmed, but Arius kept his sword leveled at him all the same.
“Now is that anyway to treat a distinguished guest such as myself, Arius? Brandishing weapons before offering refreshments is considered to be a grave insult amongst my people.”
The Korii flipped his long platinum hair in an effeminate manner, and his jade colored eyes studied Arius with an amused gleam.
Arius was tired, and he definitely wasn’t in the mood for any whimsical back and forth that this man had to offer. He swiftly closed the distance between them and jabbed the point of his sword into the Korii’s throat, putting a slight pressure to show he wasn’t playing games. A trickle of blood appeared and ran on to the man’s fine kirtle. The strangers amused air instantly shifted to shock and then to outrage.
Dragons of Destiny Page 7
