The Endless Forest

The early morning sun reflected off the ocean’s surface, a mirror of calmness that strangely complemented the bustling city.

Ancor was a hive of activity, and as a major port it barely slept. Its business and commerce, though, was one of routine and melody. All was perfect within its walls.

However, its port was a different story. Lovers cried and embraced, farewells were given, and last rites were issued. No one was under the illusion that this was a simple mission. It was understood, no one was returning home…

***

Tal blinked and turned away as the city slowly drifted further from him. His thoughts were confused– Not clouded, only confused. So many questions swam through his mind that he almost wished for that cloudiness to return.

“The city is beautiful, isn't it?” a voice asked. It belonged to the Fleet Admiral, and despite the cheerful question, his tone was anything but.

Tal gave a simple nod, not wishing to speak. In fact, he hadn’t said a single word since speaking with Cassius. He wasn’t ready, still reeling from it all.

Wanting to escape, he sidestepped the Admiral and made for his room under deck. He knew not the terms used for shipping, nor did he particularly care. Perhaps, if things were different, he would have found this exciting.

But now all he felt was dread.

He had a mission, he had a vow to avenge his family and to kill the man who he had felt responsible for his predicament. Yet, Cassius opened his eyes– Maybe not to everything, and certainly the god had his own agenda, but it wasn’t exactly what he had expected.

Now he was on his mission to kill a man he honestly knew nothing about. A hollow vow was his own personal excuse, and one that seemingly no longer mattered. Cassius wanted the man, Felix, alive.

Tal was starting to want that very same. At least then, more questions could be answered and he could have his brother back.

“Wait a moment,” the Admiral said, putting an arm on his shoulder.

He stopped but made no effort to face the older man. If it were anyone else, it might have been seen as a sign of disrespect. But the man knew why.

“What happened yesterday, I do not blame you. I know you were under his control. And, if I’m being entirely honest, I should have known something like that was going to happen. I did not fully grasp the severity of the situation, and made a misstep.”

All he could do was ball his fists in frustration. He had been turned into a mindless weapon to personally spite the Admiral.

“It is…unfortunate that I shall not live for much longer. But Tal? I am an old man now, I’ve lived a long and prosperous life. The High Prophet cannot take that away from me. I do not regret my decisions insofar as standing up to that tyrant.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to escape, Tal finally faced the Admiral. He wished he hadn’t.

The stoic look that Antony usually wore was replaced with one filled with sorrow and regret. The words spoken were for the old man’s own benefit and not his. Still, Tal had to bear witness to his words.

“I’ve made arrangements. I don’t know how, but I know you will survive this. And when you return, my family will support you. You must be the one to tell the whole of the nation what happened.”

Hot, wet tears streamed down Tal’s face. He wanted to yell, to scream, to punch something. Yet, he couldn’t. There were almost assuredly spies aboard, reporting every little incident straight to the High Prophet. Even this confession of the old man was most likely being noticed…

Despite that, he felt he needed to say something. But what? What could be said? The Fleet Admiral was a dead man walking, nothing he could say would change that. The men he killed just yesterday could not be brought back with words alone.

But he had to say something.

“I… I don’t know what I am supposed to do.” The words came out choked and it wasn’t at all what he wanted.

For a moment, the Admiral looked like a grandfather about to impart some important life lesson. But even that fell away as quickly as it came.

“No one ever truly knows what to do. Sometimes, you have to take a chance,” those words were barely audible, though their intentions were quite clear to Tal.

“Anyway, go and get some rest. I know you didn’t sleep at all, and there must certainly be a lot on your mind.”

For a third time, Tal gave a simple nod. From there, he made his way back to his room.

Back to another prison…

Calinna was up, bright and early, already hard at work drawing the scenic view from her little tent. She wanted nothing more than to stay right there and capture the world as it was. However, that would unfortunately have to wait. Today was supposed to be her turn at running things.

It wasn’t her first time, but she certainly felt a little more confident ever since taking up her new hobby. Her only concern was what her father thought about it, everyone else appeared supportive.

Her drawing this morning was a simple and quick sketch, it was all she had time for as her duties would soon begin. However, she still wanted to try. And so, she put as much effort into it as she could.

She started with the trees, doing her best to capture their shadows being cast from the rising sun. It was difficult and she secretly wished she had colors to play with. Especially with how the morning sky was lit. Oranges, reds, and blues, mixed and gave a striking picture she desperately wanted to capture…

“Calinna!” her father called out as footsteps began to approach.

It startled her and she was unable to hide her journal as the man appeared.

“There you are. I was starting to wonder if you wandered off again,” he said.

“No! I mean, no, I haven’t. I was just about to get ready and head out to meet Gil.” She did her best to not bring attention to the journal, but it was in vain.

Her father looked down and saw it still in her hands. His eyes narrowed as he spoke again. “Not even bothering to hide it anymore? You know I’m aware that Gillador gave that to you, right?”

That surprised her. “Y-you did?” She had been trying to keep it a secret from him in fear he would get angry.

“Yes. And while I don’t exactly approve of you wasting time with your…drawings, I haven’t been blind to your performance since then. Still, don’t get distracted. There is much to do and little time to do it.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, feeling relieved.

His eyes met hers. “Gods, child… Listen–” He leaned toward her ear. “–Remember why we are here. We have to save those eggs.”

“Oh…” Any excitement she had gained from her fathers ‘approval’ was instantly gone.

“I need you to get access to the hatchery– Say it’s for your design.”

Design? It dawned on her what he meant. “Oh! You mean my plans for the dormitory? That’s actually what I am going to speak to Gil about–”

“Yes, yes… Anyway, I need you to get inside and take notes on its layout, the amount of eggs, and so on. Any detail that looks important. There’s only so much we can see from the outside.”

He pulled away and regarded her. “I know you can do that much.”

“Right…” She fought to keep herself from wincing at his subtle jab.

“Good, now go– And remember, do not trust that human. He is a master of lying and manipulation.”

Calinna was about to make her leave but that last comment twinged at something in the back of her mind. “Father?” she said, after a moment of hesitation.

“What?” He was mid-step from walking away.

“About that… About what you just said, are you sure Felix is controlling them– The dragons, I mean. From what I saw–”

“Stop! Do not believe what you see from them. It is a ruse! He has his kobold slaves training dire wolves! Don’t you understand what he’s trying to do here? He wants everyone to like him, to accept him.”

Her father took a deep breath and calmed down. “Look, you merely have to do what I say. I will handle the rest.”

“O-okay…” She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

“Good, now go.”

With that, the two of them went their separate ways.

Eri was the first up this morning, finding herself cozy up next to Kyrith. His radiant warmth was always pleasant, even during these summer months. It was comforting, when she noticed it.

Strange… It wasn’t something she ever thought about until now. Perhaps, it was due to what she learned last night– Something that she was still trying to fully comprehend.

That droning note… The sound of mana. It had been startling how easy it was for her to pick up on it. Not to mention, I wasn’t the only one.

It did beg another question. Did Aluin know? And that opened up even more questions. If he did, why hadn’t he told me about it? If not, then is hearing it somehow unique and rare?

She doubted that, but she really didn’t have much to go on. At least, until later today. Then, Yarnel was going to begin his class. She would definitely be asking more about it.

It’ll have to wait. Besides– Eri slowly peeled herself away from Kyrith, quietly standing up. –I have something else I need to do.

A smile crept upon her face as she took in the other residents of the hatchery. Everyone was here, from the jewels and their partners to Zira and Felix. They were all still sound asleep, with Felix being used once again as a pillow.

The sight never stopped being amusing.

Focus! she shouted at herself. She needed to get out and away from the hatchery before anyone else woke up.

Carefully, Eri stepped lightly towards the doors before slowly opening them. Slipping out, she let out a sigh and slid them shut. Now came her next challenge, finding Watcher.

Peering up into the sky, she took stock of the weather and time. The sky was mostly clear of any clouds and the sun was rising, already it had fully crested the horizon.

Let’s think now… If I were Watcher, where would I be at this moment? He certainly wasn’t here, that much was for sure. He generally left for the kobold village once she and the others began to retire for the night.

Besides that knowledge, she realized she knew very little about the gray kobold’s personal life. He had a home, somewhere, within the village and he often could be seen near the altars that contained the hatched eggs.

I should really fix that. With a frown, she made her decision and set off for the altars…

The trek there was mostly quiet, thankfully. She had to pass by both camps to get to her destination, and while the main camp was content to either ignore her or simply wave, Chief Calsen’s camp was a different story.

She immediately felt like she was being watched. And sure enough, as she glanced up to it, she saw the familiar sight of Calsen.

The Chief was watching her, his arms folded and a curious look on his face.

“And where are you off to this fine morning?” he asked, sounding friendly.

Eri wasn’t buying it, especially after what happened with the dire wolves. “Just out for a walk.”

“To the kobold village? And without your dragon?”

She had to keep from narrowing her eyes. “I haven’t been out there in a while. And, again, Kyrith isn’t my dragon. We are partners. He isn’t some kind of pet or tamed beast.” She did her best to not snap at him.

“My apologies. But where is your, um…partner?”

“Resting,” she said a little too quickly. Honestly, it’s none of your business…

“Interesting… You two never seem to be too far apart.” The way he spoke made it sound like some kind of insinuation.

Gods… “Chief Calsen,” she said curtly. “I don’t know what you are implying or why you even care, but both me and Kyrith are free to do what we want. Now, if you will excuse me…”

Eri began to walk away.

“I was merely curious! I didn’t mean anything by it!” he said, calling out.

She chose to ignore him and continued on her way, and eventually, that uneasy feeling dissipated. Still, she didn’t let her guard down until she was over the hill that lay before the kobold’s village.

Taking a deep breath, she did her best to calm her emotions and tried to focus on why she was actually out here.

A gift… A gift for Felix. Soon, her smile returned, even as she regarded the village.

Small and cramped, were two words that came to mind. Well, besides, ramshackle. Though, that wasn’t an entirely fair assessment of the place. It was true that some of the first buildings were made from scraps and shoddily put together. However, over time, it was clear that the kobolds had improved.

The newer structures looked to have been built with some consideration. They were smaller than their counterparts in Bernel, but overall, and surprisingly, built to similar standards.

Thatch roofs and cut stone walls weren’t uncommon. Some even had a more log cabin feel to them with timber being used instead of stone.

Actually, I take that back. The village isn’t so much as being small and cramped, as it is more of a patchwork of different styles and ideas. Kind of clashes though… She had to admit, however, it was impressive for the kobolds.

When did they even manage to accomplish this? The more she thought about it, the more it baffled her. It had only been half a year at most since they settled here. She doubted Bernel could have been established that quickly.

Hells! If they are this good, maybe we didn’t need the help from the tribes at all! Shaking her head, Eri continued through the village. But… Could it have something to do with the Goddess?

The thought caused her to pause for a moment. Watcher has surely changed, so maybe it's affecting the other kobolds as well?

With that question lingering in her mind she made her way out of the village. Still, there was one detail that was lost on her. The entire place was quiet.

Eventually, she caught sight of the pillars that had been constructed and which surrounded the altars. Inside of them, she caught sight of something even more fascinating than the village.

The entire contingent of kobolds were massed in prayer. They were kneeling, their heads low and arms outstretched. At the front of them, near the six separate altars, was Watcher.

Eri came to a stop just outside, not wanting to intrude. Instead, she continued to observe.

The old gray kobold began to hum, his tone a singular, constant note. And soon, others began to join in. It was faint at first, but soon the voices picked up in intensity.

Something tugged at her thoughts. The tone, it sounds familiar– Her eyes widened while her jaw dropped.

What she was hearing, what she was listening to…

Was the sound of mana.