Twelve Thrones: Khiz

1214-05-26

The market hummed with life, its energy still palpable in the air, even though the Festival of Tides had ended just the day before. Stalls once bursting with colorful decorations and festive trinkets now stood empty or were quickly being packed up, their owners preparing to leave with baskets full of goods. The last of the merchants, faces weary from the excitement of the past days, hurried to load their carts, while soldiers, who had arrived to visit their families during the festival, gathered their things and readied themselves to return to their posts.

Above, the sky seemed endless, the morning light casting a golden hue across everything below. Two dragons glided through the air, their massive wings sweeping gracefully through the clouds, their glowing forms dancing together like two halves of a perfect whole—like a living symbol of yin and yang. The beauty of their movement, their effortless flight, felt almost surreal, as though they were part of some grand cosmic rhythm. Then, without warning, one of the dragons broke from the pair, soaring off into the horizon, leaving behind a shimmering trail of silver-blue light, fading slowly as it vanished into the distance.

Dragons.

People tend to have two opinions of them. Some see them as noble, majestic creatures, symbols of power and grace. Others fear them, seeing only danger and destruction, creatures of chaos that bring nothing but ruin to those who dare cross their path.

I'm not sure what to think of them. Dragons usually fly past Barta, not over it, and I've never been close enough to one to form an opinion.

A collection of weathered wooden stalls and bustling vendors, was alive with chatter. I held Amanda in a small basket and carried another in the other hand. The blanket wrapped snugly around her.

The first stop was the fish station. The fisherman, a broad man with a scruffy beard. His stall was lined with freshly caught salmon, haddock, and mackerel. 

"Morning, Ma'am," he said. "What'll it be today?"

"Ten salmon, five haddock and five mackerel, please," I replied.

"Twenty? Stocking up, are we?"

I smiled. "Something like that."

He nodded, expertly wrapping the fish in thick paper and stacking them into my basket. "That'll be … 30 var."

I handed him the coins, the weight of the basket increasing with each purchase. "Thank you."

The bread station was next, and the smell of fresh loaves pulled me in before I could even greet the baker, a cheerful woman in a flour-dusted apron. The stall displayed all sorts of breads—dense rye loaves, soft rolls, and sweet honeyed bread.

"I'll take ten loaves," I said. "And one of those honeyed ones, too."

The baker grinned. 

"She deserves it," I said with a laugh, Amanda cooed when she saw it..

"That'll be 20 var," she said as she tied the loaves together with twine. I counted out the coins and added the bread to the basket, its warmth radiating through the woven fibers.

With my purchases complete I lingered briefly to look at some dried fruits and nuts. For another 15 var, I added a pouch of dates and a small bag of almonds to the basket.

I sat on a bench to the side of the road, unrolling the loaves of bread. Amanda squealed in excitement as people passed by, pointing and smiling at her.

I cut the honeyed bread into small cubes she could eat, doing the same with some of the other loaves.

Amanda lay in a small basket beside me, and I passed her the cubes. She held them up to the sky, inspecting them and playing with them, the dragon-shaped one seeming like her new toy.

"Do you like it?" I smiled at her.

A scream.

A blood-curdling scream.

Filled the air.

A low rumble echoed from the sky. The dragon, once graceful and serene, began to spiral downward with terrifying speed. The ice dragon, its scales shimmering with an unnatural cold, unleashed a violent roar. It flapped its wings, sending a blast of freezing wind over the crowd.

People screamed, their cries swallowed by the howling wind as they staggered, falling to the ground as ice encased them. A woman collapsed just a few steps away, her body instantly frozen in place, her face locked in an expression of terror.

I didn't have time to think. The chill cut through me like a knife. I felt Amanda shivers. Desperation surged through me.

I collapsed to the ground, placing Amanda's basket underneath me. Grabbing a spare blanket from her basket, I used it as a shield, wrapping it around any place exposed to protect her on all sides. My body became her barrier, my warmth her only defense, as I hoped against hope that the cold wouldn't take us her.

The cold hit like a wave of knives, sharp and unforgiving. My breath froze in the air, the edges of my fingers turning white with frost. I felt the ice creeping up my legs, my torso, as Amanda ;lay safe in the warm basket.

"Someone will find us...someone will find you..." I whispered to her, though my voice was lost in the cacophony of screams and freezing winds.

As the cold crept in, my mind raced, struggling to focus through the haze of panic. She had enough food in the basket—at least enough to last a few days. A few days... That was all she could hope for. She had dried fish, some bread, a few small fruits. Not much, but it would be enough to keep Amanda fed, to give them a chance.

I scanned the basket with my eyes, praying she hadn't missed anything. The bread would hold for a while, and the dried fish could stretch. The fruits—soft. If she rationed it, if she was careful…

What am I thinking? She's just a child. I sighed.

The world around me grew dim as the ice and snow took over.

"Oh, Lion, please save Amanda."