Chapter 2 Harvest Run #2
“I understand why Hyalites are such a big deal. Their power can give rise to world-changing magicians. I mean, dragons can wield massive amounts of magical energy and even they need to share the power contained in a Hyalite with a bonded partner. But what about Yogos? Why does the King need his Knights and Paragons to collect all of them? Why can’t we keep what we find? ” Barson complained.
“Hyalites contain a sliver of a god’s power in their glass orbs.
Once the orb is tapped, that power finds a host. If the host isn’t strong enough to control the released power, the power kills them.
But if they can control the power, if they’ve been trained in how to receive it and survive, that wielder can do whatever they want with their power, good or bad.
Not even a contract with a King can really control what they do with the magic.
That’s why they try to foster the allegiance of their Paragons and Knights,” Tharon tried to explain, though many of the details were beyond his knowledge.
“Clearly something the King of Lamar and Kings of Nordraven are doing is these dragonriders and magi loyal to their cause, otherwise the effort to collect these powers would be a free-for-all.”
“Paragons and Knights make exuberant amounts of money on their contracts with the King, and the Dukes of the Keeps. At least that’s how they do it in Lamar,” Barson said.
“I think it’s something else that’s keeping them in check,” Tharon mused.
Could Tharon be right? Surly there isn’t enough money to stop dragonriders and magi from competing among themselves… or are they that superficial?
“Yogos are pure magical energy,” Tharon continued.
“Elves, dwarves, magi, they can all tap the energy in Yogos to craft spells. Each offers a one-time use. The Kingdoms want all of the Yogos they can get because the more energy they collect, the easier it is to control their people and offer them safety in their daily lives. Without these laws, random people could use these powers to create chaos. Understand? I admit that it’s a bit confusing,” Tharon added.
“Yes, I understand. But we’re out here in the forest where they most often occur. I don’t see why can’t we keep some to sell to those who would pay big money for it? It would sure help out the small villages out here,” Barson said.
“Well, we’re not Nobles. We don’t have any rights to magical property that comes through the veil in Lamar. My father says there’s a whole global economy based on Yogos that I don’t pretend to understand. We, as common folk, have the right to go and collect fire wheat, that’s it.”
“I understand the value of the magical energy that breaks through these storms, but I still don’t get why can’t we sell a few small Yogos without the King or any other Nobles knowing?” Barson insisted.
“It’s been tried, and proven too risky. This is exactly why Nordraven and Lamar remain at war.
It’s why the dragonriders aren’t fully committed to fighting in the battles in the eastern part of the Everburning Forest. You control the region of the forest that produces the power, and you control money and magic. ”
That’s why Nordraven and Lamar are at war, for control over the creation of new magical energy, Lark thought.
“Besides, if you did manage to collect a Yogo and tried to sell it, you’d be risking more than just your fate. You’d be risking the safety of our entire village. Do you want the King of Lamar’s magi to come looking for you?” Tharon said.
“How would the Magi Order ever know? They can’t keep track of every sliver of power that comes through the veil in a storm, can they?” Barson asked.
Tharon’s voice dropped lower. “Somehow, they know. Collecting a relic of power without a contract from the King would not only be breaking the law, but you would become a target. Out here in the forest, if those allowed to collect the relics found out you’d collected one, they could kill you, and nobody would ask questions.
Best to leave the powers to the Paragons, the Knights, and their troops to fight over. ”
“I heard that some of the people watching this storm saw a dragon. That means this was one of the storms the gods used to send some power through the veil. I wonder which god it was? Aether’s obviously the preferred, as he’s the most powerful god, but any of them would be unbelievable,” Barson said with a bit of awe in his voice.
“I saw them. It wasn’t just a dragon, but a dragon and a rider. They passed the storm by, which means no Yogos, no Hyalites,” Tharon said.
“No?” Barson asked. “But why were they flying near the firestorm?”
“It could’ve been Tel Roan out scouting for Nordraven forces. I’ve seen him before, you know,” Tharon said.
“How did you know it was him?”
“There’s only one Paragon of the Vermillion Keep who rides a golden dragon.”
“I wish I’d seen a dragonrider,” Barson pouted.
“You go out on these harvests often enough and you’ll start seeing things you wish you hadn’t,” Tharon warned.
“Like a battle or two. Wouldn’t that be something to tell the lads about,” Barson said. “You know, I heard a rumor that an army marched from the Vermillion Keep not more than a week ago. That means one of these storms recently could’ve produced a Hyalite.”
“Or they’re going to stop a Nordraven attack. It’s reason enough why we won’t ever see a Hyalite. They’re rare, even for the Paragons to find.”
“Two Hyalites in a month would be unusual,” Barson said.
“Two a month? From the same region of the forest? Try two in a year from the same region,” Tharon corrected.
“My father says it depends on the year. There’s the Flashover coming up, which means the Hyalites that make it through the veil will be from the more powerful gods, giving riders the power to control elements of the earth like water, rock, and air.
Aether might send one through and that rider would have the ability to control celestial elements.
They would have the power of the stars at their fingertips… Who knows what’s possible?”
“Hyalites and the powers they can give a dragonrider aren’t something you need to be thinking about,” Tharon warned.
“But Yogo Sapphires are something we could find. They can form in clusters and sometimes get overlooked, so my uncle says.”
“Not once has my father, or any of the other fire wheat harvesters from our village found a Yogo Sapphire forgotten on the ground after the Giving Rain.”
“That’s only true until I find one,” Barson said.
“Only bad things come to those who carry objects of power, mark my words, Barson. If you ever find a Yogo, you best leave it where it lies.”
“I could pay to feed the whole village for years with just one Yogo. Imagine how much you could get for discovering a Hyalite.”
“Put that notion right out from your mind. If you don’t, I’ll pound it out of your head for you. Don’t entertain going out looking for objects of power again,” Tharon said.
“The King wouldn’t know. We could start going a little earlier to the burn after the storm, while the wheat is still sprouting and not yet blanketing the ground. Then we could see if there’s anything that someone forgot to pick up. What’s the harm in that?”
“I warned you,” Tharon said, drawing a dagger.
Lark’s heart raced.
“I’ll put it from my mind, promise,” Barson said, backing off with arms spread wide.
Tharon sheathed his dagger.
“What if we were attacked, like you were on your last harvest run, and we found one on them?”
“We’d leave them with the dead.”
“Pa told me what happened when those Nordraven orcs surrounded you and Delger. The two of you had to—”
“We did what needed doing, so we could keep harvesting. The fire wheat is valuable enough on its own. Anyone who gets greedier than that deals with the most powerful people hunting them down. There’s a reason why my father’s been in charge of the harvest for so many years.
We don’t go off chasing storms to fight orcs and other Northern monsters.
That’s what the Paragons and their Knights are contracted to do.
If you want to do that, then head south to Astral City.
Getting accepted into Vermillion Keep’s Training Academy is the only way to become a Paragon in Lamar. ”
Tharon glanced over his shoulder in frustration and noticed Lark there for the first time. He made awkward eye contact with her as they ran. She averted her gaze, pretending that she hadn’t just heard everything they’d said.
Barson followed Tharon’s eyes, then slipped a dagger from his sheath. Before it was out, Tharon stilled his hand. With a single shake from his head, the blonde harvester sheathed his weapon.
“Has anyone other than a Paragon won a Hyalite before?” Barson asked.
“If they have, the dragonriders make sure they don’t last long,” Tharon replied.
“Aren’t the Paragons supposed to be heroes? They fight to gain control over these powers, so the armies can keep us safe from Nordraven attacks. That’s why they make so much money, they’re the most honorable soldiers there are.”
“The Paragons may be called heroes, but they will do anything to gain control of a Hyalite. Honoring their contracts comes with more than money: it’s power, status, and fame.
Getting those Hyalites is more important to them than fighting for their country.
It doesn’t matter who has it,” Tharon said.
“They wouldn’t kill someone who found it by happenstance, would they?”
“You get between anyone trained in magic and something as valuable as a Hyalite, there’s no telling what they would do,” Tharon said.
When they finally halted for the night, the forest had transformed into a realm of shadows. Delger’s orders rang through the clearing, sending harvesters scattering to claim patches of moon-lit earth for rest.
While others attended to water and bedding, Tharon ventured into the darkness in search of firewood.
Lark followed, drawn by both Paq’s advice and some deeper instinct she couldn’t name.
The midnight forest was a different world entirely.
Ferns unfurled between weathered trunks, their fronds catching what little moonlight filtered down from above.
The diamond-plated bark of blackened trees marked scars of past fires.
As she braced against one such tree to snap off a dead limb, an orange flash sent her stumbling backward.
The necklace came alive with warmth, a gentle tingling that seemed to resonate on the air.
Quick as thought came a shower of sparks.
From it something alive was produced, not a simple ember, but a creature with purpose, dancing through the air like a playful spirit.
It came to hover on a branch opposite her position.
The sparks coalesced, transforming into an image that stole Lark’s breath.
There, hovering near the tree, was a small woman of living flame.
She was beautiful, more goddess-like than lark in her tiny form.
No larger than Lark’s hand, the woman’s long flame-red hair flowed down past her shoulders.
She wore a dress of red flames, the fire around her skin a light blue before transforming into orange and yellow.
She flew without wings, passing through the air with a playful demeanor.
Each movement left trails of light in the deepening dusk.
But Lark had no time to marvel at the fae creature’s beauty.
From the shadows beyond the flaming woman came movement. Figures in light armor materialized like spirits from the darkness.
“There she is,” one voice growled, deep as ancient stones.
“The one that needs to be culled from the herd,” another added, his words rasping like steel on stone.
The third figure moved with deadly grace, drawing twin daggers in a motion smooth as flowing water.
The others followed suit, their metal gleaming in the moonlight.
One harvester’s fingers danced across his blade, adjusting its balance before sending it spinning through the air with deadly precision.
Instinct took over, not learned but remembered, as if awakening from a long slumber.
Lark dropped the wood she’d gathered save for one substantial piece.
Her body moved with fluid certainty as she spun behind the tree.
The thrown dagger passed through the space where she had stood.
It clattered an instant later against a fallen log.
“Get her!” the raspy-voiced harvester commanded.
The night erupted into chaos. For the first time she could remember, Lark was in a fight for her life.