Chapter 22
Iawake to a humming sound radiating from Kivi’s chest as bioluminescent spores vibrate above me like the night sky full of blue stars. Her magic is breathtaking.
“Celestials Blessings, Savaé. There is food for you on the table. I wouldn’t wait too long. Your dragon has already eaten half the plate.”
I sit up. My eyes trail to the table with a plate and a small orange troublemaker, who turns around to look at me with a face covered in crumbs.
He chirps with excitement. I tilt my head down, giving him a disapproving glare, and grunt. He grabs an additional biscuit before scurrying off.
“Atlas would like to meet with you and the dragon later this week, to see if he can explore further details on its origins based on some supplementary information he will need from you and inspecting the creature. Additionally, I worked with our Runic Engineer, Gearin, to create this unique ring. It’s imbued with magic so the effects of Chet’s poison should no longer affect you, or at least affect you to a lesser extent in case he tries a stunt like this again. ” An odd beat hums in melodic voice.
No one other than Sully has ever cared for me like this.
It’s an uncomfortable feeling, having everyone joining together to help me.
Is this what it feels like to be a part of a family?
I imagine it’s something like this. Individuals you can trust, lean on in times of need, who always have your back.
Even when it doesn’t serve to benefit them as well.
I’m so used to being on my own, to fending for myself, that it always made me feel weak to accept someone’s help. Until I met Sully. Yet this is different.
It’s more akin to a tapestry; we’re all interwoven together.
I’m the thread that has been picked at, becoming unraveled.
This threat risks the entire tapestry coming undone.
But the rest of my Zenith has come together to restitch me, securing me in place so we remain neatly interwoven together.
Becoming stronger with each challenge we face and rise above.
Or maybe I’m just still slightly delusional from the lack of blood coursing to my brain…
“This is incredibly generous and thoughtful. I… I don’t deserve this kindness,” I say, my eyes widening as I look over the delicate runework of the golden ring in my palm.
Kivi tsks at me. “Nonsense. We are one, we are each other, we are linked. If one of us is a target, we are all a target. We battle as one. We live as one.”
“But I just met you a few days ago. My death would take the threat away, and eventually, I would be replaced. The Zenith would be safer for it.”
“We would be weaker for it. If we cannot rise to the simple challenge of one young male within our own ranks, then our Zenith has no business meeting the Wuvon in battle. We rise together, we set together, we are one or none at all.” Her melodic voice echoes with power, yet the frequency of her voice never wavers.
A tapestry it is then. I suppose my delusional musings are rather on point after all.
It’s clear Kivi’s connection with nature—deeply interwoven with the mycelium network—shapes her voice into something other worldly. Her connection to the vast cycle of life and death altering the very perception of reality.
The notion of we are one or none at all resonates through my mind. This is a new concept to grasp, but one that feels like power in my hands. If I’m strong on my own, I can only imagine how it will feel when we fight together as a united force—we will be glorious.
But then Sully’s distorted words from the second trial slash my mind.
You can never love or be loved.
You have no soul.
No heart.
Anyone close to you dies.
You are a curse.
You beckon darkness to consume everything you hold dear.
For someone so confident in their skills of shoving things away in little boxes and discarding them out a window, I am having some real fucking trouble ridding myself of those cursed words.
So convenient, when I finally think about letting someone in.
I wonder if I can get Orion to remove the memory from my head.
I’d be elated to never hear those fucking words again.
I know they’re just an illusion, one based on my worst fears, but Celestials, how true they feel.
“Class is soon. Please bathe, and ready yourself. Orion waits outside to chaperone you to the bathing chambers. One of us will be escorting you at all times. May the Celestials give us strength and bless us from the darkness,” Kivi blesses with command laced in her words as she turns.
I reach out gently, grasping a part of her delicate arm where no mushrooms grow.
“I do not need an escort. You already made this ring that will protect me from his poison. That’s enough.” I’m standing now, without even realizing it. My knees beg to buckle under my weight, but I clench my fist, refusing their plea.
“You are weak. Which means we are all weak.” Her voice is low, drawing out each word as if it’s a threat. I quickly let go of her.
She straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin as she continues.
“Until your blood recovers, and possibly after, you will abide having an escort. Our Zenith has voted, and so it shall be. This is not negotiable. Do not protest that which you have no control over. There are Fates at play above your ego of solitary strength, beyond what you are. You shall accept your fate is tied to us. Resisting is foolish; I know you to be more intelligible than this. I will not waste time on repeating myself. There are new leather pants for you on the chair. Get dressed, eat, and meet Orion outside, or I will have her compel you to do so.” Lost is the melody of her voice.
Now, a monotonic command braces the room.
I almost fall backwards thinking that a member of my team would use her Persuasive powers to compel me, never mind the fact that she’s strong enough to do so. The thought of being compelled definitely sizzles out any semblance of my rebellion.
I peer down at my leg. My leather pants are ripped high, and there’s a scar on my leg from where Chet stabbed me. Except it isn’t a scar. It’s a glowing, iridescent tattoo of a twelve-pointed star. As my fingers graze it, it shines brighter. I rub my fingers over the bridge of my nose.
Great. Another strange fucking marking.
I know dragon fire burns hotter than any fire we can produce, even the strongest elemental-fire Pixie, but this is on a whole other level of odd.
Fire-wielding dragons supposedly have remnants of Celestial fire from the Celestial Dragon that rests beneath the mountains.
I expected there to be a huge chunk of my leg missing from the scorching, but I guess they can control the power behind their fire.
Come to think about it, Pip did seem to have amazing control of his fire when he was working with me at the Blacksmith shop as he heated the metal for my new short sword.
I’m thankful his flames somehow were just strong enough to stop the bleeding without maiming my leg.
I never thought a dragon-fire burn would look like this, though.
I’m lightheaded as I don my new pants. They’re made of a much thicker leather than our standard issue uniforms, yet somehow just as light. I also notice they have several sheaths built into the legs and waist with small runic symbols on them that I don’t recognize.
The Automatons are always finding ways to invent more and more complex runes.
It makes sense we have specialists dedicated to just being Runic Engineers.
They devote their life to runework. Looking at the pants, I surmise these are another extravagant protection gift from my team.
I add asking Gearin what the markings mean to my ever-growing list of priorities.
I shove the rest of the food in my mouth, practically drooling on myself from how delicious it tastes.
It’s a combination of buttery spices, cheese, and flakey dough.
If I could ever be mad at Pip, this would be one of those times.
After not eating for two days, I could’ve eaten the whole plate if Pip hadn’t already absconded away with a full belly.
I’m ravenous, but I don’t have time to stop for more food.
“Little dragon, it's time to go.” I beckon.
My orange friend comes scampering out from under the desk and up my leg, leaping to my arm, where he settles as my white leather bracer.
I open the door to find Orion leaning against the wall, twirling her candy-red braid through her matching nails.
Her aquamarine scales shimmer on her sylph-like frame, dressed in her white battle leathers.
The contrast really makes the red pop against her varying shades of blue scales.
Her piercing candy-red eyes meet mine. “Your Aura’s a little brighter, which is good. Means your blood is getting stronger. Don’t get me wrong, though; you still look like absolute trash.”
“Good morning to you, too, sunshine.” I squint at the bright light diving in from the cathedral ceiling topped with domed glass.
Orion links her arm with mine. “The bathing chambers in this corridor are down this hallway. Let’s get you cleaned up.
You smell even worse than you look. I don’t know how Kissa managed to be in the same room as you for any amount of time with her nose.
She must really like you.” She taps me on the nose with her free hand.
I huff at her in response, but I am glad for the support her arm offers my swimmy head after being bedbound for the last two days.