55. Pallas

"Y

oucan't be serious."

"‘Fraid so, my lady," Avlyn said with a massive grin on their face.

"Then stop looking so pleased with yourself," I grumbled.

"No can do! Alright, let's load in." They wrapped an arm around my shoulders and dragged me towards the monstrosity.

Wehad returned to Xyr for a brief respite, but everyone was eager to find the next node in the RiverKingdom. Everyone but me. It would be weeks by horse and carriage. We didn't have time for that, even if the entire continent wasn't crawling with soldiers trying to press into the GoldenKingdom. So, we had to find another way.

Thatother way was a carriage with its wheels removed and replaced by long planks of wood. The entire thing was caged in a huge iron frame that had two massive rings on the top. The princess stood beside it, grinning nearly as broadly as Avlyn.

"What do you think, Pallas?" She slapped the wooden side of the carriage. "We could fit a dozen WorldBreakers in here."

"I think there is no chance in the hells that I am getting in that thing."

"Why, Pallas, I'm hurt. Do you not trust me?" Abraxas had come around the side of the "carriage" and his look was positively predatory.

"Not even a little," I admitted.

Helaughed and slid his arm around the princess's waist. "It was either this or all of you on my back, and I didn't want Tori to get jealous." Tori shoved him playfully, and I rolled my eyes.

Avlynsqueezed my shoulders again reassuringly as the royals squabbled. Jun came up on my other side and grabbed my hand.

"It's this or a much longer version of our journey to the Torr," he said with a gentle smile. "You're willing to face down a dragon but not fly with one?"

Igrumbled again, but really, I didn't have a choice. I let them both push me towards our vehicle. Avlyn opened the door, careful to avoid the iron frame. I climbed inside, and the normal benches had been removed. The whole thing was filled with thick fur rugs, blankets, and pillows. The glass of the carriage windows had been taken out and covered, except for two small slits on either side.

"We've got a day's journey ahead of us. I figured it would be better to be comfortable and able to spread out." Avlyn said, before jumping into the pile of pillows and stretching out to occupy half the cabin. Jun climbed in next, seating himself delicately against the back wall. I couldn't quite force myself inside yet, so I turned to see Tori giving Abraxas a gentle kiss as I felt the pull of mana. He shifted before I could even blink. Both he and the princess were getting very good at this. She placed one more kiss on his snout before turning and joining me at the carriage door.

Shegave me a kind smile and waved her hand towards the awaiting space expectantly. I hesitated until Abraxas gave a beat of his wings and the gust of wind nearly took me off my feet.

Torilaughed as my hair flew into my face and mouth, sticking to my lips. I grumbled and finally climbed into the carriage. I sat down next to Jun as the princess kicked Avlyn's legs to make room for herself. Avlyn sat up and pulled the door closed, locking it in place with a latching beam.

Thewhole carriage shook as I heard the metallic clink of Abraxas' talons against the iron rings, and my stomach dropped out as we lurched away from the ground.

Someonewas screaming. Oh, it was me. Muscular arms wrapped around me, and Avlyn whispered in my ear, "I've got you."

Iquieted as I felt color rising into my cheeks. This was the closest we had been since that day at the lighthouse. I reflexively wanted to jerk away but I told Jun that I would be brave. Instead, I let myself relax into Avlyn's gentle embrace, at least until Abraxas rose above the castle roof.

"How high will we go?" I was nearly shouting and could barely hear myself over the roar of the wind through the slats in the carriage. My hair whipped around my head again.

"Abraxas said we will stay just below the clouds, so we don't get too wet," Tori responded. Somehow, her short hair managed to whip around her head elegantly, like she was born to ride the wind.

Wecontinued to rise, and I didn't try to wiggle out of Avlyn's grip, especially as the air temperature continued to drop. Tori and Jun were both looking out the small window and pointing.

"Wanna have a look, my lady?" Avlyn asked. I shook my head ferociously. They chuckled and wrapped a fur around me before joining the twins.

Myfingers dug into the edges of the soft fur as I pulled it tighter around myself. The trio gave an excited whoop and pointed out the small window. Jun turned back to me. "Pallas, come look."

"I'm fine right here, thanks." Jun gave me a soft smile and turned back to the window. After a few more minutes of excited chatter from the three of them, my jealousy got the better of me. I crawled over beside Jun, and he moved over to let me see out the small window.

Wewere so high that the trees below us looked smaller than ants. My instinct was to pull away from the window immediately, but Avlyn set a warm hand on my lower back and gave me a gentle smile, and I couldn't seem to pull away. I remembered the top of the lighthouse, and suddenly, looking down at the incredible space between me and the ground seemed less terrifying than holding Avlyn's gaze.

Aswe flew over the countryside, I saw small lines of people and soldiers traveling along the small brown strips that were the roads, cutting across a sea of grass. TheVitmos river shimmered in the sun like a snake carved from diamonds, and the sea stretched out beyond that, endless.

Ittruly was an exhilarating sight to see the world so very far away. Suddenly, everything in life felt very small, single threads in a much greater tapestry.

"Not something you see every day, eh, hellcat?" Avlyn gave me a warm smile, and I felt the hand on my back tighten ever so slightly.

"No, it certainly isn't." We stayed at that window for quite some time, until rolling grasslands gave way to snowy peaks, and I felt Abraxas bank to the west.

Best not to fly directly over enemy territory. The king's rumbling voice echoed through my head, answering the question I had only thought.

Howdo I keep you out of my head, YourMajesty?

Don'tthink so loud.

Igrumbled, and I heard deep rumbling in the sky above. Asshole.

Heardthat. Quite a mouth on you, my lady.

Iswatted at the air around my head like I could drive him off, and Jun gave me a puzzled look. Tori understood immediately.

"Don't pester her, Abraxas. I need her working." She moved over to the trunk in the corner. Unlatching it, she revealed dozens of scrolls stacked on end.

"I figured we'd have time for a little work on the flight." She pulled out a scroll and revealed the most detailed map I had ever seen of the RiverKingdom.

"How funny. I had the same idea," I replied, reaching into the satchel I brought along.

Ipulled out a few of my own scrolls and look back to see Tori's face twisted in displeasure.

"Lessons, huh?"

Iignored her. "Jun told me the practice of mindfulness and meditation was common in Niata. Did you ever practice it?"

Sheshrugged her shoulders, but I saw the tightness in her face. "Occasionally."

"Well, it is the best starting place for controlling your power better."

Shetilted her head. "I feel like I've been pretty good thus far without much concentration."

"Obliterating everything in your path isn't going to work every single time, Princess."

Sheshrugged again, unconvinced.

Isighed. "We don't know what challenges we will face in the RiverKingdom, and when we do travel to Koron, brute force won't cut it. My mother made sure of that."

Shehuffed, but shifted her body so she sat in a crossed-legged position, her back tall and straight. "Alright. Tell me what I need to do."

Iunrolled one of my scrolls. It was a simple enchantment, only a few glyphs arranged in a circle. I had once used it to lock the pages in my diary as a youngling; my mother provided the magic to activate it. I spread the paper out before us.

"The enchantment is like a knot, one that has been layered on itself a thousand times over. You will need to tug at the threads of it gently, finding where they move and loosen. Be careful not to weave it tighter." I weighed down the corners of the scroll, so the paper didn't curl back in on itself. "This enchantment is a simple lock. I want you to try and unmake it with mana."

Toritilted her head at me quizzically. "Don'tI need to activate it first?" I shook my head.

"If you activate it, that will make it easier to undo, your magic will know itself even if you didn't create the enchantment. I was hoping that Jun would—"

"Hold on a minute there, Nightingale." Avlyn placed their hand Jun's shoulder as he moved towards us. "I was hoping I could give it a shot."

Junlooked at Avlyn, and something sly slid through his gaze. He nodded. "Go ahead."

Avlynscooted forward in their crossed-legged position and placed all their fingertips on the paper. They closed their eyes and took several deep, long breaths. A faint amber light crawled across the glyphs I had inked on the page. They opened their eyes and gave a proud smile.

"You've been practicing," I observed.

"I had a good tutor." They gave me a smile that had my stomach writhing.

"Weeelllll, I guess I should try unraveling this thing," Tori said. The twins exchanged one of their looks that I knew meant they were communicating in that way they did without words. "Any pointers, tutor?"

"Visualize your magic, or for you I suppose the flow of mana. Reach out to the enchantment with it. You have already been doing this with your connection to Abraxas. Tell me what you feel."

Itwas Tori's turn to close her eyes, her breath slowing, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end as the air hummed with power.

"You're not having trouble calling the mana, even this far from the earth?" I asked.

"No, I've gotten pretty good at calling it; it's controlling it that's hard." She let out a breath, and I felt the power recede.

"What is it?"

"I'm just thinking about how Father was the one who taught me this. It's strange; he might have given me the key to controlling my power." She laughed but it overflowed with sadness. "It was all he ever wanted from me."

"Some gifts come at a price we would never be willing to pay, but fate gives us no other choice," Jun said. They shared one of their knowing looks again, but this one was much sadder.

"Focus, Tori. Use whatever you can. You'll need it all if you want to fight Hadeon."

Herbrow furrowed as she focused, her eyes closing. "I can feel the enchantment. I can taste and smell it, too. It kind of smells like fish." She peeked open her eye to see Avlyn's reaction and was greeted by a splash of water in the face.

"Hey!" She attempted to tackle the Lieutenant.

"Younglings, focus please." I sighed. They scrapped a moment more before both laughed and sat back into position. She closed her eyes again.

"It feels like… you're right, like a knot. But it's moving and changing as I try to get a better idea."

"Yes, it will try to adapt to you. You'll have to outsmart it."

"And how exactly do I do that?"

"That's what you are here to figure out." She frowned but didn't open her eyes to argue. She sat quietly. The only way I knew she was focusing was the very subtle pulse of her power on the page in front of me.

"Well this is about as exciting as watching ink dry. What will we do to pass the time?" Avlyn raised a brow at me.

"Don't worry, I brought some more exercises for you, too." Their face fell. "Gods, it's like basic training all over again."

The hours passed easily.Jun had brought his small harp with him. I had found it outside our door a few days prior with nothing but a note that said, "A guide for the storm." I hadn't understood but it had made Jun chuckle. Hearing him play even a few casual tunes on it brought me so much joy I completely ignored the maps I was supposed to be studying to listen. Occasionally, Avlyn would huff as they overextended their well of magic and needed to take a break to recover, but the princess sat in perfect concentration the entire time.

"I've never seen her focus this long. Gods know she couldn't do it during sword training."

"This is different," Tori responded, and we all jumped. "This is like the best puzzle I've ever had. Every move I make causes a reaction, a countermove. It's almost like a sword fight, and I need to learn to read my opponent the same way." There was a soft fizzle and the amber light on the page in front of her winked out of existence as the ink of the page floated away, leaving an unmarred white page behind. She gave me a cocky smile. "Looks like I won this duel."

Shelooked over at Jun. "You were always better at puzzles than me; you would be great at this."

Hestrummed his harp, looking thoughtful. "I am good at it. I just didn't want to make you look bad." She crumbled up the paper and threw it at him.

"You did well. But that was a basic enchantment, and it took you over two hours. We won't have that kind of time in Koron."

Herface grew hard, but she nodded. "ThenI'll have to get better. Do you have more?"

"Don't worry, Princess; I came prepared." I opened my sack to show her a dozen more scrolls. A deep, rumbling laugh cut through my mind. I had almost forgotten about the dragon carrying us across the continent.

Wehave a great distance more to travel. Best get to work.

The sun was hitting the horizon when I felt Abraxas begin to descend from the sky. The princess had burned through half the scrolls I had prepared. She had gotten a bit faster, but she was sweating, and it was clearly tiring. Her teeth were grinding as she worked on a particularly complex one.

"Give it a rest, Princess. We don't want you burnt out," Avlyn advised. They had stopped practicing hours ago and had been napping beside me, their leg pressed up against mine.

"I've almost got it," she huffed, more sweat appearing on her brow. A look flashed across her face, and I realized she must have been talking with Abraxas. "Focus on flying, domineering reptile."

Iheard the deep rumbling I now recognized as Abraxas' draconian laughter. My seat left the floor of the carriage as he took a much more aggressive dive, and I screamed, clinging to Avlyn.

Torishouted something at him, but I didn't hear it because all I could focus on was Avlyn wrapping their arm around me and pulling me close.

Iflushed and looked up to see Jun giving me a very Tori smirk from across the carriage. I did something I hadn't in centuries and stuck my tongue out at him in a rude gesture. He laughed and gave me a soft smile of encouragement.

Onlya few moments later, our movement slowed dramatically, and I felt the soft impact of the carriage on the ground. "Oh, thank the gods."

Iscrambled towards the door, but it opened before I could reach it. Abraxas stood outside looking disgustingly smug. "You are very welcome, Pallas."

Junlaughed behind me and helped me out of the carriage. I hadn't noticed it as we had descended, but the air here felt sticky and wet, and my neck immediately started sweating. I looked around to see our landing location was a small clearing in a deep jungle. Huge, broad-leafed plants fought against even taller trees that towered over all of us, their canopies blocking the sun. Even without the direct light, it was sweltering, and I found myself panting.

Besideme, Jun took a deep breath, pulling that moist air into his lungs. "Gods, I missed this. It feels almost like—" He paused and looked over at Tori, but she was helping Avlyn unload something off the carriage. "Home."

"We best get a move on before the evening rains hit us," Abraxas said, looking up at the clouded sky.

"It would go faster if you would help us unload, YourMajesty," Avlyn called from the carriage.

"A king does not lower himself to such menial tasks, Commander. That is what I brought you along for."

Avlynrolled their eyes. "HowI always get stuck with all you royals, I'll never know." I walked over to them, the thick layer of leaf litter crunching under my feet.

"How can I help?"

"I've got it. I just like to give him a hard time. No need to strain yourself," they said with a jovial smile.

"I won't break, Avlyn." I held out my hand to take hold of the trunk they held in front of them.

Thesmile reached their eyes. "No, you certainly won't." They let go of the trunk and bid me to follow the rest of the crew.

Myfeet sunk further in with the added weight, but I followed after Jun into the thick of the jungle. He grabbed the handle on one side of the trunk, and we swung it between us as we continued to walk in silence. Well, our silence. The forest around us was alive with life, birds in every shade flying from tree to tree, and creatures rustling the leaves unseen.

Isoaked it all in and realized in the space of a few weeks I'd travel further from my home than I ever had in the five hundred years before. I opened my mouth to speak when the trees before us parted and I was greeted by an extraordinary sight. The forest had dropped away into a stoney canyon, a great waterfall cascading down into a tranquil pool at the base. Carved into the walls and rising up above the surrounding trees were stone buildings that more resembled temples than homes. Their tiered shape flowed from a square base, and each level was decorated with steps and golden carvings. The images were inlaid with turquoise and red stones, and verdant green plant life sprung from every crack and crevasse as if it couldn't have been stopped had the designers tried.

Flat-bottomed boats floated along the pool below, pushed by porters with long sticks. Beneath their decks, I could see the shimmer of a magnificent magenta fish that was longer than the boat above it.

Morewaterfalls flowed from the canyons' side and away from us; the city perfectly existed within its surroundings instead of fighting them. I was so entranced I didn't notice a small group of locals until they were nearly upon us.

Theywere dressed in boldly colored robes with large, geometric patterns, similar to the carvings on the stone walls. They fell straight from the shoulder to the floor and were relatively plain except for the massive collars that lay across the wearers' neck and shoulders, made from golden cloth and trimmed with a complex pattern made from gems and stones of every color. Two women wore headwear that mimicked these collars, extending above the head like the rising sun.

Jungave me an apologetic smile before hoisting the weight of the trunk back onto me and walking over to stand beside his sister and the king.

"Lak"echAlaK"in, KingAbraxas. It has been too long." One of them greeted him and pressed their two index fingers together, tapping them to their forehead. The woman beside her did the same.

"Lak"echAlaK"in, QueenXareni, QueenItzayana," Abraxas greeted, mimicking the gesture. "MayI present to you, the Prince and Princess of the PearlKingdom, Jun and ToriKhato." The twins both mimicked the gesture as well before Tori spoke.

"Thank you for welcoming us into your home, QueenXareni and QueenItzayana."

"We are honored to be received by you," Jun added with a soft smile.

Thequeens did not return it.

"Come inside. There is much to discuss."