For the longest time my advisors told me to make allies. They told me that our nation could not do everything on our own. They said that we would fail if we could not rely on others to hold onto in times of need. They were wrong. I conquered it all.
Everything.
- Galath Areias, The First
Cadyr Areias
Curious.
I was curious about the supposedly common blooded Walker.
My father says curiosity is a dangerous trait, I think he's full of it.
Curiosity is where the fun is.
"We're almost there, hang tight." I shouted into the wind, thoughts igniting one after another, like the legendary flames of the Caldrith bloodline, furious, and untamed.
No one without royal blood was supposed to be able to awaken to the Veil. My father had never even mentioned the possibility. My mentor, uncle Drefyr, had also never brought it up. Even Altharion, the smartest and wisest Walker in the kingdom, aside from myself of course, never even entertained the thought.
So how could it be?
Perhaps he's a bastard son of a random noble, like Drefyr, I thought to myself. But it was hard to imagine. Bloodlines are incredibly sacred to the royals. To taint a bloodline would be like tainting one's entire sense of worth. Atleast, that's what my father had said. Besides, there was something about the boy, Renric, he had told me. He was trustworthy, or at least, that's how he seemed.
Well, the best way to understand someones true nature in my experience, was to see how they manifested their magic.
"Here it is!" I called out, setting the boy down. I watched as he gingerly eased himself back onto solid ground, breathing deep, controlled breaths. Despite having only flown twice in his life, he seemed rather calm.
"Where are we?" He questioned. He spoke with a deeper voice than you may expect from a child. He had an olive complexion, soft, straight brown hair that covered about half an inch of his forehead. A strong jaw and furrowed, deep eyebrows that made it seem as if he was perpetually angry at the world. Or perhaps just violently suspicious.
"This is my secret hideaway, I come here to plan how next I will punish the common bloods in our dungeons!" I joked with an evil laugh, rubbing my hands together like a children's novel antagonist.
"Amusing," He replied in a deadpanned tone. "I would laugh if it wasn't my people being punished."
"Ok ok you got me," I said, gesturing to our surroundings, "This is where I go when I need a… break." I watched as Renric took in our surroundings. A clearing in what seemed like a never ending forest, a small body of water, somewhere between a pond and a lake, stood at its center. A natural body of clear, sandy earth hugged the perimeter of the water. He considered the space carefully, as if examining for something.
"So what kind of adventure is this exactly," Renric said suddenly, breaking my train of thought.
"Well, the adventuring kind." I said back, before conjuring a small, tooth sized pebble above my palm. I focused, bringing just a touch of wind element magic forth to propel the rock towards Renric's head.
"Ow!" The boy yelped, bringing a hand up to rub his face where the rock had landed. Right between the eyes. A perfect shot. Even my father would've been proud.
"It's more of a one sided adventure to be honest, seeing as i've already been here before-"
"What was that for!" He interrupted indignantly, a small red welt appearing on his face.
I shot him a toothy grin before saying "I wanted to see if you could only access the Veil when you perceived a threat. It was either the rock or me dropping you from the sky and seeing if you would learn to fly before hitting the ground, honestly," I put my chin up mockingly, "You should be thanking me."
"I'm not a creature to be experimented on." He angrily replied, although I could see the whispers of a smile taking hold at the corner of his lips. To be expected of course, who could possibly resist the charm of prince Cadyr himself?
"Of course not! You are clearly human, well, I hope so at least," suddenly remembering the shapeshifting magic beast that Altharion had shown me once when I was nine. It had turned into a spitting image of me, and I nearly fainted from its attractiveness. "Well, if that didn't work, tell me, Renric, when was your awakening?"
The awakening is a process in which every royal experiences sometime in their life, typically before their thirteenth. It is when the Veil chooses you, and bestows a royal the ability to call upon its power. The four primal magics, earth, wind, fire, and water are typically all that those without training will be able to access within their lifetimes, with more advanced magics being possible coupled with deeper knowledge of the Veils will.
I can't believe I was actually listening to Altharion when he was telling me all that junk,I laughed internally to myself. I had awakened before I had even learned to walk, and so the memory was hardly there.
The boy glanced at me, an obvious hesitation in his demeanor. He couldn't quite meet my eyes, instead choosing to focus on the body of water in front of us. It was a few moments before he finally spoke.
"I told you already, something happened when I was younger…" he paused briefly before continuing, "I was maybe seven or eight at the time, I was scared, so I never tried to do it again."
"Interesting," I brought my hand up to my chin, stroking it slowly, a habit I had picked up from Uncle Drefyr when he would deliberate with himself. "Let's try this then, hold out your dominant hand."
Renric turned his glance to me for a second, perhaps wondering if this were another practical joke of mine, before slowly raising his left hand into the air.
"Now close your eyes and squeeze your hand as tight as you possibly can," I watched as he followed my instructions before continuing, "focus on its familiarity, the comfort and ease of it.. now, repeat this with your right hand."
The boy lowered his left hand and proceeded to slowly raise his right, repeating the same squeezing motion I had instructed him to perform earlier.
"That is how it feels to access the Veils powers, a familiar sensation, like using a muscle that doesn't quite get as much attention as the rest," I paused, bringing both my arms up at ninety degree angles, "Of course, I give all of my muscles equal attention."
Renric gave an involuntary chuckle, like a cough he had been holding in for too long, before turning to meet my eyes.
"I don't quite understand," He sighed, as if disappointed with himself.
"It's alright, not everyone can be as intelligent as me."
"You are so full of yourself."
"As I should be," I shot back with a chuckle, "here, how about this, turn to the water and close your eyes. Do the same thing with first your left and then your right arm, but instead imagine that you are shaping the water into a tight ball within your palm, as if you were gripping an apple in your hand." I repeated the exercise that Drefyr had me practice when I was first learning to control the basic primal magics. It is easier to first learn to manipulate a primal element that was already there than it is to first conjure it from nothing.
Renric turned towards the water, closing his eyes and repeating the exercise. When he raised his left arm, squeezing his hand together in the shape of a sphere, nothing happened, and I could see his shoulders visibly shake in what seemed like apprehension, but without further instruction he raised his right arm and continued-
The water a few feet from where the boy stood slowly began to stir, droplets forming together, pressing into a nearly perfect sphere. I let out a cry of excitement and Renric opened his eyes. I watched as his eyes followed his arm, extending past it towards the body of water ahead of him. His gaze reached the small sphere of water suspended delicately in the air, as if attached to a string held by a motionless clear sky. I noticed his eyes glimmer with a sense of amazement.
Quickly however, he seemed to lose concentration and the sphere fell unceremoniously back into the larger pool of water. I barely caught it, but he seemed to shiver slightly with what looked like hesitation, or perhaps… fear.
"That was great! Of course when I myself first did this exercise, at the ripe old age of five mind you, I was able to make a much larger sphere and move it right over my mentors head, he was so angry he-"
"I'd like to go home now," He stated flatly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his tunic, like a dejected toddler who had been told no to his favorite toy.
I suppressed the urge to laugh before continuing, "but you were doing so great! I bet with just a little more practice you could-"
"I'd. Like. To. Go. Home."
I froze, Renric hadn't seemed like the most joyous fellow when I had first met him, but his tone now had an icy hostility that I was only used to hearing from my father.
He seemed to soften for just a moment upon seeing my facial expression, but only slightly.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, but my mother is waiting for me and it is getting dark out so-"
The boy stopped mid sentence, he quivered, unable to get a word out. He swiftly and urgently raised his arm, a single finger shakily pointing not at me, but directly behind me.
I turned promptly, only to be met with what had come to be an all too familiar of a sight.
A prominent, blazing bolt of fire, headed directly for my chest.
"Watch out!" I yelled behind me, not wanting Renric to get caught in the blast. Relying on my instincts, I conjured a shield of earth to just barely block the ensuing firebolt before pushing myself back with a controlled gust of wind, landing beside the boy.
"What the heck is that?" He questioned, slowly recovering from his earlier shock.
I squinted hard, my eyes struggling to make out the figure in the distance. My eyes blurred, then focused, and I could make out the living flames above its long face, reminiscent of that of a drake. It had a slender, horse-like frame, and short black hair dotted with lines of cracked, glowing molten lava peeking through like the surface of a recently erupted volcano. Below the flame on its head, a dark mane of fur fell from its neck to meet its torso. Its golden, glowing eyes shined brightly against the darkening sky. The creature's claws illuminated the ground with a searing orange tinge, and left behind singed pawprints as it walked towards us.
Suddenly, it reared back on its curved hind legs, opening its jaw to reveal a set of small, razor sharp teeth, before firing another bolt of fire towards us.
"A Cindrak, nothing I haven't seen before." I stated, casually conjuring a blast of wind to redirect the fire bolt into the water. I remained vigilant, remembering what Drefyr had taught me about Cindraks-
At that moment, a second fire bolt catapulted towards us, directed at Renric. I managed to spot it just in time, sending another blast of wind, knocking this firebolt into the ground where it fizzled and smoldered out of existence.
"Two of them?" Renric said, but at that same moment he inhaled sharply in shock.
I turned, facing away from the original Cindrak, and instead focused my gaze on the spot from which the second fire bolt had flown in from. To my surprise, there was not just another Cindrak, as I knew they typically hunted in pairs…
There were three more, partially obscured by the trees in the distance.
"Four Cindraks! Together?" I questioned aloud, inching myself closer to the boy in order to better protect him from both angles. I had only ever faced one, and occasionally two magical beasts at once in my training, four together would be a challenge.
Prince Cadyr of Karouse is always up for a challenge, I thought to myself.
"Usually Cindrak's hunt in pairs, for there to be four at the same time is an abnormality to say the least. I'm gonna need your help."
"Help? I only barely managed to use magic for the first time a few moments ago, what help could I possibly offer?" The boy answered back, nervousness creeping behind every word.
"It's alright, I don't need you to fight, I need your eyes," I started, raising my hands while simultaneously forging two lances of water from the pond beside us, letting both float above my shoulders. Better to focus on the fight rather than conjuring elements with the Veils powers. "Keep an eye on the ones behind me and tell me when they attack."
The boy obediently moved to stand back to back with me, I could feel the pressure of his body pushing against mine, trembling slightly.
The three Cindraks that had appeared together split up, circling the two of us. I could easily keep two within my field of view, but the other one slipped out of range, moving instead towards the original Cindrak behind me. Luckily, the body of water stood to our right, and so I would not have to worry about attacks from more than three different directions.
This time, acting on the offensive, I sent the two water lances hurling towards the Cindraks directly in front of me. One managed to dodge, sending itself hurtling away. The other was not so fortunate, and my lance hit its target accurately, right at the flame atop its head.
Cindraks lifeforce was directly tied to the strength of its flame. Snuffing one's flame out was enough to kill, or atleast incapacitate a Cindrak. The creature that was hit fell to the ground, its eyes slowly dimming as the life faded from its body.
"They are attacking at the same time!" Renric called out, and I stepped forward, kneeling down to jump. Letting my years of training take over, I propelled myself upwards utilizing the winds, twisting my body midair and landing a few feet in front of the boy. I tilted my head up, bringing both arms up and halting the firebolts in mid air before sending them to either side, one dropping into the lake on my left, the other cascading into a nearby bush, lighting it ablaze.
I counteracted with two more lances of water, but both Cindraks easily dodged them this time. I noticed their flames burning considerably brighter than the previous beast that I had killed. It seemed the ones still alive would prove to be worthy foes.
"Another one!" Renric called out from behind me, and we swiftly traded places, stepping next to each other as I pushed this bolt of fire back with a gust of wind.
This dance between the three Cindraks, myself, and the boy ensued for a few more moments, neither side able to gain any traction with both sides attacks either being repelled or dodged. Slowly however, the Cindraks circled closer, perhaps planning a melee attack.
"What is the plan?" Renric shouted in between attacks, his breath becoming faster and faster as the fight continued.
"Plan? What plan? I don't make plans!" I shouted back, quickening the already present breeze tossling my long silver hair forward, creating a stream of pressurized air. The stream flew forward at an incredible pace, blowing against the Cindraks flame, snuffing it out of existence. "Yes!" I exclaimed in triumph.
But that moment of celebration proved to be a fatal error.
"Watch out!"
The Cindrak behind me was closing in fast, its front claws stretched out, reaching towards my arm.
It's too fast, I thought to myself. I watched as its fiery figure descended upon me, I could only widen my eyes in fear. This is how crown prince Cadyr of Karouse meets his untimely demise.
A humongous torrent of water from the lake surges forward, enveloping the Cindrak like a blanket hugs a toddler. Its flame extinguishes as its swept away, the creature's lifeless body laying in a puddle of magically manipulated water.
Renrics arms were outstretched, his neck pulsing with strain and eyes wild.
"You saved me." I stated simply, not quite believing my eyes before breaking out into a wide grin. "Thanks man!"
"The last one!" He cried out, but I had already sensed it coming.
I reached out an arm, cloaking it in a gauntlet of fire to avoid burning my hand and grab the creature by its neck. I deftly slid my body back, slamming the creature with its own momentum down into the ground. I stared into its eyes, now the fearful ones, and brought my other hand up. "They will tell stories of the day you almost managed to kill Prince Cadyr." I snapped my fingers together, snuffing out its flame with but a single thought.
"Well that was fun!" I told the boy excitedly.
With an exasperated sigh, he fell backwards suddenly landing on his back. "We almost died."
"That was the fun part!" I replied.
Renric lifted his arms, stretching while still laying on the ground. He let out a chuckle, perhaps because of the adrenaline slowly leaving his body, or maybe he had come around to my charming sense of humour.
"You're crazy," He said matter of factly, sitting up. "Now, I'd really like to go home now."
"Of course your majesty," I replied, walking over, grabbing him before soaring off into the sky.
We were close to his village, Stonewick, he had told me as we flew over. I landed quietly, a small distance away from the path leading to Darrowmere, not wanting to disturb the common blood villagers in their sleep.
"I'll see you around Renric, I've really got to get going now, Cornelius is probably furious." I turned, ready to fly off back to the castle.
"Wait!" The boy yelped, a little louder than he probably intended. "How- How should I address you?" He stared at me, his face slightly turning red.
I turned back to face him, before lowering my body into a slight, polite greeting bow, "why, as your imperial majesty Prince Cadyr Areias of Karouse of course." I replied jokingly. His eyes narrowed, as if attempting to decipher whether or not I was being serious or not. I stood upright, shooting him another toothy grin, "Just Cadyr is fine by me."
He nodded, and turned, walking slowly back to his village.
I launched into the sky, the wind coiling beneath me like a living being. The crescent moon crowned the horizon, casting silver over the forest as I soared toward the golden gates of Darrowmere, bright, but as boring as ever.
What an interesting boy, I thought, and vanished into the dark.
—
"Within the Veil lies not an answer, but a question—one only the brave or the broken dare to ask."
- Altharion Vellin