Chapter 36 - Mirage of Memories

788 I.C, March 12, Dracwyn: Merchant District, Night

A peaceful night... The twin moons chasing each other... Stars twinkling...

It's been a while since I sent Amari back... The others are probably worried by now...

I drew a deep breath, straightened my jacket, and glanced down from the warehouse roof. Magic lights hummed along the streets and illuminated long rows of warehouses. Some of them had been torn open and a selection of crates had been dragged onto the road. Nothing looked as if it had been taken though, probably because the spilled contents held little more than piles of broken pottery.

With a deep breath I prepared myself to head and-

A sudden blast tore through the area. Windows could be heard shattering, and a burst of light rose from the distance. Within seconds the light faded but the calm of the night was no more. Strong lights began to probe the area as the blimps took notice and people started shouting.

We're at the edge of the Merchant district, near the warehouses...

The industrial district is just a few blocks away... I wonder what happened...

The others can wait a bit longer...

My tail flicked from excitement as I raised my hand, focused on a warehouse in the blast's direction, and readied myself for a jump through the aether. It took a few moments to get the spell going but I was soon listening for rifts and snatched the first one that felt right. With a pop reality shifted around me and I my paws hit new ground with a metallic clang. My ears perked as my senses stabilized and I was drawn toward the noise coming from a row of warehouses further ahead.

One more...

Once more I raised my hand to help visualize where I wanted to go and listened to the aether. I then raised one leg, stepped forward, and latched onto another rift. Another thump of energy shook me along with another metallic clang as the metal roof of the warehouse met my weight.

This time the noise was closer and my focus was drawn to the street below. It looked like a blast of thunder had struck the road and had torn apart the supporting wall of a warehouse. Pieces of brick and mortar were still crumbling as my eyes locked on a red fox that stood among the debris.

"Stay back! I am Robert, right hand of the King!" The red fox snapped and raised a jagged piece of metal.

Laying next to the fox was what looked like a brown furred beast while several city guards were encircling them.

"Disarm and move away from the beast or die!" One of the guards snapped.

A strong beam of light moved over the area, homed in on the warehouse, and locked on the fox. A moment later the air filled with a loud voice emanating from one of the nearing blimps, "This is the Dracwyn Guard! You are surrounded! Cease your magic and stand down!"

The strong light of the blimp revealed something strange as the area glistened like ice. Vapors still trailed from the frozen ground while the fox's fur glistened with melting water while the clothes were caked with ice. The same could be seen on the beast whose fur was caked with clumps of dirty snow and ice. To make things even stranger was a bunch of books littering the ground. It made me focus on the aether for a moment and while the fox had a slight hint of magic he was no mage. That only left the brown furred beast, yet as I focused on him the aether seemed to flicker as if broken. In fact, there was only the smallest hint of life still clinging to the creature.

The right hand of the king... Ice... Brown fur... Could... No, that's ridiculous, can't risk it though...

"Step the hell back or I shall have you court marshaled!" The fox snarled and lashed out as the guards drew closer.

This is no coincidence...

I drew a deep breath, channeled the energy inside me, and held out my hands. From one hand hundreds of threads spilled like writhing tendrils while air gathered in the other and began to build a pressure bomb. As the guards started moving once more I made my move.

I latched onto a rift near the collapsed structure and stepped off the ledge as if leaping off a cliff. In an instant reality warped around me, and I hit fresh ground with a loud thud. The surprised gasps to my right told me where the guards were, while I let the threads search the ground for bricks to catch. As my vision steadied I looked to the right, focused on the guards that were now raising their weapons against me, and held up my hand.

With a mental flick the pressure bomb triggered and a thunderous boom shook the area in front of my hand. The guards were hurled back as if hit by a cannon and a big cloud of dust whirled up around us. I then looked to my left, raised my gaze, and focused on the blimp that loomed above us.

With a thug I grabbed hold of the threads which now held a variety of bricks, and lashed out. Magic sparked in the air as the threads moved like bent branches and hurled their load off the ground. Loud clangs could be heard as the bricks met metal and was followed by a series of loud bangs and breaking glass as the propellers and windows were hit. The engines of the blimp groaned in protest and the massive ship began to drift. Distant alarms echoed from it as the lights lost their focus and cloaked us in darkness once more.

With some privacy regained, I turned my attention to the books and the ones that had brought them.

788 I.C, March 12, Dracwyn: Merchant District, Night

Robert stared at the beast that had appeared out of nowhere. In a moment he had dispatched the guards, and in the next one of the mighty blimps had been disabled. Magic danced around the strange mage as tendrils of red slithered across the ground, grabbed every book in sight, and held them up to be inspected by its master. A split second later the red eyes of the mage were upon him as if digging through his soul.

"Where did you come from?" The black furred beast asked with a tone that the drifting motes of magic shiver.

Robert hardened his grip of the jagged metal in his hand, "Stay back!"

The words had barely left his mouth as he felt his arms lock up as if caught by a seizure. One by one he felt his fingers being forced open until the weapon dropped to the ground with a clatter.

"These books, where did you get them?" The beast demanded and stepped closer.

"Who are you?" Robert asked.

The beast took two large steps, threw Robert a cursory glance, and promptly shoved him aside before crouching next to Raymond. Robert stumbled back, steadied himself, and looked down at the two. Raymond lay still, his chest moved no more, and whatever life that had filled him with such confidence mere minutes ago seemed a distant memory.

The black beast reached out, cupped Raymond's head in both hands, and stared at him. It hadn't struck Robert until, but the wide muzzles, wild fur, and broad shoulders were achingly similar. The black beast must have been another wulfkin, one that could wield magic at that, with red eyes to boot.

"... You're Red Eye, aren't you? Avery?" Robert asked.

The black beast glanced at Robert for a moment, and his expression twisted into a scowl with bared fangs, "Who is this?"

"Raymond," Robert answered.

The ears of the black beast clamped to his head and his muzzle dropped open as if he didn't believe it. A moment later he looked back at Raymond, and gritted his teeth once more.

Robert continued, "The books are from Aetherius, birthplace of the Necromancers. Raymond sacrificed himself to-"

"Shut up!" The black beast snapped with his hackles bristling by the neck.

Robert leaned back and kept silent. Within moments something strange began to happen. The red light emanating from Red Eye's chest grew brighter, sharper, and the surrounding air began to quiver.

Sharpened tendrils of magic gathered near Raymond, and began to sink into his body like needles. They began to pulse with light and forced something into Raymond's ragged body.

Raymond's body jerked without warning, and a surprised cough made his chest compress. The light began to fade but a few of the tendrils remained behind, like a lifeline that pulsed like a beating heart.

Red Eye rose and looked at Robert, "Don't resist."

Robert had little time to protest as magic gripped his body, and forcibly pulled him closer to the Red Eye. A heavy hand snatched hold of his chest, and a strange sensation rippled around them. A split second later the world twisted and with a loud thump they were transported somewhere else.

788 I.C, March 13, The Pierced Veil: Tower, Morning

I focused my efforts on Raymond as I dragged him through the room and eased onto the bed. His body slumped and left trails of dirt as my hands touched his chest. The beat of his heart was weak, but steady as I listened and focused one the flow of energy I channeled into him. It reminded me of how Clyde had reacted once I cut his connection to the Master but this time I had no explanation of how it had been done.

"How did this happen?" I asked and glanced over at the red fox.

The fox drew a deep breath and kept his eyes locked on me, "Long story made short: I tried to save the King of Agron, but was forced to use a Stone of Fate to escape. The Stone transported me to Aetherius where I hid in the caves. One day Raymond literally dropped from the wulfkin camp above my cave and landed in the icy currents along the bottom. He seemed dead but woke up and I nursed him as best I could. The cave held a library and a collapsed transporter platform. We dug it out together and managed to get it working by tapping into the Aetherius energy grid. As we were about to escape when... something found us. Raymond threw me into the transporter and that's all I know."

"Something?" I asked.

The fox frowned as if reminded of something horrible, "Aetherius was full of strange mages that were working on a gargantuan black obelisk and a big camp of wulfkins that were bigger and more..."

"Feral?" I asked.

The fox made a slow nod, "Yes... Based on the sounds we've heard they've been in a lot of pain lately. But something changed a few days ago... The obelisk woke up, tremors shook the caverns, and we could hear their screams shifting..."

I looked back at Raymond, "Something has cut Raymond off from the Master. Do you have any idea how that might have happened?"

The red fox shook his head, "No."

I let things sink in for a moment, "You should not have been able to transport here. How did you manage it?"

"We were hoping that the King's codes might still work. But they didn't. Something intervened on our behalf, a mote of light... glimmering and shifting. It interacted with the interface we had build and activated the transporter."

I sat down on the bed and noticed movement along the stairs. As I glanced up I saw Talwin and Clyde peering into the room from the stairs. I ignored them for the moment and looked at Raymond once more. He was a mess of scars, torn fur, and still healing wounds. His tail seemed to be gone and he only had one ear left. Whatever torture he'd been put through had been going on for months and it had turned what was once a big brute into an emaciated husk. It was sickening and the smell wafting from his body didn't help.

Rather than feel anger or hatred I found myself oddly empty. He was too broken to feel like the Raymond I remembered, and the things told by the fox made little sense.

Raymond, sacrifice himself? Working with others? Showing even a hint of intelligence? It... Felt unreal...

I drew a deep breath, exhaled, and then focused on the fox, "Who are you?"

The fox straightened a little, "To this nation I am known as Robert the Fox, also referred to as the right hand of the king, current and old."

Something shifted along the stairs and caught my attention once more. As I glanced over it turned out that Leonard had appeared as well and now stared, bug eyed, at Robert as if having seen a ghost.

"Is he telling the truth?" I asked out loud.

Leonard threw me a glimpse, looked back at the fox, and nodded, "He's not as well groomed as usual, and his clothes are worn... But that's the right hand of the king, I'm sure of it."

I leaned back on the bed and sighed, "Well... Welcome, Robert. I'm Avery as you figured out and this is my merry band. Cooperate or be prepared to be locked in our cellar."

Robert's ears perked as he shifted his stance, "That's one kind of welcome... I guess."

I motioned toward him, "It's nothing personal. We're just trying to fight the Master and so far this nation has proven more than difficult to work with. Discretion has become a necessary part of our operation."

Robert scanned the room and looked at us one by one, "So... you are fighting the Master?"

I nodded, "Ever since I escaped from Everwinter, yes."

Robert inched closer, "... Excuse me if I seem eager, but why is he hunting you?"

"I can't let you go as it is, so I might as well tell you."

788 I.C, March 13, The Pierced Veil, Evening

I glanced into the bedroom and found Robert sitting next to Raymond's bed. It felt strange to see the fox sitting motionless, staring at the bed as if waiting for a loved one to wake up. Either it was nothing more than an excuse to get a peaceful moment, or Raymond had some sort of information Robert needed.

"Robert?" I said and gently tapped the door frame.

Robert perked to attention as he looked back and focused on me, "Evening, Avery."

"You've been here all day, watching over him. Why?" I asked and walked closer.

Robert glanced at Raymond for a moment, "There's little else I can do at the moment..."

"Oh?" I asked, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

Robert leaned back in his chair and drew a deep breath, "I served as the King's advisor... The king which now leads an undead army that marches on Dracwyn. My presence is bound to be awkward to Dracwyn because they can't trust me, nor any information I share. Even if they acknowledged me I'd still be placed under house arrest... I'm not a mage either, which means I can't even assist in your research."

"Thus you're here, watching over Raymond, instead of being in the room I assigned to you," I said and watched him with a cautious eye.

Robert looked at me oddly, as if my behavior was an enigma, "I wouldn't have gotten out of there without his help, nor would you have your books. Your brother is my friend, Avery."

I stared at him in wonder of whether he was pulling my leg, or was just delusional.

"Raymond is convinced that you hate him, that you're going to kill him in fact, and he claimed that he deserves it," Robert said.

I sighed and felt the urge to bare my fangs, "I'm not going to kill him."

"But you do hate him, your own brother?" Robert asked.

"I don't know what I feel, but you're not in a position to judge me, so don't," I ordered.

Robert raised his hands, "Very well... I take it there's no chance of hearing your side of the story?"

"No, not now at least. But I am curious why you'd refer to him in a... fond manner. My brother, even when he wasn't a wulfkin, was still an obnoxious pain in the ass."

Robert simply extended a hand to point at Raymond's mangled body, "Look at him. He is broken, crippled by the torment of his mind. People can, and do change."

"Torture makes better people? That's a surprise to me," I said.

Robert smiled back, "It depends. True, the wounds he's suffered will take a long time to recover from, if he'll ever be able to. But it's also true that a harsh situation can force you to reinvent yourself."

"Uh huh, now lets shift the subject to something more urgent," I said.

"... I'm listening?" Robert said.

I held up a book, flipped it open, and held it up to show a cut-through image of the giant obelisk, "This giant obelisk. It's what you saw in the cave, wasn't it?"

Robert nodded, "Yes. It was inactive at first, but something happened during the quakes. The obelisk lit up with green energy, the wulfkins began to scream as if in pain, and in the days that followed it felt like it was trying to break out of the mountain."

I shut the book, and let it rest on my lap, "That's not surprising, given that it's a floating fortress."

"A... floating fortress?" Robert asked.

I glanced toward the window and nodded, "It was built during the end of the Necromancer war and it had the goal of invading other continents."

Robert blinked, "That thing is bigger than a small town..."

I nodded, "It wouldn't be able to fly at high latitudes, not even the necromancers could solve that problem. But it'd have no problem crossing the ocean when the seas are calm."

"But such a massive object? Even the previous archmage would balk at the idea of keeping it lifted, let alone moving it across the ocean."

I tapped the cover of the book with one hand, "Ordinarily you'd be right, but they used the same method for managing magic energies that the Master uses."

"Which is?" Robert asked.

"Energy transfer through the aether. A transporter, but for moving energy rather than physical goods. By binding many thousands to one pool the Master can imbibe one entity with a lot of power. It's the secret behind the wulfkin's supposed immunity to magic."

Robert stared with his eyes wide open, "It's the same way Dracwyn's energy grid works... Decentralized, lots of individual sources pooled into one, by physical cables of course, not the aether."

I nodded, "The necromancers intended for the whole continent to remotely power the obelisk. Needless to say it is going to be incredibly powerful."

Robert raised his hand for a moment, "Hold on. If this is true, then why hasn't the Master already crushed us? After all, you're saying that he can project the entirety of his might through a single individual?"

"Channel too much magical energy through a crystal and it burns up, everyone knows that. The same principle applies to mages and wulfkins, it's just that the threshold is a lot higher. This means that the Master can indeed project a lot of power through a single individual, but as for the reason he's hesitant to do this... It's a good question. Whatever the reason it has been our saving grace so far."

"But things are different with this floating fortress of his?" Robert asked.

"Apparently, for reasons that are not entirely clear yet. But..."

Robert tipped his head, "Yes?"

I raised the book and waved it in Robert's direction, "This book describes the core of the obelisk. A conduit made of living matter..."

"Living? As in..." Robert asked.

I nodded, "I got my hands on a logbook owned by a wulfkin alpha. It described that most humans and mages in Everwinter had been forcefully taken into the Master's tower and hadn't been seen since. He may have just drained them of life, but I'd suspect he used them to create this... living core."

"What you're saying, it's revolting," Robert whispered.

"You asked how we fight something like this, and the simple answer is that I don't know. The Star may be able to cut through the Master's magic if you get up close and personal. But that won't exactly work against a floating fortress that will strike you dead before giving anyone a chance to get close."

Robert seemed to ponder it for a moment, "Dracwyn may hold the answer."

"How? Dracwyn may have mighty walls and fortifications, but other than that..." I asked.

Robert motioned toward the window, and pointed at one of the distant towers, "Dracwyn is an old city with a past that reaches beyond well beyond the war. Once upon a time it housed the Mage Academy, then it served as a fortress for the necromancers, now it serves as a bastion of free trade, and each have built upon the very origin of this place."

"Which is?" I asked.

"A natural leyline of magic, and while difficult to see the city is actually shaped like a hexagon."

I looked out the window and focused on the ocean which cut the city into the shape of a half-moon, "Doesn't look like it."

Robert smiled to himself, "Parts of the city have been reclaimed by the sea, but the towers that marked its shape are now used as lighthouses instead."

I leaned back in my chair, "Any specific purpose for this particular shape?"

Robert shrugged, "Dracwyn may have paid taxes to the king but as a city it has always been very secretive. The previous king tried to rein them in for a while but Dracwyn proved too troublesome an enemy. What little we got out of our squabbles was that Dracwyn had invested plenty of resources into the magical grid that powers the city. For what purpose? None knows."

"Hopefully Fletcher's contacts will help shed light on it."

Robert blinked in surprise, "Fletcher? The Spy-masters pupil? He's here? Alive? You're in contact with him?"

I smiled at the barrage of questions, "Yes, he's here, and yes... I'm in contact with him."

Robert's gaze wandered while he stroked the graying fur along his muzzle, "I would like to speak with him."

"That's fine by me, Robert... As long as you keep in mind whose side you're on," I said.

Robert glanced up, "I remember, and I'm well aware of the situation we're in. That being said, I think I can be of use, and so can the Dracwyn Executor."

"Executor?" I asked.

Robert focused on me while stroking a whisker, "The Executor is the one chosen to act as head of the Dracwyn council. A position that is... complicated, but of use to us."

"Explain?" I asked.

"The council consists of Dracwyn's financial elite. While greedy and unscrupulous they're quite intelligent and despite their flaws they understand the need for a neutral entity to rule on issues without bias. The Executor is that neutral entity and in public he speaks for the council. Behind the scenes he acts as mediator in a process that can be best described as... volatile. Naturally the position demands that he has no personal or financial bonds with the others. While the position gives the Executor power it has also resulted in a very isolated life."

"You seem to know a lot about him," I said.

"Any negotiations with Dracwyn involves the Executor, and as right hand of the king it's only natural that I know him..."

Robert's trailing voice caught my attention, "I take it there's more?"

"In my duties I represent the kingdom, and in his duties he represents the interests of Dracwyn. These goals often collide but it's not always necessary to be enemies because of it, and in private I consider the Executor a personal friend."

"Does this Executor have a name? Or am I mistaken in assuming it's a title?" I asked.

"Excuse me... I forget that others may not be familiar with the etiquette of Dracwyn. Because of his role as head of the council he has no name. Instead he is a title, a function of the system, nothing more, and nothing less. Thus if you do meet him, don't address him by his name, at least not in public. In private though, he's a tiger by the name of Alraya, and he enjoys a good game of chess to pass the time."

"Duly noted, anything else you might share?"

Robert pondered it for a moment and then tipped his head, "When in doubt, say nothing and excuse yourself. Gracefully, I might add, such as needing to see a business interest on the other end of the room, or an urgent matter brought to your attention."

"Why?" I asked.

Robert smiled to himself and clasped his hands, "The idiosyncrasies of the aristocrats can often be... confusing. Especially for a newcomer. If you were to encounter them you'd likely be approached in a manner you'd find rude and hostile. To their minds their behavior is appropriate, but by responding in kind you'd likely cause a diplomatic incident. Something I'd rather not deal with given our current situation."

"You make it sound as if you plan to play an intricate part in all of this, did you change your mind suddenly?"

Robert's smile widened, "Fletcher's presence enables possibilities, but he's unlikely to manage it on his own... Brusque as he can be at times."

"I've noticed, and given your previous position as the Ki-"

Robert interrupted me with a sharp glance, "The King is not dead, and until I am reprieved of my title I shall remain as the Right Hand."

Not dead... I wonder if your deluded, clinging to hope, or desperate for power...

"If you say so, Robert," I answered.

788 I.C, March 14, The Pierced Veil: Tower, Morning

I walked over to the stairs, looked down, and called out, "Clyde, Talwin!"

It took a minute but the two soon gathered by the ground floor and looked up in wonder, "Yeah?"

I motioned for them, "We're going on a trip, grab your gear and get ready."

Talwin tipped his head in wonder while Clyde spoke up, "But..."

"What?" I asked.

"Raymond hasn't woken up yet, and we hardly know a thing about Robert, yet we're leaving the guild?"

"Robert's leaving to work with Fletcher and I've shown Leonard how to use the transporter in case they decide to stab us in the back. Raymond may be in bad shape but he's stable and won't wake up for at least a few days. To summarize, I'm not going to sit on my ass while there are still things to be done."

Clyde smirked, "So where are we going?"

"Karashak, land of sand, and home to feline mages with a fetish for slaves," I answered.

Talwin ascended as he talked, "What about Cyrus?"

"I've given him other duties, but don't worry, Leonard will keep an eye on him," I said.

"So what's our mission?" Talwin asked.

"Cyrus spoke of the place where the necromancer war ended. Apparently the event left behind a giant vortex, and I want to see it."

"That's all?" Talwin asked.

"Until Fletcher and Robert reports back with progress we're stuck, and if it sounds like I'm grasping at straws, well... That's because I am."

Talwin smirked and raised his brow, "That's not all, is it though? Something gave you a hunch that this is the right way forward."

I couldn't help but smile, "The books brought by the others paint a very grim picture of what we're facing. But..."

"Yes?" Talwin whispered with a sly smirk.

"The books make a lot of references to Aeternus which is now called the Ruins of Aeternus, the same ruins that now house the giant vortex. Originally I had believed it to be a giant city, but the books speak of it as a project built to 'break the cycle'. The same thing that was referenced in that coyote book of yours."

"Interesting, but how does this relate to the threat we're facing?"

"That's because the giant obelisk took a lot inspiration from the 'great work' being done in Aeternus. Going there, and studying it might reveal something."

Talwin scratched his ear and pondered, "To break the cycle... It's never been clear how to interpret it, but I'm guessing it wasn't a doomsday thing since they built a giant obelisk at the same time?"

"The writing in these books, the extravagance of which they describe their work, it might make sound disturbed, but they weren't suicidal."

Talwin nodded, "Something obviously didn't go according to plan, since there's now a giant crater with a vortex of some kind."

"Indeed," I said.

Talwin raised one claw, put it against the window, and pointed at the distant forests, "They permanently closed the gates this morning... Apparently a horde of undead are gathering outside the city gates."

Upon looking into the distance it seemed as if the forests were moving, or rather, it swarmed like a million ants scurrying across it.

"That's a lot of undead," Clyde murmured as he stepped up behind us.

I nodded, "It's surprising. The city remains calm even when staring destruction in its face."

Talwin glanced back at me, "This is a trade city, Avery... The army and watchmen only make up a tiny percentage of the population."

I sighed to myself, "I know. It's just... It's as if everyone gave up and decided to simply bide their time. It's as if the world decided to meet its end with a whimper rather than a raging roar."

Talwin leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, "Things will change when they break through the walls. That's when the panic starts..."

"Indeed," I answered.

Clyde's gaze shifted between the two of us, "I haven't used magic in a while, but I can't figure out how you're planning to get us there. Karashak is far away and magic anomalies disrupt transporters."

I eyed Clyde and raised a brow, "How did you know this?"

Clyde raised a hand and tapped one finger against his pad, "One, I'm not stupid. Rastlin taught us that transport into areas rich with flux is impossible, and I've seen Everwinter's maps. Two, back at the camp I heard the mages talking. You know, the ones you decapitated?"

"I remember," I said.

"Well, they liked to argue, about anything basically, and they brought it up one day. That is, the reason they can't transport to the Antalorian tower, and why they can't go anywhere near this... vortex, rift, thing."

"And?" I asked.

Clyde was silent for a moment, and then folded his ears back, "Well, uh... I kinda stopped listening at that point. But the question still stands! How are you going to get us there?"

"I reached out as far as I could manage through the aether, and waited for a natural rift to form. When it did I dropped a whole transporter assembly through it. It's inspired by what Cyrus taught me."

Talwin looked at me in amazement, "Did it work?"

"I guess so, since I now have a strong beacon to home in on."

Talwin pondered for a moment, "That means the assembly survived being dropped into the unknown. Which now means that it is resting on stable ground, with no burning fires, or flux to poison us. This could be used for transporting all over the continent without needing to use dedicated transporter platforms."

"Exactly. So get packing, because we're leaving in an hour," I said.

788 I.C, March 14, The Pierced Veil: Tower, Midday

With a thump of air we emerged somewhere new. Even as my senses stabilized I could feel the wind pulling on me to a point where my clothes shook. The air had a metallic tinge like metal and as I opened my eyes a sudden blast of thunder shook the world.

My ears clamped to my head from sheer instinct and my eyes squinted from the harsh light in the distance. As I moved my paws sank into cool sand. Within moments my vision cleared and I was reminded of what Cyrus had described.

Clouds dominated the sky and its hue shifted from blood red to patches of pitch black. There were clear signs of a current and in the epicenter of the sky was a sinkhole that radiated with intense bursts of green glow.

It crackled with activity as it swirled and arcs of thunder danced between the surrounding clouds. From the center of the vortex was a moving twister of dust that reached toward the ground and formed what seemed to be a constant sandstorm.

"Impressive!" Talwin screamed in the wind.

I glanced back, and raised my voice to overcome the noise, "Yes!"

Clyde raised one arm and pointed in the distance, "Look!"

I turned to look, and saw an angry red glow in the distance. It seemed to hover over the dunes like a wildfire without a proper source.

"I guess the burning sands are literally... Burning sand," I said.

Talwin nodded, "Seems that way."

Clyde held his hands up and aimed them at the distant fires, "You can even feel the heat from this distance."

As I looked back towards the vortex I noticed something along the dunes. It looked like a building of gray concrete with a lot of small spires that were aimed at the vortex. Surrounding it were a few tents and small campfires. While watching it quickly became evident that it was occupied by people moving back and forth.

"Any idea what that is?" I said and pointed.

Talwin moved up and spoke in my ear, "It doesn't have enough flair to be the Mage Academy, and it doesn't have a slave camp like you'd find in an outpost belonging to Karashak. Could be Krobian, the architecture is simple, utilitarian, bare."

"You've been to Krobia often?" I asked.

Talwin shrugged, "Not really, but I've seen enough to recognize the architecture, and Leonard has shared a few stories."

"So, it could be a group of Krobian mages studying the vortex," I said.

Clyde raised his arm and pointed, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Oh?" I asked.

Clyde squinted, "Look closely... You can see piles of stuff beside the tents, and those are furs moving around with barely any clothing to speak of. They're scavengers... Probably coyotes."

I gave Talwin a glance and he looked at me in surprise, "I'm a coyote as much as you're a wulfkin, Avery. There's no reason to even ask."

You say that... But that was obviously a sore spot...

"We could approach them, or stay away. But the building could provide shelter and information, even if the scavengers don't," I said.

Clyde looked at Talwin, "Do you speak their language?"

Talwin's ears perked, folded back, and his expression hardened, "They speak common. All coyotes speak common, they have to..."

"Not what I asked," Clyde said.

"Then why is it of any relevance?" Talwin asked.

Clyde sighed, and shifted his attention to me, "One of two things will happen if we approach. They're either smart enough to realize that we're more than they could chew off, or they'll rush us and we'll be forced to kill most of them."

"Anything else?" I asked.

Clyde continued, "Despite being reduced to scavengers the coyote tribes have a lot of pride. They're almost fanatical in the belief that they'll rise to prominence once more. Talking to them in the 'one true language' is a sign of respect that will catch them by surprise."

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"We're in Karashak right now, above us are the Wastes that border Everwinter. Among the monsters there are also tribes of wandering coyote. I don't think you want to hear the details..."

Slaughter... Or something else? I'll have to remember asking about this later on...

"What is the possibility of them having a powerful mage?" I asked.

Talwin poked my arm at this point, "The felines of Karashak would never allow that. They've been intentionally purging any coyote mages, and over time the coyotes have become dulled to the aether."

I leaned in and spoke, "You've managed all right, Talwin."

Talwin made a smile that seemed forced, "Yeah."

Are you... ashamed? This isn't like you...

"Talwin, if things are as Clyde says, would you consider talking to these people?" I asked.

Talwin looked at the camp with a steady if somewhat strained expression, "I can talk to them, if it comes to that."

"Thank you, then lets get going," I said and started walking.

The others followed in my wake as we walked toward the outpost while the vortex raged in the background of it all. As we came closer the wandering figures seemed to notice. They stirred, some ran inside the outpost while others poured out. Within moments a small group began to gather and rushed to gather something near one of the tents.

"What do you think they're doing?" Clyde asked as he joined my side.

"If we're lucky they're arming themselves with sticks," I said.

"If not?" Clyde asked.

I focused on the magic I had sent to scout, "They don't seem to have any magical bullets, but they could still have guns."

As I watched one of the figures rushed towards us in the sand, shouted something incomprehensible, and hurled something through the air. It soared high and my gaze lifted as I extended threads to catch it.

"He screamed for us to leave, but I guess you got that?" Talwin asked.

I smiled and focused on the still soaring object, "I caught the gist of it."

The threads examined the object as it flew, and found little more than a spear with a rusted tip of metal. The threads grabbed it, slowed it down, and let it hover in the air. A frenzy of shouting emerged from the camp and the small group scattered in seconds.

"Guess they got the gist of it as well," Clyde chuckled.

I pulled the spear from the air, let it hover in front of us, and then reached out to grab it. The wood itself was worn from use and the metal had rusted, "Interesting, they don't even keep their weapons sharp."

Talwin spoke up as we walked, "Karashak doesn't have a lot of medicinal plants, and without magic the most common of diseases can kill you. Dirty and rusty weapons can be lethal in ways you don't expect."

"But this won't pierce the simplest of armor, any disease it carries is useless if it can't pierce the target," I said.

Talwin stared at the spear for a few moments, "Yeah... I remember my tribe using poison."

As the minutes passed it became easier to see who and what the people of the outpost were. A bit taller than a human, slim forms, and fur with a dusty texture like the desert. It grew obvious that they were coyotes and by the time we were within a stone throw the outpost had gone quiet.

The tents had been abandoned and as we walked up to the main building a single figure appeared by the entrance. It looked like a coyote with a simple skirt consisting of scavenged fabric and a short garb stretched over a shoulder and upper chest. The coyote's slim features bordered on the edge of malnourishment but the fur itself seemed healthy.

While subtle the facial structure was gentler than one would expect to see on a male and the presence of decorative beads strung along the head fur gave the impression of a female.

I glanced over at Talwin, "Are coyote tribes patriarchal?"

"Males and females have their assigned duties, but there's nothing stopping a female from being assigned the role of elder. So, a bit, but not like you'd expect," Talwin answered.

"So this could be the leader of this tribe?" I whispered.

Talwin shook his head, "Too young, and they wouldn't risk exposing their elder like this."

I turned my attention back to the outpost and watched as the female coyote walked out and approached us.

"What do you want?" The coyote asked in regular Common with an accent that compressed some vocals while others rose in pitch.

I was about to speak when Talwin stepped up and took over. It made my ears perk in confusion as I heard him talk in a language I couldn't recognize and voice that didn't sound much like him. The eyes of the female coyote widened in attention as she focused on Talwin. It only took moments for an intense discussion to take place as both of them gesticulated and spoke.

While they spoke my attention was drawn to the outpost itself. There were plenty of windows but most of them had been broken and boarded shut. While subtle one could see hints of movement as coyotes gathered to glimpse by the windows.

Clyde gently nudged my shoulder and whispered near my ear, "Some of their words are familiar."

I turned my attention to the sounds uttered by Talwin and picked up on the same thing, "It's a spoken form of the runes we use to shape magic. It's strange, their mages must have excellent control over the aether."

The female coyote stopped for a moment and turned her attention to me with a sly smile, "That's quite right, stranger. Our mages were once known and feared across the entire world."

Talwin faced me and motioned toward the female coyote, "This is Fahry, the elder's grand-daughter. They'll allow us to inspect the outpost as long as we don't take anything."

Fahry glanced at Talwin for a moment and nodded before focusing on me once more, "We're sorry about the spear... We did not realize that you were powerful mages."

I nodded, "No problem. Would you consider answering a few questions for us?"

Fahry glanced at Talwin and smiled, "Talwin and I have spoke plenty, outsider."

Talwin's ears folded back a little while he turned his attention to me, "If you insist they'll ask for compensation, tit for tat."

"We can offer food and drink. Krobian wine to be specific, would that work?" I asked.

Whispers could be heard from the windows as Fahry smiled and nodded, "It would, we shall answer your questions, outsider. Perhaps you shall stay for an evening feast?"

"Sounds pleasant enough," I answered.

Fahry motioned to the entrance, "The tribe will stay out of your way... But be forewarned that many of us prefer not to speak common."

"I see," I said while a male coyote leaned out of the opening, and motioned to Fahry.

Fahry turned her attention to the male who stepped up and whispered in her ear. What followed was a rushed exchange of words in their language.

"Something the matter?" I asked as the male coyote withdrew.

Fahry shook her head, ignored me, and looked at Talwin as she uttered more words in the alien tongue. As she finished Talwin was silent and simply stared back.

"Talwin?" I asked.

"They want me to meet with their elder, that's all," Talwin whispered.

I inched closer, "If you-"

Talwin glanced back as if knowing what I was about to say, "It's not that. I'll meet with him, I want to."

You're not telling me something... I can see it, feel it... What did we just stumble upon in this place...

"If you say so, Talwin," I answered.

Fahry stepped closer to Talwin with her tail swaying and her hands clasped. A warm smile marked her expression as she subtly sniffed the air and spoke in the language we couldn't understand. Talwin simply nodded, and followed as Fahry led the way inside.

Don't get caught up in something Talwin... As for you Fahry... You already have my ire...

Clyde inched closer and caught my eye with a sideways glance, "Interesting expression, Avery..."

"Keep an eye on them," I whispered and threw Clyde a glance.

Clyde made a quick nod and began to march, "As ordered, alpha."