Warlord Arcanist (Chapter 7)

Here is an early chapter for the Journeyman Tier! I hope you all enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVEN

HELPFUL ALLIES

Zelfree’s chimera disappeared from Terrakona’s grip. When the beast vanished, there was nothing to hold on to. Terrakona crashed into the ocean, his serpent eyes wide.

I was about to make a joke about another victory under my belt, but I didn’t get the chance. Terrakona straightened himself, and then lifted his head into the air. I patted his crystal mane, proud of his courageous attempts to help in battle. He was still young, after all. This was only his second battle ever.

Without warning, searing pain filled my back and shoulder as a roc talon skewered me from behind. The black talon had punctured straight through my body—just at the base of my ribs, on my right side—as the roc shot passed over Terrakona. The beast took me with it, carrying me by its hook-like talon, like a hawk carried a fish out of the water.

Shock darkened my vision. Hanging from the roc’s talon like a fresh piece of meat hurt more than I could have imagined. I held on to the bird’s massive foot to alleviate the strain of my weight tearing my own body.

The pirate arcanist and his roc… I had never expected they would return… They really took me by surprise…

Terrakona roared as the roc took to the sky. His anger resonated in me, and it helped me narrow my focus. I concentrated on my evocation. The heat emanated from my whole body, not just my hands. And just as I had hoped, the talon sticking out of my gut melted. The enemy roc gasped and thrashed its head.

“It burns!” the roc screamed.

The creature jerked its leg and I fell off of its liquifying limb. With my breath held, I watched the ocean rush up to greet me at startling speeds.

Terrakona had said we were the master of earth and tide, but it didn’t feel like that when I hit the waves shoulder-first…

***

I had that dream again. The one with a castle in the ocean, and Terrakona’s giant tree lair in the background. This time was different, though.

Instead of swimming in a turbulent ocean, I managed to use my evocation to evaporate the waters around me. All of the waters. The entire ocean just… slowly disappeared into a great cloud of steam. Once it had vanished, I was left at the base of a castle.

The building reminded me of King Drake Castle, the one located in the capital of the Argo Empire, Thronehold. There were sovereign dragons and leviathans built into the structure and designed into the fountains and shrubbery. Although the place had been underwater, it looked immaculate and beautiful. It was a dream—what had I been expecting? Realistic water damage?

I walked through the gates and then the sprawling gardens of the courtyard.

Alone.

Shouldn’t there have been guards or servants or knights around?

But I saw nothing. Instead of dwelling on it, I continued on, my head hazy. When I reached the castle, I held my breath. There weren’t any doors or windows. Just… walls. I placed my hand on the cold stone bricks, confused. How was I supposed to get in? I didn’t understand.

And then the skies grew dark with storm clouds, and the chill of the wind left me covered in goosebumps.

What kind of dream was this?

***

It required most of my strength to open my eyelids. Why were they so heavy? I swear I would’ve fallen back asleep the moment I closed them again, but I didn’t want that. My sore body ached as I rolled to my side and groaned. I couldn’t see properly. My blurred vision made everything look like abstract shapes and colors. Light streamed in through a window.

Where was I?

“Oh, Volke, are you actually waking up this time?” a familiar voice asked.

The tone was feminine and filled with concern. It wasn’t Illia. Her voice had a harsh edge. And it wasn’t the Grand Apothecary—she was cheery and bright, even during the darkest of storms. This was… Princess Evianna. Well, not really a princess anymore, since most of her family had died, but still.

Was Evianna okay? I hoped the pirates hadn’t managed to breach the magical barriers. I didn’t have the strength to ask, however, even though I tried.

“Don’t wake him,” another voice said. “Let him keep resting.”

That was Illia.

“He’s been resting for two days,” a third voice chimed in. “He’ll get sores if he lies in the same position for too long. It won’t be pretty. Volke is too handsome for that.”

Another feminine voice, this one sultrier than the others. Who? It had to be Karna the Doppelgänger Arcanist. She always had a way with her words that made everything seem… exciting.

Someone placed a hand on my chest and walked their fingers down toward my stomach.

Another person placed a hand on the opposite side of my chest, and then batted away the first. “Please. This is a place of healing. Show some respect.”

A fourth person? This person I had known for a long while.

Atty Trixibelle. A phoenix arcanist from my home isle, and one of the most beautiful women I knew. She was here? Healing me?

My vision clarified in small bursts. Atty sat next to me, her eyes as blue as the sky, her golden hair flowing like waterfalls of amber. When she smiled, I couldn’t help but smile back. Her white robes matched the clean décor of the infirmary. Even my sheets were crisp and fresh—the place smelled like recovery.

Where was Evianna? I tried to glance around, but my stiff neck refused to comply. I wanted to speak with her.

I had heard her. Evianna was here. I just couldn’t see her at the moment.

Illia walked up to my side, into my field of view, and then she stared down with a smirk. “I thought I’d have to reprise my role as a gravedigger.” She poked my shoulder and tilted her head. “I’m surprised you’re already awake. You didn’t look so good when Guildmaster Eventide pulled you from the ocean.”

“Well, you look like a swashbuckler,” I murmured, my voice weak, but laced with a chuckle.

Unlike Atty, who wore clothes of beauty, Illia always wore her sailing coat, knee-high boots, and a thick belt with several pouches. Illia had wavy brown hair—the kind that looked like the wind had styled it for her—which only added to her adventurer’s aura. The eyepatch she wore reminded me of home, however. Gravekeeper William had made it for her. A black patch with the design of a white rizzel stitched into it. The ferret-like creature matched Illia’s arcanist mark perfectly.

Although it was a tragedy that Illia had lost an eye to pirates, I couldn’t imagine her without an eyepatch. It was her.

“I brought you extra blankets,” Illia said.

I took a shallow breath and managed to reply, “Thank you.”

“I also made sure you got the softer pillows.”

“Thank you.”

“And I tried to keep the others out, but that’s impossible these days.” Illia rolled her eye.

Atty maintained her bright smile. “I wasn’t about to sit outside. Not when I could help with my magic.”

Karna sauntered to the foot of my bed and tapped her elegant fingers on the bedframe.

She had a lean body of smooth muscle, long blonde hair that rivaled the radiance of the sun, skin healthy and tan—and all of it enhanced with her doppelgänger sorcery. Nothing was out of place. No flaw visible. When she moved, she did so with the fluidity of a master dancer. She dressed like one, too. A tight fitted top that showed off her stomach, and loose pants that showed off a good portion of her hips.

Then again, I supposed I didn’t really know what she actually looked like. Karna changed her appearance all the time. Her doppelgänger magic made it easy.

“When I worked in Thronehold, and the other girls got an injury,” Karna said the last word with a playful vagueness, and then continued, “we would brew a special tea. It calms anxiety and helps prevent scarring.” She motioned to the nightstand near my bed. “I made you a pot.”

I tried to glance over, but my neck wouldn’t cooperate. “Thanks,” I muttered.

Illia leaned down to straighten my blankets, and as she did so, she whispered, “Karna brewed a new pot every six hours since you’ve been in the infirmary. Maybe something more than a simple thanks is in order.”

“Right,” I mumbled, though I wasn’t sure how to follow up my gratitude. When I was well, I’d do something for Karna to repay her kindness. “Wait, how long have I been…?”

“Two days.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry,” Atty interjected. She scooted her chair closer to my shoulder and smoothed the wrinkles of my sheets. “You need positivity to recover properly, so don’t focus on the negative.”

My injuries…

I swallowed hard and then forced my hand up. I was under blankets, but I managed to run my fingers over my chest and side. The moment I grazed my injury, I flinched. My skin felt smooth and hot, and I couldn’t believe how large the wound was. Roc talons were massive. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I was lucky to be alive.

But before I could relax, I touched my elbow and my knuckles, searching for obsidian protrusions. I found nothing. The rocks had disappeared from my body. Had they fallen off? I didn’t know.

“Are you okay?” Illia asked.

I half-smiled. “Yeah,” I said, my voice still rusty. “Of course.”

But Illia didn’t buy it. She stared at me with her eye searching both of mine, like she was digging through my soul for the true answer. But what was I going to say? Yeah, sorry I almost died. Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.

It would definitely happen again. Those pirates weren’t the worse of our problems. And this time, I’d had the backing of the Frith Guild to help me. What would happen when I didn’t have them?

Master Zelfree was right. I had to get stronger.

Breathing water and evoking molten rock wouldn’t be enough. I needed more.

The door to the infirmary opened, and I managed to turn my head enough to spot the person entering. The Grand Apothecary, Gillie, bounded into the room with her caladrius eldrin on her shoulder. The parrot-like bird had to tilt her head from side to side just to look at everyone properly.

“Is Volke waking?” Gillie asked. She patted down her bright yellow dress and hurried to my bed. “He needs to sleep longer. I’m sorry, ladies. You’ll have to leave for the time being.”

Illia nodded and then gently patted my shoulder. “I’ll see you once you’re up.”

“Get well soon,” Atty said. When she touched me, her magic flowed from her fingertips and into my body. It tingled as it helped to alleviate my pain. I suspected her healing had helped me along, but that my injuries had been too great for her to mend all at once.

Karna smiled and then winked. “You’ll be better in no time. You always are.”

I half-chuckled—even though it hurt my chest. “Thanks.”

Evianna finally stepped into my view, seemingly from the darkness, but she didn’t say anything. Where had she been this entire time? Hovering around near the corner of the room? Her white hair, especially in the sunlight, reminded me of island clouds. And her bluish-purple eyes… No one looked like Evianna and her family. They were so unique and distinct that I sometimes wondered where their appearance came from.

Her arcanist mark…

It was a sword and cape wrapped around a seven-pointed star. She was a knightmare arcanist, so of course she had hidden in the shadows with ease.

But why? Didn’t she want to speak to me?

Her lingering stare told me she wanted to speak to me, too.

Gillie motioned Evianna to the door. “You can see him again, I promise.”

With a curt nod, Evianna exited the infirmary with Atty, Illia, and Karna. I hated to see them go, especially Evianna. Once the door shut, the Grand Apothecary pulled my blankets up to my chin and felt my forehead with the back of hand. She used her magic, just like Atty had, and the tingle of healing flooded my entire body. Caladrius were birds of medicine and recovery—no mythical creature healed individuals like they did.

“Everything will be okay,” Gillie said, smiling. “Just rest up, ya hear me?” She motioned to Karna’s tea. “If you get thirty, don’t hesitate to take a sip. It’ll have you feeling energetic in no time.”

“Okay,” I muttered. “Thank you.”

After healing me a second time—sending another wave of refreshing tingles throughout my body—Gillie half-closed the blinds on the window and then shuffled out of the room. The silence of solitude lulled me back to sleep, but it wasn’t for long.

A minute later, I awoke to the creek of floorboards.

Evianna lifted out of the shadows. Her knightmare magic made it possible to travel through darkness, after all. She stepped upward and entered my room from a shadow under the door. With quiet movements, she snuck over to my bed. Her clothing—tight fitting leather and a dark cowl—made it easier for her to move without the rustle of fabric to give her away.

I half-turned my head. “Evianna?”

I wanted to thank her for returning, but my throat tightened the more I dwelled on the words. Affection wasn’t my strong suit.

Evianna smiled as she quietly pushed a wooden chair to my side. Then she took a seat. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t you need to train?”

Evianna shook her head. “I don’t care if the monsters of the abyssal hells were invading—I won’t leave your side. What if an assassin came for you?”

“That’s unlikely,” I said, my voice weak. I inhaled and then exhaled. “Eventide protects the whole guild with her magic.”

“But what if you woke up and needed something else besides tea? Like water? Or food? Or you didn’t know where you were?” Evianna lifted a part of my blanket up—enough to grab my hand and squeeze it in her tight grip. “I’ll be quiet. But I’ll also be right here, whenever you need anything.”

I wanted to tell her everything would be okay—that she could focus on herself—but her dedication to my wellbeing took me a bit by surprise. I didn’t want to dismiss her efforts, not when they were so obviously pure.

“What if you get hungry?” I asked.

Evianna pointed to the shadows on the ground. “Layshl has been sneaking me in food. Right, Layshl?”

The darkness flickered with life. Evianna’s knightmare replied, “Of course, my arcanist.” Her dark and regal voice reminded me of Luthair’s.

Layshl could easily sneak around and gather food and water without being noticed.

I rested back on the pillow, stress and tension leaving my injured body. “Okay,” I murmured. “Just… make sure you’re okay. Deal?”

With a gentle squeeze of my hand, Evianna said, “Deal.”

***

I entered a dreamless sleep.

Where was Adelgis? Didn’t he normally provide me with entertainment? It seemed selfish to demand he weave my dreams every night, but I did miss them.

But then reality decided I had slept long enough. A crash in the waking world jerked me awake. I slowly opened my eyes. The lit lanterns cast harsh shadows around the infirmary. The moonless night offered no other source of light. Again, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. All the colors and shapes…

“Careful,” someone hissed. They were familiar. Gruff. Masculine.

“I am!” a second person—a familiar woman—snapped back. “It’s not my fault all the beds are so close.”

“It is your fault for bringing a hydra! Leave your eldrin outside like everyone else.”

“Raisen is well-behaved.”

“Raisen is a fat dragon with the brain of an alligator and the temper of an irrational chihuahua.”

My vision cleared just in time to see Zaxis grab Hexa by the collar of her coat.

Zaxis wasn’t a small man. I swear he got bulkier with muscle each time I saw him, and he effortlessly yanked Hexa closer. His red hair—slicked back with oil—made it seem like he was tryingto look like a well-mannered gentleman, but his red scale salamander armor, near-permanent glower, and tense gait dispelled all pretenses. Zaxis was a warrior through and through.

“You’re just jealous,” Hexa said, smirking. She fluffed her curly, cinnamon hair, and despite Zaxis’s obvious rage, she chuckled. “My eldrin does whatever he wants because no one is going to tell my fat dragon what to do.”

As if to emphasize her point, Raisen stepped forward and knocked over two chairs, my nightstand with the tea, and a bed. His five heads thrashed around, knocking over a third chair. The largest head—the one with horns—stopped moving and then the other four, after realizing the other had gone still, did the same thing.

He had to have been close to four hundred pounds. Perhaps five hundred. He was a fat dragon with a crocodile-like body. An adolescent hydra that was almost too big to be traveling.

“No one tells us what to do,” Raisen’s horned head said. His voice was so much more… mature. And deep. Then he turned to Hexa. She patted his spiky head, and he wagged his tail. “Except for my arcanist, of course.” A forked tongue shot out of his serpent mouth and then darted back in.

Evianna jumped into view, seemingly from the darkness itself. “Stop! Volke needs to rest! You all must be quieter!” She picked up the chairs and hastily put them back in place. “Don’t you know whom you’re dealing with? This is no way to treat a god-arcanist!”

Zaxis scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then he released Hexa with a shove. “Look, princess, we don’t have time for your antics. Volke the Mighty God-Arcanist doesn’t need to be coddled.”

“You spilled his tea!”

A puddle of greenish liquid slowly spread out across the infirmary, no doubt creating a tripping hazard. Flecks of leaves and petals twirled across the surface. A scent of cinnamon wafted around the room.

“I think he’ll live,” Zaxis stated. “It’s just tea.”

Evianna ground her teeth loud enough that I could hear it. “Karna made that specially for him. And it’s not like we’ve been to port to resupply—she’s using her own tea leaves and time! And you just threw it all on the floor like a brute!”

“Calm down.”

“Not until you apologize,” Evianna said, practically shouting.

“Me?” Zaxis barked. “I didn’t knock it over! And I wasn’t the person who put it in such a terrible spot. I have nothing to apologize for.”

I thought their argument would spiral out of control and form its own storm, but Evianna just clenched her jaw and frowned down at the spilled tea. Then she threw her white hair over her shoulder and stood a little taller.

“If no one is going to fix this mistake, I will,” Evianna said. “Layshl—can you get some fresh food? I’ll brew some fresh tea.” She glared at Zaxis, and then at Raisen. “Everyone keep their stupidity to a minimum while I’m gone. Or at least keep it quiet.”

Evianna didn’t wait for an answer. She stepped into the shadows and disappeared from view. She could slither through the darkness all the way to the cooks and then return to the infirmary just as quickly as she had left.

I rubbed at my face, dispelling most of my grogginess.

“Oh, he’s actually awake,” someone else said.

I glanced over and found Adelgis standing near the head of my bed. He offered me a small smile, and I returned the gesture.

Unlike Hexa, Evianna, and Zaxis—who all had the aura of fighters—Adelgis was a man of learning. He stood straight, his posture relaxed, and his long robes free of dirt. His long hair, ebony and shiny, glistened with fragrant oil. He kept himself neat and proper, but his face… His pale complexion was more wan than usual.

“Come to make me some dreams?” I asked.

Adelgis shook his head. “I apologize. I’ve been busy helping Guildmaster Eventide most evenings.”

“Is she… having trouble sleeping?”

“No. It’s—”

Zaxis snapped his attention over to us. “Wait, Volke’s awake and coherent?” He stormed over to me. For a moment, I thought he’d drag me out of bed, but he just loomed overhead. “What’s your problem?”

I ran a shaky hand over my face. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Zaxis growled. He threw an arm up into the air with exasperation. “Didn’t you hear Evianna? You’re a god-arcanist. Bonded to the world serpent and everything! How did you almost die at the hands of pirates?”

“I—”

“If I had been the world serpent arcanist, this wouldn’t have happened.” He motioned to my bed and then glared. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Zaxis reached for my blankets, but something stopped him halfway. At first, I thought he was frozen in place, but then he jerked his arm away, like he had pulled his arm out of someone’s grip. And he had—a man appeared in the room as his magical invisibly dropped.

He was a renegade pirate.

Fain.

He stood between me and Zaxis, frost on his coat, trousers, and the edge of his boots and belt. Most of Fain wasn’t noteworthy, but his fingertips were a different story. Black. All of them. Like they had been frostbitten and never fallen off. Fain’s dark hair was shaved on the sides of his head, displaying his frostbitten ears as well.

He looked… half-dead. But he wasn’t. His fingers and ears worked just fine.

“Volke is trying to rest,” Fain said as he curled his hands into fists. Then he turned to Adelgis and frowned. “Moonbeam, why didn’t you stop Zaxis?”

Adelgis half-shrugged. “How would I do that?”

“Can’t you control people with their minds or something?” Fain asked, his eyebrows knitted.

“In their dreams, but not the waking world.” Adelgis shrugged. “I guess I could’ve put him to sleep, but that feels a bit extreme as well. Besides, Zaxis’s thoughts weren’t of harming Volke. He just wanted to emphasize his point.”

“Oh.” Fain relaxed a bit and then rotated his shoulders. “Still.”

I forced myself to sit up, despite the spikes of pain that ripped through my chest and gut. With my jaw clenched, I took several deep breaths. The room remained quiet and still as I did so. It wasn’t until I had recovered a bit that Zaxis stepped forward.

“Like Moonbeam said, I wasn’t going to hurt him,” he said as he shot Fain a glare. Then Zaxis returned his attention to me. “I just wanted to show the new god-arcanist what his injury looked like.”

I glanced down. On one side of my chest, I had my arcanist mark. On the other side of my chest, I had a star-shaped injury just below the ribs. It was massive, but it had mostly healed—it was now smooth and shiny, like only fresh skin could be.

“You once told me to be less rash,” Zaxis said. “But look at you! Take your own damn advice. We’re supposed to be helping each other out, aren’t we? That means you can’t go dying on me, especially not after becoming one of the god-arcanists.”

Zaxis ran a hand through his red hair and huffed.

“You could’ve been quieter and gentler about it,” Fain muttered.

“Yeah, well, people always pay more attention when I yell.” Zaxis held up a hand and a flash of fire brightened the room for half a second. “They also pay more attention when I’m throwing flames around.”

Four of Raisen’s heads hissed. “I agree,” the main one said. “People pay way more attention when I’m being loud and dangerous.”

“It isn’t dangerous if you know what you’re doing.” Zaxis snapped his fingers, and another wisp of fire left his hand.

I took a deep breath and then exhaled. The others waited, like they wanted me to speak. I shook my head, dispelling the last of my grogginess.

“Zaxis,” I said.

He widened his stance and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Yeah?”

“You’re right. I really need to be better.”

Fain and Adelgis both frowned.

“You did amazingly for a new arcanist,” Fain said, his voice naturally quiet. “No arcanist could fight pirates a week after bonding.”

I half-smiled and offered a light laugh. “Yeah, well, I still need to be better. That’s the reality.” Then I gave Zaxis my full attention. “Which is why I need your help.”

“My help?” Zaxis asked, one eyebrow raised. “You’re the god-arcanist, not me.”

“I have a problem that only you and Atty can help me with.” I glanced at the dying embers fluttering around the room. They snuffed themselves out before landing on the wood floor. “You both evoke fire,” I muttered, not asking a question, but stating a fact that had given me an idea.

Zaxis frowned. “Everyone knows that. What’s your point?”

“I think… I evoke some kind of fire as well. And I’d like you and Atty to help me master that.”