ADRIAN SLIPPED THROUGH Briarhold's crowded alleys, dodging around carts piled high with wares and ducking past hawkers shouting to be heard above the din.
Even in the dark, and with the strip of cloth around his eyes, he kept his head low until he reached the iron carriage station, where a small group had already gathered.
The Mec Carriage was a sight to behold in a town like Briarhold - a hulking slab of metal with steam billowing from vents along its sides. Its gears clanked in a brutal, precise rhythm, blackened steel plates wrapped its frame, thick copper coils snaking around it like veins.
*Wow, Adrian, it's… exquisite,* Daevera breathed. *The fusion of magic and technology here is a marvel!*
He felt the pulse of her awe through their bond, and it coaxed a faint smile from him. Truth be told, everything about experiencing the world was marvelous to Daevera.
Since they'd completed the bonding, her presence had shifted from an echo in his mind to something warm and close. She pointed out the things that struck marvel in her as he moved, which was everything.
She's like a child seeing the world for the first time, he thought, amused. Not that I can blame her.
He'd never imagined seeing a Mec this close, let alone having enough money to board it. He'd only watched from afar with the other children as it trundled through town, a grand iron dragon trailing smoke.
The conductor, a grim man with sunken eyes and hands blackened by metalwork, barely looked up as Adrian handed over a gold coin. He counted the change with rough fingers, letting the coins drop into Adrian's hand without a word.
Inside, the carriage was dim and cramped, the seats lined with worn leather, darkened and cracked from years of use. The air smelled faintly of oil and sweat, and the seats trembled as the metal beast hummed.
Three passengers were already aboard: a young woman who sat beside him and a man and woman across the aisle, huddled close and whispering fiercely.
The Mec began to move through the streets, and the wiry man leaned in closer to the woman, his voice low and rough.
"They were just gone. One night, the pens were full - next morning, nothin' but smoke and bones. All my livestock, vanished just like that."
The woman gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She was dressed in simple traveling clothes like the man, her hair tucked beneath a scarf, and her hands trembled with barely contained fear. "Smoke and bones, you say? Great Mala have mercy!"
Wide-eyed, she continued, "Remember my neighbor's daughter, Gena? She vanished a week ago as well. They say she was snatched by some giant bird. Poor Layla went to the City Watch, filed complaint after complaint, but they've done nothing."
The man scoffed, shaking his head in frustration. "City Watch won't lift a finger when it's us common folk in trouble. Too busy mindin' they coin and comforts. But I'll tell you what it is - dark magic."
The woman's eyes darted around, fearful even of the word itself. "Dark magic? Are you mad to say such things out loud? The Sovereign restricted magic in the Dominion for a reason, to protect us!"
"You think the powerful care about us?" he muttered, shaking his head grimly at her naivety. "I've seen great beasts in the sky, shadows slippin' through the woods..."
His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "Mark my words - they planning somethin'. Briarhold's just the testing ground. They're using us to test whatever dark magic they brewing."
"Planning for what?" she pressed. "What could they want with such power?"
He leaned in closer. "Invasion, of course! This could be it - the end of the Dragon Empire. And they cannot go against the Empire with metal tricks. They need real blooded beasts, terrifying monsters."
"Don't be ridiculous, Hucio," she countered. "The Sovereign wants peace. We just signed a treaty with those beast-loving folks."
"Treaties don't stop wars, Mel. They only keep enemies quiet. For a while."
Mel rolled her eyes. "You always think there's some conspiracy hiding under every rock. If there's a war coming, I'm telling you, it's the Empire's doing. They bond with those creatures like family, those beasts. It's disgraceful - there's nothing they wouldn't do for power."
Hucio leaned back. "Yeah? Sounds like our Sovereign would do anything for power too."
"Hucio! Keep your voice down," Mel cautioned, as though the streets had ears.
But Hucio didn't care. "Them damned beasts killed all my livestock, in the dead of the winter, no less. And what does poor Hucio get? Nothin' but apologies."
Adrian felt Daevera bristling in his mind at the exchange.*You know, the more I know about the the people of Briarhold, the less I like them. This is the height of prejudice.*
I think Hucio has a point, he replied. Back in the village, those guards looked surprised when they summoned that creature. Like it was something new, something they hadn't expected.
*Surely the Dominion's Sovereign must have sanctioned the use of such magic. But why let untrained guards handle it? Shouldn't this type of magic be handled only by magis?*
Well, you did say Braxton and the summoner had green cores, so the guard must have gotten some training to be able to handle that magic.
*I also said a green core is pathetic,* she countered.
Hey! I have a green core, and you never said that.
*No? Well, I just did. She giggled. *But seriously, why risk dealing with volatile and unpredictable magic?*
The question lingered between them, as Adrian worked through the possibilities. Briarhold really is their testing ground. It's the only thing that makes sense. But unleashing a creature that dangerous… If the news got out, it'd cause a panic the Dominion can't afford.
*Exactly, and it's happening already. You heard Hucio. It explains why they blew up that bridge. The moment that beast was summoned, everyone in the village was marked for death, because they saw them do it.*
Adrian suppressed a shiver. That thing they summoned… I still feel the chill from its presence. Forbidden magic indeed. A power that drains the life from its caster in exchange.
*Yes,* Daevera said. *I think what makes it forbidden magic is because it burns its caster just as much as its victim. That guard risked his own life, and he didn't even understand what he was doing.*
Adrian's memory flashed back to the red haired guard, trembling, uncertain, his face pale as his years slipped away. The vitality toll was steep, a price so high it seemed madness.
*Would the Dominion truly burn its own to get a shot at the Dragon Empire? Use their own people as fodder?* Daevera didn't want to believe that.
You'll find that nothing's beneath people if it gives them an edge in a tug of war, Adrian replied grimly.
Lost in his conversation with Daevera, Adrian didn't notice Mel's gaze drift to him, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the strip over his eyes. She watched him for a heartbeat, concern flickering in her expression.
"And where are you headed, young man?" she asked in a sharp voice, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Adrian cleared his throat and thought of a quick lie. "I'm going to meet my father."
Mel nodded, her smile sympathetic. "Is he waiting for you in the docks?"
Adrian tensed, suspicions already running through his mind. Why does she want to know so much about me?
*Maybe she's just genuinely curious and wants to help. After all, you're a cute blind boy.* Daevera chuckled.
He cleared his throat and tried to sound pleasant as he said, "Yes. My father's a merchant, and he travels a lot."
"Even to the Dragon Empire?"
Adrian paused to give off the illusion that he was a naive boy who had no idea of his father's dealings, hoping the questions would end there. "I… I suppose so."
Mel's gaze pinned him. "Oh? Then tell me, boy, did he ever encounter those monsters firsthand?"
"I... well, I don't know. He never mentioned anything about monsters."
"Hmph." Mel gave a disgusted shake of her head. "The Empire's full of those monsters. They bond with them like kin. Some even…" Her face twisted with a disgust that left Adrian uneasy. "lay with them. Unnatural, all of it. Those people are just as wild as their beasts, mark my words."
Adrian felt Daevera bristle again in his mind, but she said nothing.
"He told me he prefers the people of the Federation Union," Adrian said, fishing for comments.
To his disappointment, Mel nodded in agreement. "They're not so bad there. I have some family that lives..." Adrian tuned out of the conversation.
As the carriage raddled and shuddered over the uneven road, bringing them closer to Kalvanis with every minute, Adrian kept thinking about Mel's words, leaving him feeling like he had been living under a rock all his life.
Brairhold had always whispered of the Empire's "uncivilized" ways, but he'd never imagined… this. Yet the Empire's way was to embrace magic and all it's creations, and to live as part of it.
I've always wanted to go to the Federation Union, but anywhere someone like Mel finds pleasant is not a place I want to be.
*The Empyreans seem like they do not share the superstition of the Dominion.* Daevera finally said in a soft tone, and he felt her conviction as strongly as his own.
*Their bonds with their magical beasts are sacred, which means they most likely won't hate a child for the color of his eyes.*
By the time the carriage pulled into the dock, Adrian had made a decision. The Federation be damned, he was leaving the Dominion behind forever, and their fear of magic and magical beasts was a shackle he wouldn't wear for one more minute.
I refuse to fear myself or my magic any longer because of these superstitious fools.
The Dragon Empire was calling.