Chương 21: The Measure of a Protector

The warehouse stood near the boundary between Bellhaven's upper market and the streets descending toward the lake. It was larger than Roy had expected and better maintained than Orion trusted. Dark timbers framed walls of pale lake-clay plaster. The foundation had been built from blue-gray tidestone, lifting the structure above the spring runoff gathering in the street channels.

Its steep roof curved outward near the eaves, the exposed ribs beneath it shaped with the same boatbuilding techniques Bellhaven used almost everywhere. A polished brass plaque beside the doors bore Dorian Vey's merchant seal. The five of them stood outside with enough Greenbind to make the entrance difficult to reach. A small estate handcart held the sealed jars. Garrick and Orion had pushed it from behind while Roy and Talia kept the load balanced over the uneven streets.

Several prepared Greenbind sheets had been tied across the top, along with cracked boards, a damaged barrel hoop, and other objects Roy intended to repair during the demonstration. Aurelia remained at the estate. The council's requirement that one household member stay with the drakes had made the decision simple, though neither Orion nor Aurelia considered it particularly fair. She had Shale, Nimbus, Clover, Kindle, and now two unidentified eggs under her care.

Roy had been quiet about almost everything since the morning. Now, as he tightened one of the ropes across the handcart, he looked toward Orion.

"What happened with our horse?" The question came without warning. Orion rested both hands against the rear rail of the cart.

"She found a home." Roy stopped adjusting the rope.

"A good one?" Orion smiled. He had spent time in Bellhaven before the others arrived, but the patrol encounter and council meeting had consumed any chance to explain the quieter parts of that time.

"A family outside the eastern gate," he said.

"Two parents and two children. They have a small orchard and only one older mule." Roy watched him closely.

"The children?"

"Would not leave her alone."

"That could be a problem."

"They brushed her for most of an hour before their father finished asking what I wanted for her." Talia leaned against the warehouse wall.

"What did you ask?"

"Enough to know they were serious."

"That sounds evasive."

"It is the answer you are receiving." Roy's expression softened.

"Did she seem calm?"

"Calmer than she had at the cottage. She ate while the children stood beside her." That mattered more than the money. The horse had carried the siblings through years when every trip to Bellhaven required counting food, weather, and the chance that something might break along the road. Selling her had felt like abandoning part of their old life. Leaving her among drakes that frightened her would have been worse. Roy looked down at the cart.

"Good." Orion understood the word contained more than satisfaction. Garrick nudged one of the Greenbind jars into place.

"At least one problem resolved itself properly."

"Do not say that too loudly," Roy replied.

"The Weave may hear you." Talia looked toward the estate road behind them.

"We have two new reasons not to tempt it." The eggs had been placed in the estate library, where Aurelia could keep them warm and monitor them without leaving the other drakes unattended. One was almost painful to look at. Its shell appeared pure white at first glance, but every change in angle revealed another color beneath the surface. Pale pink became gold, then green, then blue, as though daylight had been trapped within layers of pearl.

The second egg looked as though someone had compressed a thunderstorm into stone. Its shell was hard and dark gray, formed from overlapping ridges resembling dense storm clouds. Thin etchings crossed those ridges in branching lines. Every few minutes, one of them brightened as muffled thunder followed from inside. Both eggs possessed status displays. The bright one had been the easier of the two to understand. [Hatch Quest: Strength Despite Distance.] [Share an evening meal as a community for three consecutive days.] Orion folded his arms as he reflected on it outside the warehouse.

"The hatch quest will be inconvenient." Talia stared at him.

"It requires dinner."

"It requires everyone to coordinate dinner while Roy is working, Garrick and I are training, you are exploring the town, and Aurelia is confined to the estate."

"The inconvenience may be the point." Roy nodded.

"The title suggests maintaining connection while our duties separate us."

"It does not say who must attend," Garrick said. It was true; the Weave had not defined the community. It did not say whether the requirement included only Orion, Roy, and Aurelia. It did not clarify whether Talia and Garrick counted. It made no mention of the drakes. The household had chosen to assume everyone mattered. But Orion disliked that the system had left room for another answer. The darker egg was worse. Its status contained only one line.

[Hatch Conditions Undecided] Roy had reopened the screen several times, but the words never changed.

"The Weave should not be undecided," Garrick said.

"No," Roy agreed. Orion looked toward the warehouse doors. Velara's comments during the council meeting had altered the way they understood the system. Until then, they had treated quests as part of becoming Awakened. Apparently, they were not. Other Awakened did not receive objectives directing their lives. They did not complete household projects and discover dragon eggs waiting in empty barrels. The Weave still provided their Classes, skills, and status messages, but something else appeared to be using it.

"Whatever is happening," Roy said, "the Weave may be the language rather than the speaker." Talia frowned.

"That is not comforting."

"It was not intended to be." The warehouse doors opened on that note. Dorian Vey stepped outside. His burgundy coat was open over a patterned waistcoat, and the gold-and-blue chain across it carried his folding lens, merchant seal, and compact scales. He took in the five young people, the handcart, and the quantity of Greenbind with a raised eyebrow.

"I requested samples." Roy gestured toward the cart.

"These are samples."

"You have brought enough material to repair a fishing fleet."

"I prefer adequate preparation." Dorian smiled.

"I did not expect the entire household."

"Aurelia remained at the estate," Orion said.

"Yes, I imagined someone would be required to entertain our concerned guards." Orion did not appreciate the phrasing. Roy stepped between the conversation and the chance of it becoming less productive.

"They helped transport the goods. We could not bring Shale into town."

"An understandable restriction, regardless of how useful he might be as a draft animal." Dorian's attention moved to the group.

"Are you all staying?"

"Talia offered to help," Roy said.

"And she wants to observe Bellhaven." Talia nodded.

"I would prefer learning something useful rather than wandering."

"A promising instinct." Dorian turned toward Orion and Garrick.

"And the two of you?"

"We intend to find Edric," Orion said. Dorian's smile sharpened with interest.

"You have been in Bellhaven less than a day and have already chosen commerce, reconnaissance, and military instruction."

"We did not choose the council meeting."

"No, but you have chosen not to waste the remainder of the day complaining about it." Orion was not certain that was praise.

"You will likely find Edric at the guardhouse," Dorian continued.

"Near the town's central rise. Follow the broad street past the Bellhouse, then turn north at the old fountain."

"Thank you." Dorian gestured impatiently toward the handcart.

"Roy, unless your brother intends to carry every jar inside himself, I suggest we begin." Orion looked toward Roy.

"You are set?"

"Yes."

"Talia?"

"I can handle merchant negotiations without you watching." Dorian's impatience became more visible. Orion released the cart.

"Then we will return to the estate before dinner." Talia pointed at him.

"We had better." Orion and Garrick left them beneath Dorian's increasingly curious stare. ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Bellhaven changed as they climbed. The lake remained mostly hidden from the upper district, though Orion could smell cold water and woodsmoke whenever the wind moved between the buildings. The streets rose in uneven tiers away from the shoreline, shaped as much by old footpaths and property lines as deliberate planning. Stone channels carried the thaw downhill.

Tidestone foundations appeared beneath nearly every civic building and wealthier home. Above them, charcoal-black timber frames divided walls of pale clay plaster. The roofs rose steeply, their ridges supported by exposed ribs that curved like the bones of overturned boats. Near the eaves, they flared outward in Bellhaven's characteristic shape, broad enough to throw rain away from the walls. The upper district lacked the raised plank walks and tightly packed workshops of the Lower Quay.

Here, the streets widened around public wells, storage yards, and older homes. Small walled gardens occupied some of the spaces between buildings. Workshops opened directly onto the road, allowing smiths, carpenters, and wheelwrights to move larger projects without carrying them through narrow doors. The Bellhouse stood above most nearby roofs. Its blue-gray stone footing supported a broad timber tower containing the town bell and administrative offices.

A circular window sat beneath the bell chamber, framed by pale plaster and dark beams. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. People watched Orion and Garrick pass beneath it, although not everyone. A fishmonger arguing with a cooper barely glanced at them. Two children ran past carrying wooden practice swords, too occupied with their own war to notice Bellhaven's newest rumor walking nearby. Others noticed others immediately.

A pair of men outside a tavern lowered their voices as Orion approached. A woman carrying folded cloth stared at his white hair, then looked behind him as though expecting Shale to emerge from the next street. Some expressions held curiosity. Others held concern. A smaller number looked afraid.

"The news traveled quickly," Garrick said.

"Bellhaven is small."

"They are looking at us like we brought something nasty with us."

"They have not seen the drakes. Imagination is filling the space." Garrick walked in silence for several steps.

"Does it bother you?" Orion looked toward a group gathered near a bakery window. Several of them turned away.

"Bellhaven was always friendly when we visited," he said.

"That sounds like it should make this easier."

"Friendly is not the same as helpful." Garrick frowned.

"What did you expect them to do?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you angry?" Orion kept walking, he had asked himself the same question years earlier. After their parents died, people in Bellhaven had expressed sympathy. Merchants offered kind words. Neighbors from miles away told Orion he was brave for looking after Roy and Aurelia… Then they returned to their lives. Orion did not blame families with limited food for failing to feed three more children. He did not expect strangers to carry burdens that belonged to him.

He also refused to pretend polite concern had meant more than it did.

"I did not expect anyone to give us what they needed for themselves," Orion said.

"But I am not interested in becoming more valuable to them now simply because something unusual happened to us." Garrick looked ahead.

"You think the attention is false."

"Some of it."

"And the people who were kind before?"

"They remain worth remembering." A voice called from behind them, as if to test his proclamation.

"Orion?" He stopped. An elderly woman stood beside a narrow shop entrance, one hand gripping a woven basket. She was small enough that age had begun folding her inward, but her eyes remained sharp beneath a wool hood. Orion recognized her after a moment.

"Regina." Her face brightened.

"I knew that was you! White hair does make your family easier to identify." She crossed the street before Orion could offer to come to her. Up close, she examined him with open disbelief.

"You grew."

"It has been several years."

"You were already tall. This is excessive." Orion smiled. Garrick watched the exchange quietly.

"Regina, this is Garrick." The older woman looked at him.

"One of the two young people traveling with you?"

"Yes." Garrick offered a restrained greeting. Regina adjusted the basket on her arm.

"I remember when Orion and his siblings were younger than you. All bones and determination."

"I was not all bones."

"You were thin enough that I could count your ribs through a winter coat." Orion chose not to argue with someone who had evidence. After their parents died, Regina had brought bedding to the cottage. Proper wool blankets, two feather pillows, and enough winter cloth to block the gaps around the old windows. She had returned once with preserved food and refused payment.

"You gave us supplies when we needed them," Orion said. Regina's expression softened.

"I had already buried my husband by then. I knew what grief did to a house after everyone else stopped visiting." She looked at him again.

"You kept them together."

"We kept each other together."

"That's a better answer." Her gaze shifted toward Garrick.

"You have chosen good company." Orion suspected the judgment was premature but appreciated it. Regina lowered her voice.

"I have heard the stories."

"Most are probably incomplete."

"Dragons?"

"Drakes."

"Is that an important difference?"

"It is to Roy." She nodded as though that settled the matter.

"Are they dangerous?"

"They can be. They are also family." Regina studied his face.

"I suppose the town is making noise."

"Yes."

"Young people worry too much about change."

"You worried about a broken stair last time I saw you."

"A stair is more likely to kill me than a dragon." Garrick covered a laugh with one hand. Regina looked pleased with herself.

"I am too old to reorganize my opinions every time Bellhaven discovers something new. You were a decent boy. You appear to have become a decent man. I will judge your creatures when one steals my washing."

"That is most likely to be Clover."

"I will remember the name." She touched Orion's arm briefly.

"It is good to see you. I am proud of what the three of you became." The words struck harder than Orion expected. He inclined his head.

"Thank you." Regina continued toward the market without extending the conversation into something heavier. Garrick watched her disappear.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"Some people are worth remembering." Orion resumed walking.

"Yes." ─── 🐲🐲 ─── The guardhouse occupied a raised section of ground near Bellhaven's central streets. It was not a fortress; Bellhaven had neither the population nor the threats to justify one. The main structure was a long, stone-footed hall built from dark timber and pale plaster. Two short towers overlooked the adjoining roads, while a wider yard stretched behind the building. Weapon racks, archery targets, training posts, and several open shelters filled the space. More than thirty guards trained.

One group ran laps around the perimeter. Another practiced spear formations under an instructor's shouted count. Near the rear wall, several recruits moved through basic strikes with wooden swords. Edric stood apart from the ordinary drills. Four Awakened guards surrounded him in a smaller training section marked with chalk and packed sand. Orion could see First Seal status above three of them. The fourth possessed a Second Seal but carried herself with less confidence than Velara.

Edric corrected one man's stance with the flat of a wooden practice blade. Then he looked toward the entrance, his eyes finding Orion immediately. He said something to the Awakened group and crossed the yard.

"You found the guardhouse."

"Dorian provided directions."

"Useful man when the result profits him," Edric stopped in front of them.

"Though your arrival has created paperwork." Orion glanced toward the guardhouse.

"My condolences."

"I have reassigned guards to an estate that previously required none, established rotating watches, and received seven separate complaints from residents who have not seen a single drake."

"You are welcome to take the guards back."

"That would not make anything smoother."

"Many volunteered." Orion's expression cooled.

"Why?"

"Curiosity. Concern. The chance to say they once guarded dragons."

"I pray none of your volunteers become eager to justify their presence." The warmth disappeared from the exchange. Edric met Orion's eyes.

"If one of my guards threatens your family without cause, I will handle it."

"And if they act before you can?"

"Then I suggest everyone involved remembers that restraint works in both directions." Orion did not enjoy the answer, but he understood it.

"You did not come here to argue about staffing."

"No."

"Then speak." Orion kept the request simple.

"I am a Protector. I want to become better at protecting." Edric accepted the statement without mockery before he turned to Garrick.

"And you?"

"I want to learn how to fight."

"That is a desire, not a reason." Garrick's jaw tightened.

"Bandits killed my parents and I was useless. During the dragon attack, I was also nearly useless."

"Nearly?"

"I fired arrows."

"With a broken arm," Orion said. Garrick looked toward him. Orion continued.

"He remained in position and helped draw the dragon's attention while injured. Few trained guards would stay composed under the same circumstances." Edric studied Garrick more carefully.

"That could indicate bravery." Garrick waited.

"Or strategy," Edric continued.

"Or stupidity so profound it becomes difficult to distinguish from either." Talia would have laughed; Garrick merely resolved himself.

"I would prefer the chance to prove which." Edric turned toward the instructors.

"Marrow!" A broad woman overseeing the sword drills looked up.

"One more for the afternoon rotation." She looked at Garrick.

"Experience?"

"Some hunting."

"Then none." Garrick started toward her. Edric caught his shoulder.

"If she says stop, you stop. If she says run, you run. If you vomit, do it outside the training ring." Garrick nodded before he joined the recruits. Orion looked toward Edric.

"I am excluded?" A rough chuckle escaped the captain.

"Putting a Second Seal into beginner exercises would teach you patience and little else."

"I possess patience."

"I met you yesterday." Edric gestured toward the four Awakened guards waiting across the yard.

"Would you object to demonstrating your abilities in a controlled setting?"

"No."

"Training weapons. No Weave." Orion removed his hatchet and placed it beside the ring. One of the guards handed him a wooden practice axe. Two First Seals entered with him; one carried a sword and buckler, the other held a short spear. Edric stepped outside the chalk boundary.

"Begin." The spearman attacked first. Orion saw the thrust develop before the weapon crossed half the distance. He turned aside, caught the shaft beneath one arm, and drove the practice axe into the man's ribs. The buckler struck Orion's shoulder, but he barely moved. Orion swept one leg behind the swordsman's ankle and forced him down. Both guards recovered quickly; they had training Orion lacked. Their stances remained balanced. Their attacks supported each other.

The spearman kept Orion's attention forward while the swordsman tried to control his movement from the side. It was not enough. Orion's Second Seal made the distance between intention and movement feel enormous. He saw shoulders tighten before attacks. He heard boots scrape against the sand. His strength turned rough counters into decisive impacts. His technique remained poor. He swung like someone splitting wood, and he moved like someone accustomed to carrying stone until exhaustion ceased to matter.

Raw ability, however, covered the flaws. For a time. Edric raised one hand and a third First Seal entered the ring. She carried two short wooden blades and attacked without warning. At that point, the balance changed. Orion blocked the first weapon and took the second across his side. The spearman forced him backward. The original swordsman regained his feet and closed the open angle. The three guards began working as a unit. Orion struck one hard enough to create space, but the other two filled it.

A wooden blade tapped his shoulder. The spear caught behind his knee. The buckler pressed into his chest. They surrounded him. No one lost control and no strike became needlessly violent. Orion still did not trust them enough to remain there once the result became clear. The swordsman moved toward his exposed side, and Orion reached for the nearest familiar bond. The world folded as he disappeared from the ring and reappeared several yards away beside Garrick's training group.

A recruit yelped and nearly dropped his sword. Garrick turned, but Orion stepped away before interrupting their drill further. Edric raised one hand to his guards.

"Enough." The Awakened guards lowered their weapons. None appeared offended, and Edric appeared to have expected the decision.

"You broke the restriction," he said.

"The match was decided. I saw no benefit in waiting for them to prove it more thoroughly." Edric considered that.

"What is the ability?"

"Brotherly Bond."

"Specific."

"It allows me to reappear near someone under my protection. In an actual threat, I can place myself between them and an adversary."

"You used the boy as an anchor, but that limitation provides more freedom than it first appears."

"I have found some." Edric looked toward Garrick, then back at Orion.

"What else?"

"Danger Sense. If someone within my community is in danger and within range of Brotherly Bond, I can feel it."

"That is how you reached Shale."

"Yes."

"Anything offensive?"

"One." Orion hesitated.

"It came from Kindle's sacrifice." Edric's expression became more attentive.

"I can channel Weave into a weapon and heat it."

"To what degree?"

"I do not know." Edric drew a dagger from his belt. It was not a training weapon. The blade was narrow, balanced, and well maintained. He offered it hilt-first.

"Show me." Orion accepted it, the grip fit comfortably in his hand. He activated the skill. [Kindle's Fury Activated] Weave traveled through his palm as the dagger warmed. Its steel darkened, then glowed red. Orange spread from the center toward the tip and guard until the entire blade shone like metal drawn from a forge. Heat rolled outward, but Orion felt none of it. The skill protected him as completely as Kindle's final eruption had. Edric watched the blade.

"That is the extent?" Orion looked at him, then poured more Weave into the weapon. Orange became yellow, then yellow became white. The watching guards stepped farther back. The blade softened. Its straight edge bent beneath its own weight. Bright metal bubbled near the center, and the tip folded downward in a stream of glowing liquid. By the time Orion deactivated the skill, the ruined dagger had become a malformed curve of steel above the intact hilt.

The yard had gone quiet as Edric stared at what remained of his weapon. Orion offered it back, but the captain did not take it.

"I liked that dagger."

"You could have asked me to stop." Edric looked at him, then he laughed. It was not loud, but it carried across the ring.

"You are suspicious, disobedient, largely untrained, and apparently willing to melt a man's property because he asked an imprecise question."

"You asked for the extent."

"I did." Edric finally accepted the ruined weapon. His expression settled into something more thoughtful.

"I may have a few things to teach you about protecting your family." Orion waited.

"So long as you agree not to become a monumental pain in my ass." Orion looked at the melted dagger.

"I can make no promises."