Chương 41: Before the Fire

Garrick had been sitting outside the embassy long enough to regret it. Nothing was happening. The morning was clear, Bellhaven was awake, and the stone step beneath him had become increasingly uncomfortable in a way that gave him far too much time to think about Aurelia arriving. Inside, Talia was making the morning difficult.

"No, I'm serious." Orion's voice came through the open door.

"So am I."

"You're not listening. If Dorian comes by, you cannot just tell him Roy isn't here and close the door."

"I know."

"And if Oren brings records, they go on the left side of the counter."

"I know."

"And Spark is not allowed to take food from strangers… Unless it's fruit." A pause.

"Why is fruit different?"

"Because Spark likes fruit." Garrick rubbed one hand down his face; Talia had been explaining embassy operations for nearly twenty minutes. Orion had handled bandits, dragons, town councils, and enough near-death experiences that Garrick had stopped counting. Apparently, none of that qualified him to supervise a fifteen-year-old's front desk for one day. The door flew open a moment later as Talia burst outside.

"Freedom!" Garrick flinched. She had changed out of her usual working clothes and into something lighter for town, a bow slung across her back despite this supposedly being her day off.

"You're still doing archery later," Garrick said.

"That is recreational."

"You complain every time they make you repeat drills." She turned and pointed through the doorway.

"Do not let him rearrange anything." Orion appeared behind her.

"I am standing right here."

"I know." Talia smiled brightly, then she ran down the path toward Bellhaven proper with the sort of energy Garrick associated with Nimbus. Orion watched her go.

"She has become energetic."

"She was always energetic."

"Not like that."

"She's bored less often." Orion considered.

"That may be it." Garrick looked away; the silence that followed felt dangerous. Orion - of course - noticed.

"Aurelia should be here soon." Garrick nodded.

"So I heard."

"She told me you asked her to come." Garrick nodded again. Orion leaned against the doorframe.

"For what?" Garrick had expected the question, though that did not make it easier.

"I wanted to talk to her."

"You could have sent a letter."

"Not about this." Orion's eyes narrowed slightly. Garrick could practically see the older-brother machinery engaging behind them.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't think so."

"That answer is not helpful." Garrick exhaled.

"I can't explain all of it." Orion's expression changed. Garrick did not need to say it fully, but Orion seemed to understand.

"That serious?"

"I don't know."

"You not knowing is becoming a habit." Garrick resisted the urge to fill the silence as Orion studied him.

"And this is not just because you missed her?" Garrick looked at him. There was no humor in the question; just a brother making sure he understood what was happening around his sister. Garrick swallowed.

"I wouldn't ask her to fly all the way out here for something that simple." Orion held his gaze, then nodded once. No interrogation and no threat… Almost disappointing.

"You have a reason."

"Yes."

"I trust that," Orion added, "but do not get carried away." There it was.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good." Orion turned toward the door and headed inside. Garrick let out a breath he did not realizing he had been holding. The relief was only temporary, however, as the wingbeats rolled across the morning. Deep and heavy; not the light flutter of Nimbus or Shimmer. It was something enormous moving through the air. A dark-blue shape swept over the treetops as Garrick stood. He had seen Aegis's wings before, but that had not prepared him for the rest.

The Storm Dragon descended from the sky like a piece of the weather had decided to take form. His scales were deep blue, dark enough along his back to border on black, but the light caught layered edges in brighter shades of cobalt and steel. His wings stretched impossibly wide, each beat pushing air across the estate hard enough to stir dust and snap loose cloth against the building. Long horns swept back from his head.

His neck and shoulders carried the heavy structure of something built to survive collisions that would kill almost anything else. But there was nothing clumsy about him. Aegis banked gracefully - almost lazily. His enormous body turned through the air with a precision Garrick would not have believed possible at that size. For one moment, silhouetted against the morning sky, he looked less like an animal than something carved into an old temple wall. Then he dropped.

The landing shook the ground as Garrick instinctively braced. Once the dust settled, Aegis lowered himself. Aurelia climbed down from between the ridges at the base of his neck. Her hair was windblown, but her expression was delighted.

"That was faster than last time." Aegis's massive head turned slightly.

"I took the direct route."

"That explains the trees."

"You told me not to hit them."

"I told you not to fly through them."

"I did not."

"You grazed them."

"Different." Aurelia jumped down, then spotted Garrick. Her smile shifted into something warm and familiar. She walked straight toward him. Garrick had enough time to think that he should say something normal before Aurelia wrapped him in a hug. His thoughts stopped, but he managed to return it a moment later.

"You look good."

"You saw me a week ago."

"You can deteriorate quickly."

"That's encouraging." She pulled back, then her expression sharpened.

"Talia's message was mildly concerning." Garrick froze.

"How?" Aurelia smiled.

"No telling."

"Why not?

"So I can determine which one of you deserves the lecture." Garrick stared.

"Me or Talia."

"Yes."

"That is not reassuring."

"It isn't supposed to be." Garrick decided not to ask what Talia had written; some knowledge was dangerous. He glanced toward town.

"I haven't eaten yet." Aurelia blinked.

"You skipped breakfast?"

"I was busy."

"That is a terrible excuse."

"I know." She looked suspicious; Garrick continued.

"I was going to find somewhere in town. Do you want to come?" Aurelia considered him, then smiled.

"Sure." Inside, Orion made a sound that might have been a cough. Garrick refused to look. ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Bellhaven felt different with Aurelia beside him. Garrick had walked the streets almost every day for weeks. He knew which stalls opened early, which alleys became impossible once carts started moving, and where the guards tended to congregate between patrols. Aurelia had known Bellhaven too, but only under pressure. Now she walked through the mid-morning crowds with no emergency attached to her.

"It's strange." Garrick looked over.

"What?"

"I've only been gone a week," Aurelia watched a fishmonger loudly negotiate with two customers at once.

"It feels longer."

"You missed the smell?"

"Not that smell." Garrick laughed as they continued downhill toward the lake. The closer they got, the busier the streets became. Food stalls had started preparing for lunch as smoke curled from grills. Fresh bread, roasted lakefish, and something sweet with cinnamon. Aurelia breathed in.

"That part I missed." Garrick smiled.

"Anything sound good?" She glanced around.

"Everything."

"That is not an answer."

"It is an answer."

"It is an unhelpful one." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Aurelia shrugged.

"I'm easy." That irritated him more than it should have. Not because she was doing anything wrong, but because it sounded exactly like what he had been thinking about. What do you want? Anything is fine. Whatever everyone else wants. Whatever is easiest. He pushed the thought aside. They reached a small restaurant built along one of the raised lakefront walks; its rear seating extended over the water on timber supports. Aurelia slowed. The lake spread wide beyond it, sunlight breaking across the surface.

Fishing boats moved farther out, and bells sounded softly from the harbor.

"That's pretty." Garrick stopped.

"Here?" Aurelia looked toward the menu board.

"It might be expensive."

"That was not the question." She glanced at him. He smiled.

"Do you want to eat here?" Aurelia hesitated, then looked back at the water.

"Yes." Progress. Small, but progress. Inside, the food board immediately proved Aurelia right. The prices were higher than most places Garrick used. Nothing was absurd, just enough to make Aurelia's attention drift toward the cheapest options. He noticed.

"What were you looking at before you changed sections?"

"I'm deciding."

"You were staring at something else." Aurelia frowned at him.

"You're being weird."

"Probably." She sighed.

"There's a platter."

"Which?"

"That one." Fish, roasted vegetables, seasoned potatoes, and a small honey-glazed pastry included with it. Garrick looked at the board.

"You make it sound like you'd order one of everything if you could."

"I would not."

"What would you order if money didn't matter?" Aurelia stared.

"Why?"

"Curiosity."

"That's suspicious."

"Then I'll guess."

"That's worse."

"Fish platter." She said nothing.

"The soup." Her mouth twitched.

"The pastry… And probably the spiced apple drink." Aurelia sighed.

"Fine." He smiled, then ordered all of it. Aurelia realized what was happening halfway through.

"No." The server paused. Garrick handed over the coin.

"Yes."

"Garrick."

"It's done."

"No, it isn't."

"It literally is." Aurelia caught his wrist before he could move away.

"You do not need to spend this much on me. We have food at the estate."

"I know."

"And the embassy account is not for—""I'm not using it." She stopped. Garrick continued.

"I have my own coin."

"From what?"

"Patrol assistance. First week."

"You should save that. You are sixteen."

"So?"

"So you do not need to be spending your money buying me expensive lunches." He tried to smile.

"I want to."

"That isn't a reason."

"Yes, it is." Aurelia's tone shifted; like an older sister preparing to unleash danger.

"Garrick." He felt himself tense. Normally, that tone worked and he backed down. This time, however, he did not.

"I decided… and that's final." The words came out firmer than he intended. Not angry or loud, just certain. Aurelia blinked and stared at him. Garrick kept going before courage abandoned him.

"It's my money, and I'm allowed to decide what I do with it."

"Yes, but—""And what I want to do with it is give you something you actually seem interested in. You spend all your time giving everyone else whatever they need." His voice softened.

"Let me buy you lunch." Aurelia looked at him differently. Surprised; maybe a little confused. For several seconds, she said nothing. Then she released his wrist.

"Fine, but this is excessive."

"I can live with that." They found a table outside where the lake stretched beyond the railing. For a while, neither spoke. Garrick eventually rubbed the back of his neck.

"I didn't mean to be rude."

"You weren't."

"You looked surprised."

"I was," Aurelia smiled faintly.

"You sounded like an adult." Garrick frowned.

"I am almost one."

"That is exactly what a child says."

"Never mind." She laughed, then the food arrived. Garrick gestured.

"Eat whatever you want." Aurelia looked at the table, then at him, then back at the table. Her discomfort returned, though much different this time.

"Oh." Garrick immediately knew something was wrong.

"What?" Aurelia hesitated.

"Talia wrote that you wanted to see me."

"Yes."

"And…" She looked away.

"…take me on a date." Garrick's heart moved into his throat. He hated Talia - deeply.

"I assumed she was being fifteen."

"That was reasonable."

"And that you had some other reason."

"I do." Aurelia nodded.

"But now you brought me here and bought me lunch… And told me to choose what I wanted."

"Yes." She looked at him.

"So was she telling the truth?" Garrick had prepared for several questions. He forced himself to breathe.

"Do you want this to be a date?" Aurelia stared.

"That does not make me feel better."

"Why?"

"Because now you're making me decide." Garrick almost laughed, then stopped.

"Maybe that's the problem." Aurelia frowned.

"What?"

"You don't decide."

"That is not true."

"Not about yourself." Her expression sharpened. Garrick leaned back slightly.

"You decide everything for everyone else, Aurelia."

"That's dramatic."

"You decide what Orion needs."

"He usually needs someone to tell him to stop."

"Roy."

"Same problem, different flavor."

"Kindle and the other drakes." Aurelia's face softened, but she said nothing.

"Me," Garrick continued.

"And Talia." Aurelia crossed her arms.

"I care about my family. That is not a flaw."

"I didn't say it was."

"Then what are you saying?" Garrick looked out at the lake.

"I'm saying everyone seems happy to let that be enough for you. Nobody asks what you want, because you like taking care of people."

"I do."

"I know," He looked back.

"That's good. But if Roy said he was giving up everything he wanted because he was happy making sure the family had enough food, what would you say?" Her mouth opened, then closed.

"If Orion said he was perfectly content spending the rest of his life maintaining the cottage so everyone else had somewhere safe to return to?" Aurelia sighed.

"I'd tell him he deserves more than that." Garrick nodded.

"And Roy?"

"The same."

"Then why not you?" Aurelia looked away. For once, she had no answer. Garrick pressed gently.

"I don't think caring for us is wrong, and I'm not telling you to stop… I'm asking what else you want." Aurelia stared out across the water. It took her several quiet moments to actual articulate the simple answer.

"I don't know." Garrick felt something settle. Not victory, just confirmation.

"That's the point." She gave him an annoyed look.

"You are overthinking this. I like being the Caretaker… It feels right."

"Good," Garrick smiled.

"I'm happy you have something you love." Then he leaned forward.

"What else is there?" Aurelia looked at the food, then the lake, then the boats. Anywhere but him.

"I don't know."

"That's fine."

"You just said it wasn't."

"I said not knowing forever isn't fine," Garrick picked up a piece of bread.

"You don't have to answer today, but you should think about it." Aurelia groaned softly.

"And?"

"And tell me."

"Why?"

"So I can help," Garrick shrugged.

"You do it for everyone else."

"That is emotional blackmail."

"Probably." Aurelia laughed despite herself. Garrick smiled.

"Start small."

"How small?"

"What sounds fun today?" Aurelia looked suspicious.

"That is your grand solution?"

"For today." She shook her head.

"You're being awfully mature all of a sudden."

"I can behave myself when I'm not under threat of death or recovering from it." That broke her. Aurelia laughed - actually laughed. Garrick found himself smiling like an idiot, then she reached for the fish.

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"I'm eating."

"That counts."

"Do not ruin it." ─── 🐲🐲 ─── The first thing Aurelia chose was a pastry. They passed a small stall near the quay selling folded pastries stuffed with berries and cream. Aurelia slowed - then kept walking - but Garrick stopped. She noticed three steps later.

"What?"

"You looked."

"At what?" He pointed, and Aurelia sighed.

"That is going to become annoying."

"Probably." She bought one with her own money, and Garrick said nothing. They shared the lakefront for a while after that and watched boats unload. Stopped near a craftsman shaping small wooden charms. Listened to a street musician long enough that Aurelia eventually tossed a coin into the open case without being prompted. Then she noticed the shop. It was wedged between a cobbler and a narrow bookstore. The sign above the door showed a wand crossed over a spiral glyph.

Garrick noticed Aurelia slow, but said nothing. She took two more steps, then finally stopped and looked back.

"That seems interesting." Garrick smiled.

"Then let's go." Inside, the shop smelled like ink, old paper, polished wood, and something metallic. Shelves held crystals, small rods, bundles of parchment, and training slates engraved with simple patterns. Most looked decorative to Garrick. Aurelia's attention locked onto the glyph sheets immediately.

"What are these?" The shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter.

"Practice forms." Aurelia lifted one carefully. Geometric markings spiraled outward from a central point.

"For spells?"

"For control," The man stepped closer.

"Most people think glyph work is about producing magic. It is usually about teaching Weave where to go." Aurelia's eyes sharpened. Garrick smiled as he saw real interest in her eyes. The shopkeeper showed her a practice board and a small stylus designed to conduct minimal Weave. Aurelia tried it, but her first glyph collapsed halfway through. She stared bewildered, which made Garrick laugh.

"Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking loudly." Her second attempt lasted longer, and the third actually glowed. Aurelia smiled with curiosity. She bought the practice kit, which Garrick considered a victory. Then Aurelia noticed the wand. Short; more like a slender scepter than the dramatic staffs Garrick had seen in stories. Dark polished wood reinforced with thin metal channels, and a small pale crystal sat near the head.

"What does that do?" The shopkeeper glanced over.

"Focus."

"That's vague."

"It's supposed to be," He lifted it.

"Different users produce different effects. A tool like this helps stabilize the Weave as it leaves the body." Aurelia stepped closer.

"Meaning?"

"Cleaner direction. Less waste," He rotated it.

"Sometimes better control over complicated effects." Garrick saw the thought happen as Aurelia's expression changed.

"If I were healing someone at range…" The shopkeeper shrugged.

"Possibly easier."

"Multiple people?"

"Possibly."

"You keep saying possibly."

"Because I enjoy honesty." Aurelia smiled. She tested the weight - it was obvious she liked it. Then she saw the price, and quickly put it back.

"Maybe another time." Garrick said nothing. In this moment, this was supposed to be her choice. They left a few minutes later, with Aurelia carrying the glyph kit beneath one arm. Outside, she immediately started talking about whether healing effects could theoretically be inscribed into prepared patterns. Garrick simply listened. Half a street later, Aurelia stopped at another display. This one was full of trinkets and baubles that had been picked up on the shoreline of the lake.

Seeing that she was firmly distracted, he decided to take advantage of the opening.

"I'll be right back." She looked suspicious.

"That sounds suspicious." He rubbed the back of his head.

"There's actually something at the magic store that caught my attention. I was going to hold off, but I feel like I'm going to regret it. Aurelia narrowed her eyes, then shrugged.

"Fine, but don't buy anything stupid." Garrick waited until she seemed firmly planted in her browsing, then he briefly dismissed himself. ─── 🐲🐲 ─── He caught her near the waterfront ten minutes later. Aurelia looked at him.

"You were gone for awhile."

"I had to have the shopkeeper show me how they worked."

"How what worked?" Garrick produced two small slabs from his pocket. He handed one to Aurelia - it fit comfortably into her hand and had a glyph etched onto its surface.

"What is it?"

"It allows for verbal messages across distances," Garrick explained.

"If I pour a small amount of Weave into it, it activates." As if to demonstrate, he lightly tightened his grip and the glyph on his rock began glowing a faint blue. He raised it to his face.

"Then if I speak a short message, it will relay that message across to the other." Once he stopped speaking and turned off the Weave, the glyph faded. A moment later, Aurelia's glyph began glowing a faint gold. She poured in Weave, and watched in amazement as his voice echoed out with the same statement he had just made.

"I'm not sure if and when I'll actually master writing," Garrick admitted, putting his rock away.

"So if you have that, I can communicate with the cottage whenever I see fit." She stared, then eventually just sighed before they continued walking.

"Very well, just do not say anything that you're going to regret later on." For a while, the day became easy. They wandered and talked. Aurelia complained about Aegis's flying habits. Garrick told her about Edric's training. She asked about Rowan, and he carefully left out the part where Rowan had called this a date. Eventually, Aurelia admitted she had enjoyed the pastry more than lunch. Garrick considered that information valuable. Then the world cracked.

The explosion came from somewhere uphill; a deep concussion rolled through the streets. Windows rattled, and birds exploded from rooftops. For half a heartbeat, Bellhaven went silent, then people screamed. Smoke rose beyond the upper buildings as orange flame followed. One roof caught, then another, as people began running away from the center of town. Aurelia dropped the glyph kit into Garrick's hands.

"Hold this." Her voice had changed completely. Garrick shoved it into his bag.

"Go." They ran toward the fire.