Chương 70: New Arrivals

To Aurelia's surprise, Selene handled flying remarkably well. Aurelia had spent the first several minutes wondering whether the thirteen-year-old had somehow ridden a drake before and simply neglected to mention it. She sat behind Aurelia with both hands secured around the riding straps, posture straight, breathing even, and no trace of panic despite the ground moving beneath them at a speed that would have terrified most first-time passengers. Zephyr, naturally, interpreted this as permission to go faster.

Aurelia leaned slightly forward.

"Zephyr… don't." Zephyr chirped. Selene's grip tightened a bit. Aurelia glanced back.

"You alright?"

"Yes." Selene's tone remained composed. Her eyes, however, were wide. Aurelia smiled.

"Fast?" There was a pause.

"Extremely." That was the closest Selene had come to sounding thirteen all afternoon. Aurelia laughed.

"You get used to it."

"I am not certain I want to." Zephyr chirped again.

"She heard that."

"I assumed." Far below, the forest blurred into green. Selene looked down.

"Dorian said the journey normally takes most of a day."

"Depending on the weather."

"And we have been flying for…"

"Not very long." Selene was quiet. Then:"This changes quite a lot." Aurelia smiled.

"That was Roy's reaction too." Aurelia felt the shift immediately. As Zephyr began slowing before Drakehaven was fully visible. The Gale Drake had developed a routine. After dozens of flights between Drakehaven and Bellhaven, she had apparently decided that landing efficiently was a skill worthy of personal pride. She dropped lower, banked, then glided neatly toward the Ward gate. Drakehaven opened beneath them.

The great false fortifications stretched around the settlement, their towers and battlements convincing from a distance. The growing buildings within were easier to notice from the air, and roads connected everything that had once been scattered. Zephyr dropped through the open space beyond the gate. After one final beat of her wings, they slowed enough and touched down. Zephyr lifted her head proudly as Aurelia patted her neck.

"Yes. Very impressive." Zephyr chirped as Selene carefully climbed down. She placed both feet on the ground, then remained still for a moment. Aurelia watched her.

"You're sure you're alright?"

"Yes." Selene looked toward Zephyr.

"She is very fast." Zephyr's chest puffed slightly. Aurelia sighed.

"You should not encourage her."

"I stated an observable fact."

"That still counts." Selene appeared to consider this seriously, which made Aurelia look away to keep from laughing. Zephyr had come and gone from Drakehaven so frequently that most residents barely looked up anymore. A few did - mostly because Aurelia had returned with someone new. Roy approached first, with Lilly trailing behind him at a more measured pace.

"Greetings," Roy said.

"You must be Selene?" Selene gave a small bow.

"Yes. And you are Roy?" Roy blinked.

"You know me?"

"Dorian warned me." Roy's expression froze. Aurelia immediately covered her mouth, prompting Selene to look between them.

"Was that phrased incorrectly?"

"No," Aurelia said quickly. Roy frowned.

"It was phrased exactly how Dorian would phrase it."

"I see." Roy seemed unsure whether that helped, but he was not given much time to decide. Another figure approached from near the Waystation.

"Greetings, Miss Selene." Sevrin stopped at an appropriate distance and bowed his head.

"We've never met, but I have heard stories of your prodigious growth. I am Sevrin Dhal - I've had dealings with Velara in the past." Selene returned the bow.

"Yes. I was informed that you were visiting Drakehaven on a diplomatic excursion."

"I see," Sevrin straightened.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting the Reeve to send you here." Selene did not hesitate.

"It seems logical enough." Aurelia glanced at her. Selene continued with the same calm cadence.

"Velara sends me throughout the basin to establish and maintain relationships with neighboring communities. Drakehaven is currently Bellhaven's closest and fastest-growing ally. If I ever intend to give Bellhaven's people reason to elect me as their next Reeve, I need to know the communities we are most likely to work beside." Sevrin watched her carefully. Aurelia almost reacted, but she caught herself before her expression changed. Elect. That was the story - the pleasant public version.

Selene delivered it so naturally that Aurelia suspected she could have repeated the sentence half asleep without missing a word. Sevrin's face remained unreadable, but Selene wasn't finished.

"That said, I will be coming and going frequently."

"Oh?"

"My schedule was established long before Drakehaven existed," She folded her hands neatly in front of herself.

"I still have obligations throughout the basin. Velara simply asked that when I have uncommitted time, I spend more of it here. Bellhaven's relationship with Drakehaven has become important enough to justify that." Sevrin's eyes narrowed slightly. Not enough for anyone inattentive to notice, but the meaning wasn't that difficult to interpret.

Bellhaven knew Sevrin was here, Bellhaven knew who had sent him, and Bellhaven had responded by sending the girl publicly expected to become its next leader directly into Drakehaven anyway. It was a statement, and Sevrin seemed to understand it exactly as intended.

"Quite bold." Selene tilted her head.

"Is it?"

"Surely Velara explained the initial altercation between Bellhaven and Drakehaven."

"She did."

"And yet she feels comfortable placing you here." Selene's expression did not move.

"She also explained the fire." Sevrin's smile thinned.

"And the attempt on Aurelia's life." Aurelia suddenly became very interested in a nearby patch of dirt.

"If we're comparing poor judgment, I don't believe either Bellhaven or Velkaryn has a particularly strong position from which to criticize the other." Silence. Roy slowly looked toward Aurelia, but she refused to meet his eyes. Sevrin studied Selene for several moments. Not in a rude or threatening way, but there was definite pressure in the silence. It was as though he were waiting for the thirteen-year-old to grow uncomfortable and soften what she'd said. Selene did nothing.

Several seconds passed, then Sevrin exhaled and let out a quiet laugh.

"That is something we can, unfortunately, agree on." The tension loosened. From there, Talia immediately stepped forward. Her posture became almost painfully formal.

"Talia," she bowed.

"I serve as Drakehaven's Envoy." Selene returned the gesture.

"Pleasure to meet you." Talia rose. Her shoulders remained too stiff, prompting her to look over at Sevrin.

"I know."

"You're bending too far."

"I said I know." Selene's mouth twitched, and Talia relaxed slightly. Introductions continued from there. Orion eventually appeared, followed by Rowan and later Kiana. Nimbus arrived wet enough that Aurelia suspected she had abandoned basin work the moment someone mentioned a new visitor. Shimmer appeared in a burst of light and circled Selene twice before deciding she was acceptable. Therma did not bother approaching. She had found a warm stone and evidently considered diplomacy less important than temperature.

Shale remained under a tree, which was a perfectly reasonable response from him as well. Selene absorbed all of it with impressive calm. She watched, asked short questions, and listened to the answers. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Eventually Uncle's dinner bell rang across Drakehaven, and people began shifting toward the communal meal area. Aurelia walked beside Selene. The girl continued looking around and taking everything in.

Her eyes tracked the Healing House, the half-finished construction around the basins, the Waystation, and the warehouse. Then she stopped.

"What is that boy doing?" Aurelia followed her gaze. Kindle stood at the forge, leaning over one of the workbenches with a small piece of metal between a pair of tongs. He examined it as though the answer to some deeply offensive question might be hidden inside. The ember-lit smithy glowed around him. Aurelia smiled.

"That is Kindle." Selene watched him.

"He is a smith?"

"Not exactly."

"He appears to be smithing."

"He is experimenting." Selene frowned.

"With a forge… Unsupervised."

"Yes."

"You are not a noteworthy smithing settlement." Aurelia looked at her.

"That was your concern?" Selene glanced back.

"What else would it be?" Aurelia smiled.

"No reason." Selene's expression flattened.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I didn't say anything."

"There is no time in my life for such things." Aurelia's smile faded slightly. Selene said it without embarrassment or defensiveness, almost as if she were discussing weather. Aurelia looked at her for a second longer - a thirteen-year-old girl traveling constantly and preparing for a role she did not truly have the freedom to refuse. And eventually—"He isn't an ordinary boy," she said instead.

"He used to be one of the drakes." Selene turned.

"What?" Aurelia laughed.

"He started as a drake."

"And now he is human."

"Yes."

"Permanently?"

"As far as we know." Selene's gaze returned to Kindle. She watched him for several seconds as he switched tools.

"Strange."

"Very."

"He doesn't feel like the others." Selene studied Kindle again. Aurelia could almost see questions collecting behind her eyes, but Selene did not ask them. Eventually, she nodded.

"I suppose very little about this settlement follows a pattern."

"That might be the most accurate description anyone has ever given us." Selene took one final look toward the forge, then continued walking along. Dinner awaited, and judging by the way Nimbus was already trying to reach the serving area before everyone else, diplomacy was about to become considerably less formal. ─── 🐲🐲🐲 ─── Orion should have been relaxed. He sat on the edge of his bed wearing fresh clothes, hair still slightly damp from washing.

A full day of work was behind him, and the dinner bell had just signaled that a full meal was ready to go. His family had actual food - enough that no one needed to calculate portions before eating. The settlement was safe, Aegis was nearby, and Vision watched the basin. All of these presented excellent reasons not to be concerned. Orion stared at the map floating in front of him, and none of those reasons seemed to help. A small marker rested roughly five miles from Drakehaven.

It had first appeared several days earlier, which alone had meant nothing. Vision detected movement constantly as animals and groups moved around the basin. This one had been small - three or four people, most likely. They appeared to be transporting something larger with them, but there was nothing threatening about that. It could be a wagon with large cargo, or potentially an animal. Vision couldn't tell, and it still wasn't enough to matter. What mattered, in the end, was the route.

The group had originally been moving toward Bellhaven. Then, sometime during the previous day, they had changed direction. It hadn't been gradual, and it didn't appear related to terrain. From everything Orion knew, it appeared to be a deliberate re-route toward Drakehaven. It came from a location where they should not have known Drakehaven existed, which meant this was either an extreme chance, or... Orion frowned. Five miles. They had stopped moving as daylight faded.

Presumably, they were camping for the evening. At their pace, they would arrive sometime the following morning. The front door knocked. Orion dismissed the map and stood. AS he entered the main room, the door opened.

"How goes it?" Talia stepped inside, shutting the door behind herself.

"Word on the road is you wanted to see me."

"Yes," Orion glanced toward the window.

"Where is Sevrin?" Talia blinked.

"Sevrin?"

"Yes."

"Probably in his room dropping documents off before getting his dinner portion. Can't you just check through the Scout?"

"I already did."

"Then why ask me?"

"I wanted confirmation." That changed her expression. The humor disappeared - as much as it could for Talia.

"Something happened?"

"No," Orion paused.

"Not yet." He extended one hand, and Weave gathered above his palm, allowing a small serpentine shape to form from it. The Dragoneye Scout fluttered once, hovered, then drifted toward Talia. She held out her wrist, and the little creature wrapped itself around her forearm like a living bracelet. Talia stared at it, processing the event, and her eyes brightened. Orion immediately pointed.

"Don't." She looked up.

"What?"

"You know what."

"I genuinely don't."

"You've already decided this is going to be fun." Talia looked offended.

"It could be." Orion narrowed his eyes. She sighed.

"Fine." He lowered his hand.

"I took the Scout back from Roy temporarily. He's staying in Drakehaven for the next few days." Talia stroked one finger along the Scout's head, prompting it to chirp. Orion was beginning to regret this already.

"You're not keeping it."

"I didn't ask."

"You were about to."

"I was thinking."

"Same thing." Talia grinned, then noticed that Orion had not smiled once. That wasn't completely abnormal for Orion, but it was enough that her expression settled again.

"What do you need?" Orion closed his eyes briefly before answering. The secondary feed appeared in his mind, funneled to him from the scout in Sevrin's room. The dark elf sat at a small table, paper in front of him and quill in hand. He was writing alone, exactly where Talia had predicted. Orion opened his eyes.

"How has he been acting?"

"Sevrin?"

"Yes."

"Annoying."

"More specifically." Talia crossed her arms.

"He corrects everything."

"Talia."

"Fine." She exhaled, then actually thought. The last several days blended together between lessons, reports, conversations, and Sevrin asking questions designed to make her reconsider answers she had already given. Talia frowned.

"Maybe." Orion waited.

"I've noticed something."

"What?"

"I wouldn't call it planning."

"He's always planning."

"Exactly," She tapped one finger against her arm.

"More like…Impatience?" Orion's expression tightened.

"How long?"

"Couple days."

"Anything else?"

"Not really."

"Relevant Detail?"

"That is Relevant Detail," Talia shrugged.

"It isn't shouting that he's hiding a murder plot or anything. Just little things."

"Such as?"

"Looking toward the sky more, like checking time."

"Time?"

"Not literally a clock. Just…" Talia waved vaguely.

"Waiting." That was something, at least. Far from proof, but Orion had never needed much for paranoia. He walked toward the window.

"There is a group approaching Drakehaven." Talia's eyes immediately brightened again. Orion looked back, and she forced her face neutral. He continued.

"Small. Three or four people."

"Armed?"

"Vision can't tell."

"What are they carrying?"

"Something large." Talia leaned forward.

"A weapon?"

"We don't know."

"Right." She tried to look professional, but it lasted roughly three seconds. Orion sighed.

"They were originally moving toward Bellhaven." Talia's expression became more serious.

"Then?"

"They changed direction."

"To us… It happened yesterday."

"Maybe they saw the Ward?"

"Too far."

"The road?"

"They weren't near it. The course change happened at a point where there was no reasonable landmark indicating Drakehaven existed." Talia thought about that.

"So they knew where they were going."

"That is my concern."

"Could be a coincidence, but you don't think it is."

"I think assuming coincidence would be stupid." Talia nodded.

"Velkaryn."

"Possibly."

"Because they're the only people outside Bellhaven who know where we are."

"Not the only people, but it's a small enough group that it matters." Talia glanced toward the Waystation.

"Sevrin?"

"That is what I want to determine." She went quiet as her excitement returned. Orion watched it happen as Talia's shoulders straightened and her fingers flexed. Her gaze sharpened in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with fear.

"No." She looked at him.

"I didn't say anything."

"You are enjoying this."

"A little."

"This is potentially dangerous, and you could get hurt. This is not one of Sevrin's exercises."

"I know." Orion stared. Talia finally spread her hands.

"What do you want me to say?"

"That you understand this isn't entertainment."

"I do. but I've spent a month writing reports." Orion closed his eyes briefly.

"Talia."

"I know this matters," her tone changed, sincere as well as eager.

"How am I supposed to become useful as an Envoy if every real problem gets hidden from me?" Orion looked at her. She continued.

"You guys keep telling me information matters."

"It does."

"The same with observation and understanding people."

"Yes…"

"Then eventually I have to actually do it somewhere that isn't a table." Orion hated that she was right. He had already had the argument with himself - repeatedly. That was why she was here.

"You won't improve if we hide you from everything." Talia blinked.

"Exactly."

"I already reached that conclusion earlier."

"That explains why I'm here."

"Yes."

"I thought maybe you were finally developing faith in me."

"Don't ruin this." Talia grinned. Orion returned to the important part before any more regret could form.

"Dinner happens normally."

"Understood."

"You do not behave differently around Sevrin."

"I spend all day with him. I already avoid him most evenings."

"That seems rude."

"He likes quiet."

"Convenient." Talia looked toward the door.

"So what are we doing?" Orion paused.

"We wait… For now. We eat, and we act normal."

"I am normal." Orion stared.

"Act like yourself."

"Better." He pointed toward the Scout.

"And don't start experimenting with that during dinner." Talia looked down at it.

"I wasn't going to."

"You absolutely were. I don't want to draw attention to it. Sevrin may wonder why it's there, and the plan is to dismiss it as me having more paranoia than normal since Roy's home. Once night falls, we'll confirm Sevrin has retired." Talia's attention snapped back.

"And then?"

"We move." Her grin returned. Orion ignored it.

"Our goal is information. Not confrontation, and not heroics."

"Orion..."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." He studied her. Talia's excitement was obvious, but beneath it was focus. She had wanted responsibility, and now she was getting some. She could be antsy, but she wasn't reckless enough to ruin her first chance.

"Bring your bow." That wiped away the grin. What replaced it wasn't fear or horror, but something more serious.

"Understood." Orion looked once more toward the invisible marker beyond Drakehaven's walls. Three or four people; one large unknown object; five miles away. A course change that made no sense, and Sevrin apparently waiting for something. Maybe it was nothing - Orion sincerely hoped it was nothing. But if morning brought something unpleasant to Drakehaven's gate, he intended to know what it was before it got there.