Chương 73: The Report To Velkaryn

It was the first time Orion had seen genuine concern or horror on Sevrin's face. The battlefield had changed quickly once the fighting stopped. Aurelia and Talia had been moved away from the center of the clearing and propped against the trunk of a large tree. Orion had initially insisted that Aegis take both of them back to the Healing House immediately, but Aegis had refused. Aegis had agreed they needed care, but the Fourth Seal Commander was still sitting twenty yards away.

Until someone understood exactly what had just happened, Aegis apparently had no intention of carrying the two most vulnerable people present away while leaving Orion alone with him. Instead, he had replenished enough of Aurelia's Weave to let her wake and stabilize herself. Physically, she looked almost normal now. The spear wound through her torso had closed entirely. The damage she'd inflicted on herself through overusing Crisis Care had healed. Even the burst vessels around her eyes were gone.

Yet Aurelia sat with both knees pulled against her chest and her forehead resting against her folded arms. No magic could heal exhaustion, and apparently nothing could immediately erase what she'd done. Talia sat beside her. She was conscious, breathing, and alive - but she had barely spoken since waking. Her gaze remained fixed somewhere above the treeline, as though the sky contained something only she could see. The blood had been cleaned away from her chest.

The wound itself no longer existed, but Orion could still envision it. He suspected everyone who had witnessed it could. Aegis sat beside them - even he had stopped pretending the battle hadn't affected him. His wings were gone, and his human form had returned completely. One knee was raised, an arm draped across it as he watched the clearing with unusual stillness. Sevrin's eyes lingered on him. [Weave Reserve: 71%] The number was startling.

Storm Dragons were notorious for possessing unusually deep Weave Reserves even compared to other draconic species. They were not necessarily the fastest dragons, nor the physically strongest, but they didn't need to be. Calling violent storms into existence required power on a scale most creatures never needed to possess. Nearly thirty percent of that reserve had disappeared in a battle that had lasted minutes at most. Sevrin followed the line of thought toward the scar cut through the forest.

For nearly fifty yards, there simply wasn't much forest left. The earth itself had been carved open and trees ended in scorched stumps. Others had vanished almost completely and left nothing but roots in the ground. Sevrin stared at it longer than Orion liked before his gaze returned to the wagon. The canvas had been removed shortly after Sevrin arrived. Inside rested three carefully packaged sheets of Nightglass.

Each had been cut into a broad rectangular slab, approximately the size of a table's surface and nearly an inch thick. Wooden braces separated them, and heavy padding filled every gap. The entire wagon had been designed around ensuring they survived the journey without so much as a chipped edge.

"A gift," Sevrin said quietly. No one answered. His gaze moved from the Nightglass to the wrapped body lying near the edge of camp, then toward the absent stretch of earth where Veyra had died.

"Turned into all of this." They were the first words he'd spoken in several minutes. He had arrived roughly fifteen minutes after the fight ended alongside Roy and Zephyr. Orion hadn't been present for that conversation, but judging by Sevrin's expression when he first stepped into the clearing, Roy had told him only enough to make him come quickly. Since then, Sevrin had done almost nothing casually. The wagon had been uncovered first, with Daren's weapon had been placed aside.

Everyone had been separated, and the remaining Velkaryn commander had been ordered not to make a single unnecessary movement until the sequence of events was understood. Sevrin finally looked toward the armored elf.

"Commander Daren." Daren raised his eyes.

"Please explain to me once more how this entire tragedy came to pass." Daren's gaze dropped toward the dirt again. There was no obvious shame or guilt in his posture, which bothered Orion. Then again, Orion knew he didn't feel guilty either. Perhaps that was the problem.

"We detected someone observing our campsite from the forest," Daren explained, his voice remaining level.

"The observer was under a concealment skill and clearly attempting to gather intelligence without being noticed. We had no identifying information and no reason to believe the individual was connected to our destination." Sevrin nodded once.

"Keth moved to capture and detain her," Daren's eyes flicked toward the wrapped body.

"Before we could determine who she was, he was attacked." Sevrin looked toward Orion. Orion did not shy from his gaze.

"He had a knife to Talia's throat," his voice was low, and controlled only because Aurelia and Talia were sitting nearby.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat." Daren looked toward him, still without anger. Sevrin closed his eyes for a few seconds, then sighed.

"So battle began before either side had identified the other's intentions."

"Yes," Daren said.

"Both groups believed the other posed an immediate threat. And once injuries started accumulating, nobody had much reason to assume peaceful intent." Daren inclined his head, while Orion's jaw tightened. Sevrin looked toward Keth's body.

"And then someone finally struck a fatal blow." His gaze shifted another beat. Talia had not moved - her hands rested loosely against her legs. Sevrin's expression tightened again.

"The ceasefire?"

"The dragon's wings," Daren answered immediately.

"Everything before that could not be dissected cleanly in the middle of combat. Summons. Strange movement abilities. White hair. The presence of a healer." He glanced toward Aegis before continuing"But an adolescent Storm Dragon capable of manifesting a humanoid form was one of the few details in your reports that could not reasonably belong to anyone else." Sevrin nodded slowly.

"I see." Daren looked toward the destroyed section of forest.

"Admittedly, it would have been preferable if I had noticed one moment earlier." Nobody needed clarification. Veyra's staff had been recovered and rested with Daren's remaining belongings, but Veyra herself did not.

"Your reports," Daren said, "did not mention that their healer possessed something like that."

"She didn't." Daren looked at him. Sevrin's response came sharper this time.

"She learned an offensive spell yesterday evening. I watched her test it once; it was a narrow beam. Significant for a healer, perhaps, but not remarkable enough to alter my overall threat assessment." His gaze returned to the devastation.

"It was not even a fraction of this." Orion's expression hardened.

"I guess maybe you should approach less suspiciously next time." Sevrin looked at him - the annoyance was immediate. Daren remained perfectly still. Years of Velkaryn discipline apparently made him difficult to bait. That said, Orion hadn't particularly cared whether the bait worked.

"Talia!" The scream came from above. Everyone turned as Zephyr descended over the clearing. Garrick didn't wait for her to land. The moment the Gale Drake passed low enough that the fall wouldn't kill him, he jumped.

"Garrick!" Roy shouted from behind him. He hit the ground badly, but rolled and came upright before sprinting.

"Talia!" Aegis rose slightly as Garrick approached, but did not stop him. Garrick skidded to his knees beside her. His eyes found the front of Talia's clothes where the fabric had been torn. Blood still stained much of it despite the wound being gone. His face broke.

"Talia…" Tears were already running down his cheeks. Talia's head moved very slowly/ Her eyes found him as if his voice had needed to travel an enormous distance to reach her.

"Oh," a pause.

"Hey, Garrick." That was all it took. Garrick bit down hard enough that blood appeared along his lower lip. He wrapped both arms around her. Talia stiffened at first, then one arm weakly lifted and rested against his back. Garrick buried his face against her shoulder.

"You're okay." Talia stared over him.

"I think so."

"You're alive."

"Apparently." His shoulders shook. For several seconds, no one spoke - even Sevrin looked away. When Garrick finally loosened his grip, his eyes went immediately toward where the wound had been. Then his expression changed.

"Who did this?"

"I dealt with it." Aurelia's voice was muffled against her knees. She had not raised her head, but one hand emerged from where her arms were folded. She pointed toward the scar through the forest. Garrick followed it, his mouth opening slightly.

"You did that?" Aurelia's hand dropped. There was no answer, but there didn't need to be. Garrick's eyes moved across the clearing. A dead body, major destruction, and then Daren. The Commander's Status was openly visible. [Daren] If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [Fourth Seal: Commander] Garrick's grief hardened. His fists closed as he moved.

"Your people nearly killed my sister. If you think I'm going to stand here and—" Aegis's fist drove into Garrick's sternum. The air left Garrick as he folded. Aegis swept his feet out, and he hit the dirt.

"What—""There will be none of that," Aegis stood over him with a flat expression.

"Even I have had enough violence for one morning." Garrick stared upward. That, more than the punch, seemed to get through to him. The dragon who had once needed to be actively discouraged from treating threats as invitations was now telling Garrick the fighting was over. Garrick sat up, caught his breath, and then slowly stood. His anger had not disappeared, but he returned to Talia's side. Aegis nodded once and sat again. Zephyr finally landed, allowing Roy to dismount.

"You couldn't wait three seconds?" he called toward Garrick. Garrick ignored him. Roy sighed, then approached the wagon. He had already seen the clearing once when he brought Sevrin here. After that, Orion had debriefed him through their paired talking stones while Roy flew to Bellhaven to collect Garrick.

"I don't think anyone else needs to join this party," Roy stopped beside the wagon.

"We're all on the same page regarding what happened." His eyes moved between Sevrin and Daren before continuing.

"Now we figure out what comes next."

"Indeed," Sevrin turned toward him.

"I think it's fair to say I have several questions."

"Excellent," Roy's expression remained composed.

"Then we can take turns." Something suggesting annoyance flashed across Sevrin's face, but it disappeared. Roy noticed it was slower than usual. Whatever had happened here had shaken Sevrin more than he wanted anyone to know. Roy continued before he could object.

"I'll start." Sevrin's mouth tightened.

"Why was there a wagon with three armed Awakened traveling secretly toward Drakehaven?"

"Nightglass," Sevrin gestured inside.

"It was intended as a gift." Roy looked at the slabs, then back.

"Gifts don't usually come with armed escorts."

"This quantity does."

"A Second Seal Rogue, Third Seal Mage, and Fourth Seal Commander?"

"You clearly lack an understanding of Nightglass's value. Three slabs of this quality could purchase a substantial amount of land in some regions. They are also nearly irreplaceable once damaged." Roy looked inside again. He knew Greenbind had become valuable almost overnight. Dorian had explained Nightglass enough that Roy understood why merchants cared about it. Roy still wasn't certain he liked the answer, but he couldn't call it implausible. Sevrin folded his hands behind his back.

"My turn." Roy looked at him.

"Why was Talia several miles from Drakehaven spying on the caravan?" The obvious question, and the one they'd known would eventually come. Roy answered without hesitation.

"She's our Scout. It is part of her job."

"We are miles from your settlement."

"She cannot scout exclusively from the gate."

"This is the first night she has ever done anything remotely resembling this." Roy's eyes narrowed.

"You seem very confident about that." Sevrin's expression remained perfectly neutral.

"The first three weeks I stayed in Drakehaven, Talia returned to her cabin every night. Her routine was extremely consistent." Roy frowned.

"You watched her sleep?"

"I take midnight walks."

"That somehow sounds worse."

"Knowing routines is part of my job." Talia lifted her head.

"You are incredibly creepy." Sevrin glanced toward her, though some of the tension left his face.

"I am pleased you're feeling well enough to complain." Talia looked away. Roy didn't let the distraction last.

"You stopped checking, which means you're guessing."

"No," Sevrin's eyes sharpened.

"I'm saying that this expedition was outside every established pattern I had observed… And it occurred on the precise night that a Velkaryn caravan changed course toward your settlement." Roy held his stare. There were lies that worked because someone lacked information, but this wasn't one of them. Sevrin already had too many pieces. Roy sighed.

"Fine." Orion looked at him sharply, but Roy ignored it.

"You win…We knew they were coming."

"How?"

"Orion." Sevrin's gaze snapped toward him. Roy continued immediately before Orion's eyes could widen.

"New ability." That slowed Sevrin's reaction.

"What ability?"

"Settlement surveillance." Sevrin went very still. Roy made himself sound reluctant.

"A ten-mile radius. Real-time mapping of significant movement within that area. Limited detail, but enough to notice groups and larger creatures." Sevrin's eyes seemed almost to brighten.

"A map in real time."

"Yes."

"Centered on Drakehaven?" Daren watched silently. Sevrin turned toward Orion.

"Show me." Orion looked at Roy. Now Roy met his eyes; only after Sevrin had turned, and only for a second. A tiny nod. Follow along. Orion's jaw tightened. The displeasure was genuine, which conveniently made the lie more believable. Roy gestured.

"Go ahead." Another pause, then Orion closed his eyes. He reached toward Vision's map, then Orion drastically narrowed it. He cut away everything beyond the invented boundary, and removed anything that hinted at Vision's altitude or true origin. Then opened the display publicly.

"Here." The Status window rotated as Sevrin stepped closer. A map of Drakehaven and the surrounding ten miles floated between them. Settlement at the center, several residents visible as clustered movement, a handful of larger animals, and their own group near the eastern boundary. It was exactly as Roy had described. Sevrin studied it for several seconds before speaking"Can you maintain this constantly?"

"When I'm paying attention." Sevrin continued looking while Roy watched him process. The lie worked because almost none of it was actually false. A map existed that was updated in real time; they were simply lying about where the ability came from and how far it reached. Provide just enough truth to conceal the full advantage. Dorian's words - Roy hated how useful they had become outside business negotiations. Eventually, Sevrin stepped back and the map disappeared.

Frustration crossed his expression as he realized an ability this significant had existed under his nose without him discovering it.

"Useful," he said.

"That was the idea," Roy replied.

"Now it's my turn again. What happens now between Drakehaven and Velkaryn?" That removed the faint humor immediately. Daren's gaze even lifted with the question. For the first time since Roy arrived, the Commander appeared openly interested in the answer. Sevrin took his time.

"In the immediate future…" A pause.

"Nothing." Roy stared.

"That sounded reassuring until you hesitated."

"It was not intended to be reassuring," Sevrin looked toward Keth.

"I will draft a complete report, and Commander Daren will provide his own upon returning. Until both reports are received and reviewed, I suspect Velkaryn will take no action whatsoever."

"And after that?" Sevrin's expression darkened.

"I don't know." Roy frowned.

"You don't know, or you won't say?"

"I don't know." That answer bothered Roy more. Sevrin had always seemed like someone with three contingencies already prepared for conversations that hadn't happened yet. For him to admit uncertainty—"Very well," he gestured toward the wagon.

"I can have Shale bring our wagon here within a couple of hours. We'll transfer the Nightglass into Drakehaven's custody, then Commander Daren returns home. We return to Drakehaven, and everyone gets as much distance from each other as reasonably possible." Daren almost smiled.

"That may be wise."

"I thought so," Roy turned.

"Orion." Orion remained focused on Daren.

"Come on." Eventually Orion glanced toward the others and followed his brother. As they walked away, Roy spoke quietly.

"We'll talk about the map later."

"You just invented one of my abilities."

"I modified the explanation of an existing one." Orion looked back toward Sevrin.

"Did it work?" Roy followed his gaze.

"For now." Neither seemed particularly satisfied by that. Behind them, Sevrin remained beside the wagon while Daren watched the siblings walk away.

"You've spared them the worst of the details. A typical Arbiter." Sevrin looked toward him.

"I told them what I can guarantee." Daren chuckled quietly.

"Which is very little."

"Anything beyond that requires predicting how our leadership interprets this."

"You're usually quite fond of predictions." Sevrin looked around.

"Not when several people are dead." Daren looked toward Keth, then the destroyed forest.

"The lost lives are of little consequence. Keth and Veyra died during a battlefield misunderstanding. It was tragic, wasteful, and worth acknowledging." His eyes moved toward Aurelia.

"But strategically irrelevant compared to what happened before they died." Sevrin said nothing. The death glyphs of Velkaryn operatives would send fragments of their final perceptions before they were killed. It would be enough that someone in Velkaryn would have seen what Keth saw as Talia awakened. It would also be enough that someone would have received the final burst of Veyra's perception before Aurelia's spell erased her. Daren continued.

"A Second Seal operative is dead, a Third Seal Mage is dead… And I am not entirely certain I would have survived if that fight continued." Sevrin's eyes narrowed.

"Aegis?" Daren shook his head.

"That is the obvious answer. An adolescent Storm Dragon defending Drakehaven is concerning, but it's a known entity at this point." Daren paused slightly as he turned to Talia.

"The young scout awakened her Second Seal in the middle of combat." Sevrin followed his gaze.

"She did."

"The large one with the axe… His summons were considerably more versatile than your reports indicated. He turned terrain into defensive infrastructure almost instantly. He moved himself and allies around the battlefield while maintaining summoned soldiers. He wasn't an overwhelming threat by any means, but I had to actively adjust my fighting style around a Second Seal." Sevrin's jaw tightened.

"And the healer?" Daren looked toward Aurelia. She had finally lifted her head; the exhaustion was evident on her face. She was small, young, and nothing about her suggested the line carved through fifty yards of forest belonged to her.

"I don't know what she is."

"Third Seal Caretaker."

"I can read," Daren's voice remained even.

"I am saying the Status is not a sufficient description." Sevrin glanced toward the destruction.

"She possesses an anomalously large reserve."

"That is not what concerns me," Daren's eyes narrowed.

"I watched the spear pass completely through her torso, and it removed barely a third of her Health… She then erased a Third Seal Mage before Veyra could meaningfully react."

"A spell she learned yesterday."

"That makes it worse." Sevrin looked at him. Daren's expression finally carried something beyond simple professionalism.

"The problem isn't what Drakehaven is today," he gestured vaguely toward the family.

"It's that every report you send becomes obsolete." Sevrin's face hardened at that.

"They are still a hamlet."

"Their growth rate is astronomical," Daren looked directly at him, "And that is what matters." Sevrin did not respond.

"I agree with your likely assessment," Daren continued.

"This incident was not a deliberate act of hostility by Drakehaven, and my report will state that clearly."

"Good."

"But I will not minimize their threat potential simply because this battle began accidentally." Daren glanced once more toward the path left by Plasma Beam.

"I am not certain I would have survived that." Sevrin's eyes followed his.

"She is not the fighting type."

"Irrelevant," Daren's response came immediately.

"A weapon does not become harmless because its owner prefers not to use it." Silence settled between them, then Daren stepped away.

"I am going to rest. I'll remain until the cargo transfer is complete, then I return to Velkaryn."

"And file your report."

"Yes." He took several steps, then paused.

"Your experiment succeeded, Arbiter." Sevrin's expression changed as Daren looked back to continue.

"You wanted to learn how Drakehaven responds when confronted with an unknown variable… and now you know." Sevrin remained beside the wagon. For several seconds, he watched Daren disappear beneath the canvas. Then he looked toward the family again. Despite the night's events, every one of them remained alive. Sevrin's gaze lowered to the Dragoneye Scout that remained wrapped around his wrist. It shifted once - just slightly - but it was almost unnoticeable.

He had arrived in the settlement believing his assignment was to determine whether a strange little hamlet might someday become a concern, but that question was becoming increasingly obsolete. The more relevant question was rapidly becoming what Velkaryn intended to do once everyone else realized the answer.