The Evergreen City

“I had been taking shelter in the city for some time already. I’d had an unfortunate accident back with my tribe that led to my exile- not my fault, mind you. But that’s another story. 

“There’s something for everyone in the Evergreen City. If one wanted to become a farmer, the crops grew so plentifully and were so massive, the harvest lasted almost all year. If one wanted to become a healer, there were plenty of them in the city who needed a hand.

All I wanted was to have a place… Somewhere. I didn’t particularly care where I was or what I was doing. I just wanted to belong somewhere.

Eventually I found work at a Blacksmith’s shop, carting deliveries for the lone smith. His name was William. 

He was a kind man. When I came to him for work, he didn’t ask too many questions. He asked if I was a criminal, and if I had a strong back, and when he was happy with my answers, we discussed pay and I started working later that day. 

I don’t particularly care for people in general, especially humans, but this man was special. He was generous, kind, strong, quiet, and upstanding. He knew I didn’t care for useless chatter, so he didn’t bother me much. We had our own way of communicating though, no words needed. Just looks, gestures, a nod every so often. It was nice, and even though at the time, I didn’t put any effort into getting to know him, he seemed like he still cared. Deep down, I believe that William just might go to the ends of the earth for someone he truly cared about. However, it was never a question about who he cared about, but rather… who didn’t he care about? William was a good man. There was no question. Even though he hardly knew me, I knew he cared about me. He was so kind to all of his patrons, even when they weren’t very kind people themselves. 

William’s heart was so big and… full of love and passion… he was able to pour his soul into his work. His weapons were masterful- that was his specialty- So masterfully crafted, in fact, that the Official Guards of the City and of…” Kage halted in his explanation and looked down, a pang of hurt marring his face as he put his hand over his chest and gripped his tunic. 

“What is it?” The man asked. “Why have you stopped?” 

“S-sorry.” Kage sputtered, “It’s just hard to talk about- i-it’s fine.” He would wave his hand dismissively and shake off the emotion. 

“Even Life’s guards, The Evergreen Order, regularly ordered their weapons from William.” He continued. 

“Did you ever meet her?” The man asked, leaning forward. “Life?” 

Kage looked up to meet the man’s eyes for just a moment, then nodded and slumped again. “Yeah, I did. That’s why most people come to the city, you know.

Life herself resides in that city. You… do know who that is, right?”

The old man shrugged. “I never needed to. I’ve lived up in these mountains my whole life. It’s a simple, trouble free existence… but I do miss out on important events quite often.” 

Kage’s eyes wandered up to the two dragons painted on the ceiling again, and he simply sighed. “Life… as we all know,” He added with a pointed glare, “Is practically a Goddess. She and her… Partner… Death… well… they keep the world spinning, in a way. 

It’s fairly simple… All things have magic in them, you know. But some have more than others. A fox may have more magic in it than perhaps a rock, but both have it. And while everything has magic in it, not everything has enough to do anything more than keep it alive. 

Life gives us that magic. She keeps us alive. As long as she exists, magic continues to flow freely to the rest of us. And Death… well… He comes to take what has been used up, and returns it to where it came from. A Great Pool, the location of which is supposedly kept a secret between Life and Death only. 

They were… meant… to work together. Two dragons, practically immortal, working together for the better of the world. Partners… That’s how it was supposed to be. But Death is not a pleasant person. I’ve met him too, you know. He’s a twisted man. At the dawn of the world, when Life and Death were created, they were lovers. However, eventually Death gave into his nature, which is to kill, and destroy things. He killed Life in cold blood, at the dawn of time. But before she was all gone, she created a way for her soul to be taken away, so that Death could not take it himself. Her soul is taken and she is reborn as someone else later on. No matter how hard anyone ever tries, nothing ever truly breaks the cycle. He always gets to her somehow, and she always dies. 

When she does, that typically leads to several years of famine and disease, when she isn’t around to keep the metaphorical gate open, so that magic flows to the rest of us. Does that make sense?”
 The man nodded. 

“Now… after a few rounds of this, Life made an arrangement with some of her most trusted allies, and they arranged for her to be brought to one specific city every time she is reincarnated.” 

“The Evergreen City.” The man guesses, and Kage nods. 

“Exactly. And as long as she is continually brought back to this city, it continues to grow and grow as more curious people are drawn to it. People want to know what it is like to walk in the midst of a Goddess. People feel comforted knowing she is near them. They feel safe.

I didn’t care about it, personally. I knew she was there, and I wasn’t after her favor or her protection, I can take care of myself. I was only after the opportunities that the city itself would give me.”
“So… why go on about her? If she is indeed so unimportant to you, that is.” The man’s face twisted into a smug grin.

Kage stared at the man and blinked a few times, then sighed. “Because… Well, when we don’t want things in our lives, they almost always make their way to us anyway. I didn’t need her attention in any way, but somehow, eventually I caught her eye…

I was out doing shopping for William, the man worked so much he hardly ever took care of himself, so on good days, I would do a little extra work to help him out. I didn’t have anything stopping me from taking care of him just a little, here and there. 

The inner mountain was where the Temple, Market, and Upper Living District were. It was like… a giant ant hill, and the roads from the outer city simply led inside the mountain as if it weren’t even there.

Now, most Dragons are not welcome among humans unless they have proven themselves not to be a threat- Thanks to Death, by the way. 

We live on the fringes of society because sometimes we need humans. To protect ourselves as we walk the line between Dragon kind and Mankind, we evolved. We evolved to be able to take on a more humanoid form, and when that wasn’t enough, we developed magic that conceals our Draconic features, making us look completely human to the casual viewer. Almost all Dragons are so attuned with the magic in the world that we sense it when there is something near us- like a cloaking spell- we can sense it. I hadn’t accounted for this…

While I stood in line in front of a stall, to pick up the next item from William’s list, I felt her. I looked around and… there she was. Standing at the top of the Temple’s stairs, several of her guards flanked her, though they kept some distance. She stood there, unabashedly showing everyone her true colors. Pristine, rose colored scales that seemed to shine with every bit of light that reflected off of them from around the room, and this… Barely developed set of horns that hardly protruded from under her hair. She couldn’t be much older than myself, I knew that for a fact.

At her feet, on the stairs, several guards kept devotees at bay as they laid offerings at her feet, with little petty requests. 

‘Please, your majesty, my son is ill…’ and ‘please madam I’ve this sore that has pestered me for weeks, if you could please ease my suffering…’. 

It was pathetic, but somehow, despite the incessant begging of the humans at her feet, she seemed to have all but tuned them out in favor of setting those golden eyes of hers on none other than me…

It was so intense and… intoxicating. It felt like God had reached up from The Great Pool and taken ahold of me, filled me with raw magic. It took my very breath away, and then-

‘You, next in line! Step up or I’ll have someone else take your place!’ 

I was rudely snapped out of my daze by the vendor I was in line for. I hastily ordered what I needed, and the man took his time putting everything together. I didn’t want her attention, I still knew that. I didn’t need to get caught up in Draconic matters anymore than I already had, I was doing things the human way. But why did she look at me that way? Why had that sensation gripped me so firmly? What was she trying to tell me, if anything?

The feeling had almost completely faded by the time I turned my attention back towards the stairs, she was gone. 

Thinking nothing of it, save for the fact that it had been unsettling and strange, I walked back to William’s shop with the rest of his groceries. Once things had all been sorted out and the exchange was over with, I had slipped my hand into my pocket and found a torn piece of parchment. On one side a small note written, which said ‘Meet me outside the city when the moon is three fingers above the horizon.’ 

I was shaken yet again. This had to be her’s, right? Who else could it possibly be? I had been so very careful to keep my true identity a secret, there was no way it could have possibly been anyone else. 

Avoiding these kinds of situations is usually a bad idea. Dragon culture demands that one answer when called by Life, but then, who was to stop me from denying the challenge? I could answer the call, or leave the city, and only one option made sense for me. 

So I left my room at sundown and calmly made my way outside the city. Leaving was easy, but I knew that if I was meeting Life, she would want to see my true form, so I found somewhere secluded and sat down to wait for her. I sat for hours, awaiting some terrible fate which I knew for a fact was coming. Scenarios ran through my head over and over, I would be dead by morning, she would have killed me by then, unless I ran. But for some reason that seemed better than fleeing the city, I would rather suffer at her hands than at the hands of my tribe or barbaric humans. 

Eventually I heard her coming, felt her coming. It was my last chance to run, and yet… I wanted to feel what I had felt before. That overwhelming fullness she had given me by simply looking at me. I wanted it just one more time. 

“You’re here.” I heard her say. Her voice was small, but somehow warm and comforting. Inviting even. 

My very breath caught in my throat, and I stared up at the sky as I felt her gaze on me yet again, too nervous to look at her and too enraptured to run. 

“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I shook my head to try and clear it so that maybe somehow I could look at her without showing her just how unsettled I was. 

“I’m fine.” I steeled myself and calmly turned my head to look at her, “I’m not scared.” 
She laughed quietly as she slowly made her way over to me, and carefully sat down beside me on the ground. She was so close to me, I felt the texture of the scales on her shoulder as they brushed against mine. They almost felt like leaves, very delicate, yet sturdy. She made herself comfortable, letting her tail loosely curl around her, and her wings unfurl to rest on the ground.

“Good, then you wouldn’t mind if I sat here with you.” 

“Er… no, I guess not... I was… expecting you, you know.” I swallowed hard, it felt like there was a huge lump in my throat when I did. All of the pressure from the magic that was filling me felt like it was going to make me burst. Like the lines that defined my physical form were starting to blur and become thin. Myself and my environment were becoming one, and I shared the same magic with the trees, grass, and soil… and her. I was swept up in a great wave, one little drop of water in a swirling current somewhere in the ocean.

Then she turned her gaze away from me again, the feeling left, and she seemed saddened. This did nothing to hide what I could only describe as hope, however. “Were you, now? Have you something to say, then?” 

“I- uh- I didn’t-” What was I supposed to say? This was her territory, through and through. It had been for a millennia, every time she died, her new body was always brought back to this very mountain and she was hidden away until she could assume the throne of what was now a kingdom. All I could do was hope she didn’t make me leave. “Look, I-I really like it here- and I swear I mean no harm whatsoever. I just need somewhere to call home and I…” 

Abruptly, she reached over and put her finger over my mouth, without really looking at me. “Listen, I hear this all the time, it’s fine.” 

“You… you do?” 

“Yeah, I do.” She sighed and put her head in her hands again, letting her claws brush lightly over her scalp as she ran them through her hair. “Miss this, and Majesty that. It’s all so very boring. I’m so tired of people treating me like that- and to be frank, I’m tired of humans.” She scoffed. 

I was confused, and in my confusion I lost my words. I simply stared at her, watched her Godly ruse wash away and be replaced by what was just a girl.

“I was hoping… maybe… you could help with that. I was wondering if you’d like to fly with me.” She turned her head slightly, not setting eyes on me again, but simply showing she was listening to me. 

“With you? Why?” I scowled slightly, if this was an attempt to silence me before I had any say in my fate, it was ill conceived. 

She scoffed. “Because you can, silly! Want to know something?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but she didn’t wait for me to say anything before continuing. 

“It has been years since I’ve had the company of another dragon! We simply must do something together that only we can do!” She rocked her body so that she could get up on her feet, and extended a hand towards me. 

Confused yet again by… everything about her, I simply stared. I tried imagining not seeing another dragon for years, and found myself daydreaming about it for a moment. It sounded like bliss to me, and yet she welcomed me so readily. It was an idea I didn’t understand in the slightest, and I didn’t trust it. Didn’t trust her.

She frowned a little, and lowered her gaze. Not that it ever seemed to settle on any one thing. 

“You can say no, I won’t be mad…” She muttered. 

“Look…” I sighed, glancing about as I searched for the words to say what I needed to say. “I… My relationships with other dragons have never really… gone… well… Not that I expect you to understand, but ah… some dragons just… aren’t made to be close to others.” 

“Oh.” She said flatly, glancing up at me again, which caused my breath to catch in my throat. I suppose she noticed, because she quickly looked away with a scowl plastered onto her otherwise soft features. “It’s fine, I get it. I’ll try not to bother you anymore then, I guess.” 

She turned, and started to shuffle away sadly, I watched her go. Confusion, and a pang of guilt tugged at me, as well as some part of me that simply craved the feeling of fullness that her magic gave off. Maybe there was some sort of compromise we could have come to, if only I was more trusting… But… No. I would not change my mind. She gave me the option to say no, and I exercised that freedom.

Eventually when she was far enough away, she spread her wings and took flight, leaving me in almost complete silence. 

I did it. She said she would leave me be, which means all I have to do is not be stupid. I’m… free. 

Or so I thought.

I got up and brushed myself off, happy to forget about the encounter altogether. I slipped back into the city, past the guards and off into the crowded streets of the lower district. 

If and when Death ever attacked the city, (which historically, was not uncommon) this area was the first to be hit. By the look of it, a lot of this district simply hadn’t been repaired since the last attack, and the people who lived here had shaped their home lives around this. Using rubble as seating, and firepits, holes in the walls as windows, and floors where the roof had been knocked off as lounges with a view of the sky. 

The people living here were humble, albeit a little sketchy. I was invited to join groups by their fires several times, but of course, I had somewhere to be. A warm bed of straw back at my room to collapse into. 

On my way, I’d noticed a woman following some ways behind me. I didn’t much care for it, so I thought I’d slip into an alleyway to lose her. 

When the opportunity presented itself, I turned a corner and, once I had made sure no one was watching, I shifted into my shadow form and hid among the ones that were already there. 

I heard her start to run, and then skid to a halt as she entered the alleyway, I heard the soles of her boots click against the stone, and then they stopped. She was just… standing there, waiting. 

In my shadow form, I couldn’t see physical shapes, only shades of light and dark. I could see the woman’s shadow partially blending in with the rest of the shadows in this alley, but most notably I could see the light of a torch she was holding. She shoved it towards me, and pinned my tail to the wall, the heat of the torch felt like it spread all over me, burning my incorporeal form away painfully and slowly.

“Come out, snake.” The woman hissed.

Reluctantly, I came out of my shadow form, and yanked my tail away from her before her torch caught it on fire. 

“Where is she?? Where did she go? How could you send her away??” 

I quickly recast the spell I used to appear human, and then scowled at her. She was an older woman, not elderly, but certainly passing her prime soon. Her face had wrinkles in it, her eyes seemed sunken and her face was as pale as one could be while still maintaining a bronzed skin tone. She seemed unwell, but not necessarily ill?

“Answer me.” The woman scowled. 

“I have no idea what you’re going on about.” I scoffed. “My business doesn’t concern you.” 

“No, it does.” She said, letting out a mirthless chuckle. “You sent away my chance at a cure! I saw her fly away from you, in the field.” 
“Then go after her. This isn’t my problem, lady.” I put my hands up in a shrug and started to walk away. The woman was silent at first, which made me happy. Her voice was irritating, and I was happy to have the confrontation over with. 

“I know what you are!” She finally called, catching my attention again. “You’re a dragon, don’t pretend I didn’t just see you materialize from shadow. Last I checked… your kind aren’t supposed to be here.” 

“Without permission. Which I have.” I corrected her, rolling my eyes as I turned to face her again. “And keep your damn voice down, there is no need to tell the entire city.” 

“Oh really? Let’s see the permit then.” The woman put her hands on her hips, and lifted her eyebrow. “I’d be seen as a savior for exposing a dragon in hiding, you know.” 

I frowned. What could have this woman so pressed she’d cause a fuss like this? I didn’t understand it at all, but the one thing I did understand was that she was looking for an upper hand. 

“I don’t have to prove myself to a commoner woman such as yourself, leave me alone.” 

“If you aren’t worried about it, I can just take this matter to the guards. I’m sure they’ll clear matters up for me at the very least.” 

I rolled my eyes and huffed. She had pinned me. “What do you want??” 

The woman sauntered over and looked up at me, fearless. The scent of herbs hit my nostrils and assaulted my senses from this close, forcing me to step back just to catch my breath. She smirked. 

“Magic. That’s what I want, what I need.” The woman said as she adjusted her baggy clothing around her neck. She wore a hood and a scarf, and a tunic that was far too large for her. It’s loose ends were kept from impeding her movements by a thin cord tied around her waist.

“I don’t know what rock you’ve spent your entire life living under, but I can’t give you magic. It’ll kill you, everyone knows that.” I scoffed again, crossing my arms over my chest. 

“I’m well aware of the effects of magic on humans.” The woman said, putting her hands up. “I didn’t ask for you to take care of me, I told you want I want. You’re going to get it for me, or you’re going to be run out of town by The Guard.” 
I was taken back by her boldness, but then I reminded myself that I was being forced to do something I didn’t want to do. “If it’s death you want, I could fix that right here.” I chuckled. 

“Try it.” The woman said, producing from those baggy clothes of hers a dagger, tipped in some sort of mixture which smelled offensive in and of itself. “I know this won’t do much, but then again, it doesn’t have to. All I have to do is scream for help, and you’ll become a monster to this city. Not that you need my help for that.” 
“Okay, fine. Where the hell am I supposed to find magic for you? How would I even bring it to you?” 
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be blackmailing you, dumbass.” The woman scoffed. “I could care less how you get it, but when you do, bring it to alleyway and tie this ribbon around it.” She would reach into a pouch she carried with her and produce a red ribbon. The faintest trace of magic lingered on it, which made me wary. Still, I reluctantly took the ribbon and stuffed it into my pocket. 
“Any other demands, your majesty?” I scoffed
“If it’s substantial enough, I just might stay out of your hair for good.” She grinned. “Call me V, by the way. What’s your name?”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from her to walk off. “We’re not friends.” 

“Have it your way then.” 
‘Would anyone else like to have a turn at ruining my day?’ I thought to myself. Thankfully no one did. I made my way home, to a quiet inn which I had taken temporary residence in. I stopped by the bar to order a warm plate of food, paid, and then took the plate up to my room. 
As I opened the door, I half expected to see the Guard waiting for me, however, as I set eyes on my belongings and found them to be exactly how I had left them. I breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat in the windowsill where I enjoyed a quiet meal. 

I was thankful for the time I had to sit down and unwind. I relaxed my shoulders and rolled them a bit to ease the aching. Why was it that everything had to go wrong today? I thought I had kept my nose clean, but apparently it wasn’t enough. 
I found myself scowling down at the oversized food on my plate. 

How long has it been since I’ve flown, I wonder. Days in this city seemed to blend into each other. The city never slept, even at night there were always people in the streets. Everyone was always busy doing something. 

It’s meaningless, all of it. All of the little humans vying for attention from their draconic queen, their goddess. Working and working their lives away, and spending them in the comfort that the walls provided. It wasn’t even safe here, when you thought about it. Death could come any day and wipe the city out yet again, it wasn’t like walls did anything to stop him.

I scoffed and laughed before realizing I was in the fray too. I was here to hide, to work, and to eventually die, ideally in the comfort of a home.

I looked up at the sky and briefly wished I could jump off the roof of the building and soar into the sky, but doing so would do me no good… Maybe I should have gone flying with her… I let my head hang and groaned quietly. 
What could I have done better in that situation? What choice did I have, if I expected to keep my head low in this city? There were so many eyes on her, there was no way I could do anything with her, without drawing some of that attention to myself. 

And what about V? All I did was speak with Life in private for a minute or two, and I already had the eyes of some shifty witch on me. What to do? If left to her devices, she’d probably just blackmail me again once she used up all the magic I got for her. 

‘I could probably kill her…’ I grinned at this, and then groaned. Killing her would just end up with me getting run out of town again… Which leads me to the biggest problem thus far, where to get magic? I hardly know the city as it is, and this stupid human expects me to find magic for her like it’s just going to be sitting on the side of the road. 

William would probably know something useful… But God, I hardly know him… How would I even ask? We hardly speak as it is, but… It’s the best idea I have.

I’d have to swallow my pride- or what was left of it- and get it over with. If I had to depend on any human, at least it was William.

The next morning felt like any other, I had nearly tricked myself to believe it had all been a strange, vivid dream. However, when I saw the ribbon on my dresser, I groaned as the reality of it hit me and immediately soured my mood. 

As per my usual routine, I crawled out of bed, dressed, had breakfast, and then jogged over to Will’s shop. I paused out front to straighten my clothes out and gather my nerves. ‘He’s just a man, nothing more.’ I steeled myself, and walked in.

Not surprisingly, he was hard at work already, even early in the morning. I had hoped to catch him before he got busy… 

“You’re early, Kage.” He chuckled, only glancing up from his work momentarily to look at me, and then pausing to squint. “Rough night?” 

I blinked once or twice. Was it so obvious? “Oh uh- yeah.” 

“Is something wrong? Do you… want to talk abou-”

“No. Thank you.” I chuckled uncomfortably, and rocked on my heels. “But um, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have lunch together or something… Go out and show me the city or something…” I hunched over to make myself smaller, this was so uncomfortable…

Will stopped hammering the metal he was working with, and moved over to quench it. “All this time you’ve hardly spoken to me, and all of the sudden you want to go on a lunch date?” 

“Not a date.” I corrected him, “I just figured… if I plan on being here a while, why not?” 

Will furrowed his brow, he was thinking about it. What else was there to it? Nothing that he would be aware of, so why was this so difficult for him?? 

“Well I pack my lunches, so I don’t have to leave the shop, but… If you like, you could have dinner with me instead. Not a date, of course.” He laughed. “We’ll tour first, dine second… and then you’re free to do what you will afterwards. How’s that sound?” William wiped his brow and smiled warmly at me, before taking his blade out of the water and holding it up to check it. 

I smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Sounds good. So… after work?”

“After work.” He nodded, “For now,” William gestured to a small pile of items he’d finished up, and a list of names and drop points next to it. 

“And once you’re done with that, you can sharpen blades for me. There’s a festival coming up and the Guard stopped by to commission some general maintenance they want done before people start showing up.” He scoffs, and mutters to himself. “Like they’re my only clients… Who do they think they are?” 

With the tension from confronting William mostly over, my day would be easy from there. All I had to do was cart deliveries, which was easy. Take the weapons to the businesses or homes of clients, drop it off, collect the money. Afterwards, I sharpened blades and cleaned the shop for William while he dealt with more important tasks. I took a moment to watch him, and all I could seem to do was shake my head. 

Imagine working in a shop, every day of your adult life. Bowing your head to the whims of every customer who came through, working away your youth. I imagined William many years later, growing old, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to picture him ever retiring. The man wanted to work, he wanted to keep on his toes. He wanted to die this way, it seemed. 

“William.” I found myself calling his name before I could stop myself, but it was too late to take it back. 

“What is it?” 

“I just- uh- I was wondering… how long have you been doing this?” God, I felt like shrinking into myself. Why’d I have to open my stupid mouth?

“Oh, well… most of my life actually.” He says, frowning slightly as he thought about it before looking back over towards me. “Why do you ask? You wanting to do this too?” 

“Oh, no. This sort of work isn’t for me.” I chuckled a little at the thought of it. “I was just wondering I guess. Haven’t you ever wanted to do something else? You know, while you’re still young… ish.” 

Will smirked at the last part, making his face wrinkle in the way that only his does. The corners of his eyes and mouth had lines from how much William smiled, and even stayed when he stopped smiling, giving him a perpetual, comforting aura. It was it’s own kind of magic. The magic that only comes from holding on to the person you want to be, for years and years, until it’s so imprinted on your soul that it’s there forever. The kind of magic that dragons could only dream of getting their hands on. 

“No, I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to get back out there in the world. I’ve seen what’s out there, and it’s just… not for me.” 

“So you’re fine, just sitting in this shop and working for people until you’re too old to do anything else? Haven’t you ever wanted to just… let go and chase your dreams? Be free?” I frowned again, but it was out of concern now. Not that it was up to me to decide what this man did with his life, but to me, this life was a death sentence. 

“This is my dream, kid.” He chuckles, turning his attention back to his grindstone. “When I was younger, maybe I wanted to get away from home, maybe explore a bit. Maybe I wanted to make a big difference out there. Maybe I wanted to save people, or become the man people told their children about, or have a statue made of me… But I don’t want that anymore. All I want now is to live a quiet life here, to do small things for people, and make their lives just a little bit better. I want to live a slow, routine life, and die an old man. I’m happy here, don’t you worry.” He assured me. 

I blinked a few times to process this. A slow, routine life, huh? “You do you, I guess.” 

Even if I hated the mental image that came to mind, of William still pounding away at metal even as he grew old. The idea of this man giving away pieces of his soul with every new customer. I couldn’t help but feel I was standing at the bottom of the same staircase he was climbing, and the thought haunted me. 

Either way, there was no way I would let that happen to me. The endgame for me was freedom, and William’s ideal life was the opposite of that. I had possibly hundreds of years ahead of me to get around to my goals, and William only had maybe a few decades left before his body would start to fail him. 

It was no concern of mine, I decided finally. William’s fate was the same as any human’s, and that was simply a reality I had to face. I wasn’t sure why this was important to me all of the sudden, but I knew I shouldn’t put too much thought into it. 

The end of the day came in what felt like no time at all. Figures, because I had wanted to have just a little more time to think about things. Time flies when you’re debating the pros and cons of a shorter lifespan, I guess. 

I helped William close the shop, and then awkwardly rocked on my heels as he was locking the door. 

What now?

He turned to me, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, mimicking my expression as he caught onto it. “My least favorite part of the day.” He chuckles quietly. “Usually I get what I need from the market before I go home and get cleaned up.” 

“Yeah, uh… me too.” I’d nod gently. “So…”

“You wanted a tour of the city, right? Come with me.” He waves for me to walk with him as he turns on his heels and starts to walk uphill to the Upper district. 

I followed William, at first simply following in his footsteps, before he started walking slower, so I took to his side instead. 

Right about now, the middle district was both falling asleep, and waking up at the same time. Businesses were closing as the sun fell below the treeline on the horizon, and guards were out whispering to the globes along the sidewalks, to light them up. The men and women who ran the shops were locking up for the night, and the bars were coming to life, drawing in all of the working folk. People from the fields could be seen returning to their families, and homes started lighting up as well. It was sort of pretty seeing the city lighting up, especially now that I was paying attention to it. 
“Beautiful, isn’t it? I love this city.” He sighs. 

“It really is something.” I’d reply, chuckling a little. “What are those? Some kind of magic?” I ask, pointing to a row of the little globes that lit up the sides of the roads. 

“Oh those? They’re our street lanterns.” He grins. “Dunno what they’re actually called, but I think they’re real neat. Never seen em before I came here, to be honest.” 

How useful. I sighed inwardly, but smiled anyway. “How do they work? They’re magic, aren’t they?” 

“Well yes, but they’re legal.” He shrugs. “Rumor is that they’re full of some weird juice, and when you talk to it, it lights up.”

As we passed one, I casually batted at it, out of curiosity. It was tied to a string that I assumed was to keep it from floating away. It was hard and made of glass, with a metal cage fitted around it. The globe drifted aside as I batted it, then eventually found it’s equilibrium again and was still. “Neat.” I muttered. “And they just have these sitting around? No one has a problem with that?”

“Well there are some folks who have their complaints. But anyone can use em, it’s not magic we use, it’s already there. You just have to know the words to activate them.” He explains very matter-of-factly with an ambiguous shrug. 

Once we had climbed to the entrance to the Upper District, there was a small pause in the conversation as we passed through the tunnel. It was never quiet here, too many people chattering away to each other inside a giant cave created a constant din. The tunnels had the worst of it, however. 

Once we had cleared the tunnel, William joined a current of people slowly making their way to different market stands. The inside of the mountain had slowly been carved out by construction workers, to clear way for new levels and paths to get to them, and then other rooms carved out along those paths for little pockets, where people could rent out rooms for their shops. On the ground floor, there was a tree that grew out of the center of the cave, with a decorative wall built around it, there was a small stream that led into a basin that watered the tree, and then went on further into the caves. This was this was the town square, all paths led to this area, and thus it was a busy place for small-time businesses with their little carts of goods. They usually owned shops somewhere else in this city, but here, everyone in the city could set eyes on your goods. This was William’s favorite place to shop. 

He fell into a line, standing still finally so all I had to do was catch up to him, but I was not in tune with people the same way he was. I had a hard time reading the flow of things, and settled for trying to force my way through them. 

I broke through the first line of people and found myself pressed up against the little decorative wall that encircled the tree at the center. I climbed up the wall so I could walk on top of it to bypass more of the people who were in the way. However, once I stood up atop the wall and started walking across it, the cave quieted slightly, which I knew was bad. One woman cried out, in the crowd, which caught my gaze. That was when I noticed that almost all eyes in this cave were on me, and I froze in place, mortified.

Why are they staring? Have I forgotten to disguise myself? If they could see my true form, surely they would be running by now…

I briefly considered glancing down at some part of me to see if that was the case, but if it wasn’t, it would be strange. 

A robed man was shoving his way through the crowd, and came to the base of the wall just underneath me. “Boy, do you have any idea where you are right now?” He asked me, in an almost condescending manner.

“Um… No?” I frowned slightly. “The Upper District?” 

“Smart, kid.” He scoffs, “Play dumb all you like.” 

“I really don’t.” I replied, “It’s just a dumb wall, I don’t understand why everyone is staring.” 

Around now, William had clambered his way through the crowd to stand under me as well. “Sir, this is just a misunderstanding, he’s new around here.” He assured the man. 

The man, who appeared to be some sort of priest shook his head and slammed his cane on the ground. “There should be repercussions for desecration of sacred ground, nonetheless! How else will we raise a faithful generation in the years to come?” He shouted, turning to the rest of the townsfolk who were watching, for support. 

While most of them had stopped watching to go about their daily lives again, a good few had stayed to be nosey. A few in the small crowd murmured in agreement. “To Our Lady then!” He shouted, and reached up to grab me, but I kicked his hand away. “Agh! Violence! He’s raised his hand against me, arrest him!” 

Panic started to build up inside me, and I wondered what I ought to do. Should I run? Should I abandon this city too? 

I glanced down towards William, expecting to see him having turned on me as well, but he was putting himself between me and the rest of the crowd, now reaching for me greedily. 
“That won’t be necessary, Elric, thank you.” A familiar voice sighed over the crowd. I looked up again to find the cool, composed, and regal looking form of Life, standing amidst the crowd, in all her Draconic splendor. 

The shouting man stopped and looked up at her. Immediately he bowed, with a quiet exclamation, “Our Lady Everlasting! This man has climbed the wall built around your sacred Tree of Ages, and defiled the grounds. We bring him before you today, to demand your Divine Retribution.” 

“You will demand nothing from Her Majesty.” A new voice this time, coming from a man next to Life. A bodyguard of sorts from the look of his armor, which I had seen several times in Will’s shop. The man looked at me, and I swear the navy in his eyes brightened momentarily as he looked me over, however his face remained neutral. “However, If I could suggest-” 

“No need, Markus.” She said quietly before looking at Elric, the robed man, again. “Now to address your issue, Elric, there is no need for-” She scoffs, “Divine retribution. This is no malicious man, he is simply a lost, confused boy.” She adds, looking to me. “He isn’t sure of anything, right now, why should I punish that?” 

“Your majesty, I assure you that is exactly the case.” William interjected with a deeply respectful bow. “I was taking him under my wing, and I have been educating him about the city. We simply hadn’t gotten to the- ah-… Cultural part, yet.” He adds. “If it pleases her majesty, I’ll take this boy back home to cover the rest in a more controlled environment.” 

“Very well. Finish your business here, and let no one disturb you further.” She finishes with a small smile directed at me, and then a small bow to the both of us, once I had climbed back down the wall. 

“Yes ma’am.” He replies firmly. 

Life would turn away from the two of us again to walk back to the temple, and as she was, her bodyguard had another long look at me, before he scoffed, shook his head, and fell in step with Life.

William herded me away from the wall once I had climbed down, using his body to partially shield me from everyone else. He hastily grabbed his package from the merchant, and then continued herding me out of the way of most of the others in the room, who then went about their business. 

“Right, so that’s on me. Sorry about that, I’m sure you’re shaken up a bit.” He sighs as he lets me go, and brushes my shoulders off. A concerned expression on his face as he tried looking into my eyes. 

I quickly looked away and cleared my throat. “It wasn’t anything. I’m used to this kind of thing.” I let out a quiet chuckle and glanced back at him, only to find my attempt at humor had the opposite effect. Of course. I’m only making his life harder, that’s what I do to everyone else, isn’t it?

William stood up straight again, practically towering over me as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Stay here kid, alright? I’m going to get the other ingredients for dinner tonight.” 

I shrugged and let out a mirthless chuckle as I turned around to take a seat on a nearby stone. “Don’t want me embarrassing you again… I get it. I’ll stay put.” 

He pointed at me, and adopted a more stern stance. “You know that is not what I said. I am not disappointed in you, I just don’t want you getting into trouble is all… I’m worried, alright? So stay still, don’t touch anything that looks… important… and I’ll be right back, okay?” 

I rolled my eyes and waved him off, “Just hurry.” 

Will gave me a long look, I could feel it without even looking at him, it burned my skin the longer he stayed, but I refused to break. Eventually, he walked away, I could relax again for a moment. 

I glanced down at the stone I was sitting on, since I know for a fact I didn’t check to see if it looked sacred or religious in any way. Thankfully, there were no markings on it, however now I was curious about the wall I had climbed. 

I stood up again to have a look at it, only to bump into a woman standing nearby. I muttered a quiet apology, but continued to try and get a good look at the wall over all of the people passing between me and it. 

“It isn’t that important, you know.” The woman said. Her voice chilled my bones as I realized who it was, and I quickly grabbed for anything I may have set down. 

“Who likes walls anyway, you know?” I laughed nervously, “Best not to linger on these kinds of things.” 

“I don’t like walls.” I felt her eyes on me too, but unlike William’s, this effect was very real. As I tried to step away, she reached out and grabbed my wrist, which only worsened her influence over me. “Please wait. I wanted to talk to you again.” 

“Without a bodyguard?” I scoffed and turned to look back at her. She had a cloak on, which was surprisingly disgusting, caked in mud and… stray fur… Of course no one would bat an eye in her direction, unless it was to shoo her out of this district. 

“Retainer. And No, he’s here too. But he won’t say anything, unless he needs to.” She said, with no small amount of confidence. “You’re safe, Kage.” 

Sighing, and partially trying to catch my breath again as her magic seemed to attack my senses in the gentlest ways possible. “Can you stop doing that?” I asked first. “I’ll talk, or whatever, but it can’t be for long.” 

She turned her eyes down towards her feet again, and let go of my arm once I stopped trying to tug it away from her. “You have plans already?” 

“I do, actually. With my boss.” I said smugly, puffing my chest out with pride. 

“Your boss, huh? So you get along with humans just fine.” She lifted an eyebrow, still keeping her eyes off of me. However now she looked upwards towards the ceiling, and occasionally in the direction of the tree behind the walls. 

“Well he’s not like… my boss. He acts more like a father-friend, if anything. But he pays me, and he really is showing me the city tonight.” 

“William, right?” She asked, smiling a little as she seemed to be relishing in some experience of her own. “He’s a good man. If you are looking for a home, you will find it with him.” 

I blinked a few times before rolling my eyes again. “Yeah, and he’s going to be coming back any second, I don’t want him seeing me with you. What is it that you wanted to talk about.”

She looked a little hurt at that and glanced over towards her retainer. “I ah- I didn’t- well, maybe it’s not as important as I thought.” She sputters, taking a few steps back away from me. “I’m sorry for disturbing you. I didn’t realize you had such strong feelings about… that.” 

I blinked and looked between her and her retainer, then back at her. “I thought I made it fairly clear the first time.” It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and cross my arms over my torso. “I don’t want anything going wrong for me here, and there’s no way I’d ever sleep if you, of all people, are breathing down my neck. I’m sorry it’s you, but it is, so just please go away.” 

“I understand…” She says quietly, hardly audible over the din of the room, then she would straighten up and clear her voice, just as William was walking up on the three of us. “Markus, beside me.” She beckoned her retainer to her side, and took on a more regal disposition. 

“What in the world is going on here?” Will asked as he walked up, “Your Greatness- I assure you whatever is going on-”

“At ease, William.” She said, raising a hand towards Will. He would freeze in place, and take a step back, resigning to whatever her will was. He looked at me and mouthed ‘sorry’. 

I looked back at Life, only to see she was turning away. “We were simply welcoming your apprentice to the city, and assuring him all was forgiven.” She shot a venomous glare in my direction at the last part, but somehow maintained her regal posture. “Have a good evening, both of you.” She hummed sweetly as she brushed past William and walked off. 

Will waited until the both of them had walked off a bit, “What in Death’s Den did you do?” He asked, slight panic in his voice. “Dunno much about women but that one sure didn’t seem happy to me.”

“She’s a monarch, Will. Of course she isn’t happy.” I scoffed and grinned humorously. 

“Wipe that grin off your face Kage, she’s pissed!” He reached over to give me a weak push on my shoulder, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the man was stronger than he looked. 

“Why should I care if she’s pissed? She’s not my problem, she probably has plenty of people around her to dote on her until she feels better, or something.” I twisted around William to be on the other side of him, towards the exit tunnel. 

He frowned at me, as if I had personally offended him and also surprised him somehow. But what should I expect? This was one of the first times we’d had any kind of interactions outside of work. Things were different here. “I won’t tell you how to live your life, but I would certainly avoid angering monarchs too often.” 

“Yeah, well it’s not your problem either Will. You’re my boss, not my Dad. If I were you, I wouldn’t even care about me.” I put my hands up in a shrug at the end. “Now can we just go? You don’t have to have me over for dinner anymore if it ruins your appetite, but I’d like to at least get out of this tunnel.” 

“Sure. Fine. Let’s go to my place, there’s no need for us to argue, or burn bridges over this.” Will sighed quietly, resigning himself yet again. 

I took that as the sign that he was done fussing over me and spun on my heel, diving into the crowd and starting to squirm my way through the crowd until I exited the tunnel again, when I let Will take the lead.

He took point and led me back downhill to the middle-lower district. We mostly followed the main roads, but occasionally he dipped into alleyways and took other roads to circumvent large crowds of people. We were stopped quite a few times by folks who recognized William, but he never let them keep us for too long. 

Finally, we turned down an alleyway, with a well kept, soft pad of grass or moss that covered the cobblestone here, and down the middle, a small trail of ground where the foliage couldn’t grow. This was where William had walked the same path every day, probably since he got here. 

I humored it, and made a point to walk in his footprints so that I didn’t disturb his moss. The path was shorter than it felt, but once we had cleared it, we came up to a little doorway which Will approached, and stood in front of while he patted himself down for his keys with one arm. 

I took the produce from him so that his hands were free, which sped up the process. He managed to get the door open, and to duck in to start lighting his own lanterns to light his home up. Simple oil lanterns, like most shop keepers had. It seemed the city kept their precious drifting, glowing globes to themselves, or perhaps they sold them for atrocious prices. 

Will ducked his head out the door to give me a confused look, since I had not entered just yet. However, he tilted his head in the ‘inside’ direction, and I chuckled quietly at his unsaid invitation. 

The home was… unusually tidy, save for a work station off in one corner, next to a window, probably for the sunlight. “You take work home, I see.” I said and gave him a fake frown. “Naughty man, working overtime.”

He scoffed and waved a hand in my direction, “Tch, it’s not work if you-”

“Love it?” I interrupted him, and lifted an eyebrow. “That’s such a You thing to say, Will.” I shook my head gently, “Are you sure you’re actually happy?”

“Of course I’m happy, Kage. You don’t have to worry about me either, you know. I’m not old. Yet.” 

I scoffed and shook my head, “I’m not worried. I’m just asking.” 
William scoffed in return, and took his groceries to his kitchen, which was small, but functional. “Make yourself at home, what’s mine is yours and all that.” 

Taking that as freedom to wander around while he prepared our meal, I did just that. Sort of scattered sparsely across his home were various weapons, old ones, which had since been restored. 

I glanced over towards the kitchen briefly to see if William was busy, which he was, then looked back up at a particularly stunning short sword that was mounted on the wall. I pulled it off and gave a few, careful test-swings, then twirled it a little. It was well balanced, and the handle seemed to meld into my hand as I held it, becoming what could essentially be an extension of my very arm. I looked it over for some sort of indication of who owned it, an insignia, crest, a signature woven into the filigree, anything. However, the only useful thing I found was a “C”, carved into the metal at the hilt. 

Only partially satisfied, I poked around his shelves to see if there was any other mention of “C”. Further investigation bore few results, however, I did find a pair of leather gloves, a hammer, and a folded leather apron with the same initial on it. 

Eventually I’d wander into the kitchen to find William standing by the stove, stirring a pot of stew which he’d thrown together. “Impressive sword you have in there, over the mantle.” I commented, hoping this was enough to prompt him to talk about it.

“Impressive indeed.” He hummed in return, “It’s creator was a master craftsman.” 

“Who are they?” I pressed.

“An old friend.” He said. I scrunched my nose up slightly in disappointment. 

“Did he teach you? Why do you have his things on your shelves?”

Will stopped stirring for a few moments to look towards me and give me a long, blank look, then he turned his attention back to the pot. 

I sighed and took a seat at the table, propping my head up with one of my arms. This was boring, but what had I expected?

“So the tree… with the wall around it, why was everyone losing their heads over me getting so close to it?” 

“Ah, well… I’m sure you know this, but most folks in this city worship the Heir, Life. Some folks are cool about it, she’s been a part of their lives for well… forever, and so it’s become a more casual thing. But I guess the ones who have more- eh, conviction, assume that these relics she leaves behind in her past lives are significant somehow.” He shrugs. “And some are, but some of it is just… Why?” 

I lifted an eyebrow inquisitively. The worship of Life was widely practiced across the continent, even among dragons. She was widely regarded as a goddess, even in circles who didn’t worship her. 

“And what was that tree?”

“The Tree of Ages is just a tree. Far as I know, at least. That’s probably why she let you off the hook.” He looks at me and grins a little. 

“Does the tree do anything? At all?” It seemed a little odd to me, that worshippers would put a regular old tree up on a pedestal the way they had, even to the point of demanding ‘divine retribution’ on someone who simply approached it. 

“Nah, I don’t think so. Some of the registered magicians are able to harvest parts of it, but not much, and very rarely. So… I reckon it does something, but that’s not something I’ve ever taken interest in.” He would step away from the pot to grab a cutting board and a knife, which he then points at me. “And you shouldn’t either, young man. You wanna keep your nose clean? Keep it out of magic business.” 

I put my hands up innocently, “I am! But it helps to be educated on these things, so that I don’t actually get smitten next time.”

We both paused a moment before laughing, I was laughing at the idea of receiving divine retribution over a tree, and I assume Will was laughing with me about it.

“Such a stupid word.” Will chuckles to himself and shakes his head, “Smitten… no one uses that word. We’re long past the smiting days, Kage. If anything, you’d maybe have to do a few days of community service for the church.” He busies himself with chopping vegetables and tossing them into the broth he’d made while he chats with me, and it made me feel sort of bad for not helping. 

Either he caught on, or he had the same idea I did, but at some point in time he passed me a small metal grate of sorts, and a block of cheese. “For dinner.” He said simply, not bothering to watch if I started grating the cheese. 

“So you said there are relics the Followers of Life value that are seemingly useless, but you also said there are some that make sense. What’s an example?” 

William set his knife down abruptly and put his hands on the table, giving me another stern look. “I don’t know, Kage. I just told you it’s bad business, poking around there. Do you really think I would tell you that, and then give you more information?” 

I frowned at the tone he had used. If he knew who I really was, he wouldn’t dare talk to me that way. I had half a mind to show him, just to make him respect me a bit more, but that wouldn’t work out well for me in the long run. 

The entire point of me coming to this dinner in the first place was getting useful information out of this man, and he was refusing to give it to me. I briefly wondered if there was any point in staying longer, if he was going to be this way. However, the longer I thought about it, the more I realized abruptly leaving could do more harm than needed. Still, I was tired of listening to him talk to me like I was a child. A lost, confused boy, who isn’t sure what he wants, as Life put it in front of everyone at the market. 

It made my blood boil, thinking about it. 

There was nothing I could do in response to this that would make the situation better, besides of course, keeping my mouth shut. I was good enough at that. 

The rest of dinner was okay, William was doing most, if not all of the work, and he would give me something to do on occasion. The conversation was mostly dead, however. He knew I was upset, and he was upset as well. 

Occasionally he would make comments or start up smaller conversations, to try and lighten the mood, but the energy of the room simply wasn’t the same. 

Dinner was absolutely amazing, William was clearly just as skilled in the kitchen as he was at the Forge. After dinner, I stayed just a little longer to chat with William, in a weak attempt at mending things between us slightly, and he seemed to appreciate it. 

As it started to get late, Will hurried me out the door, told me to show up for work in the morning, and then likely retired for the night. 

Thoroughly worn out by the sheer amount of social interaction I’d had that day, I was more than ready to collapse into my own bed. 

I returned to the inn and did just that, however, as I started to unwind, I realized just how grimy and gross I had become in the past couple of days, and sighed as I realized I’d have to bathe. 

It wasn’t bathing that made me uncomfortable, do not be mistaken. It is the way humans do it in the city. Normally, I would go to a stream or river to wash up, but all of the waterways around the city weren’t very clean. This was because of the new system that had been introduced by the humans, as their numbers had grown over the years. 

Public baths were the easiest way to wash up, but it was hardly any better than bathing in the waterways. Baths were shared with other patrons, and the same water was used until they couldn’t justify it anymore, and had to replace it with fresh water. If you did not want to be bathing in the same water as every other person on the block, you had to get there early, or find a way to clean your own water. The latter was not an option for me. Even if I might know a spell or two for cleaning water, it would raise suspicion and I could be arrested. Opting for the former option, I had started counting how many people showered every day, finding patterns, and most importantly, predicting when the water would be changed. I was fairly proud of myself, but I couldn’t share my findings with anyone, lest it become a common practice. 

In any case, I got up to check my book just in case there was a changing predicted for anytime soon. Miraculously there was indeed a change scheduled for tonight, and I quickly grabbed my things to get downstairs before I missed it. 

I hurried down and jogged in the most inconspicuous way I possibly could to the baths. Given how late it was, there wasn’t much of a line. But just in case, I took my shadow form with my things in hand, and crept my way through the hallway to get past anyone who might have gone down before me. I passed a couple, and another man, and sped up a bit. Turning a corner and taking my physical form again, I leaned against the wall by the door as if I had been there all along. 

I let out a quiet relieved sigh, but the people who turned the corner around me, apparently racing as well, all let out defeated groans as they set eyes on me. 

We waited in a line in the hall until the cleaners were done and opened the door for the next person to come in. I winked to the people behind me and then slid inside. I set my things to the side and undressed to presumably go about cleaning the grime from the city off. However, as I stepped closer to a bath, I felt a strange hum of energy at my feet. I looked down just in time to see a spectral snake fading into existence as runes appeared in a circle around me. The snake coiled, and then struck out at me, I jumped back defensively, however it seemed all the thing needed to do was touch me. As it did, I felt it’s energy latch on to me, and it felt like it was choking me. I could breathe still, physically, I was fine. 

I looked around to see who may have attacked me, frantically running through the list of people who could possibly have hard feelings towards me. Finally I set eyes on a man in the room with me, off in a corner. Not necessarily hiding, but I certainly hadn’t seen him when I came in. He was taller than me just by a little bit, in the way that he was proportionately older than me. A dark rose colored cloak with green filigree was draped over his shoulders, and obscured most of him, but I caught a glimpse of his eyes under his hood. Deep blue, and glowing slightly, the same color as the snake that had attacked me. I recognized him to be Life’s retainer, Markus. Somehow I knew I would be seeing him again. 

“Am I under arrest?” I said, lifting my eyebrow slightly. This was getting old, and it had happened far too many times recently. My luck was bound to run out. 

“Tch. I wish.” He scoffed. “You have no idea how much I would love to watch you sleep in a cell for a few days.” 

“I’m sure. What exactly have I done to wrong you specifically?” I put my hand up, reaching for my cloak to cover up with at least. 

He slowly paced around the opposite side of the bath, coming towards me. That sort of proximity was not okay with me given the situation, so I just tried keeping my distance from him by backing away. 

“Me? Nothing, really. I came to have a chat.” 

“Not… really open for chatting, right now. I don’t know if you noticed.” I grimaced slightly. “I’d like to be left alone anyway. I don’t have anything to say to you.” 

“I wasn’t asking.” Markus scoffed. “Now sit down.” He suddenly lunged in my direction, taking me by surprise. I stumbled back, tripped on my tail, and fell directly on my ass, unfortunately prone in front of him now. 

His eyes flashed with energy again, and I felt a pang of terror grip my heart, making me tremble violently. I froze exactly as I was, and frantically tried to keep from taking my shadow form in front of him. 

“Now I’m sure you know who I am, but personally I was wondering who do you think you are?” 

“I-I don’t- wha-?” I started to sputter in response, still gripped with terror. 

“Because you sure act like you’re some big deal. I’ll ask again, who the fuck do you think you are?” Markus leaned over me and scowled. “What you did today was disrespectful, and ungrateful.” 

“What exactly am I supposed to be grateful for here? Personal space?” I hissed up at him. “I’ve told her at least twice already, I want to be left alone. Is that not enough? Did she tell you to come teach me a lesson or something?” 

“She doesn’t know I’m here, and we’re keeping it that way.” Markus reached out and planted his hand firmly on my shoulder, gripping it painfully. I felt my chest tighten as the energy latched onto mine seemed to constrict around me, and my breath caught in my throat. “You’re going to apologize, and make up for what you said today.” 

“Are you being serious right now? An apology?? I didn’t do anything!” I hissed again, slapping away his hand on my shoulder. 

“I’m not asking.” He would narrow his eyes down at me. “If you let this lie, I will make your life a living hell.”

Something about this man’s stare chilled me all the way down to my bones, maybe deeper. It made my entire body shudder, and my breath shallow. I slowly nodded, shrinking into myself the longer he stared afterwards. 

“Good chat.” He mutters, finally stepping back away from me. “I hope I never have to come back to put you in your place again, kid.” 

I nodded again, watching him as he turned away and left through the staff entrance.  

Once he was gone, the energy that seemed to permeate the room while he was here, completely vanished. I didn’t think about much else, besides the fact that I was temporarily free again, and my head was still on my shoulders.

I took a minute or so to gather myself, slowly stand, and catch my breath. Afterwards, I finally climbed into the bath and took what could possibly be the fastest bath in my life. Usually it would have been relaxing, especially when I was able to catch it so early. Now I was simply filled with lingering dread. 

When I came back to my room, I made sure to check every crevice and crack in the wall before I laid down in bed. 

A living hell. Tch. I could kick his ass, I know it. 

I tried forcing myself to sleep by keeping my eyes shut, but I simply couldn’t. 

Apologize? How did he expect me to do that?? What would I even apologize for? And then what? She’d only stick her nose in my business and ask questions. Then she’d think we’re buddies, and the next thing I know she’ll be showing up at the shop in broad daylight.

I shook my head. I couldn’t possibly do that. Especially not in public. I could kiss goodbye to my public image- or lack thereof. 

But maybe if I snuck in… She could tell Markus that I apologized, and nobody but me, him, and her would know… I could explain things in a more calm environment, and maybe she’d actually understand.

I’d open my eyes begrudgingly and they would drift over towards the window longingly. 

A nice fly around the mountain might calm me down a bit. It might even help me sleep, or… I don’t know, maybe it would bring about some kind of peace of mind.

 After a few moments, I sighed and turned over, putting any thoughts of going out to fly out of my mind. It was out of the question. However, the thought of denying myself the pleasure of it was upsetting, and I couldn’t help but think of all the ways it might help me.

I spent the rest of the night tossing back and forth, but still wide awake, and before I knew it, sunlight was peeking in through my window. 

An exhausted, miserable groan slipped out as I reluctantly sat up, hungry, tired, achy, angry, and terrified. 

I considered sending someone over to Will’s shop to tell him I couldn’t work today, but William might assume things if I did. So I sadly pulled myself together, put on my working clothes, and made my way to Will’s shop, grabbing something quick to eat from a shop along the way.

Once I got to Will’s shop (late, for once), I walked in to find him already hard at work. He glanced up at me with an inquisitive look before looking back down at his work. 

“You look exhausted, Kage.” He comments with a hint of concern, I could tell he was trying to make light of it though. 

“That’s because I am.” I scoff, without even thinking about it.

“Was last night that off-putting for you?” He asked, setting his hammer down to the side and quenching the blade he had been working on. He took the time to lift an eyebrow at me, I could see genuine concern for me in his eyes.

I’d shake my head gently as I went to the rack of finished weapons, and William would take the blade out of the water, examine it, and then groan with frustration. He tosses it aside to a pile of rejects and scraps he liked to repurpose. 

“So… are we going to talk about it? Or are you going to be secretive as usual?” He asked, after a moment or two to mourn his failed creation. 
I shook my head again. I could say that it had indeed been last night’s talk, there were plenty of things about it to be upset about. I simply didn’t feel like explaining myself to him, and I didn’t have the energy to play up a lie.

Will would narrow his eyes at me for a few moments, and when I made no indication that I’d open up, he huffed and turned away again to fetch another piece to work on. 

“I already handled the deliveries since you were late, so you can sharpen blades and man the counter while I work.” He said flatly.

The coldness in William’s voice could have easily overpowered the forge, had it been physical in nature. Luckily it wasn’t, but that didn’t make it easier to ignore. His usually warm aura was distinctly disturbed. I didn’t care much, or at least that’s what I told myself.

I could pretend it didn’t affect me. Hell I could act like I enjoyed it if I had the energy, but deep down it bothered me that I had upset such a patient man. 

Either way, William was only a means to an end. He wasn’t actually my friend, he was a coworker. If he knew what I really was, he’d turn me into the Evergreen Guard, or worse, take care of me himself and use my bones for crafting.

Have I mentioned that before? Dragon bones make excellent crafting material, better than most metals in fact. Its the reason there aren’t many of us left. Well, that and Death’s occasional attacks on us, but that’s a topic for another time. The important part is William could easily repurpose me, and profit considerably from it. 

I decided not to linger in the area and took some of my work with me to the counter, to wait for customers. It was a fairly easy job, man the desk, accept payment and pull things from the back for passerby’s. It wasn’t my favorite, mostly because I wasn’t the best with people, William was. Today I didn’t mind, though, because it meant I didn’t have to sit in the same room as Will. A position I never predicted I’d be in. 

God, I’m really screwing myself over here, huh? I’ve hardly been here a year and I’m already burning bridges. Checks out, I guess.

As I ran the whetstone along the blade in my lap, musing over how I was screwing my life over yet again, the sound of chimes would sound, indicating there was a customer entering the store. I glanced up and locked eyes with the last person I wanted to see today. 
“You’re not William.” V commented, a surprised expression on her face briefly which then twisted into a smug, malicious grin. “What a surprise to run into you here, stranger.” 

I groaned and slammed the sword down on the counter, simultaneously running my fingers through my hair with my other hand. “What do you want?” I snarled, just enough to flash my teeth at her. 

“Calm down, I know you’re basically an animal but there’s no need to act like one.” The woman would wave a hand at me flippantly as she made her way around the store and finally to the counter I was standing at. “I’m here to pick up an order.” 

I swallowed hard, and felt a chill run up my tail, to my spine, all the way up to the tips of my horns. “I don’t have it ready yet- I-I haven’t found anything that would be useful. It’s is banned here.” I sputtered, my hand ran down the sword I had been sharpening, and my fingers would curl around the handle. 

“I know that, idiot.” She hissed at me, leaning over the counter towards me. Her silver eyes felt like they were piercing my very soul as she locked eyes with me, clear rage boiling behind her eyes, but her composure was calm otherwise. “I’m here to pick up my pot, I had Will doing work on it.” 

“O-oh, of course. I’ll just go get that…” I stammered and backed away from her towards the back door. I’d stumble through, and lock eyes with Will, who was still looking rather cold. 

“Um- order for a woman with baggy clothes… V?” I said the name she had given me nights ago, but maybe she had only given me that name because we were strangers. I worried for a moment, but then I saw recognition in Will’s eyes and he’d point to a corner where the project sat. It was wrapped in leather, as were most of our projects once they were finished, to keep them from being scratched. 

I fetched the pot which was rather large, it was more like a cauldron really, and brought it out front. I glanced in Will’s direction again to silently ask for help somehow, but he wasn’t even looking at me. I couldn’t bring myself to ask, it would bring up too many questions, and so I decided to go out on my own. 

I brought the cauldron out to the counter where V waited patiently. Her eyes lit up with anticipation as I brought it out, and she looked at it with a fond expression as I set it down. I would look over the tag on the cauldron, which listed the services provided. It was a restoration project. 

V set the payment down on the counter, a hefty amount at that considering it was just a pot. But when she uncovered it I could see why it was so costly. The sides of it were covered in writing and strange lines and circles over the sides. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume it was some sort of human magic, but that was banned, wasn’t it? William wouldn’t do work on something like this, and I couldn’t sense anything from it. Aside from a lingering trace of extra energy, perhaps, like grooves in the very framework of the piece.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” V cooed as she reached forward to run her fingers over it. 

I was so caught up in the mystery of it, the carvings looked like they had been derived from dragon-runes, but something about them was unfamiliar. He had seen human magic before, but not enough to be familiar with it. To top that off, given that, it was often something kept secret, and the humans that did practice it often did it alone. There was little to no consistency among separate groups. 

“What does it do?” I asked carefully, frowning and getting closer to examine it better. 
“I use it to make soup, of course.” She scoffed, I looked up to give her a pointed look for mocking me, but she seemed to have planned for this. 

V snatched my wrist and held it over her cauldron, taking her dagger from the folds of her clothes and slashing my arm open over it. 

I was in shock initially and tried to pull my arm away, but she’d grip my hand so hard her nails dug into my skin, and then I’d feel as the cauldron came to life as my blood spilled into it. I cried out in pain, and V’s hand would shoot up to cup my mouth, and I’d instinctively bite into it in defense. She hissed in pain, but kept her teeth clenched together and intentionally did not cry out. 

“Consider this your interest, for taking too long.” V seethed to me. My eyes widened slightly, and I’d wince as her blood spilled into my mouth, it was acrid and almost acidic, the taste of it alone made my stomach turn. I let go and turned my head away to spit it out. 

“What are you doing?” I looked at her and narrowed my eyes, still tugging my wrist, but now it felt like it carried the weight of the cauldron with it, hanging tethered to me by my very blood. Thin, purple strings of magic snaked their way up through the stream of my blood which was flowing far too easily from my wound. The strings climbed up the stream and then wrapped around my wrist, and then suddenly I felt them like dozens of tiny needles find their way into my wound and make root. 

I shuddered and hissed in pain, but kept my teeth clenched together in hopes that it would keep me from crying out too loudly. As much as I wanted help out of this situation, I couldn’t trust anyone… but that meant I was stuck. 

V waved her free hand in the air, and I felt the strings of magic bend and twist in response. She had a focused expression on her face as she guided the strings of magic this way and that, the pain was blinding, and it made it hard to catch everything. I remember feeling her magic latch onto a part of mine, and tear it away. The strings would retract, glowing more of a wine color now, and become a pool of blood in the cauldron. The connection was broken, and I wrenched my hand away finally. V let me go and gave me a sweet smile as she put the leather back over the cauldron and lifting it to rest it on her hip. 

“That’ll be all, thank you.” She said, and simply turned and left the shop. 

Whatever V had taken from me must have been important, because I felt myself sway from exhaustion by the time she had closed the door. I felt myself stumble, and then fall to my hands and knees suddenly. The room was spinning, and it was hard to breathe. I felt heavy… tired…

But I can’t fall asleep, I have to stay awake. If I’m not awake, I cannot maintain the spell that I use to hide my true form. 

I heard the hammering in the back stop, and heard William’s footsteps thud into the room. 
“Kage?” He called, just as he was opening the door. 

Shit.

I didn’t have enough time to make it look like an accident, I hardly had the energy to keep myself up on my hands and knees, and it was the only thing that was keeping me conscious. 

“Will-” I wheezed, “Will, h-hide me, please.” 

He was on his knees next to me, pulling me up against himself to support me. “Kage- what happened?”

I thanked whoever might be watching out for me, for the fact that Will didn’t ask why he needed to hide me, he seemed to understand immediately. He put my arm over his shoulder and guided me to the back carefully, into the only semi-private room in the shop, the closet where we kept our raw materials. “I-I uh, I cut myself while I was sharpening the sword… lost a lot of blood.” I wheezed as Will lowered me to the ground, and grabbed a roll of bandages nearby. Luckily we kept them well stocked in the shop, for emergencies like this one. He started wrapping my arm for me, and I panted out a quiet ‘thank you’ as he did. “I can get it,” I mumble after a few moments, “I’m just… gonna rest in here, for a while, okay?”

Will looked concerned, but he nods after a few moments and slowly stands. “Yeah, I’ll go clean up and uh… I’ll man the shop for the day, alright? You rest up, and then head straight home, got it?” 

I thought to protest, but I just didn’t have the energy. I nodded, and then waved him away, “Close the door behind you, please.” 

He did just that, and only once the sound of William continuing his work had resumed was I able to close my eyes and drift off to sleep.