Trapped

Xian slid on the slick, shining, almost mirror-like scales of the great dragon. To see such an imposing and proud Spirit Beast lower its head so naturally to help him get off felt unreal. Even the battle against the Lysanian legions was like a dream come true. He hadn't felt scared in the slightest though the situation had been dangerous in more than one way. It had been such a grand and epic battle where, for once, he had been some kind of hero riding a mighty dragon, unlike his previous spying or assassination jobs where stealth and wariness had been of utmost importance.

How could Xian not be excited about it all? From early childhood, he had always been fascinated with dragons tales and now he had even been riding one while flying. It had been a truly exhilarating experience and he made sure to have this unforgettable memory etched in his mind since he knew few people had the privilege to even see a dragon up close and he didn't know if he would be allowed to experience this again.

Of course, he knew how to conceal his feeling and keep a straight and expressionless face, however the place seems deserted and he felt really elated. There truly was no need for him to restrain himself. So he grinned foolishly, for once his entire self in accordance with his age. He would have even whooped in joy, had he not feared to feel ashamed and out of place. Seemed like reserve and discretion had been so deeply ingrained in him by the strict Soon-Yi that it had become a second nature to him. Living a carefree life was such a luxury. He just wished he could revel in this bliss a little longer.

However, he was still worried about his Lady Wei who was missing and also Lady Qing Chan who fell from high in the sky when the braid she had been hanging on had been cut. In fact, she was probably dead by now and even though Xian was not particularly sad nor depressed, he still felt responsible for her fall. Truth be told, he didn't quite remember why he brought her along.

Qing Chan was First Prince Zhou Xi's official wife and the next empress, therefore Lady Wei's most prominent rival, but it seemed to Xian that she had been caught in some kind of scheme. To his and Soon-Yi's distress, Xian always relied on his instincts when making a decision. When sneaking in the Orchid Palace to prepare for a meeting with Soon-Yi and get rid of the annoying shine on his body, he heard the news that Lady Qing Chan had been accused of bringing harm to Lady Wei and her unborn child.

At that time, he felt that Zhou Xi had been right to restrain her and try to pry Lady Wei's location out of her. Being his wife and the next empress, she had even been treated quite mildly, just being placed under house arrest in her own chamber in the Orchid Palace. Xian didn't care much about Qing Chan's fate anyway. He wouldn't even bat an eyelash, had he heard that she was being tortured instead. However, when Xian met her on her way to escape, he had helped her on a whim. His instincts just told him that she had nothing to do with the kidnapping and wouldn't give any useful information. Moreover, she seemed dead set on finding Wei Lin to prove her innocence.

Setting her free was surely the right move, Lady Wei needed as much help as possible. Except that Xian's decision to bring her along when Soon-Yi attacked the former Great Mage Cheng Hu before the arrival of the dragon led to Qing Chan's demise. It was such a waste of a strong-willed ally.

Now that he was far from any life-threatening situation, Xian took a few moments to reflect on Soon-Yi strange behavior. He couldn't help but feel puzzled when thinking back on the few times he caught a glimpse at his foster mother ever since he broke the medallion – an Ancient artifact from Aliker that she entrusted to him – in the sewer. That was when he had been tailing the soldiers that had ambushed Lady Wei and Soon-Yi's carriage. It seemed such a long time ago…

Thinking about the sewers, he wondered what happened to Chen Yu, the Lysanian soldier he befriended after saving his life from the attacks of a Fire Mage and a Water Mage. What was it about? Chen Yu maintained that they were rebels from the Selnan Empire that had tried to cut ties with their Lysanian accomplices after the ambush, but nothing else but his testimony could confirm this accusation. On the contrary, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that some people loyal to the Selnan Empire had been spying on the Lysanians and had been trying to stop them, or at least punish them after the assassination attempt.

Of course, the fact that the Fire Mage had burnt all the corpses and pieces of evidence was likely to tip the scale in favor of a ill-intentional and treacherous act. Moreover, Xian felt like he really wanted to trust his friend Chen Yu, even though his precious Lady Wei and his foster mother had been in danger. He just needed more time to ponder and the events kept on piling up, each more worrying than the previous one. Where was Lady Wei right now? Was she safe?

After the flight on top of the dragon, Xian was now so far away from the Selnan capital. He wasn't sure where the dragon landed, somewhere in the Infinite Forrest, apparently. He felt utterly helpless and wouldn't know where to start searching for his Lady Wei. He was also very reluctant to trust Soon-Yi to look for Wei Lin since he really didn't know what was on her mind these days.

She started by attacking the Academy of Magic by herself – with another mage in tow – and had a fierce battle with the former Great Mage Cheng Hu, destroying anything around them without a care for the people or anything that mattered. Later, Xian had spotted his foster mother in pursuit of the flying dragon that carried him away, first in his maw then on his back. But the most unsettling behavior was when Soon-Yi finally caught up just as the dragon had been facing the dragon-mounted legion of Lysania. His foster mother just recklessly attacked both dragon parties disregarding her own safety.

Xian had always thought Soon-Yi to be an intelligent, rational and decisive person, albeit aloof and sometimes unpleasant. Her personality didn't fit with her recent behavior in the least and Xian didn't know what to make of it. He had never even dreamed the word 'unreliable' would ever describe Soon-Yi, the current Great Mage of Selnan. The only reasonable cause seemed to be the precious medallion.

When in desperation, he poured his magic inside the ancient artifact, it broke and his body had started to shine brightly without rhyme or reason, as if he had been cursed. In addition to getting rid of the shine, Xian really thirsted for an explanation. Things had been really hectic and somewhat frightening recently. Something like the whole world being turned upside down. Could his breaking the medallion be the cause of it all?

Xian had never prided himself on being a level-headed person. He knew he was often impulsive, always relying on his instincts. Soon-Yi always berated him for being a headstrong loner. However, ever since magic elements started to pour into him, the magic he had loathed for such a long time, he had felt insecure and wanted to run for shelter in Soon-Yi's embrace. This in itself might be the most unsettling feeling and it had never happened to Xian before, even when he had been a small child raised by Soon-Yi with an iron fist.

After a while, the dragon had settled down and was resting and thus, didn't absorb as many magic elements from Xian as before. Therefore, the boy's skin started to revert to the unwanted luster, giving him goosebumps and sending shivers down his spine in spite of himself. It really felt like a curse but his distress brought him back from his intense reflection.

He had been so deep in thought that only now did he notice the groans coming from under the dragon's belly. Apparently, even the dragon had forgotten about the unfortunate Mage who had been carrying the teleport artifact and who had grabbed the dragon's claw when they arrived in the Infinite Forrest. The dragon must have felt that the mage was insignificant, like a negligible and harmless ant and hadn't even bothered to shake him off. Xian felt a little bad for the man currently crushed under the dragon's weight and unable to move. It was a miracle that he was alive at all. He must have been more powerful and resilient that he looked.

Nonetheless, Xian also felt like laughing. He didn't laugh of course but the absurd situation somewhat lifted his spirit. He went close to the sleeping dragon and simply pushed the huge body. He would have never thought that he would use his strength in such a way but the dragon just naturally turned, not even waking up. It was happily sprawled on his back and even started snoring.

This time, Xian couldn't help but snort in amusement. Such a colossal and mighty beast was behaving just like a cute pet! Still laughing quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping beast, Xian went to help the mage. Unfortunately, the latter was in no condition to stand up. He seemed quite heavily injured so Xian carried him a little away and started healing him. Xian might be a loner according to Soon-Yi but he knew that if a mage felt indebted to him and was willing to help him, he would gladly accept such powerful ally.

Even though he hated using any kind of magic – except for the healing spell he created, he knew it could be useful in numerous situations. He even used several spells and even managed to fly with magic when he had been in dire straits. Any life-threatening plight called for exceptional means. He was not as obtuse as to give up his life in exchange for sticking to his stubborn aversion against magic. Moreover, he never had any qualm to see any other mage, most of the time it had been Soon-Yi, cast spells before his eyes, as long as he wasn't the one to do it…

Xian was so busy healing the wounded mage, even happily replenishing the latter's magic elements that he failed to notice the huge magic circle that appeared on the ground and lit up with an eerie dark red, almost blood-red, shine. Startled, he realized something was wrong when the three of them – Xian, the sleeping dragon and the wounded mage – started to sink into the ground.

He wanted to stand up and escape but couldn't move the parts that had already disappeared. The wounded mage was almost totally taken and the kneeling Xian was caught up to his waist. Even with his enhanced senses, he hadn't felt any presence and now it was too late. He tried to look in every direction, searching for a way to escape but to no avail. His carelessness had them captured. He didn't need Soon-Yi's scolding to know that he had let his guard down.

As if it was an afterthought, Xian threw something he found in his pocket out of the trap's area. He didn't even take a look at the object, he just hoped that if someone found it and used magic on it, they could inform Soon-Yi. As his head finally sinked in the magic trap, he could see the object more clearly thanks to his enhanced eyesight. It was a piece of jewelry given by the First Prince, that Lady Wei had dropped in the garden. Xian had managed to retrieve it easily but hadn't been able to find the right time to give it back. He really hoped that this clue would be enough for someone to call for help. Unfortunately, he realized afterwards that the odds were not in his favor as the trinket was really pricey and would probably tempt anyone looking to make a substantial profit.

With this thought, Xian felt he was sinking into despair as well as sinking into the ground. When he could see again, the three of them were in the center of a large square. There seemed to be no way out of this courtyard, none that Xian could see or detect in any case. It looked like a carved out mountain or maybe a strangely square-shaped crater. However, Xian's instincts told him that this place was nothing other than an open-air prison cell.