pt. 3

It'd been another half a year or so since they had killed the basilisk, which actually turned out to be an adolescent one, not an adult. In truth that one had proved to be the weakest one at that age out of the others they ran into. They had brought up their choices again while eating back then and decided on remaining in the cursed land. All four of them looked like a mess by now and were hesitant to approach any towns or villages and had grown stronger from constant combat, but Zyrtec still couldn't find his mana. On one of these days, when they weren't stuck in some fight or another, Darezen stared at his cooked monster meat, then asked, "Why are we staying out here like this? Have the plans changed and we're staying here for the rest of our lives?"

Jarkko glared at him. "We don't know where Zastair is."

"But we haven't seen him or any other intelligent life form for over half a year."

Before Jarkko could respond, Nylotte interrupted, "Yeah, I want to know what this 'school' thing is."

"Why are we doing what he suggested back then?" Jarkko wasn't eating now either.

Nylotte frowned at him as she tore a bite off. "Because it sounds fun! Fighting the monsters out here used to be fun but they're always the same thing. I'm bored, I want to do something else."

"Do you realize that probably, the only reason we're still alive is because of being out here? If we go into a public area there's no guarantee we'll survive."

She stood up and shouted, "I don't care! You aren't the leader, your word isn't always right! We've done your choice but I think all of us are pretty tired of it now! Right?" She looked to the two who were being quiet.

"I'd like to leave this place. It's creepy. You never see the sun and everything is dead. There are no animals, just monsters." Darezen waved his hand around at their surroundings to emphasize. "Your brother probably thinks the same as us."

Jarkko looked at Zyrtec, who was sitting in silence, eating slowly with a blank face and not participating. "Well?"

They all turned to face Zyrtec expectantly and he sighed at them. "I don't know. Leaving here kinda scares me...I don't know if we're strong enough yet. But staying here isn't good either, it almost feels worse, as if something has been watching us this entire time." This made them all pause and glance around, none of them having felt what he described even once.

Darezen was the first to say something. "Really? When did you start feeling that?"

"Around the time I stopped feeling so weak. Why?"

"I haven't felt that." Zyrtec looked at his siblings and they shook their heads.

"Only me?" This only served to send chills down his spine and he hesitated to say anything. "I want to leave then."

Nylotte grinned and did a tiny dance. "Yes! It's been voted, we'll be going to one of those school things!" Her biggest complaint had been that fighting a basilisk was much harder during the day than when they fought the first one at night. Now she figured that wouldn't be too much of a problem if they left.

Jarkko didn't seem happy, but in fact mad. "Fine. This is why I didn't want to ask my brother. He doesn't think of the negatives enough." He got up and wandered off to calm down.

Zyrtec however, kept feeling eyes on him and was having a hard time resisting the urge to look around. "Are you guys sure you don't feel anything?"

"Yeah? Here, maybe this will help." Darezen placed a dome-shaped barrier around him and the feeling lessened but didn't disappear. "Is that better?"

"...Yes." It wasn't, but he realized it would only worry them to say anything else.

"Then I'll leave it up for a while. So when are we heading out?"

Nylotte didn't allow Jarkko a chance to speak. "When we're done eating! I want to find something fun as soon as possible!" She seemed pumped, itching to sprint there.

Jarkko hissed, "I'll go along with it, but I don't like this." Excited, Nylotte ate faster, tearing through what she had. Zyrtec however, was hardly picking at his, feeling like he really didn't want any.

'I think I need to drink more blood. I've been trying to hide it by drinking the blood of the monsters, but that makes me feel sick.' He nibbled at the meat, then held it out to Nylotte. "I'm not hungry." She snatched it from him without hesitation and chowed down.

"Hmmm…" She swallowed the last bit of Zyrtec's food, then said, "We should just start our trip right now! We can eat as we walk!" With great enthusiasm, she pulled each one of them to their feet, making Darezen drop the barrier out of confusion. Jarkko kept glancing sharply at Darezen and Zyrtec eventually stepped in-between the two to interrupt it. Catching on, Nylotte grabbed Jarkko's arms and dragged him along faster. "Come on! Let's go!" She laughed as she began to take them somewhere, but Darezen stopped walking and raised his hand a bit.

"Uh...the place I told you about isn't that way." She paused and frowned at him, waiting for him to explain. Her intense stare made him hesitate. "We need to go this way…" He pointed to the right and she immediately changed directions, acting like that hadn't happened. They traveled carefully, avoiding fights when they could and keeping Jarkko and Darezen separated. Having stayed near the edge of where the ground turned green instead of the horrid black, it didn't take long to get back out of the cursed forest. Following Darezen's lead, they spent the entire day walking and eventually came across the ruins of the kingdom they'd lived in for almost eight years. Everything was scorched and nothing was left standing, not even the grand castle they used to see every day. In fact, it had been damaged the most and reduced to ashes.

'So this is that beautiful place? How cruel…' Zyrtec cast his saddened eyes over the ruins and sighed, then turned to Darezen. "Where do we go from here?"

He seemed shaken at the sight and was looking at the ground. "We...have to...go west from here on out…" Zyrtec sympathized with him and put a hand on his friend's shoulder lightly, then pulled away and looked at the setting sun that cast the sky in reds and golds.

"We should go now. Staying won't change anything…" The sound of hooves clip-clopping down the dirt road carried to them and they all looked in their direction curiously. A cart came their way, slowing when it got close.

The coach squinted his eyes at them so he could properly see them in the dim light, then asked, "What are all you children doing out here alone?" Jarkko narrowed his eyes at the man when he recognized the voice and his appearance, but stayed silent on it.

Rather, he stepped forward. "Are you heading to the town run by the duke? Where the royal family is currently residing?"

The older man nodded. "That is correct, what of it?"

He smiled slyly. "I'd like to request passage with you."

"All four of you? That's quite the bill." Jarkko tapped his foot, then went closer.

Stepping up until he was beside the cart, he leaned forward. "Let me mention something in secret." The man was suspicious of this action, but let the young dragon get on the cart to whisper into his ear. Upon hearing what he had to say, his eyes widened, then he smiled. Jarkko got back off. "Does that work?"

"Why of course, you should've said something sooner! All of you, get in the back, I won't wait long for you." They were hesitant and approached nervously. Once they were all seated in the back, the man urged the horse forward.

"Wow! How did you do that?" Nylotte tilted her head at her brother.

Zyrtec was watching him closely, something not feeling quite right. "Yeah...what did you say to him?"

Jarkko looked at them blankly, then smiled and waved a hand casually. "I just told him of my connection to the mage guild. They're very influential it would seem."

This only made Zyrtec frown. "Then why did you have to whisper it?"

Smoothly, as if he'd practiced for ages, he said, "I can't let others who aren't a part be able to properly claim a connection."

'That was far too natural.' He didn't like this but had no way to accuse him of anything. In the end, sensing the tension between the two, the group was silent for the ride. Around the time the light of the sun had died out completely and the moon's glow was appearing, walls about half the size of those the kingdom had come into view.

Getting up to the gate, four guards in the same silvery armor stopped them. "What business do you have here?"

"I'm a mere traveling merchant who wishes to do trade in the duke's territory." The guard nodded and two of the other guards encircled the cat to search it.

When they saw the four in the back, he asked, "And who are they?"

"Simple travelers I found near the ruins of the great kingdom. They must have lost their homes and parents and be in mourning. They wished to come here so I brought them along." There was a long pause, then the guards stepped aside to let him pass, opening the gates. The man made the horse continue forward, entering the town. Looking around, the four examined the town. It wasn't near as large as the kingdom and the buildings were simpler, the streets lit with plain oil lamps rather than magic stones. The streets were normal rectangle stones placed neatly down the paths and the buildings made of wood. All in all it looked nice, but at the same time a bit eerie. The cart carried on until they reached a large open square with what looked like stands set up in the perimeter. "Alright, time for you to get off. And boy, I'd like a word with you." He nodded to Jarkko as they were climbing off.

Zyrtec shivered when he watched his brother walk off with the man, but before he could do much Nylotte gave him a hug from behind and dragged him backwards at the same time. "Look at this place! It's so pretty!" She was so happy that it distracted him quickly.

Darezen hushed her in a hurry. "Quiet…! We can't be too loud. People are sleeping and we don't have any money. If we're going to be able to find a place to stay we need to be respectful." She slapped her hands over her mouth with wide eyes, then stifled a laugh. He tilted his head at her with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, that was funny." He ruffled her hair playfully before glancing at the buildings. "We'll have to stay here until we're old enough to try to enter the school. If we pass the exams, we're gonna be living in the dorms."

Nylotte cocked her head. "Exams?"

"We have to pass a test. Nobles can get through with recommendations from their families but commoners have to prove they're worthy to learn there." Nylotte groaned as he eventually started walking towards one of the buildings. Just as he was reaching for the door, Jarkko reappeared with a bag that clinked when moved.

"He gave me some money for our stay." Nylotte snatched it from him with a happy smile.

Handing it to Darezen, she said, "We lived in a human town for years but you'll be better at this!" He took it and entered, the others following while Jarkko seemed moody.

Stepping up to the counter, a young lady greeted them. "Welcome! What can I do for you?"

"We'd like a room with two beds."

"Of course! That'll be one silver coin." When he grabbed one of the few from the bag and gave it to her, she wrote something down and grabbed a key, pushing it to them. "Follow the number on the key to your room." They did, finding it on the bottom floor near the center. Entering, it looked similar to the one the young dragons had been staying in, with a bed on either side of a nightstand that had a brand new candle on top.

Nylotte plopped onto the closest one. "I'll sleep here!" Jarkko joined her wordlessly, laying down before the others. Darezen ignored it and went to the other bed, Zyrtec close behind. Even so, he kept feeling like he needed to avoid his brother, but didn't know why.

Darezen yawned, "We should sleep, it's already really late." The others agreed and all lay down to rest. After about an hour, when he was sure everyone else was asleep, Jarkko got up quietly and crept over to the door.

Glancing back at the room one more time, he thought, 'Zyrtec, you fool...not only did you let our mother die, but you're trusting someone who isn't family so deeply. And Nylotte, you have sided with them. I'm tired of this, time for things to go my way.' He slipped out of the room, disappearing into the town.