With the assassin guild\u2019s threat looming over our heads, we decided it would be best to avoid the main roads between Shallow Tides Bay and the next city we planned to spend a couple of days in \u2014 Feldroch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our journey to Skai City would have been shorter if we\u2019d gone up the mountain to Feldroch\u2019s sister city, Shalesteppes, but that plan was squashed when Toni finally admitted that he was afraid of heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finn and I glanced back and forth at each other at this revelation since Skai City was technically higher in the mountains than Shalesteppes was\u2026 but at least by the time we got to our destination, it would be a lot harder for Toni to turn back and return to Shallow Tides.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winona had apparently prepared five different routes to Skai City from Shallow Tides Bay in the small amount of downtime we\u2019d had between fighting the Reanault clan and leaving the bay. Each route started off the same but then rerouted a different way between checkpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust in case of trouble,\u201d\u00a0she\u2019d said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question that bobbed around in my head as we walked the three days to Feldroch was whether the trouble we heard or the trouble we caused would reroute us. With our track record, it was probably the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On our last full day of walking before reaching the city, we bedded down in a large, open clearing. The mountain climbed high above the trees on one side of the clearing like it was pointing up at the stars above. Way up high, I could see twinkling lights from homes and businesses in\u00a0Shalesteppes,\u00a0scattered over the sides of the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winona had told Finn and me about how most of the buildings are carved into the mountainside, and you could get between them on little wooden bridges or tunnels that wound their way through the rock. Toni had grown green at the first mention of open-air bridges and walked as far ahead of us as he could without getting out of sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now, everyone snoozed around me as I took the first watch of the night. I couldn\u2019t see much past the light from our fire, but someone needed to be awake in case a bear or something attacked us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bush rustled in the distance. I whipped my head around and whispered,\u00a0\u201cNo bear food here, so\u00a0git<\/bdo><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And there was no more rustling for the rest of my watch, just the crackling of the fire and chirps of crickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I got up once enough time had passed and shook Toni lightly on the shoulder.\u00a0\u201cYour turn,\u201d\u00a0I whispered\u00a0to him\u00a0as he cracked his eyes open groggily. He stretched and started pulling his armor back on as I added a couple new logs and sticks to our fire to keep it burning through the night. Then, I settled into sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWoah, hey! What are you doing?\u201d\u00a0Toni\u2019s voice was\u00a0filled with concern\u00a0as I was jolted out of my sleep. It couldn\u2019t have been too long since we\u2019d changed shifts since the moon was still in pretty much the same spot as earlier. But the sudden pull from my slumber was still jarring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni was standing up, holding his arms out wide between us and two winged shadows who were just out of reach of the fire\u2019s light.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I rolled out of my bedroll and grabbed\u00a0up\u00a0my scimitar with one fell movement, rushing to Toni\u2019s side. The winged creatures didn\u2019t move forward at all like I\u2019d expected.\u00a0\u201cThose are the biggest bats I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d\u00a0I noted, squinting at the figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laughter erupted from the shadows.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re not bats,\u201d\u00a0a gruff and guttural voice from one figure responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0the fire watch from Shalesteppes,\u201d\u00a0the other said with a similar accent that was just a step higher than the other shadow\u2019s voice. They both stepped into the flickering light of our fire, and bat-like wings with metallic skeletal joints held together some strange, glossy material folded behind them. Each of them had a hose in hand like they\u2019d been ready to fight off a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur fire\u2019s being watched,\u201d\u00a0Winona said from next to me, making me jump. She walked so quietly, even when rudely awakened. I looked around at Finn, who was still sitting in his bedroll, looking like he was concentrating. When he caught me looking at him, he gave a thumbs up and subtly pointed to his temple and ear. Apparently, he was quick to mind-read, which I should be grateful for since that meant we could easily rule out most liars. I\u2019d never trust him in a game of cards again, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I turned my attention back to the two dwarven-folk who\u2019d interrupted our night\u2019s sleep.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re just doing our job,\u201d\u00a0the more effeminate one of the two said with a shrug, twisting at a red beard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo be fair, I pointed out that the fire\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0seem to be growing. They were the ones who wanted to be overly cautious,\u201d\u00a0the other dwarf, whose black hair was lightly peppered with gray, said, returning the hose nozzle to a hip clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYep, no danger here. We\u2019ll be sure to put it out\u00a0really good\u00a0tomorrow morning, too,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, finally dropping his defensive posture.\u00a0Winona\u2019s\u00a0warm presence disappeared from beside me, and when I checked to see where she went, she was already back in her bedroll. Toni shifted for a second and then returned to sitting on his own, watching the fire. The two dwarves still hadn\u2019t moved to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked over the wing machines on their backs once and realized they weren\u2019t flying contraptions but rather gliding contraptions.\u00a0\u201cI hope you\u2019re not the only ones on firewatch duty tonight since you can\u2019t get back up to Shalesteppes with those wings,\u201d\u00a0I said, gesturing\u00a0way up\u00a0to the quiet city.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are hundreds of fire watch captains up there for this specific situation, actually,\u201d\u00a0the salt-and-pepper-haired dwarf responded.\u00a0\u201cPlenty of us get stuck\u00a0down\u00a0here for false alarms, so we\u2019ve adapted the approach.\u201d\u00a0The red-headed dwarf nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve built an escalator between Feldroch and Shalesteppes to help people back up.\u201d\u00a0The red-headed dwarf continued talking.\u00a0\u201cThe only problem is that they don\u2019t operate it until morning since it\u2019s noisy enough to wake both cities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah. They were stuck down here.\u00a0\u201cNo one should be venturing on the road this late by themselves, either,\u201d\u00a0I said, moving to the side to offer them a spot in front of the fire. They immediately started doffing off all of their mechanical equipment. They pulled their flight goggles to rest on the tops of their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m Brannam Stormbranch,\u201d\u00a0the dwarf with the black and silver hair and beard said, toddling past me and jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the red-headed dwarf.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s Galdrus Mightbraid. I vote they keep watch since we\u2019re down here disturbing you because of their mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVoting rights only go to those in the main party,\u201d\u00a0Winona growled from the ground, still facing away from the group.\u00a0\u201cAnd I vote everyone shuts up so I can sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo need for a vote if I volunteer,\u201d\u00a0Galdrus said, prancing over to sit beside Brannam by the fire. Brannam was already splayed out on the ground, shoes off, and toes so close to the fire pit that I worried we might not be\u00a0clear\u00a0from starting a fire tonight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galdrus seemed to notice me worrying and said,\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve kept Bran\u2019s piggies from roasting for many years now. Get your rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I fell back asleep to the sounds of\u00a0Galdrus humming some unknown medley in time with the crackling of the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. Before I opened my eyes, the smell of sizzling sausage and patty cakes met my nose with a warm greeting. I rolled over to see Galdrus and Brannam awake, with an iron plate set up over the fire for cooking. It wasn\u2019t ours. In fact, none of this food was ours either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThought we\u2019d prep a breakfast to say sorry again and properly introduce ourselves,\u201d\u00a0Brannam said, offering me a small popping sausage link from a skewer. I took it and popped it into my mouth before noticing that Winona was awake and shaking her head furiously. She had dark, sunken circles around her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I swallowed slowly, waiting for some sort of poison to set in, but all that remained from the sausage I ate was a desire for more tasty sausages. I shrugged at Winona and sat\u00a0down\u00a0across the fire from Brannam and Galdrus. When Finn and Toni woke up, they\u00a0both\u00a0took seats next to me, happily taking whatever food was offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona sat on her bedroll and ate rations quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe sure is a suspicious one, huh,\u201d\u00a0Galdrus whispered quietly enough so that only Toni and I could hear. Their bright red beard was now in a neat, intricate braid, slung over their shoulder so as not to get food in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWinona\u2019s been through a lot, especially since we met her a couple of days ago,\u201d\u00a0Toni whispered back. I glanced out of the corner of my eye, noting that Winona had gone rigid as she faced out into the forest, eating a peeled orange from her bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galdrus nodded knowingly and said,\u00a0\u201cWhen someone\u2019s been through a tough time, they\u00a0need to\u00a0be surrounded by patience and love. It seems like she\u2019s got good friends in all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could I call Winona a friend? Not really. I didn\u2019t know enough about her to say that.\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0learned so much about Toni on the Onyx Glory because he\u2019d shared it with me so openly. I\u2019d known Finnan for so long now, but there wasn\u2019t much we didn\u2019t know about each other at this point. But Winona had been clamped shut to all of us. We only knew what she had been unable to hide from us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emilee. The Assassin\u2019s Guild. The plot against Queen Hestiana.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That was about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if you can call us friends, exactly,\u201d\u00a0I replied,\u00a0feeling my brows wrinkle\u00a0my forehead as I looked over at Galdrus.\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s so much she\u2019s not shared with us. How can you say someone\u2019s a friend when there\u2019s so much that remains behind thick walls?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni spoke lowly between bites of sausage.\u00a0\u201cBut friendship comes in many forms, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I shrugged, but out of the corner of my eye, Galdrus nodded affirmatively.\u00a0\u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d\u00a0I asked, feeling a strange sense of uncertainty bubble up in my chest. I knew what friendship looked like \u2014 what it was supposed to be. Like Finn and me. Or Galdrus and Brannam. How could it be different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I\u2019m guessing correctly here,\u201d\u00a0Galdrus said,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d say you grew up in a small town with a big family that was super close with one another?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni shook his head, knowing all of these to be true because I\u2019d told him so. I blinked at Galdrus a few times before nodding, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat kind of upbringing can teach someone how to be open and trusting with others. I was raised in a similar situation, though I was an only child.\u201d\u00a0Galdrus took a long swig of tea from their mug, glancing over at Brannam, who was in the middle of describing all the different types of sausages they serve up in Shalesteppes to a very rapt Finn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the convent, truth and openness weren\u2019t really about friendship or closeness, but more of a way of life,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder while Galdrus sipped more tea.\u00a0\u201cSo, to me, friendship is more about who I choose to spend my time with, and I choose those who make the world feel lighter and brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He squeezed lightly when he saw tears spring to my eyes.\u00a0\u201cReasons for friendship aside, why doesn\u2019t she trust us?\u201d\u00a0I whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe does,\u201d\u00a0Galdrus whispered.\u00a0\u201cAnd it\u2019s very apparent she cares for you\u2026 in her own special way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An image of Emilee floated to the front of my mind. I thought of how protective and caring Winona had been with her in her final moments. I thought of when I was scared I would lose Finn in the Reanault clan\u2019s hideout, how the idea of it nearly broke me in two. I never wanted to feel like that again.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, she must be so sad,\u201d\u00a0I murmured, feeling my gaze drift over to Winona\u2019s hunched back. She surveyed the clearing with vigilance, which told me all her focus was going into the action. Toni squeezed my shoulder again before reaching for another sausage from the small skillet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galdrus followed my gaze to Winona, unaware of what I was referencing but somehow still able to sit with the realization I had.\u00a0\u201cSometimes we see the high walls someone\u2019s built around themselves and think they\u2019ll never come down. What we don\u2019t realize is how hard they\u2019re working to break those walls apart from the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKithri, Shalesteppes has over thirty different types of sausage. We\u00a0have<\/bdo><\/em>\u00a0to go on our way back,\u201d\u00a0Finn said from across the fire pit to me, his eyes gleaming with a look of wonder I\u2019d only really ever seen when he\u00a0was talking\u00a0about something new he learned at the library.\u00a0\u201cOnce we find the Dragon\u2019s Helm, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona\u2019s scanning stopped abruptly behind Finn.\u00a0\u201cDragon\u2019s Helm?\u201d\u00a0she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoops.<\/em>\u00a0Even with days of walking, we\u2019d not really brought up the reason we were journeying with her. Maybe I wasn\u2019t being as open with her as I expected her to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen Hill Hollow Shire was attacked when I was young, a warrior with a helmet in the shape of a dragon\u2019s head saved us and fought off the raiders. I\u2019ve been looking for them ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona nodded slowly, turning back to her watch.\u00a0\u201cDo you know anything about the warrior?\u201d\u00a0I pressed, everyone\u2019s heads turning to watch for her response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She remained silent, staring into the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot so curious anymore?\u201d\u00a0Brannam said with a gruff grunt in her direction. Galdrus placed a hand on his arm and shook their head with a seriousness I\u2019d not seen between the two of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you know the Dragon\u2019s Helm Warrior?\u201d\u00a0Finn asked. I saw a twitch in his fingers like he was about to do some magic, but then he seemed to think better of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you want to know what I know about the Dragon\u2019s Helm,\u201d\u00a0Winona said with a curt finality in her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood and brushed the dust off my pants before padding over to Winona\u2019s bedding. I was eye-to-eye with her for the first time, and when our gazes met, I noticed a flash of fear before it hardened.\u00a0\u201cWe do want to know. Good or bad. I need to know who it is I\u2019ve been looking for,\u201d\u00a0I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her shoulders relaxed. I hadn\u2019t realized she\u2019d been tense. How long had she been tense?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who they are, but when I first moved to Shallow Tides Bay,\u00a0there were rumors circulating\u00a0about a warrior living on the\u00a0outskirts of the city,\u201d\u00a0she said.\u00a0\u201cEveryone talked about the dragon\u2019s head-shaped helmet they wore. No clue if it\u2019s the same warrior you met, even if that kind of helmet would be pretty unique.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked back at Finn.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re sure that Aramedia said the warrior was seen near Skai City?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He nodded. I turned back to Winona.\u00a0\u201cMaybe they moved?\u201d\u00a0I suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shrugged, looking away.\u00a0\u201cLast I heard, the warrior had retired over fifteen years ago, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u00a0<\/em>was what she\u2019d not wanted to tell me. I hadn\u2019t dreamed up the warrior. Everyone around town had seen them \u2014 seen their helmet. Maybe it was just a coincidence of two different dragon-shaped helms. My warrior, and then this retired warrior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if there was only one? Would a retired warrior want to help me? Would they still be alive fifteen years later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn was at my side.\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t lose hope. They\u2019re out there, and we\u2019re going to find them,\u201d\u00a0he said, draping an arm around my shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if we left home for nothing?<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"