AVEN NAERIS

VALK WALKED BACK TO the counter, a smile on his face. He gestured toward the swords on the wall, hung up on racks with glass casing over them.

“Can I interest you in any of these swords?” he asked as he reached for a set of keys dangling at his waist. “I’m not sure if they contain any magick, but they are still fine craftsmanship if I do say so myself.”

The girl frowned. “Do you craft any magickal weaponry?”

“Unfortunately, no. Magick has been outlawed by King Dario for quite some time now,” Aven said as they walked back into the room, setting a hefty barrel of bows down by the counter.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aven spotted the girl closing the book. The faint trace of magick flickered away, revealing the tired eyes of the young woman. With a sigh, she turned away, heading toward the front door.

“Sorry to waste your time then,” she said without looking back.

Aven sensed the change in her attitude was unusual. They had watched her carried herself with purpose, searching for an item that was banned. Anyone searching for such an item should be turned in to the Shadow Blade, the national military guards of the country. They followed the girl out of the shop, watching her with interest as she started to make her way toward the castle.

“Hey, Valk. Weren’t you going to take your lunch break? In the meantime, I could run to the other shops and pick up materials,” Aven mentioned.

Valk set the book under the counter. “Go do that. And keep an eye out for any troublemakers.”

Aven grabbed the sign on the door and flipped it to “closed” before shutting the shop door. Keeping a close eye on the road, Aven spotted that the girl had traveled further by now, spreading a good distance between them. Perhaps it would make things harder for them, but Aven hoped the girl would not spot him before he had the chance to have her arrested.

They followed her path. Those who were about on the street glared at Aven as they passed by. They knew the city folk would never accept them, but they shrugged it off. If they caught a threat to the kingdom, perhaps they could gain a little favor.

The girl was further ahead, slipping down another alleyway. Aven followed, stepping into the alleyway as they felt their throat closing up on them. The alleyway was quiet and dim, save for the streams of light slipping through the tapestries hung overhead. Lining the walls were trashcans filled with garbage, some overflowing. Flies buzzed obnoxiously. Aven swatted some away when the girl turned another corner.

Picking up their pace, Aven caught the unique scent of rotten eggs wafting from the alleyway. They covered their nose, gagging slightly. They reached the corner and peered around it to spot the girl standing in front of a wooden door with a stone archway. Aven pressed themself against the wall, gripping the edge until their knuckles turned white. Rotten eggs, a mysterious girl, and forbidden magick all in one place? The girl could only be practicing dark magick. Her capabilities were endless with the royal family living in the capital. A single attempt would render the kingdom defenseless, incapable of deciding the next family to take over.

Aven reached to his pocket, hoping for a simple pocket knife or other useful weapon to attack the girl with. Instead, he found a piece of lint and a few loose coins.

The door opened inward with a groan as darkness flooded the alleyway. She stepped calmly into the darkness, vanishing from sight. Aven’s heart thundered their ribs. The darkness didn’t seem natural, almost like it was beckoning to them. Aven took a step around the corner, moving slowly toward the door, their eyes glancing at every shadow that seemed to sway and dance. When they reached the door, Aven gingerly touched the door frame, a shiver running down their spine. The wood was old, splintering, and covered in moss — or what appeared to be moss. Without thinking of the consequences, Aven stepped into the darkness, letting it envelope them.

An icy chill swept over Aven, draping their skin in a frosty blanket. As the darkness faded away, Aven found themself standing in a massive circular room of rich mahogany wood and dozens of doors made of various types of wood, metal, gems. A lone chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room a dull orange glow. In the center of the room was a table decorated with books, papers, and quills with fancy inks. Aven walked over to it, touching a leather tome with a red and blue cover. Gold lettering was scrawled on the front, reading The Eight Ways to Tame a Changeling Goblin.

Aven looked at another book. This one was silver with red lettering that read The Ins and Outs of Breeding Dragons. They picked up the book and flipped open to the first page. Dragons were rare in these parts, and forbidden. If the king knew such books existed inside the capital, there would be consequences for the person who owned such a book.

A gem-encrusted door opened on the other side of the room to reveal a garden filled with roses, tulips, lilies, snapdragons, and a variety of other flowers. Standing at the entrance was the girl with a polished knife pressed to a blond-haired man’s throat. Aven dropped the book on the table, eyes widened at the sight. The girl said a few words in an another language, one that Aven semi-understood. It was connected to Aven’s family through their father — the language of the Quenya elves.

“Ẽ d’aw̃kp ĩ,” the girl warned.

The man’s arms were restrained behind him and he struggled, grimacing as the blade pressed deeper into his neck, drawing some blood. The girl looked at Aven with a glare.

“You’re following me,” she stated.

“You were interested in magickal weapons, aã!” Aven retorted.

The girl rolled her eyes. She shoved the man into the room and sauntered in, slamming the door behind her closed. Flipping the dagger in her hands, the girl crossed over to the man on the floor, grabbing him by his arm, and hoisting him to his feet.

“Wait until my father hears about this!” the man snapped, struggling to shake her grip.

“Your father is one of the many reasons magickal beings are suffering,” she said. With a harsh jerk, the man was dragged toward the table. “Ksemgb.”

She waved her hand beside the table and swirls of air spun around as wood formed out of nothing, creating something recognizable for the man to sit in. A simple wooden chair now stood beside the table. The girl shoved the man into the chair and grasped his blond hair.

“Sit here until I say so. As for you, half-breed,” the girl said, looking in Aven’s direction. “Why turn on your own kind? We’re both elves. You clearly have magickal abilities to enter this domain of your own free will.”

Aven frowned. They had been through many things before, but this girl was a new level. She seemed so into using dangerous magick to get through life. And the man she brought back looked way too familiar. Aven watched the man closely, studying his appearance. He was handsome with noble features, eyes shining like polished iron. The attire he wore was full of blue silks over steel armor. The only family that wore such fine fabrics was the royal family, even nobles chose to wear lesser fabrics as to not upstage the King and his children. With as young as the man was, Aven realized the kidnapped man was no older than him.

“Wait! Did you kidnap the prince?” Aven gasped.

“Yes. He has a link to a forbidden magick,” she said.

Aven had indeed recognized him as Prince Nefari, the youngest of the royal heirs. If caught keeping Prince Nefari a captive by the city guards, Aven would lose everything they had worked so hard for.

Aven arched an eyebrow. “Forbidden magick?”

“Yes. While you blindly trusted your king, you failed to notice the hidden black dragon kept beneath the castle.” The girl waved her hand at the books, the air swirling with energy as the books rose into the air and neatly formed a pile with a lone book setting down gently beside the pile. On the cover was a clear depiction of a black dragon with ruby red eyes like fire. “Black dragons are the evilest of their kind. Everyone knows that black dragons should be eradicated. To keep one is to—”

“Do you forget that I am here?” Prince Nefari scoffed.

The girl glanced at him, tugging at his hair. “You are not part of this conversation, human.”

Nefari narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed by what was happening. He yanked his head forward, tearing himself from the girl’s grip, a chunk of his hair going missing in the process. “My family has not held a dragon captive. They are vile creatures that should be eradicated!”

The girl leaned down, pressing her hand on the table. A dark greenish glow emitted from her eyes. “Until you have met a dragon, do not judge them. The ones I know of are great companions, and even better at magick than us mortals."

With a roll of his eyes, Nefari looked to Aven. "You were there! You have to remember the dragon again from six years ago!"

Aven looked between the girl and Nefari. They had been there. The sight of a massive golden dragon descending upon the city, igniting it with flames and ash, still lingered in their mind. Only a little while later did they loose their parents and Ryce went missing.

"I remember the ash that fell from the sky and the way it burned my lungs. There was a gold dragon that destroyed a lot, catching many homes on fire. Honestly, I can see why dragons are dangerous."

"Fine," the girl snapped. She stood up and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "I'll take you to the black dragon myself and then you'll see."

"No, we shouldn't," Aven said. They ran a hand through their silver hair. Glancing around the room. "It doesn't make sense. You'll never be able to get past all the guards, especially with the prince as a captive!"

The girl smirked, a twinkle in her eyes. She took the index and middle finger of her right hand and made a circular motion in the air. The books flew into the air, gracefully organizing themselves into various collections of species, magicks, and lore. With the table mostly clear, parchment paper laid itself across the table with quills beginning to scribble a layout of the castle, with the dungeon being scribbled last. Stations were the guards patrolled was also added to the map with dashed lines.

"I've been scouting the castle for months," the girl explained. "You see this doorway with nothing after it, but there's a key symbol next to it? That is where the dragon is kept. Aren't you interested in what your daddy is keeping from you, little prince?"

Nefari glared at the table. He clenched his fists and grasped a hold of a quill. "My father wouldn't stoop to such lows. What use would a dragon be here?"

"A black dragon's acid can be deadly and even the scales can be harvested to make potions or armor, granted the scales are given enough time to grow back," the girl explained.

"Alright," Nefari said. He stood up. "I'll check it out, but you can't—"

"No. The three of us go, or I take you two back to my camp." The girl crossed her arms over her chest.

Aven watched the girl closely. She wasn't afraid of getting imprisoned for kidnapping, breaking and entering, or even harboring magick. No, she was brave and stubborn at the same time. If anything, she had a plan to kill the black dragon if the rumor was true, and perhaps Nefari could reveal the truth the kingdom, overturning the laws that King Dario had instilled.

"We'll do it."