Winter 4987, 18 Ginmoth

Breathe...

… In. Master Veon-Zih sat cross-legged in a small shrine within the confines of Taolu Monastery in the Halakon desert. Behind him, the shrine doors slid open with a soft hiss, but he paid it no mind, letting the sound go as quickly as it had come.

Breathe...

… Out. The floorboards creaked and groaned as the newcomer took a seat beside him. He could hear them breathe, in through the nose, out through the mouth. He let that sound go too.

Breathe…

… In. He could smell hot dust and jasmine. Veon-Zih knew who the newcomer was. It was a little harder to let that thought go. But he was experienced and disciplined, and soon even that was gone, leaving his mind blissfully empty and at peace.

The two sat in meditative silence. Their breath eventually coming to match each other in the way rhythmic things often do. Until…

Dong... Dong... Dong…

The bell that marked the hour in the Monastery was deep and resonating, its vibrations filling the facility and traveling down the small mountain to nearby Zanit. Veon-Zih took one last breath and, letting it out slowly, opened his eyes.

“Fancy seeing you here, Master Velona.” he turned to smile at the woman beside him. She looked younger than she was, though the smile lines by her eyes and mouth gave some of her age away. She sat kneeling beside him, a delicately curved sword strapped horizontally across her lower back and a plain wood staff on the floor beside her. The Monks of Kensei were never found without their weapons.

“I believe that is my line, Master Veon-Zih,” she continued to face forward but looked sideways at him out of the corner of her eye, a mischievous grin playing at her lips, “This is my Monastery after all…”

“True, true,” Veon-Zih nodded solemnly, then stretched and reclined back, leaning on his hands, “But I heard you'd grown tired of Monastery life and were instead destined for pilgrimage…”

“Perhaps,” she finally turned to look at him fully, “But I will never cease to be amazed by your damn ears.” reaching out, she pulled at one of the offending appendages, then laughing, shifted her hips off of her feet and onto the ground, bringing herself slightly closer to him. “Where did you hear about my pilgrimage?”

Veon-Zih shook his head, “A wise man never reveals all his secrets.”

Velona rolled her eyes but asked, “Is that why you’re here, perhaps? To give up your life of traveling the kingdom slaying monsters and stopping vagabonds, and instead travel the kingdom to pay your respects to all the shrines while also slaying monsters and stopping vagabonds?”

The old Monk shifted his weight to one hand and made a show of rubbing his chin in mock thought, “Hmmm, you do make a convincing argument, but on the other hand.” he lifted his other hand off the floor, still maintaining his reclining position, his abdominal muscles flexing hard beneath his loose tunic. “I have a student I would need to visit, and that would interrupt the pilgrimage and possibly defeat the purpose.” he put both hands back down to lean on again.

Velona looked wide-eyed at him, her eyebrows reaching for her shaved head, “You have an apprentice? I never thought the day would come.” but Veon-Zih was wagging a finger back and forth at her.

“No. I have a student. That is a fundamental distinction.” her look turned more skeptical than amazed, “He has no ties to the Monastery or to the Monks of Ryukyu. Instead, he is bound to the Temple of Hengist.”

“But Monks can hold allegiance to... “

“As a Paladin.” he interrupted with a shrug, “Well, as a Squire soon to be a Paladin.”

Velona gave a small “Oh…” that made slightly more sense. Though it was clear she had no idea why Veon-Zih would take a student already sworn to another path. She managed another grin and added, "I bet the Monastery just loves that..." 

Veon-Zih rubbed the back of his neck a little nervously, "They don't know, and they don't need to since he isn't learning anything that requires a Grandmaster's tutelage." 

Velona could sense his desire to change the subject and obliged without prompting, “So why are you here then? You have been in the area many times over the years but have been conveniently absent from the Monastery.”

Her grin was mischievous again, and Veon-Zih looked away. She may not be bitter towards him anymore, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still feel guilt… and regret. “Actually, it has something to do with my student. You see, it's nearly Winter Solstice, and I'm supposed to be with him around this time for some training and general updates…” he let the sentence trail off and Velona circled her hand in the air for him to continue, “Well, I'm down here in lovely Halakon, and he's up in Hamerfoss…Clearhelm.”

Velona shook her head in disbelief, her eyes on the ground but her grin still firmly in place, “And let me guess. You were wondering if maybe I would like to start my pilgrimage in the north and work my way back down?”

Veon-Zih gave her an exaggerated scrutinizing look, “Are you sure you’re not a Mage? You seem to know an awful lot about the goings-on inside my head... “

“Oh, I wish,” Velona muttered, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. Veon-Zih immediately regretted his comment.

“Well, if you still have your contacts at the Mages Guild, I thought perhaps you could start your pilgrimage in the north, and we could do at least some of it together…” he looked away again as she looked him over from crossed legs up to bald head. He couldn’t give her everything she wanted, but he could do some, and they weren’t getting any younger.

“I would like that,” she said, her voice soft, the playfulness gone.

Veon-Zih met her eyes. She was smiling, but it was a soft, sad smile. “I would too,” he said just as softly.

*** 

It was as if a brawl had broken out in the courtyard of Hamerfoss. Elbows jammed into ribs and fists into faces, sweat and blood staining nearly every uniform. Shon wove between combatants, searching out those foolish enough to drop their guard while Ryuuko circled the melee, twittering merrily. The pseudodragon tried to send anything it noticed to Shon through their link, though the communication was often more distracting than helpful.

“Come on, boys! You never know when you might end up in a bar fight!” Master Daunas laughed, throwing his head back in mirth. It was clear this was his favorite unit, pugilism.

Beside the Weaponmaster, Major General Selibra scowled, “If I ever hear of any of you getting into a bar fight for any reason other than to stop it, I will leave Hamerfoss and personally see to your punishment!”

“Yes, Sir!” the Squires called in unison.

There. Baradin had his hands up, protecting his neck from Zihler, but his arms were too far forward and elbows too high up, leaving his sides exposed to a possible hook. Shon tapped Zihler on the shoulder, and the boy ducked out, sidestepping so Shon could slide into place. Baradin barely had enough time to widen his eyes and tighten his jaw. Shon swung from the right as if to punch him in the face, only to twist and come in from below, hooking him in the ribs from the left.

Baradin folded over, clutching his side and breathing hard between clenched teeth. “Keep yourself centered and your elbows tight,” Shon instructed, then walked off to continue his rounds.

“Damn it, Shon,” Baradin coughed behind him, “Do you always have to hit so hard?” Shon turned and arched an eyebrow at the senior Squire. Behind him, Daunas laughed.

Raising a hand to stop Sir Selibra from barking out the standard punishment for Baradin's language, Master Daunas called, “You expect a drunk to hold back? Or any fighter for that matter?”

“Maybe now you’ll remember to keep your guard up,” Sir Selibra added, apparently deciding that Baradin’s bruised ribs would be enough of a punishment for the rather tame curse.

Shon turned away from Zihler and Baradin. Master Daunas had convinced the Major General that there was nothing they could teach Shon that he didn’t already know -and know better- after training for years with Master Veon-Zih. Then he'd had to convince Shon to keep things simple for his fellow Squires. They weren’t learning martial arts as Shon had studied, only basic self-defense and straightforward attacks.

Zihler called to the Weaponmaster, “And what do we do if we run into someone like Shon in a bar fight?”

“Run,” Master Daunas answered with another laugh. He elbowed Sir Selibra in the ribs as though sharing a joke, but Shon didn’t notice whether or not the Major General had returned the smile. The supply caravan rolled into the courtyard behind the adults, and Shon had stopped to watch it. 

“Or you could try and sneak up on him…” Sir Selibra called as Ryuuko took a perch on his shoulder.

Shon shot a curious look at the Major General then ducked.

Twisting as he dropped, Shon’s leg shot out, past Rehlien’s forward foot to kick him in his rear ankle, then sweeping forward, catching the back of Rehlien’s forward leg and sending him tumbling to the ground. Shon continued the sweep, using the momentum of his turn to stand, his leg continuing up and around to a kick. Shon’s heel hit Kefir’s arm, which in turn slammed into his own head, sending him reeling. Rerves lifted his hands in open surrender and stepped back. Their attempted surprise attack obviously and wholly thwarted.

Master Daunas laughed again, and Sir Selibra called, “Fall in Squires!” just as the bell for break began to sound.

Standing at attention with the rest, Shon’s eyes darted again for the supply wagon as the driver hopped down and reached back for two bulging bags of letters. They always received the most mail before Winter Solstice, and the celebration was only two weeks away. Master Daunas made them wait at attention while the Paladins not on duty meandered out of the fortress, speaking jovially and strolling slowly towards the wagon. A few glanced towards the Squires and snickered, then proceeded to help the driver with his other goods, pointedly ignoring the mail.

It felt like the Weaponmaster was going to hold them there for the entire hour, but it had only been minutes, hadn’t it? Finally, Master Daunas waved his hand dismissively, “Good job today, boys. Maybe by Solstice, one of you will actually land a hit on our resident Monk.”

Shon rolled his eyes. He wasn’t a Monk. He was nowhere near Master Veon-Zih in training or skill and never would be. Even if he did continue to do his drills and kata every day before running.

At their dismissal, the Squires sprinted for the wagon, Ryuuko flying ahead of them to land on the horses' harness and twitter at the driver. As one, they stumbled to a stop five paces from the driver so as not to crowd him.

The man laughed almost as loud as Master Daunas and moved for the mailbags. He opened the first, purposefully slowly, and the youngest Squire let out an audible whine.

“Baradin!” the driver called out, and Baradin stepped forward to take his letter as the driver fished in the bag for the next. He called out each name in a steady line, then reached a single thin letter yelling, “Shon!” Rather than hold it out for Shon to collect, he held it in the air for the swooping Ryuuko to snatch and carry to its human, dropping it into Shon's waiting palms. 

The boys didn’t give Shon the same courtesy they gave the driver and crowded around him, urging him to open the mail sooner rather than later,

"I don't think she's ever sent one that small before." Zihler observed as Shon turned the letter over and over in his hand. 

"Well, she did say she was getting bored with the city last time. Maybe she just didn't have as much to say." Rerves commented. 

"It does get old," Thom agreed.

But Shon was shaking his head, "It's not from her..." it was from Veon-Zih.

Shon tried not to be disappointed as he opened the letter and read the short message. His Master only assured him that he would be coming soon but that there might be a chance he would be late for the Solstice celebration this year. 

Baradin sighed, "Well, I suppose we couldn't really expect her to continue writing every month," 

"Maybe she just missed the deadline, and you'll get two next month," Kefir added. 

But as the driver threw the now empty mailbags back into the wagon, Shon felt a sinking in his chest that was more than just disappointment. It was worry. 

Lily had written him every month without fail for the entire year, and her letters had all been long journal-like logs of her days. Every new discovery, every joy and frustration, she'd written to him about. And though he'd always feared that the letters would start to thin and eventually stop, this seemed far too sudden to be easily explained. 

"She probably got distracted at work," Rehlien said, "She probably took on an extra shift or two since it's so cold out now." 

"Speaking of which..." Baradin led, "I'm freezing. Let's go in." 

"You coming, Shon?" Thom asked as the others turned for the fortress and the hot showers. 

Shon just shook his head, still staring at the disappointing message from Master Veon-Zih. Ryuuko whistled sadly in his ear, though if the little dragon was actually worried or just feeling Shon's anxiety, he couldn't tell. 

He'd worried about Lily the first two months, when she was so angry over needing her clearance and being trapped in the Guild tower. But things seemed to improve after she got it. Recently though, she'd started to voice her boredom, saying she wanted to see other cities, even other provinces... 

Maybe she'd just missed the date for him to get her letter in time... But maybe it was something else... And there was nothing he could do about it.

*** 

There was nothing like gate travel. In a single step, one could traverse miles upon miles of distance. Assuming one could afford it. The Mages sold one-way gate tokens for hundreds of gold each. Though occasionally, a favored group of mercenaries allies might earn one or two as a reward for a mission well done -usually recovering some lost artifact or hunting down a Mage gone rogue.

Veon-Zih usually passed up the opportunity to travel by gate, the open road being the best part of most journeys in his opinion. But occasionally, when time was of the essence, he would make an exception. 

He and Velona earned a few strange looks from those who saw them entering the Guild tower that morning. Two apparent peasants couldn't generally afford anything offered by the Guild. And even those who were more observant, recognizing what they were by the shaved heads, knew that all Monks swore vows of poverty. 

It was a modest Guild, Zanit not being a particularly large city. While Velona exchanged pleasantries, papers, and travel tokens with the attending journeyman, Veon-Zih meandered around the entryway, his hands behind his back as he arched up to watch the stars move on the ceiling. They were heading to Tarorn, the capital of Clearhelm, and home to Velona’s niece. It was a good two-week walk from Hamerfoss, but Veon-Zih knew Shon wouldn’t begrudge him being late for the celebrations. And he'd already warned the Squire that might be the case.

The exchange didn’t take long, and with a single door and spell from a diamond-studded wand, the two Monks stepped from the warm desert into the artificially warmed guild of the harsh northern winter. The two presented their papers once again to an attending Mage on this side of the gate as the portal closed behind them, the diamond crumbling to dust.

Velona rested a hand on Veon-Zih’s arm, grabbing his attention as he reached for the door to the Guild proper, “Thank you for taking this detour with me. It isn’t often I get to visit Vevi up here.”

Veon-Zih smiled down at her as he opened the door, “Not at all. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to make it even a fraction of the way up here without your handy contacts.” he winked at her, and Velona rolled her smiling eyes.

The atrium was abuzz with activity and Veon-Zih and Velona had to dodge out of the way, hugging the wall, as a gaggle of Mages rushed by towards a small huddle of knights, “It keeps fizzing!” one Mage nearly cried in desperation.

“Keep trying,” the knight had their back to the Monks, but Veon-Zih recognized that voice.

“Sir Rasnah? What are you doing here?” Veon-Zih called, and the woman turned. To anyone else, she would look as calm and collected as ever, the unflappable General, but Veon-Zih saw the tension in her shoulders and lines around her mouth. He frowned and led the way towards the knights and Mages.

One of the Mages gasped and rushed past Rasnah before she could answer, “Aunt Velona! She’s gone. We can’t find her anywhere!” the Mage wasn’t nearly as adept at hiding her anxiety as Rasnah. She reached for Velona, who stroked her face, cooing softly.

“Who is gone, Vevi? What's going on?”

Veon-Zih looked from the desperate Mage to Rasnah curiously. The Paladin sighed, “The girl from the Warlock tower.” she answered. That explained why Rasnah was here and not in Smilnda. She'd made tracking the Warlocks in her province her personal goal; it made sense that she would be keeping tabs on the girl.

“When?” Veon-Zih asked Rasnah.

“A week ago.”

Vevi rushed to explain, “We looked everywhere. We thought she was just angry after being grounded, but she isn’t in the city, and our tracking spells aren't working.”

“Why not?” Veon-Zih furrowed his brow in confusion. He didn’t know much about magic's inner workings, but this was the Guild of a capital city. They should have masters of every school at their beck and call.

A second Mage, older but significantly calmer, cleared his throat, “It could be any number of things, from the formula being off to the subject being held in an antimagic field.”

“But an antimagic field is incredibly difficult to create and highly regulated…” Vevi added.

Rasnah shook her head, “We are dealing with Warlocks. Their very existence is illegal.”

"What about her things?" Velona asked Vevi.

"Also gone, the only things left were the robes we gave her and the books I lent her..." 

Velona furrowed her brow at the Mage, then looked to Rasnah, "Why would they take her things too?" but the Paladin could only shake her head, having no answer. 

"She wouldn't have left without telling anyone, and no one knows where she is, no one!" Vevi's voice cracked, "I told her she would be safe here, I told her, I..." She broke down, shaking her head, and Velona pulled her close, stroking her hair. 

“What do you need us to do, Rasnah?” Veon-Zih asked, gesturing to himself and Velona.

Velona nodded, not at all offended at being volunteered for service, “I thought we'd seen the end of these Warlocks over thirty years ago,” she sounded determined, “We will finish what we started.”

But Rasnah was shaking her head again, “I assume you’re here to visit Shon?” she asked Veon-Zih. When he nodded hesitantly, she continued, “Go see him."

Veon-Zih's lips pursed in a tight line, but Rasnah held up a calming hand, "We have already questioned everyone here three times over. Her boss and teachers, even the merchants she frequented, all of them are worried and just as sure as Mage Vevi that she wouldn't have left without telling them.

"Sirs Jawsh and Mika were friends with the girl at Hamerfoss and have been having lunch with her every week since being stationed here. They've informed me that she has stayed in contact with the other Squires over the year. We've been looking into anything suspicious here, but if the girl herself noticed anything before disappearing, she may have written about it to the Squires."

“Very well,” Veon-Zih sighed. Shon had spoken about as much as he usually did last time Veon-Zih had visited, but instead of talking about training, he'd spoken mainly about this girl. The Monk could only hope that he could find a way to break the news of her going missing in such a way that the young man didn’t panic...