Day 314
The following day I make my way to Spindle's workshop with a request in mind.
The small elvish shop is in disarray when I arrive. Potted plants are gathered around the fire to keep warm but any elf can see that warmth is only part of the problem. The dry air, lack of sun, and frigid temperatures have all contributed to the dying greenery. Partially-repaired and fully-repaired armour is scattered about. None of it is in perfect condition, just patched to usability.
Spindle emerges from the workshop looking haggard and tired but brightens when he sees me. After exchanging some pleasantries I present him with my request: A new blood-letting dagger. Bran made my dagger in our first days together in Whitewater and it has served me reliably ever since but this is a task worthy of Spindle's craftsmanship.
He smiles when I ask and quickly goes to fetch some reference books and paper to make notes, taking precise measurements and tracing my hand exactly. He'll do much of the forging and shaping on his own and the next time I return to Drognar we can work together on imbuing it with some of my magic as well.
My heart needed this
I spend the rest of the day with Caravel just talking and enjoying each other's company.
Days 315 - 318
The next few days are spent assisting with general defence and agriculture work to support the city. Bran and I make a silencing charm for him and revel in the process of creation.
On our last day, Nina gives me a few things to pass on to Dawn and then we depart.
Days 319-322
Travel towards Dreamfall passes uneventfully.
Day 323
Just one day's travel away from Dreamfall, Void asks to speak to me alone after the others have fallen asleep. He kept mostly to himself in Drognar and has been quiet ever since, something I simply attributed to his seemingly stoic nature.
As we make our way a little further from our camp he calls an aura of silence around us and turns to me, handing me a small box and a book.
"I'm glad she found you and has family now. I can't unravel all of her curse but I can remove part of it before I leave. I'll give her a future, if not a past. In a few days give her this box,"
I stare at him in silence for a moment.
"Will this give her answers?"
"No...it will probably just give her more questions,"
"Why are you doing this? You care about her,"
"There would be still fewer of my people left without her. She was nearly dead when I found her and she took every single one of our enemies with her. I've been with her for fifty years without telling her what I know. The people hunting her are not to be taken lightly and now I'm going to hunt them as well, but she can't come with me,"
I indulge in a bitter laugh at this. It's clear I won't be able to convince him otherwise and truthfully, he probably is doing the right thing even if it hurts her right now.
"The curse is entirely your doing?"
"Yes. She's afraid of her own past because she doesn't know it. Eventually she'll get it back and they'll come for her,"
I don't have anything left to say to him aside from pressing a small carved bird into his hands - a single strand that connects us even as he runs. He promises to keep it close and tells me to send word if we are found by the people hunting Mystery.
I trust you with her. There is something old and familiar about you from longer ago than even I remember. Fate wills we will meet again and then I will take her anger.
He gives me a book, gently touches Mystery's forehead, and then disappears into the night.
I sit by the fire until dawn.
Day 324
When Mystery wakes she looks around for Void, of course. When I tell her that he's gone she takes a moment to understand what I mean. No, he's not hunting, he's not patrolling the perimeter of the campsite, he hasn't gone ahead to Dreamfall. He's just....gone. And she can't track him flying in the snow.
Her anger is so bright as she rails against Void for leaving. She's going to hunt him down later, train until she's strong enough to kick his ass, she wants my help to make her stronger so she can do this. In a split-second I decide to just tell her the entirety of what Void said to me last night. I don't owe him secrecy. Eventually Mystery sits quietly in a way that I recognize. She needs time and family.
I thought we were going to travel the river together for longer but now we've reached a fork. I'll drift with you and maybe one day I'll find Void again and we can drift together again to.
Eventually we break camp and close the distance back to Dreamfall where I send all of the apprentices off together with Mystery to get her acquainted with the camp.
As I return my travel pack to the rest of my belongings I open the book that Void left me. It's dragon magic...powerful dragon magic. Enclosed is a brief note and a vial of blood.
You protect too many. Fate seems to favour you. If it challenges you, roar back.
I seek out Magdalena for advice immediately.
When I show her an illusion of Void she says she's never met anyone like him, but she also hasn't met any Kindred. She also doesn't recognize the symbol that Mystery is hunting. This is exciting for me even though it doesn't solve any problems; it's exciting finding a question Magdalena can't answer.
The book is something she does recognize - the vial contains refined dragon blood and will help the user absorb the magic of the book.
But more than that, it is an inheritance of whichever dragon's essence is contained in the vial. It's the legacy of a true dragon, though Magdalena couldn't say which one. An inheritance is tricky though, not only the strength and power and magic of the dragon but also their story. Enemies, demons, challenges included.
And to use it would require a very strong sense of self. She cautions me not to touch it for decades or even centuries, especially because I'm so new to being fae. There are only so many directions one can pull one's sense of self.
But there's also a tone of steel to Magdalena's voice as she tells me this.
This inheritance is more than just the book. If he didn't explain that, he's being condescending. And it's rude! If he wanted to teach you too then he should have asked me.
She's sweet. I know who my teachers are.
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