There was fire everywhere. Irinia ran down the road recognizing various shops that were engulfed in flames. She ran past Haran laying on the ground, presumably dead. Blood was quickly pooling beneath his motionless body. She turned ran forward before rounding a corner. She almost lost her footing and stumbled but caught herself before she hit the ground.
Flickering light illuminated the ground. She paused before the castle; it too was engulfed in flame. Breaking into a full sprint up to the castle steps, she tripped again on her dress. To remedy the problem, she tore it off at her knees. Unencumbered she continued up to the large wooden doors that had already collapsed to ash. Just inside the doorway lay a young woman. She jumped over the low flames to the woman’s side.
“Mina! What has happened here?” Irinia asked.
“Daem... everywhere.” Mina managed to say between gasps. When Irinia looked at Mina’s wounds she saw claw marks raked across the chest. She knew that Mina was not going to survive, tears began welling in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mina.”
“Go find... father. He was... throne... with brother.” Mina sighed and went limp.
Knowing there was nothing that she could do for Mina, Irinia turned and made a beeline toward the throne room hoping that her father and brother were still alive. She turned the corner to the main corridor leading to the throne room. She was almost there. A noise came from behind her so Irinia stopped to look quickly. There was nothing there, but the fingers of flames pulling themselves up the walls. By time she realized that it had been a trap it was too late. She turned in time to see a crater lash out and bury its claws up to its knuckles into her abdomen.
The daem ripped its claws form her in a swift jerking motion. The pain was intense. She fell to her knees and her vision blurred. She felt heat from the fire on her face. She could feel the warmth of her life pooling around her.
A long life. So long as you aren’t killed. Stay with me and I will keep you safe.
The words reverberated in her mind.
Wake up, kid.
Irinia snapped upright in the bed. Short of breath and gasping for air. She placed both of her hands on her abdomen. There was no blood, no wound, nothing. It was only a dream, but she could still feel the heat from the flames. It was still difficult to breath even though the smoke was gone.
The stone was cold against her feet as she walked through the dark hallway. She welcomed the cold after the dream she had. Irinia was hoping that she had gone the right direction when she had exited the room. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost in the mountain. She rubbed her abdomen thinking of something worse that getting lost that could happen. Finally, she emerged into the main area to see Croix sleeping in the chair, his head resting on a closed fist. The fire beside him still had not burned out. She was not sure how long it had been since she had fallen asleep, but it felt like it should be the next morning. It was difficult to keep the time when there was no sun or moon to see.
She walked around the room observing. Looking for anything that she had not seen yesterday. Hopefully she could forget that nightmare. After she had thoroughly explored, she made her way to the mouth of the cave. Irinia placed her hand on the wall to help guide her out. She remembered only one turn in this corridor. She rounded one and saw light.
Emerging from the cave Irinia felt refreshed by the air outside. It was so crisp, and much warmer than yesterday. Although cool enough that she had to pull her shawl around her tighter when the breeze blew. The sun was high enough now that it illuminated the countryside. She imagined living her life up here. The quiet mountains could easily be warmed by Croix with his abilities. There was food in the forest and plenty of room inside.
Irinia shook her head to force the thought out of her mind. There was no chance of them staying here for long. Even though Croix had crafted this hideaway he had no intention of living here. His life was a nomadic one, which meant that her life was now as well. She would probably never settle down in one place. A gust of wind blew through the mountains again prompting her to go back inside. When she turned Croix was standing behind her. She jumped at the sight. She had not heard him approach.
“Come inside for some breakfast.” He said as he rubbed his bare arms. “You’ll freeze out here.”
They walked inside, and ate warm bread dipped in honey together on the floor beside the seemingly immortal flame that Croix had created last night. While they ate, Irinia practiced focusing her will and releasing it slowly. She repeated the process several times before Croix lightly placed a hand on her knee.
“Stop for a moment. There is something important that you must learn, but it takes some getting used to. It isn’t as simple as an action. It’s more like... building another sense for your body.”
To Irinia, that sounded like an impossible task, yet she had no doubt that it was possible. It did not appear to her that Croix was the type of instructor to place false thoughts in the head of a student.
“Place your hand on mine.” Croix said. So, she lightly laid her hand over his. “Eyes.”
She looked up into his eyes. His eyes stared back with an intensity that tempted her to look away but resisted. He told her to breathe slowly so she relaxed and slowed her breathing. Then she felt it. A cool sensation from in front of her. She was not cold exactly, rather it was a sense of nothingness. As though void where all things should be divided them. She broke eye contact and looked down for a moment but saw nothing. When she looked back to Croix he was smiling.
“What?” She asked.
“You felt it. That usually takes people a few tries to grasp. Nicely done.” Croix stood and walked to the corner of the room. As she stood, he motioned her the opposite corner.
“Same thing.”
After a few minutes passed and she could not feel anything out of the ordinary, she shook her head.
“It’s not a problem. It is more difficult at a distance. Let’s go out for some air.”
They walked together and stood outside. The sun was shining, and the air was much warmer than earlier in the morning. Croix laid down on the rock outside the mouth of the cave and shielded his eyes from the sun. A thought occurred to Irinia.
“Why did it feel cold when we were practicing in there?” She asked.
Croix sat up to explain. “When we make our glass or draw in energy to place power behind our techniques it is not created by us. The energy is all around us.” He held out his arms. “Always. When we make glass what is happening is we are pulling the energy from our surroundings and the glass absorbs it. Once absorbed, the energy is transformed into the intent drawn into it.”
She though about that for a moment and said, “How can people draw on this energy and it is never depleted?”
“The energy cannot be destroyed. Ever. Once the sigil has run it’s course and transformed the energy into its desired form it is expelled. That could be in any kind of form and used for any purpose. Regardless, it is returned to its original state.”
“If the energy is so powerful and versatile as is, why alter it?” She asked.
“We don't need to, technically. However, people who have an affinity to it are incredibly rare. Also the techniques are very powerful. You use water mostly, right?" She nodded. "You can only build intent in the element your will is proficient in. Otherwise, it just can't happen. In order to manipulate the energy in its purest form you need an affinity for it. The other issue here, is how powerful it can be. Even among people like us, those spells are restricted."
"It's really that dangerous?"
Croix nodded, "It also has a high chance of backfiring into the caster. It's a safety precaution for all involved..." His voice trailed off.
The seriousness of his tone in his last statement made her think he had witness something he would rather forget. She tried to change the subject. “What else are we doing today?”
They stayed outside in the fresh air for the remainder of the day. They practiced sensing the pull of energy until she could feel it from the opposite side of the cliff shelf they stood upon. Once she was able to do that efficiently they moved on to feeling the draw through the walls of the cave. Croix would stay outside while she made attempts from inside the main chamber. They took a break for dinner in the evening and continued late into the night before Irinia told Croix that she could not concentrate and that she needed to sleep.
Days passed as she perfected her ability to sense the energy from beyond the walls of the mountain. Croix had her practice different variations such as feeling out two draws of energy. After several more days she could do that without much effort either. One morning she awoke and walked outside to meet Croix as she had every morning for the past few weeks. When she could not find him outside she sat in the main chamber and awaited his return. He emerged from the back corridor with a bag that looked like it was quite full.
“What is that for?” Irinia asked.
“We’re leaving today. The last part of your training before your test we will do on the walk to Oin.”
The thought of her test made her nervous. When she had asked about the test Croix had only told her that it would challenge her in many ways. The test is designed specifically to work against the applicant’s weaknesses, push their strengths to their limits, and stress the mind. None of which sounded the least bit amusing. His attempts to assure her that it was not as bad as it sounds were unsuccessful.
“When do we leave?”
“Pack up. We're leaving now.” Croix said.
"A little warning would have been nice..." She shot him a glance, but he shrugged it off.
Irinia walked to her room leaving Croix sitting in the chair she had just occupied. The abrupt departure was yet another indication of his need to travel, and how long he had been doing so alone. After she had neatly placed her clothes in her bag they walked toward the food storage chamber. He showed her another pathway that was hidden in in the shadows that twisted downward in the dark. They walked this path for several hours until they emerged into sunlight. She shielded her eyes from the sun until they adjusted. When she looked around there were trees all around She turned and looked up from the base of the mountain.
“Why didn’t we go this way to get up to the top?”
“I wanted to see how far you could go on your own, it was on the other side of the mountain, and it’s a challenge to find.” He gestured toward the place in the mountain they had just walked out of. The opening was gone. Irinia approached the mountain and her hand passed right through the stone when she pressed against it. “Some of the greatest things in life are right in from of you. They’re just hard to see.”
They walked for a few hours until the forest opened up into a wide meadow with five trees standing in the middle. Croix stopped and smiled. “Perfect. Let’s stop here so you can practice.”
“What am I practicing today?”
“Telekinesis.” Croix grinned. “I can’t wait to show you this one. It is a lot of fun. It has so many uses.”
They started by focusing her will again. This time he added some more steps.
“Focus on your hands. Try to envision the energy being pulled to your hands and collecting there.” She did so. “It should feel different.” He said and it did. He plucked a blade of grass from the ground an placed it in her hand.
“Try to move the energy to the side now.” She tried for several minutes, but the blade of grass would not move. “Keep trying. We have time.”
After several hours Irinia dropped her hand to her lap with a sigh. “I can’t.” She said. She thought that she could do it several times only to have nothing happen.
“We continue then.” Croix stood and started for the tree line. “We still have a few days before we reach Oin. Try not to focus your will while we are in the forest. We should be reaching the main road in a few hours.”
They walked in silence for a time. The forest was alive with creatures. Irinia could see rabbits darting back and forth between shrubs and heavy foliage. Colorful birds would occasionally flit from tree to tree. When she heard a low growl she nervously looked around for the source to find a wolf walking parallel to them, matching their pace. Croix was waving a greeting to the animal with a smile. Did he know the animal? At this point, she would hardly be surprised.
The sun was beginning to set when they reached the main road.
“That was further than I remember.” He bent backwards to stretch his back form the long walk. “Do you want to sit and eat? We have a long journey up the road tomorrow.”
The sounds of the forest filled the air only interrupted by the crackle of their fire. Croix had decided to burn wood this night to add more flavor to the meat he had packed with him and to keep the bugs away. This part of the forest appeared to be safe from the touch of the daem. For now at least.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“We have been on the woods all day,” Irinia asked after a bite of rabbit, “why are there no daem in this forest?”
“There are we just haven’t seen them yet.”
The thought of daem hiding in the forest made her uneasy and her appetite disappeared quickly. She remembered the wolf walking with them in the forest, but could not remember when she had seen it last.
“What of that wolf in the forest? You were familiar with it?”
“Yes, Ersetu, he’s a good companion.”
“What does his name mean?”
Croix tossed the bone from the piece of rabbit he was eating into the trees and adjusted his crouched stance. “I found him when I stumbled by a cave around... twenty years ago or so. He was just a pup. A sentinel fell from the trees and grabbed hold of him. After I killed it, I set him down and pushed him back toward the cave.” He looked to the stars in the clear night sky with a smile and laughed. “He was all covered in dirt and mud from whatever he was doing in the cave so I thought it was a good fit.”
He went on to tell Irinia how Ersetu had followed him around the forest for days while he hunted the rouge diem hiding within. Then of their sad separation when he had to move on. The wolf always finds him when he passes through the forest, although it had only been twice since their first meeting. Each time it would follow him eating scraps and warning him of danger.
They had been sleeping for just a couple of hours before Irinia was awakened by a rustling in the nearby bushes. She looked over to Croix who was sleeping with his mouth open. His glasses laying in an open hand. She heard the rustling again. Sitting up slowly she moved closer to Croix. As she reached for him a shadow burst from the bushes. It moved quickly. She instinctively raised her hands in defense. She knew that it was futile if it were a daem.
Nothing attacked. She lowered her hands when something soft dropped to the ground. Ersetu was laying beside Croix resting his head on Croix’s chest. Its head rising and falling with each breath. Croix laid his hand on the wolf’s head and scratched an ear in his sleep. The small unconscious act brought a smile to Irinia’s face.
She laid down again, this time closer to Croix for comfort in the open. She dozed thinking of Oin. She tried to imagine what the vast city looked like. She had heard about it from her father and brother. They never spoke badly of its people or its policies. What she truly wanted to know is what the test Croix mentioned will entail. He has not given her even a hint as to what will happen, nor what she will be tested on. She assumed combat.
A warm breeze blew over them rustling the trees on both sides of the road. The moon was still high in the sky when Irinia’s eyes grew tired. Ersetu let out a low growl. His eyes darting along the tree line closest to them. He growled again and nudged Croix’s chin. Ersetu growled again resulting in his ear getting scratched by the still unconscious Croix. The growl became a quiet whine. Irinia could feel a strong vibration on the ground. This time she woke Croix.
“Croix. Croix! Do you feel that?” Irinia whispered.
“Of course I do.” Croix said with his eyes still closed. “It’s a good rhythm.”
“Should we leave or hide somewhere? It's a digger, right?”
Croix shook his head, eyes still closed. He held his arms out in front of himself, making fists with his hands. When the next vibration came he slow lowered his arms to the side until they touched the ground. Then he snapped them back together, knuckle to knuckle. When his hands struck one another another vibration pulsed through the ground. He repeated this several times before turning to her with a smile.
“A golem. A rare sight. Let’s hope it passes nearby.” They lay there feeling the vibrations for awhile longer before Croix says, “We should get some more sleep. We will be walking quite the distance tomorrow. The golem is still far. When it is closer we will surely know. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Though she did not know if a golem was dangerous, Croix's lack of alarm and the newly settled wolf eased her mind. The low rumble in the ground at its steady pace was quite relaxing. It was not long before she was asleep.
Irinia awoke with a start. Croix was shaking her shoulder whispering, “Wake up. Wake up. Quickly.”
The ground shook fiercely beneath her. She could swear that her body had actually left the ground for a moment. She gripped Croix’s arm as she sat unaware of what was happening when she remembered. The golem! It must be right next to them if she can feel its steps so well. Another small quake sent a jolt through her body.
“There.” Croix pointed toward the tree line closest to them. The trees were shaking and bending as something moved through them. She could see what looked like a mountain top moving the forest. “I want to try something.” Croix said. He drew a sigil into the air. When he broke it a ball of flame made a straight line to the road further down. The explosion was deafening and created its own shockwave through the ground. Small pieces of dirt and stone rained down on them. Other than that there was no sound. The golem had stopped at the sound, or maybe the vibration, of the spell.
After several minutes the golem began walking again making the entirety of the forest tremble with each step. It had changed course toward the road, toward the crater Croix had just created. When the creature emerged from the tree line her jaw dropped. The megalithic creature stepped onto the road. It was taller than any building in Larin omitting perhaps the castle. From her vantage point even that she could not be certain of. The ground shook once more as it knelt down to inspect the crater with the two large yellow stones on its head. She assumed those were its eyes.
“Wow...” She said quietly. She must not have been quiet enough because the golem turned and strolled towards them. It walked slowly as any creature of that size would. When it reached them it knelt again. The force of the golem’s knee striking the ground almost knocked them down. Ersetu whined and ran into the woods.
“Should we follow his example?” Irinia asked.
Croix, smiling ear to ear, shaking his head. “I’ve never been this close to a friendly one of these giants.” He removed his glasses and held out his other hand. His cloak fell from his arm exposing the markings. Two of the chains receded up his arm. The golem leaned his face against Croix’s hand. Croix looked like he was about to explode with excitement. She had not seem him so happy before. They remained like that for a few minutes before the golem stood and stepped over them. He walked down the road leaving large indentations with each step. Just before it walked into the woods it turned and looked at them from down the road.
“Did it just nod at us?”
Croix ran his fingers through his hair with a big grin. “That was amazing! The amount of energy coursing through that creature is... it’s... astounding!”
The sheer size of the golem still had Irinia reeling. Never mind that it was kneeling down in front of them. “I’m just happy it was friendly.”
Together they collected their things and started down the road. They had to navigate around the golem’s footprints and the hole Croix had created to gather the golem’s attention. She had always wondered why her father complained about the emperor spending so much on the main roads. Damage to them from battles, raids, and oversized creatures must be more common in other parts of the world. Larin must be one of the most quiet places by comparison.
Four more days of walking from sunrise to sunset it took to reach Oin. Croix would hunt in the woods while Irinia waited inside the tree line by the road for “her safety from both man and monster.” She could not wait to get into a soft bed and get a full night’s sleep.
Oin was spectacular in all regards. Brightly colored buildings that towered over the trees of the surrounding forest. The roads were empty and pristine. Large smooth stones laid side by side with the mortar holding them together. Occasionally there would be a tree placed within a raised platform in the center of the street surrounded by rich soil. These were spaced evenly down all roads bringing a sense of life to the stone city. After seeing nobody for several blocks, Irinia asked, “Where are all the people?”
“Inside learning, concocting, manipulating, and so forth. Here they develop new techniques and sigils. They also train the magi that walk the world.”
Her father had spoken of the magi. It was never in a positive sense, which was why Larin did not have one magic wielding resident. Occasionally, one would pass through and the children would practically tackle them to the ground asking to see magick and tricks. They were quickly pushed through or shut up in an inn as soon as the guards learned of them. Something about “damned element slingers...”. The magi were challenged with walking the continent and assisting the smaller towns and villages against the daem. She had never learned why her father hated them so much. It would be a good question for her teacher later.
They traversed several more blocks when they stopped at a building with several pillars holding up the front. There were no doors only a large ornate opening with the words “MANZAZU ANA MUDUTU” chiseled into the stone across the top. Right, no idea what that means. When they entered people were walking every which way through doorways that seemed to move along the walls. No, the walls were rotating and creating openings. People were going into and coming out the each opening. Each time some entered a doorway the walls would stop until they passed through. There were several levels that rotated at their own pace. The people seemed to alter their pace so they would not have to stop and wait for the door to open for them.
As they reached the back wall it rotated to the left revealing a descending staircase. Without stopping they passed through the doorway. The stairway went dark when the wall rotated again. Before long something small and bead-like began glowing a dull blue which was enough to illuminate the stairs. They entered into a large room lined with filled bookcases. The bookcases surrounded a large open portion of the floor with a lone desk on the outer edge. A middle-aged looking man was standing in the center of the open floor with his eyes closed, hands pressed together. He was tall with black hair and a short goatee. He appeared strong and well-trained. Croix put his arm in front of her when she took a step beyond the bookcases. She took a step back to stand beside Croix who gestured to the other man.
After a few more moments of standing in the same position they had found him in, he started to move. Rotating his arms in front in his body his drew a light blue circle as tall as himself. He then drew a complex pattern in the center connecting all the lines to the outer circle. He thrust his forearms through two openings and moved them outward until the sigil broke. Instead of falling to the ground like Croix’s, the pieces stayed suspended in the air for a moment. Then they rotated around his forearms embedding themselves in the skin making his fall to one knee, his face stern and sweaty. He stared at his arms for a moment with a smile moving his fingers. He pressed an icy palm to the floor revealing a frozen circle when he lifted it again. He then threw his arms out to the side throwing ice in both directions. The air surrounding the bookcases flared a light blue, the same color as the glowing beads in the staircase. A shield to protect the books perhaps? He started to add more flourish to his movements throwing shards of ice this way and that.
A volley of ice came directly toward them. Croix stepped out onto the floor with his arms outstretched to each side, palms open. When the ice volley was within an arm’s length he caught it with his mind swinging it in a large arc. When Croix released it, the volley flew toward the other man who raised he arms as soon as he noticed it was approaching. The ice shards were absorbed back into his arms with a grimace. He had switched to an offensive stance preparing to take on his attacker but relaxed and laughed when he saw them.
“Croix! My friend it has been ages!” He reached out an icy hand. Croix stepped back which made the man laugh harder still.
“I saw what those hands can do, Svell. I'm not shaking those hands.”
“Ah, yes. How did you like the display?” Svell said as he dispelled his arms with a burst of light. The ice disappearing before it hit the ground.
“Impressive. Is that a new technique you have developed?”
“I suppose you could call it that. It is actually a combination of a few different sigils and a modified version of another that I combined into one. You should have been here a fortnight ago when I tried it the first time. They kept me in the infirmary for a week to repair my arms.”
“What had happened?”
“The ice tore them to shreds. Once they had mended the lacerations they dealt with the frostbite. It was not pleasant. Would you like to see my notes?” He was already almost to his desk before he noticed Croix was not following him. That was when he noticed Irinia. He picked up several sheets of paper from his desk and strolled across the floor.
“That is Irinia of Larin, my student.” Croix announced as Svell pushed the papers into Croix’s hands. He walked quickly to Irinia.
“Have you come to study here at the university?”
Irinia looked to Croix who was reading over the notes he was given. She shook her head.
“Then what brings you to my office, dear?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I believe I am here for my Trials.” She said expecting him to be the proctor.
Svell looked shocked. “Seriously Croix? She’s far too young for the Trials.”
“I took them when I was her age.” He said without looking up.
“Well, you are a special case. You're basically a god, so of course you could complete them!”
“She will do just fine. She will pass and I will continue her training. I assure you, Svell, I do not intend to let any harm come to the girl.” Croix held the notes out which Svell took. “Step back.”
Croix stretched his arms out in the same way that Svell had been doing when they entered the room. Except he bent them at the elbow a bit before snapping his fingers. Light arced from where his fingers met to form a a deep red circle that pulled the most light out of the room. All that could be seen was Croix and his circle. He connected the intricate shapes and several runes with lines within the larger circle. He hesitated for a moment before moving his arms into the two circular patterns in the sigil. Rather than pushing his arms away from one another he slammed them together. The sigil shattered and the pieces snapped into his arm with a blaze of fire. Croix cried out and began to drop to one knee, but caught himself and stood. His face drenched in sweat and breathing heavily he grinned. Light returned to the room.
Croix’s arms were engulfed in flames. The heat around his arms was distorting the air around him much as the heat of a hot summer day does. He flexed his fingers. “You are brilliant, my friend. Absolutely brilliant.” He pressed his hands together over his head and pulled them apart slowly forming a arc of flame. Closing his fingers and bent the fire arc as though it were a steel rod. It broke sending fire into the stones overhead making them glow a dull red. Satisfied he shook his arms, but they were still alight.
“How do I get it out?”
“Focus the will unto your own mind and quickly release while shaking the effected appendage.” Svell said like he was reading from a manual. She looked over. He was reading from a book. Croix did so and the fire sizzled out extinguished itself.
“That will certainly be of use.”
They left the library shortly after and proceeded to a towering building what may have been the center of the city. Irinia could not truly tell because the tall buildings made her lose any sense of direction. They entered the building and Croix scrawled both his name and her name down on a ledger atop a marble desk. The woman glared at Croix upon seeing Irinia. “No.” She said.
Svell stepped up to the desk. “I agree and support Croix in the fullest. The young lady is to prepare for her trials and commence tomorrow.”
“No, I cannot. She is far too-” The woman stopped speaking as a young man was carried out by two larger men. He was a bloody mess. Another man, this one older, was carried out behind him. “They thought they could complete the trials as well.”
Irinia's heart sank, her stomach twisting in knots at the sight. Maybe she should wait a bit after all.
“I do not intend to let her fail. She has shown me proficient use of her will and her mind is strong. Those factors will compensate for any lack of combat training. I ask for one day wait. Her Trial is requested, by myself, Legacy Knight Croix, to commence on the second sunrise.” The woman glared back at Croix. Irinia had never seen someone disagree so much with just a look. She was clearly not happy with the idea at all.
"One week. At least. Proper training. I will have you meet with a trainer. After that trainer notifies me that the girl is adequately prepared for simple combat she can enter."
"Why can't I just go with her now? I can help her through."
"That wouldn't be her trial then, would it?" Her tone was final.
"Those two did the trial together." He nodded toward the door the two men were just carried out of.
"No."
Croix sighed. "Alright. I have someone in mind for training though." The woman tiled her head in question. "As long as it isn't just you."
They departed the building and Svell separated from the group after whispering to Croix. With a nod Croix, and Irinia walked back to the inn. The innkeeper was more than happy to have them stay. “Charging you would be a blasphemous act. You stay free of charge, Croix. You know you’re always welcome here.” The innkeeper saw Irinia behind Croix. “Two rooms then, sir?”
Croix looked to Irinia. She still did not like being away from home. Croix was the only familiar thing in Oin. She shook her head. She’d rather share the room than be alone in this strange place. No matter how inviting the people may be. The innkeeper led them down some stairs without a moment’s hesitation. Before long they were settled. Croix lay on the stone floor with a thin blanket beneath him and another on top. He leaned his weapons against the closest wall, except his sword which he kept on the ground. The pommel nearest his hand. Seeing him down there made Irinia feel guilty. If she had just taken her own room he could have a bed to sleep in.
“These beds are very large. There is more than enough space for two people up here and they would be worlds apart.” She offered.
“Thank you for the offer, but I will sleep here for the night. Now rest. You will be exhausted by the week’s end, Iri.” The nickname made her chuckle. Nobody had ever called her by anything but her full name because of her royal heritage. She thought it was cute. As she fell asleep she thought she heard the door, but paid it no mind. She was so tired.
