Vistus

Akorri knew he had to do something and he had to do it quickly. If he hesitated a second longer Jinny would be in trouble.

From the way the bandits were moving they had not seen him, so he had the element of surprise. Even so, there was not much he could do. He couldn’t go back and get help in time, and he couldn’t take all of them on by himself. Bandits were not usually expert fighters, but then, neither was he. He couldn’t hope to escape from the battle unscathed. Not only that, but outlaws were not bound by morals. There was a very real chance he would be killed if he got in their way. He couldn’t risk something like that, not for this person he’d just met.

But he couldn’t let her die either. If he did nothing, the guilt would eat him alive. There was no way he could deal with more of that.

He couldn’t abandon someone in need again.

He was outnumbered and outmatched. His fighting skills were pitiful and he did not even bring a weapon to defend himself with. But then again, neither did Jinny. What could he do?

In the end he really only had one option. “Jinny!” he yelled, no longer caring that he had blown his cover. If he could warn her even one second in advance, she might be able to get away in time. He burst forth from the foliage to meet her. “Bandits! There are bandits here!”

All at once the sky collapsed. What was once a small group of thieves suddenly felt like an army, soundlessly shooting down from the trees to surround Akorri and Jinny. There were more of them than he thought, circling their prey like silent Wolfbeasts. There was no way they were going to get out of this unharmed.

“A-Akorri?!” Jinny spluttered, her visible eye widened in alarm. “Why are you here?”

“I think the bandits are the bigger priority right now,” Akorri said hurriedly.

A lizard stepped out from the circle, his features partially hidden behind his hood. “I weren’t countin’ on a stalker showin’ up.” He looked from Akorri to Jinny, deftly twirling a dagger in his hand. “Why are ye here, boy? Got some business with the Feln girl?”

“I should be asking you!” Akorri replied, trying his best to sound defiant. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he would not show it. “Why would you attack her? She’s not even carrying anything!”

The lizard leered at Akorri. “Ye sure about that, lad?”

He looked at Jinny in confusion. What was this lizard talking about? Jinny didn’t even have a bag to carry anything with... what was she...? Oh.

He saw it. A ruby amulet was poking out from her robes, carved in the shape of a dragon. Goodness, it was pretty...

No, you idiot! Akorri chided himself. How could he be thinking like that now? He had to think about Jinny. “Why would you wear this out in public?” he hissed at her.

For a moment he thought Jinny would recoil from his sharp tongue, but to his surprise she fixed him with a firm, disbelieving stare. “Because it looks nice?” she replied, her tone incredulous, as if he had just asked an incredibly stupid question.

Perhaps he had. He searched for better words, his eyes flicking from Jinny to the lizard bandit. The thieves did not move. “Why would you walk around unarmed?” he tried again, determined to scold Jinny, though he knew he probably shouldn’t. “Greenglade might be a nice safe haven, but the forest itself certainly isn’t!”

Then he realised he was also walking around unarmed and mentally slapped himself.

“I...” Jinny trailed off, her spark suddenly gone. She looked at the ground and lowered her ears, trembling slightly.

“It’s okay,” Akorri said quickly. He did not want to see the girl so upset, though given their situation her reaction was understandable. He was fighting to keep himself rooted to the spot. He wanted to run away so badly, to leave Jinny to these bandits, but he knew he couldn’t do that.

Instead he turned to them, remembering the reason they were in this mess. How had these thieves managed to see Jinny’s amulet in the first place? It wasn’t easy to spot from a distance, and Akorri hadn’t even noticed it until now. These bandits must have some very sharp eyes. He couldn’t help but be impressed, and he scowled inwardly at such a thought. He would not compare himself to these lawless thieves... But was he really that different from them?

The lizard bandit narrowed his eyes. “Care to exchange a few more words with yer Feln friend before we kill ye?”

Though he was looking at the lizard, Akorri could see from the corner of his eye that Jinny was visibly shaking, her tail spiked up in fear. What was he going to do? There were at least seven bandits. Perhaps he could take on three if he pushed himself, but what about Jinny? Could she fight?

“You don’t really want that amulet, do you?” Akorri asked, keeping his voice as steady as possible. He’d talked his way out of trouble before; maybe he could do it again. “It’s probably not worth very much.”

“I saw that look on yer face when ye saw the amulet for yerself,” said the lizard man as he smirked at his prey. “Ye know just how much it’s worth.”

He was right. Akorri knew Jinny was carrying a very valuable charm with her; its draconic shape alone gave that away. Nevertheless he had to trick these bandits into believing it was cheap. “You may be right there...” he said slowly, “... I was rather taken by the ruby.” He kept a straight face and crossed his arms. “But I was misled. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s just a fake.” This was okay. Lying was easy. This he could do.

Jinny said nothing, her head raised only slightly.

The lizard man looked from Akorri to Jinny’s amulet. His grip on the dagger seemed to tighten. “Shut yer trap, ye filthy liar,” he hissed. “I know a real ruby when I see it.”

“But do you, really?” Akorri knew he wouldn’t be able to trick an experienced thief, just as he knew that Jinny’s amulet was most definitely real. He was running out of options. Maybe if he stalled long enough help would come. Hopefully.

“Enough of this.” The lizard took a step forward, and the bandits closed in.

 Akorri heard Jinny whimper. He wanted to do the same. He could no longer control his trembling body. If he took a step forward, his legs would give way. Every single one of these bandits was armed and none of them looked ready to spare their prey.

They brandished their weapons and leapt. Akorri put his fists up to attack. The bandits lashed out and Jinny let out a strangled cry.

And then a blast of light engulfed the forest.

Akorri put his hand up to shield himself, but there was no pain, not from the bandits or the blast. It was too bright to open his eyes, so he could only listen to the shouts of pain blending in with a single desperate cry. His fur was buffeted by the force of the blast and he felt himself being pushed back. It was almost strong enough to knock him over.

It was not long before the light faded, leaving a cold silence in its wake. Akorri slowly opened his eyes, dreading what he might see. He could only wonder where that Light magic had come from and why he hadn’t been struck by it.

All of the bandits were lying on the floor, knocked unconscious by the blast. Next to Akorri stood a white Feln, her body shaking violently as she tried to steady her breathing. Tears leaked down her face, but her expression was blank.

“No way...” Akorri mumbled. He looked from Jinny to the bandits and back again. There really was only one explanation. “That was you?”

Jinny slowly turned her head to face him. Immediately her unfocused expression shattered, screwing her eyes tightly shut and biting her lip. “I didn’t want to do it!” she cried, shaking her head vigorously. “I-it was an accident! I, I...!”

“Woah, wait a moment!” Akorri took a step back in surprise. This Jinny was completely different from the one he had seen back in Greenglade. It was unsettling. “You just saved our fur. Why are you so unhappy?”

“I didn’t want to do it!” Jinny repeated, her voice shrill. “I didn’t want to use magic!”

“But you had to do something or we would’ve both ended up dead.” Akorri flinched at the Feln’s voice. He had to calm her down somehow before she went into some sort of panic, though she seemed halfway there already. “You did well.”

“I didn’t!” Jinny turned away. She looked like she was determined to make her lip bleed with how hard she was biting it. “I didn’t...”

“Uh...” Akorri wrung his hands. This whole situation felt completely off. Why was Jinny so upset about using magic? He knew she didn’t like it, but to go this far... “Well... it’s over now.” He wanted to get Jinny back to normal as quickly as possible. This emotional Jinny was far too disturbing to watch. “So, y’know. Damage is done.”

“Ugh...” Jinny sat down on the grass, her ears low as she curled her tail around her legs. She bent her head, clearly determined to make herself as small as possible.

Akorri didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t often he actually watched someone else attempt to calm down, though he’d done it enough times himself to know what it looked like. He hovered awkwardly beside her, waiting for her to regain her composure.

A good few minutes passed before he began to grow worried. If they stayed here much longer the bandits would wake up. They had to leave. He did not want to rouse her; honestly he was a little afraid of even addressing her at this point; but he had to think about their safety. “Jinny...?”

Jinny’s ear twitched, but it took a couple of moments before the rest of her body stirred. Eventually she stood up and dusted herself off, her head still lowered and her eyes focused on the ground.

“Are you...” Akorri cleared his throat. He shouldn’t be worried about talking to her, but she was so strange, it was a little off-putting. As far as he was concerned, she saved their lives with her magic. There was no reason for her outburst. “Are you ready to go back?”

“Yes,” came her flat reply. She seemed to be back to normal.

“Let’s go.” Akorri led the way back, looking behind to make sure Jinny was following. They continued on in silence for a while. Akorri knew that was probably what Jinny wanted, but he couldn’t let one of his questions go unvoiced. “So why were you walking around in the forest like that? You knew it was dangerous, right?”

“I was going somewhere,” mumbled Jinny.

“But...” Akorri hid his frown from her. She hadn’t really answered his question. “But why?”

Jinny took a couple of moments to respond. “I didn’t think I would run into trouble.”

“Right.” Akorri sighed. It didn’t seem like Jinny went out into the forest a lot, or if she did, she was simply unaware of the danger. He decided to let that slide and attempted a more friendly conversation. “So where’d you get that dragon amulet? It’s really pretty.”

“The market.” Jinny’s voice seemed to be smiling. “I saw it, managed to a-ask the seller to reserve it... and once I saved enough money, I bought it.”

“Huh.” Akorri turned to look at Jinny. She really was smiling. It was a small smile, but it was there nonetheless. “It must’ve been expensive.”

“It was.” Jinny put a hand to her chest, where the amulet was hiding. “But I really wanted it.”

Akorri could only imagine how long the girl might have been saving up for such a treasure. He didn’t know her living situation, but it was probably safe to assume that her money came from her parents. She didn’t look like the type to have a job yet. “I’m guessing you like dragons, then?”

Jinny’s smile seemed to widen a bit. “Yes.”

“Yeah. I think they’re kinda cool too,” said Akorri. “I mean, I’d probably crap myself if I came face to face with a real one, but... they’re nice to admire from afar.”

“Yes.” Jinny nodded.

The two of them walked on without saying much else, but Akorri didn’t really mind. This was a welcome break from Laerya’s constant chattering. His quiet companion puzzled him. For someone who didn’t like learning magic, she seemed quite adept at using it.

-

Laerya sighed as she left the marketplace with her backpack unfortunately empty. There had been so many amazing things she wanted to buy: magic enhancing jewellery, sweets that claimed to be “rainbow flavoured”, weapons that were too large for her to use effectively but still looked very cool... If only she had her own money. There was no way she would spend Fericeus’s cash on more frivolities.

With a heavy heart and a shamefully light backpack the rabbit girl trudged back to the hotel. “I should’ve at least brought some of my own money,” she muttered, her voice blending with the crowd, “then I wouldn’t be having this problem!”

She pouted, looking down at the ground as she walked. “I have some amazing self control,” she mumbled, “personally I think Feri should be proud of me. ‘Ah, you didn’t spend my money on useless yet amazing items?’” She mimicked the wolf’s voice by deepening hers to a ridiculous level. “’You are inspiring, Laerya! Truly a magnificent specimen capable of such great things! I am so proud of you. Not at all annoyed that you are leeching off me anyway by living in my house and eating my food!’” She chuckled bitterly.

She looked up to notice that a lot of eyes were on her. She gave the crowds a grin in an attempt to play it off, trying to ignore the heat rising to her cheeks as she quickened her pace. “Oops,” she whispered.

The inn was soon within sight but before Laerya got to it she noticed something peculiar. Akorri was heading her way with Jinny trailing behind him. She tilted her head as she waited for them to reach her. What was Akorri doing with Jinny?

“Hey, Lae,” said the Fillian once they were within speaking distance, “find anything good?”

“Yes.” Lae was back to pouting again. “But I didn’t wanna spend the money so I left without buying anything.” She fixed a smile back onto her face as she changed the subject. “What were you two doing?”

She could barely see Jinny. Only her long white ears poked out from behind Akorri. He looked like a Fillian shield. “We ran into trouble in the woods,” he explained. “A few bandits, nothing too serious.”

“Huh.” Lae raised her eyebrows. She didn’t see a single weapon on either of them. These two had managed to fight off a group of bandits? “How’d you deal with that?”

“It was really cool.” Akorri’s red eyes shone. “Jinny blasted them with Light magic. You should’ve seen it. Actually I didn’t really get to see it because, you know, too bright and all... but still. Very cool.” He turned around to give Jinny a thumbs up.

To Laerya’s surprise, Jinny visibly flinched away from the gesture.

“Uh...” It seemed as if Akorri had just remembered something. His shoulders sagged and he dropped his amazed expression. “Right. Sorry.”

Jinny shook her head. “It’s fine.” She looked down at the ground. “I um, I have to go. I have something to do. Bye.” She turned and hurriedly walked away.

“She really is busy,” Lae said, rubbing her head. Why was Jinny always in such a rush?

“I scared her off,” Akorri mumbled. “Oops.”

“Huh?” Lae looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Jinny...” Akorri furrowed his brow. “I don’t even know if I should be telling you this actually... but Jinny kind of freaked out back at the forest.”

“Why? ‘Cos of the bandits?”

“Because she used her magic.”

Lae blinked slowly. “Why?”

“You mean, why did she use her magic or why did she freak out because she used her magic?” Akorri asked.

Lae blinked again. “What?”

Akorri sighed. “Never mind. All I know is Jinny doesn’t like using her magic.” He looked at his hands. “I guess that means she doesn’t like being complimented on it either.”

“But why not?” Laerya shook her head. This Jinny sure was strange. What kind of person doesn’t like compliments?

“I don’t know.” Akorri shrugged. He seemed a bit put out by the experience and quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, I’m gonna go take a nap. I’m beat.”

“Right. I’ll follow ya.” Lae opened the door to the inn and went up to their room. She wasn’t quite ready for a nap yet, so once she entered the room she took out her crystal ball and placed it on the table.

The curtains were drawn to let in the sunlight so the room was quite warm and bright. Akorri crawled into his bed and pulled the blanket over his face with a grunt. Lae snickered, watching him for a moment before tapping the crystal ball. “Hello?” she said.

“What are you doing?” Akorri asked, his irritated voice muffled by the blanket.

“Calling Feri and Kiyake,” Lae said, “I wanna let them know we made it here safely.”

“You couldn’t do this yesterday?” The bed creaked as Akorri shifted his position.

“No.” Lae tapped the ball again. “Feri, Kiyake? You there?”

She watched the transparent glass slowly turn opaque with colour. An image of a study soon swirled into view, though all Lae could really see were a few organised bookshelves and the faces of Fericeus and Kiyake. The cat girl’s eyes were wide and her face kept moving, as if she were bouncing in her seat.

“Calm down, Kiyake,” Lae heard Fericeus say, his voice quiet before fully coming in to focus with the rest of the image. “It’s not like this is your first time doing this.”

“I know, but I haven’t seen Lae in days! I miss her baaaad!” Kiyake said.

“You only saw her a couple of days ago.” Fericeus sighed.

“Exactly, that’s too long ago!”

Laerya snickered at the exchange. She was no stranger to Kiyake’s clinginess. It was nice to know she was missed. “Hey, guys,” she said. “Can you see me okay?”

“Yes.” Fericeus nodded.

“Where’s Akorri?” asked Kiyake.

“He’s trying to nap,” Lae said, glancing back at the lump in the blanket. “Alex woke us up super early.”

“Ah, of course.” Fericeus smiled. “How is your training going?”

“I just started.” Laerya swallowed. “It’s uh, it’s going well! I mean, I’m not getting anywhere yet but there’s a chance I might get the hang of this stuff!” She grinned nervously. She did not trust her words but there was no way she was telling Fericeus how badly she was doing already. She didn’t want him to think this trip was a waste.

“Any trouble you’re having is natural,” said Feri. “Just take it slowly and do what you can. You can stay there as long as you need.”

“That’s good to know...” Laerya’s ears twitched.

“Hmm.” Fericeus nodded, putting a hand to his chin in thought. “Forgive me, but I need to change the subject briefly. It’s a good thing you called, because I was going to try getting in touch with you today, actually. You have good timing.”

“It’s a gift.” Lae winked. “So what’s up?”

“Now, I don’t think this is anything you need to concern yourself over, but I feel you have a right to know.” Fericeus narrowed his eyes. “There have been earthquakes in Tananshia.”