Chapter 13: Chapter 13: A New Day

Darkness bled away to light. Eyelids slowly blinked as shafts of sunlight stabbed through slightly parted curtains. Dust motes floated in the air as Symon fully opened his eyes.

Shock surged and he sat up. Head turning, he looked from side to side to see he was in his bedroom. Looking over, the morning sun glowed bright as the curtains could barely keep it’s light from invading the modest room.

Symon lifted his hand and touched the side of his head. His mind was a soup of dreams, memories, and violence. He glanced down at himself, seeing that he was bare chested and wearing only his small clothes. After a quick, visual inventory, he saw that he didn’t have any wounds or cuts anymore. The damage he took during the battle with the umbra monsters were healed, but the memories continued to haunt him. The nightmare of the battle hung onto him like metal hooks, but upon feeling a shaft of sunlight on him, he began to relax.

The door to his bedroom opened and a woman in black stepped in. Serafina’s eyes widened for a breath, before they cooled and a warm smile bloomed.

“You’re finally awake,” she said as she approached.

Symon nodded, even thought his mind and body had been a war. The blanket covered him from the waist down, but he didn’t do anything to cover up.

Serafina turned and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked him over, seeing the wounds were all gone.

“I’m happy to see you all healed. It’s been a whole day and night since the umbra beasts arrived. Using that other form must have exhausted you.”

Symon gave a simple nod as he sat. “What about the others? Last I remember, everyone was in bad shape.”

Serafina nodded. “They’re here, downstairs. I just finished cooking and they are breaking their fast. Since so many homes were destroyed, and the kobolds had no where else to go, I told them they could stay here.

“The other one, Cedric, is here too. He didn’t want to leave your side. He told me you never give up a chance to experience a true legend. He’s a weird one, I’ll give him that, but he did look out for you, in his way.”

“The elf?” Symon asked as he looked at Serafina.

“Tarron is his name. He stayed here that night, but left in the morning yesterday. He was hurt badly, but I did what I could to mend his wounds. He told me he had to report in, but he would come back and check on you. He wanted me to tell you, his thanks. I think he thought no one would bother to help save him, since he is part of the Shield Guard. He was grateful.”

Symon’s eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he stared at the woman in black. His heart pumped harder, mentally reliving the night.

“You came to find me,” Symon said in a low tone.

Serafina smiled. “I knew you might do something heroic like try to save the kobolds. When I saw that the monster had breached the northern wall, I knew you would do what you can to help them.”

“What about their aunt, Renna?”

Serafina looked away. “She didn’t survive. Qin and Nyana dug her remains up as many in the northern part of New Town tried to pick up their lives. The Sol Paladins rushed in to aid many in New Town.

“I was surprised by the mages and the Shield Guard. They rushed out later that night to help everyone. New Town is usually forgotten, but not this time. The mages helped rescue trapped citizens and provided food and temporary shelters. There were whispers of the mages paying for repairs and re-building homes.”

Symon noticed a dark edge along Serafina’s gaze as she spoke. “You’re suspicious.

The older woman nodded. “They don’t do anything simply out of the kindness of their hearts. There is something else at play here, but it hadn’t revealed itself yet.”

“Serafina,” Symon said in a low voice, “Thank you.”

She looked at him and gave the young man an impish smile. “It wasn’t much. I simply fought some umbra monsters and happened to help you in a pinch. Just another night in Gray Gate.”

Symon looked down as deeper memories rose to the surface. “I saw how Bella died.”

Serafina looked at Symon with dark eyes, before looking away. “We don’t have to speak on it.”

“I want to,” Symon said. “You said we all have our stories, but you didn’t know the whole story about your friend and how she met her end.”

Symon continued as slivers of pain crawled into his soul. “My parents knew her from their many travels. They brought me to her, so she could watch over me. We were being hunted, at least, that’s what my parents told me. They said they would return when they knew things were safe.

“Bella took me in instantly. She was all smiles and very comforting. She refused to allow me to wallow in sadness after my parents left. We spent time, talking, reading together, and walking the grounds. She taught me many things about the upper class and royal worlds, from traditions to manners.”

Symon’s gaze took on a faraway gleam. “I spent little over a year with her. She did take some trips away and I had the mansion mostly to myself, aside from the staff. When I was bored, I would sneak around. I did sneak into her study and saw a stack of letters. I was curious and read them. Most of them were your letters responding to hers.”

The young man looked down as his heart ached. “My parents tried to help hide me by having enchantments placed on me. I was only to use my natural abilities to escape, that is why at the time, I could only change into a fox. My parents told me, the more I used my abilities, the greater the chance of being discovered, so I was to only use it in dire circumstances, but I was bored sometimes in the mansion and would often sneak out and run free as a fox.

“After a night of spending hours under the stars, I came back to the mansion burning. I charged back in, still in my fox form. I climbed in from an open window as smoke billowed out. That was when I saw her.

“She was laying on the floor as the room was filled with flames. I tried to get closer, but the flames kept me back. My people are susceptible to fire, taking much longer to heal from it. I remembered choking on the smoke.

“Bella lifted her head and looked at me. Half of her body and face were burned, but even as she badly hurt, she still smiled a little when she saw me. She used her last breath to shout out Gray Gate, before flames consumed her.

“I changed back and rushed through the burning mansion. The flames were burning one side of it, while the other was filled with smoke. I rushed to my room, grabbed some clothes and what I could, before leaping out of a window and running for my life. I…” Symon trailed off.

“What is it?” Serafina asked with concerned eyes.

“I…I don’t know if I imagined it, or actually saw it. It was barely for a moment, but there were cloaked figures in front of the mansion. I had just made it to the woods and looked back. I think I saw them, but the smoke grew thick. I escaped into the woods and began my journey here. I spent a week crossing the farmlands and reached Gray Gate.

“I thought you should know the whole story, at least from what I experienced.”

Serafina’s eyes gleamed wet. She wiped at the side of her eye and smiled at Symon. “Thank you for telling me. Bella always had a helpful spirit. She opened my eyes to the world, for a time when I was younger. When her letters stopped, I was concerned. I even left Gray Gate to visit her mansion. It was a shock when I saw it was a burned, hollow shell.”

Serafina stood up and looked down on Symon with bright eyes. “You should come down to break your fast. You haven’t eaten in over a day. The others will be happy to see you up and about.”

She turned and began walking toward the door. “I’ll give you a moment to get ready. The flat cakes will be getting cold, so you should hurry.”

“Serafina,” Symon called out.

The woman in black stopped at the closed door and turned an ear to him.

“The others, downstairs, what do you think?” Symon implying a deeper meaning.

Serafina was silent for a moment before she lifted her hand and touched the doorknob. “Cedric seems eager. As for the kobolds, we may know more after they grieve. Now get ready and come downstairs.”

Symon watched as Serafina opened the door, stepped through and closed it behind her. He stared at the door, the memory of Bella still fresh in his mind.

***

Symon stepped into the kitchen. Serafina was just putting down a plate of flat cakes when heads lifted up from the kitchen table and looked over to the young man dressed in black.

Nyana’s eyes widened as she leapt from her chair and darted across the kitchen. Symon’s hand went up as the kobold hugged him around the waist.

“Thank you, Symon, for helping us,” the kobold said to him and she held him tight.

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do much,” he smiled.

Qin stood up and walked over as he spoke, “You lead the umbra crab away. You put your life in danger to help us. We are forever in your debt.”

When the kobold reached him, he bowed deeply.

Nyana pulled away and looked up with bright, serpentine eyes, “Your secret is safe with us.”

Cedric was to his feet and grimaced from the pain in his shoulder. He looked over with a wide smile. “The elf, Tarron, wanted to also give his thanks.”

The tall, thin writer gave a deep bow. “I offer my thanks as well, for more than one occasion. The ruffian bartender from some time ago would have left my eye bruised for some time, but your shout averted any damage to the work of art that is my facial features.”

“Uh, thanks,” Symon said and scratched his head.

Cedric stood up. “I believe we are all in each other’s debt, to some degree. Fate plays strange tricks in these times.”

“If we can finish feeding Symon’s ego, the food is getting cold,” Serafina said with a sharp grin.

Heads nodded as everyone walked back to the table and took a seat. Symon sat down in the last empty chair. When he saw the plate of flat cakes and eggs on the side, his mouth watered. He snatched up his utensils and began stabbing and cutting like a butcher on his first day.

Serafina sat down, leaned back in her chair and lifted a hot cup of tea to her lips. She watched with relish as Symon attacked his food.

Everyone at the table resumed eating.

Cedric turned his body in his seat and faced Serafina as she sipped her tea. “Lady Black, I cannot deny what destiny has wrought. I wish to join you and your house, not as a love sick fool, but as a member, a brother to Symon and your cause.”

Everyone stopped eating and looked at the strange man.

“What are you talking about? We’re you hit in the head as well?” Serafina scoffed.  

“Not at all. My eyes have never been so clear,” Cedric said like a poet who had seen the very star goddess herself. “I know of the guilds of Gray Gate. Your infamy has bled down to the Summer Lands and beyond. The history of what happened to your famed house and guild is known in many circles.”

Cedric turned his attention to Symon and smiled wider. “Such wonder has been revealed to me, a lost soul in search of an adventure of the lifetime.”

Nyana blinked from across the table. Qin leaned in closer and whispered into her ear.

Symon sat with food in his mouth and confusion in his eyes.

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Cedric turned back to Serafina with bright, excited eyes. “I have been searching for this my entire life. A story of all stories. Clearly, our friend Symon and you yourself, are trying to resurrect your fallen guild. Such a feat cannot be done with two. With three, we can do so much more!”

Nyana’s eyes widened as Qin pulled away. She turned to Serafina like she spied a demon sneaking out of home where a murder took place.

“This is a guild house?” the kobold asked like she didn’t believe it.

Serafina’s brow wrinkled and a vein throbbed along her temple. “Cedric, you have made this morning very uncomfortable for my other guests,” she said with an angry edge.

“If I have, I do apologize, but we all cannot deny what has happened. I see it for what it is and I’m not afraid to speak on it. Present company knows there is something deeper here, between all of us. Can you all not feel it?”

“I see a Norden man who has affections for our host,” Qin quipped.

Cedric barked out a laugh. “Nay, it is not about the heart, but the future! I have no qualms speaking frankly. It has gotten me in trouble more than once. Despite some of my success, never have I felt so alive as I did the other night. I have chased adventure and women for a long time, but nothing could truly slack my thirst, until now.”

The thin man bowed his head. “I would be honored to join your guild.”

Serafina looked at him with doubt in her eyes. “You don’t know what you ask.”

Cedric lifted his head and looked into her eyes. “But I do, fair lady. It has never been so clear. I have skills that can aid your guild house. I don’t have much coin left, but I do have enough to pay any price needed to be part of your house.”

Cedric turned his attention back to Symon, “And I would keep such secrets. I do not say this as a threat, but a promise. Our paths crossed for a reason and I seek to know more, be more.”

The thin man kept his smile as he spoke directly to the young man in black. “Symon, you know you’re a walking legend. Your people had passed on into myth, but to know you are one of them, alive and here in Gray Gate, speaks to something greater.

“I pledge to keep such secrets. I have achieved fame, but never enough monetary gain to live the life we all truly deserve. I would be a brother in shadows, ready to scheme and fight by your side.”

Symon simply blinked.

Cedric turned his attention back to Serafina. “I have skills your guild can use. I’m no stranger to physical conflict, but my pen strokes can imitate the finest handwriting, or alter documents. I’m willing to learn more, to be a devote and dedicated member of the guild. You simply have to tell me what is needed, and I will tear down the glacier to achieve it!”

Symon glanced over to Nyana and Qin. The pair of kobolds were silent. Nyana was looking down as Qin seemed amused by Cedric words.

“Bold words from a loud-mouthed braggart,” Serafina said with a hint of disdain. “You speak such words, but do you know what it means to be apart of a guild here in Gray Gate? You would pledge your life to a lost cause?”

Cedric laughed. “You cannot discourage me with such flights of dark gloom. I know what I speak of and I would not have said anything if I didn’t mean it. I hunger for more. We all hunger for more.”

Cedric’s eyes took on a wicked gleam as he looked at Serafina. “A guild of two cannot survive, but a guild of three or more, has a better chance. Do not turn me away, for I will not leave.”

“And if we do not accept you, will you go on to speak to others for being slighted?” Symon asked with a neutral tone.

Cedric shook his head. “I have had my petty moments. I have written and spoken about many people and instances where I was unkind, whether to their fault, or my own. No, I would not breath a word of this to anyone. Guilds deal in secrets, and I would hold to the same standard. Tell me the test, or the costs, and I will gladly pay it or perform it. You have my word.”

Serafina leaned forward, cup of tea in her hand and a sardonic smile across her lips. “Would you give up your former life? You have spoken about your books and writings, but would you give that all up, for a life in shadows?”

Cedric’s face took on a serious mask. “I could never give up my mistress of the written word, but I would give up my name and my fame. I would disappear from the public eye to become a shadow. My writings would turn into their own secrets, never to see the light of day for perhaps, several hundred years, give or take a decade,” he grinned.

Symon glanced over to see Nyana whispering into Qin’s ear. The other kobold listened until something was said that surprised him. He pulled back and looked at her, shaking his head. Nyana on the other hand looked at him with cold determination.

Serafina yawned. “So many words. I swear, you should tend to a library.

“Now that you finished making a fool of yourself, finish your meal and be on your way.”

Symon caught Serafina’s attempt to test him.

In my room, she hinted at the possibility of him joining and now, she was giving him a verbal thrashing. But, will he rise to prove himself?

“Do not attempt to sway me with disinterest,” Cedric smiled brightly. “I have been sent away by many. I know the signs of feigned disinterest and you have it in spades.”

Serafina kept her gaze on Cedric. She parted her lips and her words came out different. Symon couldn’t understand it, but the tone was odd and unusual, but it flowed like honey next to a roaring hearth. It glowed with a skill and strength he didn’t understand.

“Leave my home and never come back,” Serafina said with a commanding demeanor.

Symon eyes widened. He stood up and turned away. Everyone watched him as he took several steps to the back door. He lifted his hand for the doorknob, but before he touched it, it began to tremble.

Cedric’s entire body began to tremble. A frustrated exhale fell from his lips and his hand curled into a tight fist. He stood before the door, rooted to the spot.

“You want to make me happy, don’t you? Simply leave and never come back,” Serafina’s voice was smooth as silk with dreamy edges.

“Nn…no,” Cedric said like he used every pounce of his strength to say it.

Serafina lifted an eyebrow as Cedric turned around and bowed his head to her, shadows covering his eyes.

“No spell or word will shake me from destiny,” he said through gritted teeth.

Serafina smiled wider.

Like a spell being lifted, Cedric’s body relaxed. The tension vanished and he weaved, like a weight was removed off his soul. Nyana and Qin watched with wide eyes. Symon looked at Serafina, knowing she did something she hadn’t taught him yet.

“It takes a true heart to resist a silver tongue,” Serafina said with a gentle tone. “Have a seat back at the table and perhaps we can discuss at another time.”

Cedric nodded. He stepped back to the table and sat down.

Nyana stood up and faced Serafina at the head of the table.

“Nyana, no!” Qin said as he stood up beside her.

“I will speak my peace!” Nyana shot back.

“Nyana?” Symon asked with concern.

The kobold lowered her head to Serafina. “I wish to join your guild as well.”

Serafina’s gaze slid over to the kobold as sorrow touched the edges of her eyes. “Nyana, you have suffered a terrible loss. We do not need to…” she was cut off.

“I know what I speak. It is no secret that myself and my cousin have nothing left, not after the night before. We have four silver knights to our name, it was enough to survive until the Allotment, but no longer enough since we lost our aunt and our temporary home. The mages will not accept us, if we ae living on the streets.”

“There is no urgency for you to leave,” Serafina said with an understanding warmth. “You may stay here, until you are chosen to become mages. The umbra beasts destroyed many lives and I don’t have the heart to send you to the gutter.”

Nyana shook her head. “No, it is more than that. From what I’ve heard, the guilds do have some influence in the city of mages. There is no guarantee we will be chosen. We don’t have much, but we do have our loyalty. You brought us into your home, when you didn’t have to. Our people are often mistreated because of our ancient history of conflict with most other races. Times have changed, but memories have not.

“We know…kobolds are rarely chosen to become mages, but Qin and I know, we are different. We are strong with mana and it is no secret that if we have no backing or support, we may be snatched up by others who seek to harvest our blood.”

Nyana turned her gaze and looked at Symon with truth in her eyes. “We know, several of us here could be snatched up and taken away, never to be seen again. It is knowledge we are all taught when we are very young. Better to be with those similar to us, than to be lost and alone.”

Symon smiled.

The kobold turned back to Serafina with a fire of determination in her gaze. “I wish to join your guild, under one condition. Speak with the grandmaster of the necromancy academy and ensure our places within the academy.”

Symon kept his expression a blank mask, but his heart thudded with knowing how easy it would be to meet her request.

Serafina sighed and closed her eyes. “You would be pledging yourself in secret to a guild. The mages frown upon any students becoming part of a guild. If you are caught, you will be expelled.”

Nyana nodded. “It is a better to secure our place within the academies, than to never try and fail. As for the academies, what they won’t know won’t hurt us.”

Serafina gave Nyana a measured look before shifting her gaze to Qin. “What say you?”

Qin gave a slow nod. “Where Nyana goes, I go. I pledged to protect her and I keep my oaths.”

Serafina smiled before looking back at Nyana. “One question, why the necromancy academy?”

Nyana’s eyes took on a deep knowing. “It is the reason why Qin and I are here. We always had a fascination with death and the dark magics. It is why we cannot go back home. Our town, granted our request to join the academies, but on the condition we wouldn’t return. We had practiced some necromancy, and nearly died from it. The elders believed, if we didn’t refine our skills, we would truly die. If we stayed, umbra beasts may find our town and kill all of our people, because of us.

“We have nothing left, but to move forward,” Nyana said with conviction.

“You all have given me a lot to think about,” Serafina said with a thoughtful expression. “What say you?” she asked Symon on the other end of the table.

“It would be cruel to turn away such good people,” Symon smiled.

All eyes turned back to the woman in black.

The kitchen was silent as the two kobolds and Norden man held their collective breaths.

“Fifty copper rooks, and then we can speak about the future,” Serafina said with a warm tone and sharp eyes.

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