“No, really,” Kya said, continuing on, her voice practically dripping with faux concern. “That old man standing near the gate is practically oozing with des…”
Karria cut her friend off mid-sentence by clamping her hand over Kya’s mouth.
“I don’t need to hear about every old creep who ogles me. I’m happier not knowing.”
Kya’s eyes danced with mirth, and when she removed her hand, the elf had to suppress a laugh.
Karria didn’t understand what was so funny and let out a huff, folding her arms beneath her chest and staring back to the open gates once more. In Kya’s defense, she had to admit that while not on the elf’s otherworldly levels of beauty, Karria wasn’t bad looking herself. Her body was slowly filling out, the dress clinging much tighter to her hips and chest than it would have a few months ago, and her arms and legs were looking more toned by the day, due to all the exercise and training she put herself through.
She had bright green eyes, a small nose, and pert lips. Her skin was tanned lightly, and a splash of darker freckles ran across the bridge of her nose, highlighting her cheekbones, which were becoming more defined every day as she grew from a girl into a woman. Her long brown hair, which she still refused to cut, fell in long waves, tumbling halfway down her back. Karria was only fifteen, but in half a year, she’d be old enough to be considered an adult. Kya, who was four months older than her, was just two short months away, though she was sure that marriage was the last thing on either of their minds.
The Goldenleaf Forest, Kya’s homeland and the place where she had found refuge, had been overthrown by her own uncle, Zir. The two of them had barely escaped with their lives, and it was only thanks to Silver that they had managed to stay alive. After taking them far from the city and into another realm called Nexus, the salamander had given them both some much-needed training.
Unfortunately, a couple of the Transcended — otherworldly beings who looked like angels from the old lore about the Almighty — caught wind of them and attacked. The last Karria had seen of Silver, he’d been about to clash with the two who’d come after them. She was fairly confident he was still alive, but there was still the small nagging feeling of doubt that he hadn’t made it.
They’d been instructed to go to the Jagged Peaks to find Akkard, and that was what they did upon their escape. Unfortunately, they’d walked right into a coup and had been taken captive by Jek, Akkard’s nephew, and Ramson, of all people. Karria still dearly wished she’d had the time to kill the monster who’d murdered her parents and ruined all their lives. If not for him, Arbor would be happily married right now, and would likely have had a child already.
Karria silently lamented the life that had been taken, wishing more than anything to find her brother already.
When they’d come to Akkard, warning him of the coup, it had already been too late to stop it. They’d been forced to flee through a secret tunnel, only just managing to escape to the Flatlands. It had nearly come at a huge cost, as Karria had made a startling discovery about herself. She had a second Origin, one that allowed her to outthink just about anyone, but the longer she used it, the less of her humanity that remained.
It was only because of Kya that her Bestowal magic was suppressed and buried in the back of her mind. She could still sense it now, the small orange-colored sphere in the center of her brain. It was a stark contrast to the bright rainbow colors of her Mythic Origin, which was located at the back of her skull, continuously sending small pulses of power firing through her nervous system.
Unlike the Bestowal magic, which would apparently drive her insane, her Mythic magic was extremely useful, versatile, and only dangerous if overused, just like most types of magic. The most disturbing thing to come from the discovery of her Bestowal magic wasn’t the fact that she’d nearly lost herself, nor even that she’d been willing to kill her best friend for no reason at all. No, the thing that had frightened her the most was what Akkard had told her after she’d suppressed the orange core.
He’d told her that the King of Laedrin was the only other documented case of Bestowal magic, and if someone with that much power had the same type of magic as her, Karria had to assume he was completely insane by now. How no one had noticed by now was beyond her comprehension.
From their escape route into the Flatlands, they’d headed toward the base of the Defiants to find Arbor. Karria was sure she’d finally be reunited with her brother, but upon arrival, they’d discovered that the entire base had been slaughtered down to a man. It was then that she’d begun to despair, thinking her brother was among them, but after a long search that had turned up nothing, they’d discovered a single set of tracks leading away from the base.
Akkard had noted that they, whoever they were, had been quite badly injured, which could mean they’d run into their body at any time. However, after two weeks of travel, they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of their quarry, and now, here they were, by the gates of Fivora, the slave city of the human kingdom. All signs pointed to the person being here, and the three of them were going in to look for themselves, hoping to find some sign of them.
“Stop sulking, and come on,” Kya said, nudging her from her thoughts. “It’s our turn at the gate, and I’d rather you do the talking.”
Karria, much to her surprise, found that she had indeed been sulking. Perhaps the knowledge that some old creep was looking at her had annoyed her, or maybe the fact that Kya had called her out on being petty. Then again, it could have been the myriad of other things that had been on her mind, like her brother, the destroyed elven capital, the overthrown dwarven kingdom or any of the other things that had gone horribly wrong in the last few months. Of them all, Karria suspected it was a combination of the first and second.
The people before them entered the city, meaning that it was now their turn. Karria quickly stepped up, giving the guard at the gate a warm smile.
“Hello! How are you today? Doing well, I hope,” she asked in a bubbly voice.
“Um…yeah…alright, thanks,” the guard said, slightly taken aback by her friendly question.
Normally, when people walked up to the gates, all they wanted was to be able to enter the city. They were annoyed at having had to wait in long lines and were usually less than friendly. As a result, the guards became surly and rude, so when a pretty, young girl just asked how he was doing, it was more than a little off-putting.
“That’s great to hear,” Karria said, keeping her smile fixed in place. “It must be hard for you, being stuck out here all day on your feet. Do you ever get tired?”
The guard’s shoulder relaxed somewhat, and he finally returned the smile, though Karria secretly wished he hadn’t. She made sure to not let her disgust show, nor did she gag as his horrid breath washed over her.
“Well, yes, actually,” he replied. “No one ever seems to realize how hard it is to guard these gates day and night. We guards have very important jobs, especially when stopping unruly slaves. And don’t even get me started on the noble competition. Why, those…”
“Kyle!”
The guard, whose name was presumably Kyle, jumped as the other guard, who’d been handling another group, yelled at him. Kyle looked embarrassed for a moment as the other guard shook his head, making slashing gestures across his throat. The meaning was clear: ‘don’t talk to strangers about your grievances with nobility.’