Chương 35: The Roads Between Us

The wagon looked almost empty. Roy stood beside it with one hand resting against the rear board, trying to decide whether that should feel like progress or negligence. Two weeks earlier, they had entered Bellhaven with every possession they could carry. Supplies had been stacked beneath blankets, crates wedged against barrels, and the smaller drakes arranged wherever enough space remained for them to sleep without being crushed by shifting cargo.

Now the wagon held little more than food, water, and several bundles Roy had judged immediately useful for the cottage. Aurelia's books occupied one protected corner, and Kindle occupied the rest. The Hearth Drake lay within a nest of blankets near the front, wrapped warmly enough that only his pale head remained visible. Nimbus floated beside the wagon, occasionally lowering herself until her rounded belly brushed the sideboard before rising again with a happy chirp.

Shimmer had already curled herself around one of the rails, while Spark remained with Talia near the estate steps. Shale stood in the harness, broad body lowered with patient resignation. He had accepted being attached to the wagon more easily than Roy expected, though Aurelia had bribed him with several lengths of scrap lumber. The road home would take less than a day with how little they now traveled with.

A small testament to the fact that the space between home and Bellhaven no longer felt as absolute as it once had. A short written message could cross it in seconds, and a crate could do the same.

"Food?" Aurelia asked.

"Loaded."

"Water?"

"Loaded."

"Blankets for Kindle?" Roy looked at the mound surrounding the Hearth Drake.

"I believe Kindle may be carrying more bedding than the rest of us combined."

"He needs it." Kindle opened one eye; Roy suspected he agreed. Aurelia checked the small case containing Mira's books for the third time. The healer had become considerably more cooperative after Bellhaven withdrew its restrictions on what Aurelia could study. The change had not been immediate. Mira still approached every discussion about dragons with the caution of someone aware that one mistake might harm a creature no healer fully understood. But caution no longer meant refusal.

She had given Aurelia everything she possessed concerning draconic illness, damaged life force, and remnants. Most of it was theory. Some accounts contradicted others, and several described feats so absurd that Roy suspected the writers had exaggerated ordinary events into legend. One claimed a dragon whose core had been extinguished could be restored by someone who reached the Ninth Seal and willingly divided their own soul. Mira had warned Aurelia not to treat any method as reliable.

Aurelia had responded that unreliable possibilities were still possibilities. If a solution existed anywhere within the books, Aurelia would find it. If no solution existed, she would attempt to invent one. Talia stood beside her with a rolled letter tucked beneath one arm.

"You have explained the message system six times."

"Seven," Garrick said. Aurelia looked between them.

"I'm being thorough."

"Roy wrote three pages of instructions."

"That portion prevents confusion." Talia looked toward Roy for support. Roy folded his arms.

"The system should remain redundant until we understand every possible failure." Talia stared.

"You are both impossible."

"Compatible," Aurelia corrected. Garrick leaned against one of the estate's stone posts.

"What happens if Spark decides to send something on his own?"

"Move anything dangerous away from him," Roy said.

"We tested simple objects, but we do not know whether he understands ownership." Spark chirped from Talia's shoulder.

"He understands," Talia said. Spark reached toward the letter beneath her arm. She moved it away.

"He understands stealing," Garrick said. Aurelia adjusted Kindle's blankets, then looked at Talia again.

"You will write to me - even if nothing happens." Talia's patience began to crack.

"You have made that extremely clear."

"And if something does happen—""I write immediately."

"What kind of something?" Aurelia asked.

"Anything important."

"That is vague."

"It is the phrase you used." Aurelia considered that.

"Then use your judgment." Talia looked triumphant. Roy suspected she would regret securing that freedom. Orion approached from the rear of the estate with Aegis beside him. The Firebreaker Axe hung from Orion's belt. Aegis wore ordinary dark clothing rather than the conjured armor he preferred during training, though faint blue light still moved beneath his skin whenever the morning sun caught him at the correct angle. They had spent the last two weeks striking one another hard enough to keep Aurelia busy.

Roy had considered objecting, but then Orion's Brotherly Bond changed and Aurelia's healing became more efficient. On top of that, Aegis seemed marginally less likely to interpret every disagreement as an excuse for war. The method had produced results, even if Roy disliked it. Orion looked over the wagon.

"This is everything?"

"Everything that should travel by road."

"There is room for more."

"There is always room for more if you are willing to slow Shale until we reach the cottage next season." Shale turned his head. Roy patted the wagon.

"The transport network changes the calculation. We do not need to drag every purchase home ourselves." Aegis inspected the harness.

"Spark and Shimmer remain capable of transporting the full containers?"

"Yes."

"Then the wagon is inefficient."

"It carries Kindle." Aegis looked toward the Hearth Drake.

"Then it is acceptable." Orion stopped beside Garrick.

"You remember what we discussed?" Garrick straightened.

"Training with Edric. Helping Talia. No unnecessary fights."

"No fights unless necessary."

"That is what I said."

"It was not." Garrick's mouth twitched. Orion looked toward Talia.

"Roy and Aurelia will communicate regularly. Aegis and I will return at least once each week." Aegis folded his arms.

"Did we decide whether weekly travel was strategically necessary?" Orion glanced at him.

"We are returning weekly to ensure Bellhaven remembers that it is negotiating with equals." Aegis inclined his head, holding a smile back.

"That is strategically necessary…" Talia sighed.

"You are both worrying too much."

"We are leaving two teenagers in a town that surrounded our family with guards two weeks ago," Orion said.

"We are staying in an embassy that Bellhaven formally granted us." Garrick gestured toward Aegis.

"And if something happens, he can carry any of you here before we could walk down to the lake." Aegis's eyes narrowed.

"I am not obligatory transportation." Talia looked at him.

"You flew me to the cottage twice."

"For testing." Garrick looked toward Aurelia.

"If I learn to read and write properly, may I send letters too?" Aurelia smiled.

"Yes." Talia frowned at him.

"You can already read."

"Not well enough for letters."

"You could dictate."

"That is not the same." Aurelia stepped forward and wrapped both arms around him. Garrick froze. His hands hovered in the air before settling awkwardly against her back.

"You are allowed to write," she said.

"You do not need to ask." His face reddened; Roy noticed the exact moment Garrick remembered Orion was nearby. He looked over Aurelia's shoulder. Orion stared back with the narrowed expression of an older brother silently reviewing every poor decision Garrick might make during the next several years. Garrick released Aurelia quickly, causing Talia to laugh. Then Aurelia hugged her. She did not freeze because Orion was watching.

She froze because she still had not learned what to do when affection arrived without warning. Her shoulders stiffened, then a moment later, they softened. She returned the embrace. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Write to me," Aurelia whispered.

"I will."

"And if Garrick becomes annoying—""He already is."

"I am standing here," Garrick said.

"That makes the report easier to verify." Aurelia released Talia reluctantly while Roy looked toward the estate. The building no longer felt like a borrowed shelter. Talia and Garrick would sleep there. Spark and Clover would remain on the grounds. Greenbind, Mulchweave, and Blackloam would pass through its storehouses. Dorian would arrive asking questions. Oren would arrive asking for records. Edric would arrive to train Garrick and pretend not to inspect the defenses.

The household had created something that would continue functioning without the three original siblings present. The thought should have pleased Roy - which it did - but it also frightened him. He stepped closer to Talia.

"I will return often enough to review shipments and meet with Dorian."

"You do not trust me?"

"I trust you. I do not trust Dorian."

"That sounds healthy."

"It is developing." Roy adjusted the letter case attached to Spark's transport area.

"Do not be heroes." Talia raised an eyebrow.

"You are telling us that?"

"I am the person most qualified to identify the danger." Garrick crossed his arms.

"What qualifies as being a hero?"

"Attempting to solve a crisis alone when you could contact the family." Talia nodded.

"That is fair."

"You are never more than one message away from a magical dragon capable of transporting the message instantly." Spark puffed out his small chest. Roy looked at him.

"Assuming he cooperates." A voice carried from the estate gate.

"That sounds like an optimistic assumption!" Dorian Vey entered the grounds with Velara beside him. Dorian wore his usual burgundy coat, though the morning wind kept pulling one side open. Velara's forest-green coat was simpler than the formal garment she had worn during the council confrontation. Her dark auburn hair remained bound in a braided knot streaked with silver. Roy stepped away from the wagon.

"We were not expecting you."

"That is why farewells are best performed in person," Dorian said.

"Letters allow people too much time to devise excuses." Velara gave him a tired look.

"We came to see you off." Aurelia glanced toward Bellhaven.

"All the way from town?"

"The walk is not severe," Velara said. Dorian examined Shale.

"Depending upon one's available transportation." Shale looked at him; Dorian stepped slightly farther away. Velara approached the siblings. For several moments, she seemed uncertain where to begin. Roy had rarely seen that uncertainty in her. Even while Aegis held her above the ruined estate, Velara had looked frightened but decisive. She was accustomed to speaking from authority, but this required something else.

"Our first interactions were poor," she said. Orion remained beside the wagon.

"That is one description." Velara accepted the rebuke.

"I believed Bellhaven's responsibility justified decisions that ignored your family's right to refuse. I continue to believe our concerns were legitimate. Dragons of unknown power appearing near Bellhaven create risks that cannot be dismissed."

"We agree," Roy said. Velara looked at him.

"That does not excuse how we treated you." The apology was restrained, but not hollow.

"I am sorry." Aurelia nodded first.

"Thank you." Orion took longer. Roy could almost see him deciding whether forgiveness would make the family safer or merely easier to exploit. Eventually, he inclined his head, and Velara released a quiet breath.

"These last two weeks have shown me that our relationship need not remain defined by that confrontation. Your family has kept every agreement made. The drakes at the estate have caused no harm. Your trade has already benefited Bellhaven."

"Mostly Clover's trade," Roy said.

"Clover is a member of your community." Roy smiled faintly.

"Yes." Velara looked toward Talia and Garrick.

"I will do what I can to ensure the embassy prospers and that both of them are treated fairly." Talia stood straighter.

"We will do our part."

"I expect you will." Dorian stepped beside Roy.

"And I will ensure nothing damages my relationship with such a promising trade partner." Roy looked at him.

"That sounds like a compliment and a warning."

"It is efficient to combine them."

"We will remain in contact."

"Frequently."

"You may send messages through Talia."

"I have already prepared several." Talia stared at him.

"You know they have not left yet."

"Preparation should precede necessity." Velara's expression became more serious.

"There is one matter you should consider before expanding too quickly." Roy listened.

"Bellhaven has accepted your stated intention," she said.

"Neighboring settlements have not." Orion glanced toward the road.

"How many?"

"Several within practical trade distance. More if word reaches larger regional authorities." Dorian folded his hands behind his back.

"Rumors have likely begun already. A household with multiple drakes, several Awakened youths, and a dragon powerful enough to threaten Bellhaven is a story people will repeat."

"Some will dismiss it," Velara said.

"Others will investigate."

"And raise the same concerns you did," Roy said.

"Or different ones." That was worse. Bellhaven had feared danger, but had been focused on self-preservation. Another town might see profit. A lord might see territory. A military authority might see an uncontrolled force requiring immediate containment. Roy had considered distant consequences in vague terms. Hearing Velara speak them aloud made the settlement feel less like an ambitious construction project and more like a claim placed on a map already crowded with interests.

"We will prepare," he said.

"Work with us when those questions come," Velara replied.

"Bellhaven's formal support will carry more weight than an isolated declaration from a cottage." Roy glanced at Talia.

"Then we will ensure Bellhaven has reasons to provide that support." Dorian smiled.

"Now you are learning." Velara looked toward the wagon.

"We should allow you to finish." Aurelia stepped forward and hugged her. Velara stiffened in surprise. The Reeve recovered more gracefully than Talia had, though barely.

"Thank you for coming," Aurelia said. Velara returned the embrace briefly. Dorian looked concerned that the gesture might spread to him. Roy offered his hand instead, which Dorian accepted.

"I will expect the timberwright's plans to be accounted for," Dorian said.

"You approved the account."

"I approved reasonable expenses."

"Kaelu chose the prices."

"That sentence does not reassure me."

"He has not submitted the total yet." Dorian closed his eyes. Roy withdrew his hand.

"I will write."

"You had better." Velara and Dorian left together. They passed through the estate gate and followed the road toward Bellhaven without looking back. The family waited until they had disappeared beyond the trees. Then the true goodbye began. Orion hugged Garrick first. It was brief, firm, and nearly drove the air from the younger boy's lungs.

"Listen to Edric," Orion said.

"Even when he is wrong?"

"Especially then. You learn more from understanding why someone is wrong than from ignoring them." Garrick nodded. Orion placed one hand on the back of his neck.

"And do not make Talia handle every difficult conversation."

"I will not." Talia looked doubtful. Orion hugged her next. She managed it better this time. Roy stepped forward after him.

"I meant what I said."

"No heroics," Talia replied. Roy looked toward Garrick.

"Both of you?"

"We will learn," Garrick said. That was not the reassurance Roy wanted, but it was probably the correct one. Aurelia climbed onto the wagon beside Kindle. Orion took the front position near Shale's harness. Aegis walked to the right of the wagon, still refusing every suggestion that he fly overhead. Roy remained on the ground. He looked at the estate, then Bellhaven beyond it. Then the five human members of the family.

They were no longer all returning home - which hurt - but also proved the settlement was becoming real.

"We should say it," Talia said. Roy looked at her.

"Say what?"

"What we decided." Garrick stepped beside her.

"The settlement." Orion turned from the wagon. Aurelia rested one hand against Kindle's back. The declaration at the estate had been improvised. A desperate political structure built quickly enough to stop a war. In the weeks since, they had begun living as though it were true. That was different from choosing it. Roy faced them.

"I intend to build the settlement. Not because Bellhaven forced us to claim independence. Not because it gives us leverage. Because I believe we can create a home where people like us do not need permission to belong." Aurelia nodded.

"I am committed." Orion rested one hand on the Firebreaker Axe.

"So am I." Talia raised her chin.

"I will represent it here." Garrick stepped closer to her.

"And I will help protect it." The moment the final words left him, Weave moved beneath the ground. A pulse crossed the estate. It passed through Roy's boots and climbed his spine. Shale lifted his head. Nimbus stopped floating and turned in a slow circle. Spark and Shimmer chirped at the same time. Golden light gathered in the air between the five siblings. The system spoke. [The community has acknowledged and accepted its path toward settlement.] Roy's breath caught. A second message replaced the first.

[Expanded goals will require expanded abilities, influence, and support.] [Private quests are being distributed.] Five separate panes of light appeared; one in front of each person present. Aegis received nothing, and neither did the drakes. Roy read his first line; his mind stopped immediately. He forced his face still before anyone noticed. Across from him, Talia's eyes widened before she deliberately lowered her chin. Garrick swallowed. Orion's expression became unreadable.

Aurelia stared at her own message for several seconds, then slowly looked toward the others. No one spoke. The silence made the instruction clear before any of them acknowledged it. Garrick broke first.

"We are not supposed to tell each other." It was not a question.

"No," Talia said. Aegis looked between them.

"What were you assigned?" Five heads turned toward him. Aegis frowned.

"That appears inefficient."

"The system disagrees," Roy said. Garrick rubbed the back of his neck.

"Has it not spent all this time pushing us to work together?"

"Yes."

"Then why separate us now?" Roy looked again at the unopened portion of his message. He already knew enough to feel its weight.

"Working together can become a weakness if none of us can act without the others." Orion watched him. Roy chose each word carefully.

"The settlement cannot depend on all five of us handling every problem together. Talia needs to function here. We need to function at the cottage. Garrick must learn to make decisions without Orion standing behind him. I need to build plans that do not require everyone to understand every detail." Aurelia's expression softened.

"We trust one another."

"Yes," Roy said.

"This may be asking us to prove that trust includes allowing someone else to carry something alone." No one looked pleased, but each of them nodded. Talia closed her private pane.

"I will complete mine." Garrick followed.

"So will I." Orion's message disappeared. Aurelia's vanished last. Roy left his open; he could still feel the words waiting. Aurelia looked toward the wagon.

"We should leave before the day gets away from us." The final hugs came quickly. Talia and Garrick stood together at the edge of the estate grounds with Spark between them. Clover had wandered closer from the processing field and now sat beside Talia's leg, frills drooping as though he understood that part of the family was leaving. Roy climbed onto the wagon as Orion clicked his tongue. Shale leaned into the harness, and the wheels began turning. Nimbus floated alongside them.

Shimmer remained curled around the rear rail. Aegis walked beside Orion in silence, his hands tucked into the pockets of clothing he still seemed to find unnecessary. Roy looked back. Talia raised one arm, and Garrick did the same. The estate receded, even when Bellhaven's bell tower remained visible beyond it. Roy turned forward. The road curved south toward the cottage and the land they had declared would become something more. He reopened the private message. The first line appeared.

[Details of this quest are not to be shared with other community members] Roy swallowed. Then he read the objective again. [Quest Objective: Gain a seat on Bellhaven's Council]