Chapter 912: Always A Fix (Ch.913)
For a stronghold at war, the mornings in the Keep were oddly quiet.
Neveah awakened to Xenon’s arms wrapped securely around her. His warmth warded off the cold draft.
With Jian gone, the first level was even more chilly than usual.
She sat up, slowly creeping out of Xenon’s arms, stirring a wisp of her magic to mask her movent.
Xenon led the last flight patrol and had only returned a short while after dawn. He needed his rest.
Her footsteps were muffled as she headed to the washroom. When she erged, she had changed into a simple dress, with a thick fur coat strapped over her shoulders.
She glanced at a sound asleep Xenon. He hardly ever slept these days and so she was relieved to see him finally give in to his exhaustion.
She smiled slightly before she headed out of their quarters.
The days had passed by in a flash. The first squadron had arrived at Ebonhollow and made camp. Last Neveah heard, the forlorn army maintained its route, steadily marching for Ebonhollow.
On the other hand, the fodder grooves had suffered a few attacks from forlorn stragglers ahead of the main army. Verothrax, Decaron and their fourth squadron had easily fended off those attacks.
But the scouts reported the Forlorn army would soon be upon the fourth squadron. The fodder grooves would take the first brutal hit, even before EbonHollow, Aloria or the White Dunes.
Their proximity to the fodder grooves ant they were closer to Keep Skies than any of the other battlegrounds.
As the days passed, the tension in Keep Skies grew steadily. The citizens had never faced a threat so close to ho before. And news of all the human settlents wiped out by the Forlorn on the way had spread far and wide, feeding the fear.
And fear was a dangerous thing. The human nobles had begun sending in appeals a few days back, seeking an evacuation order.
Neveah had read through a few dozen, and had done the exact sa thing each ti, toss the scroll to the nearest pile.
The entire stronghold was under attack. Evacuate? There was no such safe place.
The only way through this was for the fourth squadron to bring ho a victory.
That first victory... the stronghold needed it to restore the fragile peace. Desperately.
In the anti, Neveah had entrusted narx and Xenon to lead flight patrols through Keep Skies around the clock.
If nothing else, glimpses of dragon patrol assured the citizens that their safety was and would always be a priority.
But the truth was, if the Forlorn got past the fourth squadron, they were dood. Humans, and dragon kin alike. And she knew it clearly.
Verothrax and Decaron were faced with a great responsibility.
She heaved a sigh, pulling the fur coat tighter around her form.
It wasn’t long before she arrived at the ice chamber Jian had created for Eira. Unsurprisingly, Everon had beaten her to it. Already busy with his morning rounds.
"Your Grace." He nodded her way, stepping down from the ice platform where Eira lay. "You’re just in ti."
He gestured to the lightly burning incense stick that filled the chamber with a woody sll.
"In about an hour, take out the incense." He instructed, "Not a mont later. I have to check on a few critical conditions in the healer hall."
He then examined Neveah, nodding in approval of her recovery process. He listed off a few more instructions and then excused himself.
"Well, it’s just you and I now. And Xenon." Neveah murmured, perching by the edge of the ice platform.
She stared at the face that was so similar to hers, it was almost unnerving.
"Father is...away at war. So is Jian." She sighed, "Everyone expects
to know what to do. Keep the peace here...but honestly, I would rather be out there. Fighting."
"That’s what I do best, you know. Kill..." She smiled mirthlessly, "I know Xenon would rather be out there too. By Jian’s side. But he’s stuck here with ."
"What am I saying?" She muttered, sighing heavily. "He’d be devastated to find
sulking."
She shook her head slowly, and drew on her magic. The familiar warmth surged up her veins, golden glow roaring to life around her hand. And it held...for just a mont, before unsurprisingly spluttering out in a burst of weak, dying sparks.
Even with most of her mories back, Devirld was still a blank hole in her mind. Her wolf was there at least...but too weak to communicate.
And with that unending silence on her head, everything else, was in a knot she couldn’t unravel.
Arcane...
Maybe she’d finally exhausted her gifts.
"It’s crazy... I lived what? 18 years of my life without an ounce of magic, and now... it’s like I’m missing this huge part of ." She tilted her head slightly, brows furrowed, "Like I’m broken or sothing..."
"It feels like... I can’t do anything right anymore. I can’t protect them, and the things that matter to them." She allowed a pained smile, "When did I grow to be so dependent on it?"
She didn’t have the answer.
"What’s worse? They trust . Everyone’s so certain I’ll bounce back stronger than ever... they’re betting so much on
as a failsafe when I can barely hold a spell." She stared down at her bare hands,
"But I know this is different. This feels... permanent." She winced, visibly. "I am broken, Eira. I’ve been for two lifetis..."
"And even though this is my do over...my second chance, it still feels so bleak."
"This war, it isn’t about strength. I would be at the forefront if it was. It’s about... everything they’ve built for centuries. Everything they stand for. It ans so much more... and I want us to win, Creator knows it." She sighed again. "You know, I’ve found myself wondering recently... what beca of you, when I died then?"
She reached a hand out to Eira, but hesitated. Dropping her hand back to her lap. Her heart constricted, "If he didn’t give up everything to bring
back..." She trailed off, forcing a smile to her lips.
"I don’t bare my heart to anyone. You must be special... I know my father agrees." She laughs quietly, "He definitely does. So if it isn’t too much to ask...if it’s the only thing you’ll ever do for , can you be there...to welco him back, when this is all over? Truly be there?"
Neveah pulled the fur coat tighter around herself. "And sohow, I know what you might have said to all this. What’s broken...can always be fixed."
She stared down at her hands, "I went back in ti. What’s a little magic trouble, right?"
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