Kaleon felt like a bwidode looked. His head was swimming, lolling to either side as he tried, and failed, to keep it up.
He’d tried to keep track of the events from the last few hours, but it would’ve been easier to hold the ocean in his palm. Kaleon’s only able to piece together scattered fragments of memory, but he wasn’t sure what was reality or a dream. Rynnelle was a part of it, that much he was sure. The thoughts of her acted as a lighthouse in the toiling storm of sleep that kept dragging Kaleon under. The part that Kaleon was trying to wrap his mind around was the strange grinning man and whether the flaming ship was real or a figment of his imagination.
In the distant reaches of Kaleon’s mind, he heard someone speak. He followed them, getting close enough to listen to what sounded like multiple people having a calm conversation. Except Kaleon realized after a moment that they were calling his name.
“Kal? Kal! Kaleon! Are you alright?” Dashard gently nudged Kaleon awake, a note of fright in his voice.
Kaleon rubbed his face, yawning “Uh yeah, are you?” He asked groggily, feeling Gumbo stir in his lap. It took him a moment to blink the sleep from his eyes, but when he did, Kaleon desperately wished he was still dreaming.
Lord Reinard, Dashard, Gaspar, and several of the Manor guard, and the officers of the Naval Guild were in a crowd around him. Dashard knelt next to him, looking at him with concern in contrast to Lord Reinard’s one of aggravation.
“Stay right here,” Dashard said firmly, “I’ll send for an Acolyte to take a look at you.”
“Nonsense!” Lord Reinard protested, “He was just a bit tired, isn’t that right Kaleon?”
“Um, sure?” Kaleon said. Garnering him an arched eyebrow from Lord Reinard, “I mean-I’m fine, Lord Reinard’s right. I just dosed off.”
Dashard didn’t look convinced but stood up and offered Kaleon a hand. He took it, and Gumbo whined as he hopped out of Kaleon’s lap.
Kaleon leaned against the wall, allowing his hair to fall and cover his eyes. He tried to make it look casual, but moving felt like wading through a bog. His body was so heavy that Kaleon thought his knees would buckle at any moment. The only comfort was that he’d probably fall asleep right after his face planted into the ground. Before he could let that train of thought go any further, Kaleon realized that everyone was still staring at him.
“Did I…miss something?” Kaleon asked gingerly.
Lord Reinard pinched the bridge of his nose, lightning flashing in his hair briefly before speaking, “Yes. Now, try to stay awake, as I won’t be explaining this for a third time. I’m taking you off the kitchen staff. You’ll stay in your current room, but perform different daily duties.”
That woke Kaleon up. He shot off the wall, eyes wide, the sudden movement almost making him fall forward. “Wait, what? Lord Reinard, I’m a cook!” Kaleon said it was the most obvious thing in the world. And, to him, it was.
Of all the things Kaleon thought Lord Reinard would do to push him out, this was never an option. Ever since they’d taken him in, that’s what he’s done. He’d helped build, clean, and take care of the Manor kitchen more than Cybil ever did. It was the only thing he’d ever really been good at. The last thing he had to remember-
“That may be true, and while you’ve performed adequately over the years, things change.” Lord Reinard said, interrupting Kaleon’s thoughts. “For the remainder of the week, you’ll see that Mr. Nahm has all his needs met. Starting with a tour of our grounds.”
Kaleon’s brain took a long time to process that. He glanced at Dashard, pleading for him to come to his defense. Dashard couldn’t meet his eyes, looking away, defeated. Kaleon looked at Lord Reinard, “Who’s Mr. Nahm?”
“Me! Me! Over here, hold on, just one second. ‘Scuse me. ‘Scuse me. Pardon me, just gonna squeeze by you. That armor looks great on you, by the way,” Kaleon watched as a man awkwardly shuffled through the crowd around him, none of the officers seemingly eager to move aside for him. Eventually he managed to breach the crowd and stand next to Lord Reinard, “Much better! Nikolas Nahm is the name! You can call me Mr. Nahm if you want to be formal, but my friends call me Nick.”
Kaleon blinked. He knew this man, or at least he thought he did. The image of the strange man in his dreams was hazy, but he had both hands and no noticeable scars.
“I-I’m sorry…but I still don’t understand what’s going on.” Kaleon stammered.
Lord Reinard gave him a disparaging look, then turned to Mr. Nahm, “Are you sure you want…” He let the words hang, and Kaleon was almost so in shock that he didn’t catch the implied ‘him’. “We can find you someone more qualified to attend to you.” Lord Reinard offered.
Mr. Nahm waved his hand dismissively, “Nah, I’m sure he’ll do great. Isn’t that right Kal?”
While the words registered, Kaleon stared at the Ininka handcuffs hanging off his wrist. All Kaleon managed to say was an unintelligible “Uhhh…”
“See! What I tell you?” Mr. Nahm slid in right beside Kaleon, standing on his toes to put an arm around Kaleon’s shoulders. “Nothing to worry about.” He said convincingly, not that anyone was.
Kaleon was about to launch another protest, but Lord Reinard turned on his heel toward the Manor. “If you insist. Dashard, follow me to the Manor. There are some…improvements I’d like to be made regarding tonight’s security.” The crowd parted, and Lord Reinard strode forward with a contemplative look. His personal guard followed behind him.
Dashard and his officers lingered only for a moment, Kaleon hearing a few murmurs of discontent among them. “I don’t know what you did,” Dashard growled, shooting a glare at Mr. Nahm so intense it made Kaleon flinch. “But this is not over.”
“No. No, it is not.” Mr. Nahm said soberly, no traces of amusement in his voice.
With that, Dashard’s stern expression softened, giving Kaleon a sympathetic look, but otherwise silently led his people away.
Kaleon shrugged off Mr. Nahm’s arm. Walking after Dashard even though they both knew there was nothing more to be done. He stopped just short of leaving the shade of the archway, unable to do anything but watch in befuddled disbelief. The sudden rush of adrenaline Kaleon felt after Lord Reinard’s statement started to drain out of him, slowly leaving him dead on his feet.
Gumbo floated up beside him, sensing Kaleon’s unease and gently nudging his shoulder. Absently, he scratched his familiar under the chin. “What just happened?” Kaleon’s voice was a whisper, directing the question inward as if he could conjure an answer.
“Well, if you ask me,” Mr. Nahm said as he came up beside him, “It seems like you’ve got yourself a promotion, so congrats!” He slapped Kaleon on the shoulder, and it nearly made him topple over. “Say, ‘ol Ray told me you know the grounds just as much as any of the Greenies of the Agricultural Guild, right?”
It took Kaleon a moment to respond, but eventually, he gave him a begrudging nod, “I wouldn’t exactly say that. I don’t explore the grounds like I used to, and sometimes the paths change when they’re working on certain areas or adding new plants.” There was a long pause, long enough that Kaleon stopped watching the backs of the Naval officers and looked down at his new boss, for lack of a better term.
Mr. Nahm looked up at him expectantly, his golden eyes twinkling like a wanderlust child. He kept staring at Kaleon until he got the hint and corrected himself, “I mean, yes? I do?”
“Great!” Mr. Nahm beamed.
Although he didn’t know why, Kaleon swore the pleased smile on Mr. Nahm’s face was because he was pleased with himself rather than him.
There was a sudden click, and Kaleon looked down. Clamped on his wrist was the sleek grey stone of an Ininka handcuff. The same Ininka handcuff that was attached to Mr. Nahm’s right wrist.
Kaleon looked up. There was no way to put it into exact words to describe the smile on Mr. Nahm’s face, but it flooded his heart with bone-chilling terror. Before he could even speak, Mr. Nahm took off like a comet. Gumbo struggled to keep up as Mr. Nahm dragged Kaleon into the floral labyrinth.
The next few hours were, without a doubt, the most surreal moments of Kaleon’s life.
In many ways, this was nothing new. When Lord Reinard had the labyrinth built to remember his late wife, Kaleon spent countless hours wandering the grounds with Rynnelle. They’d race along the cobblestone walkways, play with the topiary constructs, and talk about all the crazy adventurers they would have when they were older. Rynnelle was a wellspring of life that somehow had this gift to see the magic in everything, no matter if it was the most mundane object. Or people.
Mr. Nahm, Kaleon realized, was much the same way, except instead of a wellspring, it was a relentless torrent. He moved through the grounds as if he were in a race against the wind, dragging Kaleon along like a rag doll. Only occasionally asking if they had a particular flower or plant and directions on how to get there.
They ran through tunnels of Weeping Orchids, the flowers glowing an ethereal baby blue light as their nectars fell like rain, soaking their clothes.
Kaleon tried to dry off using the heat from a wall of Wildfire Dahlias, but that was a bad idea because Mr. Nahm kept trying to stick his face in the burning petals. “At worst,” He insisted, “I’d only get first-degree burns, but that’s an even trade because the flowers smelled like cinnamon.”
Later, when they passed a bed of Nievian Starbursters, Kaleon was forced to stop again as Mr. Nahm planted his feet and refused to move until they made them all go off at once. It took them over an hour, mainly because they kept triggering some, and had to wait for them to reset. Eventually, after a painstaking effort, they sat on the grass, watching as hundreds of flowers unfurled their petals at once. Each bulb released strobing motes of light that rose into the air and filled their nose with the scent of fresh jasmine.
A breeze riffled through the twisting pathways of the floral labyrinth. It carried the benevolent warmth of the afternoon sun and picked up the various scents from across the grounds into an intoxicating aroma that Mr. Nahm inhaled with reverence.
Kaleon leaned back, idly pulling blades of grass as Mr. Nahm watched a pod of topiary constructs shaped like Banda. They were hilariously small compared to their real-life counterparts, the whale-like creatures flying amongst the floating lights. The blades of grass felt like cotton as they passed through his fingers.
Mr. Nahm gave Kaleon a sideways glance, “Y’know you never know what you’re missing if you stay in your head all the time.”
“Huh?” Kaleon picked up his head, following Mr. Nahm’s gaze.
Gumbo had taken flight, playfully barreling into the constructs. He wasn’t as graceful, being better at quick bursts of speed than deft maneuvers but if the constructs seemed to mind it didn’t show. They flew through the air above the flowers, opening their mouths and inhaling the multicolored lights. The motes illuminate them from within, to Gumbo’s delight. He tried to mimic them, likewise inhaling the light, but they must have tasted something awful because he spit them out shortly after.
“Okay, point taken.” Kaleon chuckled, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips briefly before turning back into a frown. There were a couple of questions nagging at him that he wasn’t sure how to ask, let alone if he should. Steeling his nerves, Kaleon opened his mouth to speak, but someone beat him to it.
“Excuse me! Sir Nahm!” Kaleon and Mr. Nahm turned their heads.
Melodia was a fair-skinned woman around Kaleon’s age, she was beautiful, with long blonde hair, and a smile so enticing it charmed many a Lord that found themselves in the gardens.
Kaleon knew her to be Lord Reinard’s premier information gatherer. If he sent her, Kaleon knew he was trying to gleam some tidbits of information he could use at later use.
Melodia’s sauntered over to them, a dozen silver platters floating behind her. Her carefully practiced smile faltered when her gaze panned from them sitting on the grass to the bench only a few feet away. She shot Kaleon a disdainful look, like it was his fault, then dialed her smile to full power at Mr.Nahm. “Lord Reinard wanted me to bring you something to eat. He thought you must be hungry considering your harrowing ordeal this morning.”
“Oh don’t mind if I do.” Mr. Nahm said greedily as the platters floated in a semi-circle before them. Their lids lifted, revealing sandwiches, fruits, and other finger foods. Mr. Nahm held out a hand, and Melodia handed him a sanitizing stone, which he crushed in his palm before digging in. Kaleon eyed some of the food, while not super hungry, he could eat. “Go ahead,” Mr. Nahm said in between bites of a sandwich. “I’m not gonna eat it all. That offer goes to you too, miss…?”
“Melodia,”
“Melodia, grab a bite if you’re hungry,” Mr. Nahm finished before adding, “Same to you, Gumbo!”
Melodia gave him a puzzled expression and realized a moment too late what he meant as Gumbo crashed into one of the silver platters like a meteor, startling her enough to let out a short scream. At the same time, Kaleon reached for an apple on one of the platters, but it jerked away when his hand got close.
“Kaleon!” Melodia fumed, losing all traces of hospitality in her voice, “The least you could do is control your beast in front of our guests!” She patted down her robes, regaining her practiced control but still letting her anger seep through, “Also this food is only for sir Nahm. Lord Reinard said you wouldn’t be hungry because of your…breakfast this morning.”
Kaleon winced, Melodia didn’t even try to hide her disdain. He wasn’t surprised at the comment, but it still stung like a slap. “Oh, right. Of course.” Kaleon said meekly.
“Tsk tsk tsk, and we were doing so well,” Mr. Nahm sighed, tossing his unfinished apple at Gumbo, who snapped it up before it hit the ground. “Oh, Mel? I think there’s been some miscommunication between me and your boss.”
Melodia’s scornful expression stayed on Kaleon for another half second before the smile returned, “Well I’ll be happy to clear that up with him for you!”
“Great,” Mr.Nahm said, dragging it out in a way that assured that whatever he was about to say, wasn’t. “I was under the assumption that while I’m here, Kaleon was to do whatever it took to meet my needs right?”
Melodia hesitated before responding, looking like she was trying to figure out how to disarm the land mine she’d just stepped on, “That would be correct,”
“Cool cool, so that means if I needed him to use his culinary expertise to make sure, oh I don’t know, the food wasn’t poisoned, he’d be forced to do that right?”
To her credit, her smile didn’t waver at Mr. Nahms’ question, but Kaleon couldn’t help but notice her eye start to twitch. “I can assure Lord Reinard would never do such a thing.”
“Yeah you say that, but I wouldn’t have made it this far if I believed Lords were above that sort of thing.” Mr. Nahm picked up a sandwich, gave it a scrutinizing look, and sighed as if giving up, “If only I had a trained chef that could tell me if my food had been tampered with.”
Kaleon watched as Melodia’s smile slowly shifted from carefully practiced, to something she had to force to stay in place. She exhaled through her nostrils, and to Kaleon, she said, “Hold out your hand.”
He did, and she dropped another sanitizing stone in his palm. “Thank you,” Kaleon said as he crushed the small pebble. Mr. Nahm practically shoved the sandwich into his hands. Kaleon glanced at Melodia, who looked like steam would come out of her ears at any moment, then took a bite of the sandwich.
Kaleon didn’t immediately die, which was good, but he wasn’t expecting that anyway. The sandwich was nothing special, lettuce, tomatoes, and Pemein bacon. He thought Cybil had put on a little too much spicey mustard but that was up to everyone interpretation.
“Well?” Mr. Nahm said, picking up another sandwich.
“It’s fine? Taste’s like any other sandwich.”
Mr. Nahm resumed stuffing his face, “Good. Try some of those lemon squares next. That white powder on top might be some drug.” He swallowed his food and washed it down with a glass of juice. “Oh crap, that juice could’ve been poisoned…Kal, drink some too; if I go, you go. Get me?”
“Okay?” Kaleon said dubiously. He was beginning to suspect that the best way to deal with Mr. Nahm’s eccentric nature was to just go along with it and pretend you understood what was going on.
“Uh…Sir Nahm?” Melodia said, speaking up. “If there’s anything else I could-“
“Nah, I’m good.” Mr. Nahm said, distracted by tossing various fruits in the air for Gumbo to catch. “You can go.”
Kaleon bristled as he saw Melodia’s set her jaw. “Are you-“
“Yeah yeah you can go,” Mr. Nahm said, shooing her away with his empty wrist. “Okay Gumbo, go long this time!”
Melodia’s face twisted in a snarl of contempt. She gave Kaleon a look of pure venom, then trudged back into the labyrinth.
They sat in silence for a while, Kaleon staring as ships carrying Lord Reinard’s guests started to arrive while Mr. Nahm and Gumbo split the rest of the food. “Well, you sure are popular.” Mr. Nahm said after taking a loud bite of the last apple.
Kaleon sighed, taking a buttered roll and filling it with pardusian jam. Its savory flavor leaves a sweet aftertaste on the tongue that almost made him feel better. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Only if I get to ask you one too.” Kaleon hesitated but nodded reluctantly. Mr. Nahm finished the apple and said, “Alright, shoot.”
“Why did you want me, specifically to uh…help you, I guess?”
“Huh? Oh, it was mostly to look at the grounds,” Mr. Nahm said as he finished off the last of the lemon squares, “I was a little nosey at first, but I figured out your deal a while ago.”
“My deal?” Kaleon asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Nope,” Mr. Nahm grinned, “My turn to ask a question.” Kaleon gave him a flat look. Mr. Nahm took his time before asking his question, slowly eating the small mound of sandwiches. When only one was left, he asked, “Are you in love with Rynnelle or just sleeping with her?”
Kaleon had chosen the wrong time to take a sip of the tart amber-colored liquid, immediately spitting it out over the grass as he almost choked, “I’m not sleeping with Rynnelle!”
“Oh, it’s love then? Huh.” Mr. Nahm said, a little disappointed, “I guess that’s for the best. Okay, your turn.”
Kaleon wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed at the question or jealous that this stranger was saying the things he couldn’t. “Why do you think I’m in love with Rynnelle?”
Mr. Nahm smirked as he eyed the remaining lemon squares, “You mean besides the seaside picnic at sunrise? The way she talks about you.” He started eating them two at a time.
That made Kaleon’s face grow hotter, “What…what did she say?”
“Man, you’re really bad at waiting your turn.” Mr. Nahm chuckled and took another sip of juice. He sighed in satisfaction before saying, “Bit of unsolicited advice? If you haven’t told her you love her yet the sooner the better.”
“People keep telling me that,” Kaleon said glumly, staring at the flowers as they slowly came back to life. “It’s not that easy. I can’t just come out and say it I’m-“
“Yeah yeah, you’re just the cook,” Mr. Nahm said dismissively, “And Lords like Reinard want their daughters marrying other Lords, merchants, Naval officers or anyone really who can bring whatever they view as value to the family,” Mr. Nahm shook his head like his own words sounded crazy to him, “It’s a load of shit, and putting yourself out their sucks but it’s that’s not the kinda thing you want to be carrying around for a couple decades left unsaid. Tell her how you feel, the worst thing she could do is say she doesn’t feel the same, which I doubt. So not much to be scared of.”
Kaleon winced. This conversation quickly spiraled out of his control, and as much as he wanted to just get up and leave altogether, the handcuffs around his wrist put to wrist any ideas of that delusion. He weighed his options, wondering if he should just ignore any further questions. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore someone attached to your wrist. Not to mention one who was technically more right than wrong. After what seemed like eons, Kaleon made his decision.
“It’s not that I’m scared to tell her because I think she won’t feel the same way.” He said slowly, trying to put his chaotic feelings into words, “I’m scared about what it means for us if I say it, and she feels it too.”
Mr. Nahm looked confused for a moment, but his eyebrows went up with realization, “She’s already said it. Hasn’t she?”
Not meeting his gaze, Kaleon said, “Lord Reinard may run the island, but Rynnelle is the one that keeps it together. Makes sure all the people know the family representing them to the rest of the Iega has their best interests at heart.” He hesitated, considering stopping here before he said too much, but once he started the words forced themselves out, “Even this marriage is for the people of Teon. Neither of them is happy about it, but at the time, it was the best bad option they had to keep the island from falling apart.”
Another breeze traversed through the floral labyrinth, but Kaleon was unfazed by the sweet aroma of the garden.
“So you’re worried that if you tell she’ll what? Want you two to run away together.” Mr. Nahm offered. He gave Kaleon a small grin as if he was halfway joking. When Kaleon didn’t react, it went away, “Oh…yeah I don’t know her well, but I guess I could see it.”
“I’m not letting her abandon her people for me,” Kaleon said definitively, even as he pulled his knees to his chest, “I…might tell her after the wedding.” He said softly, “After that, I’m leaving Teon…it’ll take some time, but I’ll get over it.”
Mr. Nahm burst into laughter, “That is a terrible plan, and I know terrible plans,” Kaleon gave him a flat look, waiting him out. Wiping a tear from his eye, Mr. Nahm gave Kaleon a long, assessing look, “You’re a good guy Seabreeze, tell you what. Seeing as I may be stuck here for a week, we’ll try and brainstorm some better options for you. Two heads are better than one.”
Kaleon gave him a weird look, then looked back over the bed of flowers. All this conversation did was spawn another wave of inner turmoil that Kaleon could’ve done without.
Mr. Nahm reached for the last sandwich, but right before he could grab it, Gumbo swooped in, snatching it off the platter. Gumbo growled at Mr. Nahm in challenge, but the Yana sighed and accepted defeat.
When he noticed that Kaleon hadn’t said anything, he added, “Love is one of the world’s biggest tricksters. Makes even the Gods look like fools sometimes,” Mr. Nahm and Kaleon shared a look, and Kaleon was surprised to find genuine compassion in his eyes. ” .”
“Okay, who are you? Really?” Kaleon said abruptly.
The corners of Mr. Nahm’s mouth curled up into a partial grin, “What do you mean?”
“Dashard hates you,” Kaleon said plainly, “Like, really hates you. I’ve known him all my life and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him hate anyone. Even the people he puts away, it’s more like he’s…disappointed people used the freedom they had to do bad things.” Mr. Nahm just stared at him, the compassion in his eyes shifting to something Kaleon couldn’t read, but he continued anyway, “With you it’s different. Almost like it’s personal. I’ve only ever seen him like this once and…”
Kaleon trailed off as a lot of the pieces of this puzzle started putting themselves together. Mr. Nahm’s unwavering stare bore holes into him, and Gumbo let out a low growl. Kaleon felt sweat break from his hair and run down the back of his neck.
“How’re you feeling?” Mr. Nahm asked abruptly, “Your heads cleared up? Or you’re still feeling lethargic?”
Kaleon blinked, the change of subject throwing him off, “I’m feeling fine? Why?”
Mr. Nahm motioned for them to get up, and as Kaleon obliged, he said, “Once we leave, the enchantment on the platters has them take themselves back to the kitchen right?” Kaleon nodded, “Good. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” Kaleon asked, trying not to let his rising fear into his voice. Mr. Nahm’s only response was a wicked grin as he guided Kaleon and Gumbo deeper into the floral labyrinth.
Kaleon’s mind couldn’t stop racing with each passing moment. If he was right, Lord Reinard had served him up with a bow to the most dangerous man in the Iega. That would explain the number of officers present and the look Dashard gave him. It didn’t explain why Lord Reinard would ever consider letting him stay. Kaleon knew the Lord hated him, but letting a wanted criminal into your home to get rid of him was on a different level entirely.
As Kaleon tried to process this new information, he kept cutting non-discrete glances at Mr. Nahm, who pretended not to notice. Above them, the sun had just begun to ignite the sky as it started to set. They’d spent the entire day out amongst the grounds, and Kaleon couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be his final walk through the labyrinth for more than one reason. His paranoia rose so much that he didn’t notice Mr. Nahm was leading them toward the sound of music.
“If you bring it up in mixed company, I’ll deny it.” Mr. Nahm said suddenly as the cobblestone path led them to a small clearing that ended in the mouth of a shallow alcove carved into the island wall. “But I am, who Dashard thinks I am. At least in part.”
To Kaleon’s surprise, this section of the garden was new to him. The singing was impossible to ignore now, coming from peculiar-looking flowers that glowed a golden light in the shade of the alcove. Kaleon wasn’t even sure how to properly describe them. The flower stalk split as white petals twisted around each other in a helix before pointing back down. Coming out of the flower’s mouth were tiny strands that hit the inside of the twisting petals, creating a sound that sounded like someone singing. Kaleon listened more carefully and realized he couldn’t make out any actual words as the tones just sounded like it. A cool breeze came in from behind them as if drawn to the alcove. Making the flower’s song louder.
Before Kaleon could ask another question, Mr. Nahm said, “Hewatohnae Karagash, there’s no direct translation of its name from the traditional Yanayin language into trade, but it would roughly mean ‘The final song of the fallen dragon.’ I’ve only seen them grow in areas with a high magic density. If they manage to grow here, your gardener has their work cut out for them. You’re actually lucky. When most Yana have to do their First Soar, it’s usually in the middle of high-stress situations. I can at least give you a smooth transition.”
“What are you even talking about?” Kaleon said, completely lost, “First Soar? And how can you only be partially who Dashard thinks you are? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Mr. Nahm sighed and rubbed his face, his shoulders dropping like they’d taken on the weight of a mountain in a single moment. “If it makes you feel better, it barely makes sense to me either.” He blew out his cheeks as he stared at the flowers and ignored Kaleon’s gaze, “I have a bad habit of going above and beyond what people assume of me,”
Kaleon eyed him wearily, unsure if this was going to fall into another line of probing questions, “What do you mean?”
“Oh you know, all that ‘Terror of the Iega’ stuff. Almost all of it’s either an outright lie or twisted so far from the truth it might as well be.” Silverhand said as a cool wind flowed into the clearing, nipping at their skin as the chorus of flowers sang louder. “It’s as much of a mask I put on for people who think they know me as you do with people who think you’re just some lowly cook.”
Kaleon studied him. Realizing the conversation had indeed taken a turn, but nowhere near in the direction he’d initially thought.
He still thought it was some trick, but the childlike wonder in the man’s eyes had gone without a trace. In their place, Kaleon saw a deep, lingering sadness that belonged to a man decades older than the one standing next to him.
“So what they say happened to the Promise was what? A lie?” Kaleon asked.
Silverhand hung his head, and in a haunted voice, he said, “No, that’s true. Even if they got the details wrong, my actions led to the deaths of thousands. I earned the title ‘Terror of the Iega’, that much is for sure,” he sighed, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders, “But it’s reductive to say that’s all I am.”
“Okay,” Kaleon said slowly, knowingly taking the bait. “Who are you then?”
“It depends on the day. Most days I’m just your regular degular run-of-the-mill adventurer, other days I’m a guy who has an unfortunate knack for being in the wrong place but right time,” Silverhand stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a key. “And today, as it turns out, it looks like I’m going to be a teacher,”
Kaleon’s jaw dropped as Silverhand tapped the key on his part of the handcuff. There was a small click, and it fell away from Silverhand’s wrist.
“You’re telling me you had the key this whole time!?” Kaleon had an incredulous look on his face. “You could’ve gotten out of them from the start?” Silverhand gave him a noncommittal shrug.
Kaleon stared at him, “Well?”
“Well what?”
Kaleon dangled his still-cuffed wrist. “Aren’t you going to uncuff me?”
Silverhand laughed hysterically, “No.”
“What? Why not?!” Kaleon said, slightly hysteric. “And what’s so funny?”
Silverhand wiped at a tear, “‘I just thought of a friend who’d get a kick out of this.”
“Out of what? You’re not making any sense again.”
Silverhand looked at him like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, “Well Seabreeze, congratulations you’re about to be the first student to take ‘Silverhands Class of Magical Bullshit.'”
Jayson J. 