Hounds Rising
A Rough Start

The sun rose from the eastern sky as it always did, and Rhokhishi awoke feeling disconnected from herself. With the funeral over and the carnival leaving tomorrow, she thought about her next steps. She could leave tomorrow with the carnival and keep training during the winter without any other worries, but if her friends went, would it be worth staying with them instead? The Eternal Pillars were still an issue that needed to be dealt with.

She sat up and looked around the room she was offered in the Archmage’s Tower. The simple bed, the wash area and toilet, and a small table for which she had set her weaponry and armor were the only things she could see around her. She was used to having simple accommodations and was content in her available space. She thought about her bed and room at the carnival, her simple bed, dresser with her clothing, and the connected room to Lopper and Rags where their wares were held. She had spent less time with them lately and missed them but knew more essential matters were at hand.

Brushing sleep from her face with her hands, she stood up and dressed before entering the main chamber. As it had been, the space contained many places to sit and relax, and a large spread of food sat on the dining table. She saw Myla and Gisela already there and waved to both of them. Sitting down, she watched Myla nod, grab some food into a handkerchief, and walk out the door into the town around them. Gisela sat quietly, her greatsword in front of her, and Rhokhishi noticed that Gisela’s hands were slightly shaking.

Rhokhishi could hear Mr. Muffins moving around his room, the sound of tools working quickly. She could also hear the sound of scraping wood and metal from the stairs and the occasional grunt from Leaf as he moved things about on one of the floors above. Through an illusory window, she saw Myla move toward a tree, look around momentarily, and climb up roughly fifteen or twenty feet into the branches before disappearing into the orange and red leaves. She wondered where Lyla was.

Rhokhishi had most of the morning to herself, with Gisela sitting quietly nearby. She didn’t want to leave until the group had come together and decided what they were doing that day, but she was becoming restless, sitting around and just waiting. Almost as if answering her call, there was a knock at the door. She stood and waited a moment to see if anyone else would come out or if the door would take on its mirror-like attribute, but when it didn’t, she walked over and opened it.

Looking at the person outside the doorframe, Rhokhishi first noticed their pristine armor. While most guards have at least some dirt or grime on them from wearing the same armor day after day and cleaning them during off days, there was no dirt, no dents or scrapes, and even though the shine had worn off, it was still in peak condition. Also, it was rare to see a guard with their helm on.

“Can I help you?”

“May I come in?” The guard’s female voice rang out from under her helm. Rhokhishi could tell that this person was taller than the average human and had a small frame that the armor fit oddly onto.

“What business do you have here?” She asked the guard.

“I’m here to speak with Leaf, as well as you and any of your troupe that may be here.”

She stood momentarily in front of the doorway, sighed, and moved to the side to let the guard in. The guard walked in, nodding to Gisela, who had looked up, then stopped at the table.

“Where are the others?” They asked.

“They’ll be here shortly. Wanna tell me who you are and what you’re here for?” Rhokhishi questioned back.

The guard looked around one last time, then took her helmet off. Her blond hair fell out behind her, and the elven woman looked at Rhokhishi with hazel eyes. Rhokhishi took a moment, realizing that she had seen this face multiple times recently. As if hearing the crack of a whip, she straightened her back. Rhokhishi knew who she was standing in front of.

“Good evening, my Queen.”

“Good… morning, Rhokhishi,” Queen Sylona Valtori replied, slightly confused.

“Uh, yes. I mean, good morning, your majesty.”

Rhokhishi watched as Queen Sylona laid her helm on the table, then sat across from Gisela, facing the stairway. Reaching out, she plucked a few grapes from the pile of food in the center of the table. Leaning back into her chair, she ate one slowly, looking around the room. A few moments later, Leaf descended the stairway, stopping for a brief moment on the last step to survey the room.

“My Queen. What can I do for you today?” He asked her. The Queen gestured for Leaf to sit and then waited a moment.

“I wish I could say that I came here with good news. As I’m sure you saw yesterday, you’ve received the commissioned items and the key to the Archmage’s Tower. I hope this will provide you with a level of comfort that I trust you and that you can trust me.”

Queen Sylona looked at Rhokhishi and gestured for her to sit next to Gisela at the table. Rhokhishi sat down, looking around the table, and wondered what this was all about. She ate another grape from her hand, chewed slowly, then started again.

“I am in a precarious position here, Leaf. You have been here as an apprentice for the last few years, I have governed over this land for the last seventy-five years, and the late Archmage had been in position for three queens. There isn’t a protocol for this, but questions must be asked, and answers must be given,” She stated.

Queen Sylona pulled a small packet of folded papers. Rhokhishi watched as Queen Sylona unfolded them, then laid them on the table before her.

“The correspondence between Orin and myself shows that you’ve been an apprentice for a few years, and he stated the different arcane knowledge and theories you two have worked on together. I wish I could say I’m well-versed in the arcane, but I am not. I see here,” She lifted a few pages to look and shuffle through. “There are a few things that still need to be learned. Is it true that you have not yet learned how to teleport?”

Leaf looked nervously at the papers, then to her.

“No, but I…”

“And is it true that you cannot turn creatures into other beasts?”

“Well, no, but we had planned…”

“Also, that you did not finish your training at Berkton Academy?”

“No… No, I didn’t.”

Rhokhishi could see Leaf slump into his chair with every answer. His eyes glazed over as he stared at the table, and she felt sorry for him. It wasn’t his fault that the Archmage died.

“I’m sorry,” The Queen said quietly. She set the papers down on the table and looked at Leaf. “The alliance between Archmage and Queen is one of tradition. I care for the continent and work with the other leaders of Midgard to ensure safety for everyone here. The Archmage’s position is to guarantee that no threat, in or out of this realm, can change the people’s balance. We both know that there are threats outside the town of Moonbright, all over the realm, but there are also threats from domains beyond that we cannot guarantee safety without your position.

Whether you like it or not, this position is yours. Some people do not believe you are ready, and your post’s political hold is wavering from this doubt. You have a title that they may not think you deserve. I’m going to ask this once, Leaf. Are you ready to be the Archmage of Cecela, and if not, what will we do about it?”

Rhokhishi noticed that she had stopped breathing at some point and took in a gulp of air. This wasn’t a conversation she was used to being in. The Queen was sitting here with the Archmage, having a political discussion about the safety and well-being of Midgard. Less than a week ago, her only concern was making a weapon out of the balls she used for juggling. This was way above the pay grade of some carnival troupe. She looked over at Gisela, who was watching all this as well. She gazed back over to Leaf, who looked frozen in time, looking at the Queen. Then, he blinked, sat back in his chair, and seemed to deflate into it.

“No. I don’t think I’m ready.”

Queen Sylona sat back in her chair. Rhokhishi watched as she looked around the room for a moment, closed her eyes, then turned back to Leaf.

“Traditionally, I am not supposed to command you on how to do this. I may, however, advise you as you will do for me. Decisions must be carefully made. We have many options in front of us, but a path must be decided today. With you learning as you go, we can carry on and deal with the political wavering. You could return to Berkton Academy, finish training, and then receive the Archmage title. We could even hire someone to take over as an advisor for a short time. It is your choice as to how we do this.”

“I have some ideas,” Leaf replied. “With the information we have given you about Ramona Moontremble and her arcane abilities and my worry that psychic protection isn’t a form of protection in this town, we should focus on someone powerful and knowledgeable in these specific arts. Darion, the Dean of Rahmnivar at Berkton Academy, would be a great asset. He has studied and learned about psychic connections and magic, and he has spent some time learning about how to travel in and out of realms without a portal. While I am sure he is already busy, I believe he would do great in this position. He also knows much about the Fae Plane, and I think future worries exist. It seems that Ramona was raising her sisters from the dead to specifically bring a creature named Dubh Catha back to life.”

“Then, I will message Berkton Academy immediately and see that he is brought to Moonbright,” She answered. “Do we know anything about Dubh Catha?”

“This being was supposedly a leader from an old court in the Fae Plane. There isn’t much that we learned other than that they were stricken of their title, given this name, and then banished from the plane.”

The room grew quiet for what felt like hours as the two stared at each other. Rhokhishi could feel a tension in the air, understanding the difficulty the two of their lives would be for the foreseeable future. Queen Sylona looked over at Rhokhishi and Gisela, then spoke again.

“Of course, I see that you two are here, and I can hear someone else moving about in one of the other rooms. I imagine that all of your party are here in some capacity. I hope that it’s not something that is needed to mention, but your discretion at this moment would be highly appreciated.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Rhokhishi answered.

“And what are your goals in all of this? Will you leave with the carnival tomorrow, or will you stay here and help in this quest?” She asked them.

“I don’t really know. I think I’d like to stay with the Archmage and help him,” Rhokhishi replied. She puffed her chest out slightly to try and give an intimidating but stubborn look. “The time he needs to train could be beneficial for me to train as well. I also have a hand in magic a bit.”

She looked down at Rhokhishi’s armor, glancing over at the small crest above the right side of her chest.

“I see that you are, or once were, a part of The Eternal Pillars. What is your relationship with them now? Do you still work with them currently?”

“No, absolutely not,” Rhokhishi’s voice growled out the words.

“Thank you for your honesty,” She replied before turning towards Gisela. “And what about you?”

Rhokhishi knew that her friend was having a troubled time, but she couldn’t see the depth of it until Gisela started outwardly crying. Such a small creature, with such enormous emotions at this moment, they waited for her to gain her composure, and then Gisela spoke between silent tears that fell from her face.

“I-I think I should stay behind with the carnival. These are my friends, but I’m not ready… I know what I did was in defense, but I killed in my anger. Bruna taught me how to fight to defend myself or to make money, but never to kill…”

The Queen put her hand up to stop Gisela. Rhokhishi watched as they looked at each other, and then she replied.

“I believe the strongest people are the ones who can admit they are not strong enough. There is no shame in staying with your people on either side. Thank you for being honest with me,” Queen Sylona spoke in a calm, quiet voice to Gisela.

Gisela nodded, then wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt. Queen Sylona stood up, grabbed her helm, and took a few steps from the table before turning towards them.

“I know the Arcana Emporium is leaving tomorrow morning. Speak amongst yourselves and make plans. Tomorrow, once the carnival leaves, I would like you to send a letter so I know your plans and who will be accompanying you, Leaf. I expect we have just under a week before people outwardly question anything. So, if we can rise to the action before they have time to ponder, we will have the upper hand here.”

She lowered her head in a soft bow, then turned and stood by the door. Rhokhishi walked over, a little confused and a little worried. The last time someone seemed to freeze in place in the Archmage’s Tower, things got crazy quickly. She moved next to the Queen and watched as she put her helm on to hide her face, then waited a few moments more.

“Is everything okay, your majesty?” Rhokhishi asked, pointing towards the door.

She sighed, reached for the doorknob herself, and opened the door.

“Nothing at all. I just assumed that being a Queen and all, the door would be opened for me,” She replied and walked out into the afternoon air of the Iredale District towards Haron’s Castle. Rhokhishi stood there momentarily, a slight embarrassment showing on her face, as she watched the disguised Queen walk towards the gated castle grounds. After a minute, she watched Myla come down from a tree carefully, then walk towards the tower. Once inside, she closed the door, and they all stood around the table.

“What’s going on?” Myla asked.

“A lot of things,” Leaf replied.