Wings of Destruction and Duty

27.1 || Aurnia

Aurnia hissed. From a distance, the thick wooden walls protecting Piranth looked like nothing more than twigs and firewood. But upon sending Koa to scout under a cloak of invisibility, the little sinyo returned to report the presence of armed mercenaries and bad-tasting magic. With a little more encouragement, Aurnia quickly unravelled the truth. The mercenaries operated under a tattered banner, and their leader was no great champion; rather, he was a young whelp who sought to prove his might through blood and steel.

"I still don't understand; why does it matter if their leader is nothing but a child? Their magic tasted wrong, and it made my scales itch."

Koa's voice was a soothing presence within her mind, and Aurnia shook her head with a smile. The king might have shunned the use of wild magic, but the warped variations of the spells she had once taught him were still capable of wreaking havoc. At that, her scar twinged, and she shouldered her bag with a frown before lifting Koa and buttoning him safely in his pouch.

"Think of magic as a wild animal. If you let it roam free, you may find ways to nurture each other. But if you cage it, then it will seek a way to bring you to your knees."

Finding herself oddly numb to the truth, Aurnia let her voice dip to a low whisper. "Aefither's magic has become bitter under the man's control, with some humans even learning how to harness its anger as a weapon. I should know, it's how the king tried to steal my eye."

Koa's eyes widened, and to her fascination, Aurnia watched as a flash of blue rippled across his irises. Her bag cooled, and she tasted his fear on the tip of her tongue.

"But why would the king—"

Aurnia quickly tapped him on the nose and offered him a sad smile. "It's a story I don't wish to share just yet. But for now, all you need to know is that there is... value in dragon parts."

Koa shuddered, and Aurnia pulled herself to her feet, dusted the soil off her pants, and peered out the window at the gentle pinks that now painted the sky. With the rising sun, the people of Pirnath would soon find their way back to their fields. If she wanted to explore the area, then she would have to act quickly. With one hand, she pulled Agrona's gift from her bag and gingerly unwrapped the cloth to reveal Death's compass.

It gleamed in the dim light and, as if sensing her intentions, released a cloud of golden dust that hovered just barely over its surface. Like the times before, Aurnia let her powers trickle freely from her fingers and onto the stone. A wave of nausea swept through her body before the dust trembled. A shimmering arrow swept into view, directing their attention away from the town and towards a large field in the distance. She glanced down once again, letting her eyes trace the new lines that now graced the edges of the once simple arrow. Rather than simply point forward, the elegant swirls swept to the left, and as she shifted closer to the open doorway, they brightened in intensity.

But with the sound of distant carts rapidly approaching, Aurnia realised that, unless she wanted to spend a whole day cooped up in an abandoned house, she needed to leave. So, summoning her blind faith, she let the cold grip of her magic sweep across it and gently melded it into the invisibility spell she had come to love. Agrona's gift shuddered as she stepped into the daylight, and just as Aurnia was about to take another step, Koa's paw shot out and tapped her on the waist.

"Footprints! I can see your shoes in the dust."

Koa was right. The dry soil had given away to dust that made it irritatingly easy to discern unwanted footprints. She swept them away with a wave of her hand, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Koa tilt his head.

"You can make the air obey you as well?"

Aurnia quickly shook her head, relief sweeping through her as she eyed an incoming cart. The two men sitting up front were busy arguing, and she desperately hoped that it would provide her with a much needed opening to hitch a ride towards the other end of the field.