Callie's Heroes

PART X: FLASHBACK

Vanis walked quietly to take position behind Lady Ingris and to her left. He caught her husband's eye, and motioned him away with his chin. The Dwarf frowned, glanced at his wife, but took the hint, fading away to give his wife and the Prince some space to speak privately. His wife was in Parliament and he'd long learned his place when it came to her and other people of import. On the stage, Callie was just beginning her first song, the notes familiar to some flowing out as if an oncoming sunrise. Vanis ignored the music.

He hated what he was about to do. Mostly. Vanis knew he was being emotional, and that his reasons for this were probably more-related to helping Callie than to anything else. If that was the case though, what did it matter? The rot that was Ingris had to go. He vowed to himself again that he'd never regret the person he was about to become.

Scryer Yulayla, who had been tasked to monitor Ingris and assure her active charm defenses weren't cast, shot Vanis a raised eyebrow. She made a gesture, as if to ask if she should provide space as well. Vanis simply shook his head, pointing to Ingris and indicating to keep to her assignment.

"Lady Ingris," Vanis said, leaning in close until his breath touched her ear.

"I've already said no," she replied without looking at him. The Prince had asked her twice. Once as a simple request. Once as a favor. She'd refused, clearly and coldly, both times. Ridding herself of Winafria was her victory to savor.

"That's fine," he said. "But I felt you should hear this."

"Oh?"

"Tomorrow, I will send a network message to my father. He will propose new law."

"What? He never bypasses Assembly."

"He will. And with the Regents dead, no one will oppose it."

"What law?"

"One that hands the Crown the authority to root out corruption in the government by any means. Every bribe. Every stolen coin. We're going to find it. Punishments? Brutal. Final. Call it a check on unrestrained power, as it were."

"You can't do …"

"I'm not finished!" Vanis hissed in near silence, his words hot. "Know that I will see the hounds on you, loudly and publicly, Lady Ingris." He laced her title with nothing but mockery. "Your life will be burned down, piece by maggot-ridden piece, the pyre high enough I'll see it all the way at the warfront. Long before we find proof, your name will be spittle the kingdom over. And when we do find proof, and believe me we will, you and those that benefited, meaning your whole bloodline, go to the ice mines. Husband. Children. Grandchildren. All of you, simply gone. Titles stripped. Lands taken. Name erased."

He snapped his fingers centimeters from her face. She flinched.

"Just like that."

"You wouldn't dare!" she whispered, her voice actually trembling.

"Oh no? Watch me."

He let the silence choke the space between them for a moment.

"There's one way out. One way that we won't tear your life apart," Vanis mockingly cooed, dangling the tiniest opportunity for escape. "Before Callie's last song ends, you will cry. You cry, and you make damn sure everyone sees it."

"I will do no such …"

He didn't let her finish. His voice dropped to a razor's edge, seeming almost like scorching air against her skin.

"Then you vanish. Return to your cabin, speak to no one, and leave at first light. You have thirty-two days to get out of Imoria. Forever. If you do, you can keep your stolen riches and your spawn will stay free, but your stench never gets to sully my kingdom again."

"You have no authority …" she tried, but the words faded as she locked eyes.

"Duwana," Vanis said in a growl of finality, before he turned and walked away.

Up on the stage, unaware of what had been said, Callie sang about the beauty of rainbows and friendship and many people wept in joy. Below in the darkness, the world of Lady Ingris collapsed upon her.

With a few final outro chords, Callie finished her first song, bowing slightly in acknowledgement to the wild applause from the throng of Dwarf recruits. She had no idea why this song so resonated with them, but more than just Halc had peppered her with requests for it over the past few weeks. Having fans was weird.

"That was wonderful," came a quiet voice from behind her, and Callie tapped her Sigil silent while giving the crowd another wave with one hand. She held up a finger, informing everyone it would be just one moment. The spotlight disappeared, along with some watercolor like images of rainbows, and quickly Callie turned.

"I mean it," Deduxia said, giving Callie a side-hug. "That was really wonderful."

"I'll teach it to you tomorrow," Callie grinned. "It's super easy. Everyone ready?"

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Quickly extending her hand as they'd discussed earlier, the rest of the band joined as Deduxia called out her single pure note. Callie returned it, accompanied by the others, and the powerful Follow the Leader spell was woven around all of them. It took only a few seconds and they were all synchronized together, Callie then mentally blasting through her next song. They'd planned this, since the spell wouldn't have lasted long enough for all three.

"Oh, that's such a sad story!" Lusha said wide-eyed as she took in the lyrics. "I almost want to cry already!"

"It really is!" the Pantherkin said in agreement, her mood seeming much less sour than the evening before. "This one is simple, though. Do you even need us for it?"

"Maybe just the bass, I think," Callie replied. "Lightly, and not too loud? I'll need you all for the third song, for sure."

"Not a problem," the bassist said.

"We'll sing the harmony on this one, if it feels needed," Nekini said, indicating himself and Deduxia.

Nodding, Callie turned back, spotting Lady Ingris for the briefest of moments. She was strangely no longer glaring at her, and was instead in conversation with who Callie assumed was her husband, an intense, worried look on her face. Callie sort of scowled to herself. "She could at least pay attention!" Then the magical spotlight returned, drowning out the faces below her as she tapped the Sigil active again.

Callie had been about eight when she took her first formal guitar lessons. Until then, she'd only picked up bits and pieces from her father and grandfather. Things like finger positions, lyrics, simple strumming and such. It was enough to mimic songs, but not enough to truly play. When her best friend started piano lessons, Callie decided she needed music lessons, too, pestering her parents for voice and guitar lessons until they finally gave in.

For about a year, she spent an hour a week with a beginners instructor at a local music shop. The class was small, just five students. Callie was the youngest, the only girl, and the only one who came in with any prior experience, though most of it had to be unlearned. In fact, much of that year was spent undoing habits she'd picked up and convincing her that unlearning was part of the process. Slowly, her patchwork of instincts and imitation started to give way to real skill. The lessons began to stick.

The year was set to end with a Saturday afternoon recital, a showcase for students from every level to demonstrate their progress and, ideally, sign up for another year of lessons. Callie was given a list of a dozen songs to choose from, and she hated every single one. There was no way she was going to stand in front of a crowd and sing She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain or London Bridge Is Falling Down. Every suggestion her teacher made was met with a firm 'no.'

It was her grandmother who finally saved the day, suggesting a simple song that had been passed down from her own mother. As soon as Callie heard it, something clicked and she dove into practicing, mastering the simple chords and committing the lyrics to memory. She'd never met her great-grandmother, but decided that the performance would be dedicated to her, all the same.

Recital day came. One by one, or occasionally in pairs, the students took the stage before a modest crowd of about eighty. Callie's beginner group was sprinkled among the more advanced performers, perhaps spreading the audience's agony into smaller doses. Her turn eventually came and, nervous but prepared, she stepped into the spotlight, taking her place as the teacher lowered the microphones, one for her small guitar, the other for her voice.

The first notes rang out clean and strong. Her fingers found the right chords, her voice carried the melody with care and precision. It was going well. Perfectly! Some in the audience even joined in on the chorus, recognizing the familiar tune of Puff, the Magic Dragon.

But midway through, everything changed.

It wasn't just bits of stage fright. She was mostly dealing with that just fine by focusing on the mechanics of playing and the lyrics. But as the third verse was sung out, those lyrics hit her in a way they never had before. She'd been singing them for weeks, but only now did she really feel them. 'He's all alone now', she realized. The thought overwhelmed her.

Her voice wavered, then it cracked! She tried to push through, but the words caught in her throat. Unbidden, tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks. Standing there, center stage, she tried once or twice to recover, fumbling for the strings she could no longer see. The notes and words were gone, replaced by quiet sobs for an imaginary dragon.

Then, from the back of the room, her father and grandfather stood. Without hesitation, they began to sing. Their voices joined the broken song and invited the rest of the audience in. Together, they filled the room with the familiar chorus, wrapping Callie in a warmth far greater than applause.

Now, years later and on a different world, Callie played the song again. The strings of her Inspiring Melody magic vibrated with feeling as she sang the tale of a dragon and a boy who were the best of friends. Together they'd battled pirates, met kings and queens, and gone on wild adventures, until the boy grew up, turning his attention to other things and leaving his friend behind.

Callie's head flashed back to how she'd felt from the song during that first recital. The heartbreak, the loneliness, the feeling of being forgotten. And now, she poured that memory into every note, sending it out to her fellow recruits and everyone gathered to listen.

Then, just to push the feeling a little deeper, she wove in a memory from that day that she'd never forget. It was the moment she looked up at her father through tear-filled eyes, standing on stage blubbering in sobs, and expecting disappointment or even anger because of her breakdown. Instead, she saw only pride. And in that moment, Callie had known, had really and truly known without a doubt, that her father loved her.

Now, Callie's voice cracked a bit as the song ended, despite her focus to stay on task, but Deduxia and Nekini were ready, lending the strength of their own voices as the final chorus was repeated a second time. She played a final chord, letting the harmony hang in the air for a moment, before Lusha faded the bright spotlight slowly into darkness as the last of the music and the illusionary dragon-shaped form likewise faded away..

Despite a few scattered claps, the crowd was nearly silent. No, that wasn't right. There were sounds, a lot of them, but they came in the form of sniffles or quiet crying, many faces tear-stained as hands wiped them dry. In the back, Juniper's head was buried in Lena's shoulder, body actually shuddering as she animatedly but silently sobbed. Lena had one arm around her in comfort, while she shrugged towards Vanis in confusion with the other, the Warlock looking on in worry, a glistening streak of wetness on one of his own cheeks. For a moment, Callie wondered if Juniper might actually know a dragon and that was why it resonated, or maybe the song had just been a reminder that her own friends would soon be leaving her.

Seeking out her emotional nemesis, Callie's eyes fell on Lady Ingris, who hadn't moved from her spot. She stared up at Callie, no longer with the steely glare that had practically scorched her earlier. That heat had faded, replaced by a furrowed brow, tight lips, and the stillness of someone locked, eyes unfocused, in a battle inside themselves.

Maybe cracks in a stone façade? Was Callie … getting through?

A spark flickered in Callie's chest. A smattering of hope, cautious and small, but very real. Maybe, just maybe, she could pull this off. For Lady Winafria. For everyone. With that spark, Callie's resolve sharpened.