Dark Crow Rising

"We're very sorry about this, Cakesmith Liadanann. If there's anything we can do, please. Tell us," the woman the Academy sent to look after me says. I look at the snacks and drink she brought without request and offer a weak smile.

"Don't worry about it, I understand we're all under a lot of stress right now..." I almost mutter, smiling innocently at the lingering image in my head. Not just three of the kind of warships I've spent so much of my adult life on. The very one my family occupies. I saw them, my family was somewhere in those frozen screens.

And... Iderim-Ovi, bless me and my soul. It was him, that ddrai'och man I found in that mountain complex. It was our saviour, God's champion in the days of war between mankind and the ddrai'och. Yet, oddly enough, I can't help but shake off that strange sensation I had when I saw him in person. There's something else to this that I can't quite put my finger on.

"Very well, let us know if you need anything," the woman says out of nowhere, and I flinch at the fact she's still here. Well, was, the door shuts. Getting up, I trail the route she took and move close to the beautifully carved wood. I can hear them now even, talking about my kind with such excitement.

I would've thought this discovery would have made me undesirable in comparison. As well, it would only take them one meeting to establish something cordial. They could learn from so many and my resistance will be my way to utter forgetfulness. It makes me smile, really, not because I would have peace from the Academy's insistence on things, but...

I know, I know for sure, that I am not alone in this world. Nothing bad happened to my family and old friends from before. All those nights where I was wondering if I would ever see my kind again. That desperation I felt when we discovered all that loot in that mountain.

Though my chest is heavy for entirely different reasons, having this weight lifted from it and my life as a whole... It makes me feel so serene right now. I can go home and while I will still treat the items with the utmost care, they're no longer irreplaceable. Speaking of, actually, what is my home these days?

My shop or the airship my family is on?

While I still have a life here, it's not what it once was. My dearest friends moved away some time ago and now all I have is the cold joy of smiling at my happy customers. And with how this whole giant crisis started I... Shaking my head, I go back to the chairs and sit down.

Leaning forward to pick something to eat, I linger a little too long, listening to the noise outside. It's suddenly noisier than usual and there's a feeling in the air. Shivering in remembrance, I find myself on my feet again. Nin?

Moving but a step, I stop again, and his roar screams back through my head. My eyes widen and my body goes timid at the memory. Fighting back against the downward curve of my lips, they straighten out. Only wobbling slightly.

Taking in a deep breath and letting my passions direct me, I march out of the room and head outside. Ignoring the staff calling out to me, I go out into the open and rear back at the scale. Soldiers and airships are coming in from all over the city. People are in everything but chains and yet they're acting like they are weighed by them.

At the front of the crowd is him, Nin. So many don't want to be near him or to overtake him. All I have to do is rush out there and demand an explanation. I can force him into a quiet corner and we can talk...

I shake my head and look back towards the staff members as they come out to meet me.

"Is something wrong, do you not feel well? Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding is proud to admit its medical facilities can still operate even with Thrurstradtur..." she starts to say and I interrupt her with a raised hand.

"I'm sorry, I need to know. Why are all these people here? None of them are students." I ask, looking them all in the eye at every chance I have and only the one who's been serving me steps up.

"Grandguard Inerish has called upon the might of all free witches and other volunteers to gather..." she explains, turning to the shadow of the immense giant as its body bobs to another running step. She doesn't need to finish for me to know. My hand clutches my amulet close and I...

My heart aches, and my body grows cold. Shaking my head, I shift into nodding and turn to the crowd. Walking towards it slowly, I build up the courage to do what I can. Not for the people of this country, but for him. Whatever happens, I need Nin to know if he somehow doesn't.

"Cakesmith Liadanann!" the woman calls, and I ignore her. Minding the guards at the edge of the road, I surprise the few Suhurlodst faculty members up here. Many others look my way too, and I slip into Nin's shadow. At the first chance to pause without someone trailing behind us, we do so.

Gulping what feels like a rock down, I stare into those lenses of his and shiver uncontrollably. My amulet glows brightly, like it normally does so when I am prepared to call upon its power. Nin continues to wait. Or maybe think.

"I'm coming, too." I explain, letting the amulet glow even brighter so that he knows to beware its power. He will not stop me, he will only be convinced.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Liadanann?" he asks and I nod as the edges of my eyes start to sting. I move a finger to wipe the tears away, but he beats me to it. His finger strokes are slow and leave me with an uncertain fuzziness. The soaked finger lingers up in our eyesight.

"I-" I try to say, his voice cracking apart my focus.

"Do not do this. Not for someone like me," he says, of all things.

"I am. Please... Let me help you." I tell him and his head starts to shake for any number of reasons. He turns away, and I am left reaching out for him. He's too far and now I cannot see him... I lost him to the crowd. My amulet's chain sings and I march ahead after the sensation of his presence. Magic like his cannot hide easily.