Together they rode through the vast landscape and after a few hours reached the border of province Nihmskell, where there was a lot of activity. Julius led the group, but since they had chosen a route away from the usual southern trade routes, they were not stopped and were able to enter the province of the rude duke unmolested.
In the distance, the highlands of Mornet were already clearly visible. However, instead of turning west, where the capital Gueladann was located, the group of six crossed the border into Eglohigen after several more hours. The plan was to enter Mornet from the other side of the mountains before heading to the first place Julius had selected.
"We'll take a break here and leave at daybreak. Get some rest", Julius announced after they had traveled a good distance into the province where Cale's parents were currently hiding. However, since they were west of the capital and the couple had set up their hideout at the southeastern tip, it was unlikely that Cale would encounter them. Nevertheless, this did not prevent Cale from remaining seated on his horse for a few moments, staring down at the sea before his eyes. "Zod, you too."
Surprised, Cale flinched and turned his attention to the leader of the group, who was in the process of tying his horse to a tree. One of the other soldiers was already giving the animals some water, while the rest set up camp. They had moved away from the road into the forest so that passers-by would not accidentally come across them.
With an elegant turn, Cale jumped down from his dark steed and stroked its neck as he tied it to the nearest tree at a slight distance before beginning to remove the saddle. One of the soldiers also gave Cale's horse something to drink, so Cale politely thanked the man and walked away with a few pats on the animal's back. Two soldiers had already gone to sleep, while another was still outside drinking, his gaze meeting Cale's. Cale nodded politely to the stranger before distancing himself from the men and following Julius - who had gone a little way up the hill, presumably to get an overview of the area. Cale spotted him fairly quickly and stepped out from under the tree canopy.
"We've come a long way", Cale said quietly, joining the man who had been in command the whole time and always made sure they didn't get lost.
"Indeed, yes. I'd be interested to know what Loys discussed with the duke."
"Me too", Cale replied simply, dropping onto the flat meadow.
It was the middle of the night, and the only source of light they had was the sky. The moon, accompanied by dozens of stars, illuminated the world and radiated a peace that Cale enjoyed. He thought of Fengari, who spent the night at the Duke of Freigoud's estate and would be spending the next few days with Ben. In between, she had contacted him once with the indignant statement of how a family of three could own such a large house. As he remembered this comment, an amused clearing of his throat escaped him, which Julius heard.
"What's so amusing?"
"Oh, nothing, I'm just thinking about Ahri."
"Are you worried about your daughter?"
"She's doing fine without me. It's just that I saw Ahri for the first time when the sky looked just like it does now", Cale explained, pointing to the clear sky. "But it was a lot colder."
"A child of the night, I see", Julius murmured, turning away from Cale, who crossed his arms behind his head and gazed at the stars.
"Have you thought about how we should proceed?" Cale finally asked.
"Yes", the quiet man announced, sitting down next to Cale on the meadow.
"First, we'll visit Tera, Mirok, and Odess - in groups of two. If we don't find anything here, we'll head to Idrean and Palien. If we don't find any useful information in four days..."
"...then I'll start my search alone."
"Are you sure you can find the place?"
"Yes."
"And how?"
"Trade secret", replied Cale, closing his eyes. He secretly hoped that he wouldn't have to resort to that, as he would inevitably be forced to fly across the entire country like a madman. Since he hadn't noticed anything unusual during his previous travels with Fengari, he was forced to follow every little clue.
"I'm not a stranger, Zod. Don't you think you can explain to me what you're up to? I know Loys trusts you enough, but I don't want to let you go alone."
Cale sighed and turned to Julius, who was sitting upright next to him.
"It's hard to explain without showing it", Cale began, and Julius turned to him. " And I'd rather not do that here. Can it wait until we're back in Bellator?"
"You're on your own..."
"Who could possibly be a threat to me? I'm the swordmaster of Karekama for a reason", Cale countered mockingly, clearly seeing that Julius was really thinking deeply about the subject. "I'm really hard to kill, believe me. "
"Are there many people who want to kill you?"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"There always are. With or without Karekama", Cale explained with a gentle smile. "I've been in more than one life-threatening situation in my life, Julius. To be perfectly honest, I'm a lot stronger than I've shown you so far. So you don't have to worry that I might lose a possible fight."
"We both know that doesn't mean anything", Julius said irritably. "And besides, I'd prefer it if you didn't get involved in a fight. I don't even want to imagine what could happen if Mornet finds out."
"I don't intend to", Cale assured him. "I'm just a scout, nothing more."
Julius stared at him skeptically for a few moments before turning away. Cale interpreted this reaction to mean that Julius was not happy with the decision, but would allow it.
"Sometimes I don't know whether I should be glad that you're on our side - or whether I should be afraid of you for that very reason."
"Am I that scary?", Cale asked, amused.
"Zod", Julius began in a serious voice, causing Cale to fall silent immediately. "Can you answer me one question honestly?"
"Depends on the question."
"Have you...", he began slowly, pausing for a moment and swallowing as if he were getting nervous. "Have you ever fought a dragon?"
"Fought a dragon? You mean - all by myself?"
"Or with a group..."
"No", Cale replied almost simultaneously with Julius' statement.
He had never faced a dragon in a duel, and his first encounter with the Dragon Queen could hardly be called that. She had wiped out his entire group in a matter of moments. The images kept coming back, like nightmares that refused to go away: the screams, the flashes of fire, the feeling of powerlessness. Every time Cale thought about it, he felt the coldness in his limbs, the fear that enveloped him like a leaden cloak.
This wasn't a fight, it was pest control.
"But you really did encounter one, if I understand correctly."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you run away? Didn't you see him coming?"
"When a dragon is really chasing you, you can't get away anyway", Cale replied mockingly, leaning back. Relaxed and with his legs stretched out, Cale crouched on the floor, his hands behind him for support, so that his upper body was slightly tilted back. "Are you interested in dragons?"
"I think everything that is big and powerful is somehow attractive. Especially if it's something you should never confront under any circumstances."
"They are dangerous, I can't deny that", Cale began calmly, choosing his words carefully. "But if you ever find yourself in such a situation, speak to them respectfully. They don't kill without reason. Anything else is a misconception - a fairy tale, retold as often as there are grains of sand on the beach."
"I have no intention of ever approaching them", Julius countered quietly as he processed the statement. "Wait... I'm supposed to talk to them?"
"Dragons are intelligent beings, Julius...", Cale explained, realizing he had overlooked something important. Since he had met the Dragon Queen himself back then, he had never questioned how she was even able to speak to him. After all, there is no other creature that can communicate with them the way dragons do. "They speak the common tongue."
"That's... crazy."
"Just remember my words, okay?", Cale reminded him as Julius disappeared into his thoughts. For a few moments, he received no answer as Julius regained his composure.
"What... happened?"
"During my first encounter with a dragon?", Cale asked for clarification, and Julius nodded. "I was traveling in the mountains of Sylve when I encountered her. She was about 4 meters tall and with a wingspan twice that size, she made the whole ground vibrate. Her body was covered with dark blue scales that seemed to greedily devour the light of the night, and elegant, curved horns grew from her head, looking like a work of art from ancient times. If I had my book with me, I would simply draw her for you."
"Weren't you... afraid?"
"You bet I was. Rarely anything has ever frightened me as much as that encounter with her."
"What were you talking about?"
"About the gods, strange as that may sound", Cale replied honestly. "I must admit, I was extremely lucky. If I hadn't met her, our conversation would hardly have been so... peaceful. She was one of the youngest of the siblings and was therefore quite curious and harmless, if I may say so."
"That sounds so... wrong coming from you", Julius said thoughtfully. "Siblings?"
"All dragons are related to each other, as I understand it. They're like one big family."
"Seriously?"
"It's complicated. I have to admit, there are some things I don't understand myself."
"Do you know how many dragons there are?"
"How many?", Cale repeated, thinking for a moment. "I don't know the exact number, but there aren't as many as you might think. One hundred, maybe, if at all."
"Would you recognize her?"
"Of course", Cale replied immediately. "You can't mistake her, believe me. She's the fastest of the dragons and also pretty much the only one who approaches humans."
"If she's so open towards us humans... then I'd like to meet her."
"You're crazy", Cale countered, dropping onto the grass.
He knew Julius was curious, which was why he had told him so much about Fengari. But at the moment, Cale didn't think it was a good idea to reveal that he was in constant contact with the dragons. So he didn't offer to introduce Julius to Fengari. Although Cale imagined that a meeting between them would be very funny.
It would certainly be a while before he ever introduced the dragons. In that respect, it was definitely an advantage to have a man by his side who didn't think he was tired of life.
"Says the guy who talked to a dragon as if they were old friends", Julius commented, somewhat miffed, but Cale knew he wasn't offended.
"Does that answer your question?", Cale replied, turning his head toward Julius.
The man was crouching right next to him on the grass, propping his chin up with one hand, which reminded Cale for a brief moment of the evening at the lake. The evening when Julius had questioned his position in the royal house and Cale had an unexpectedly honest conversation with him.
He resembled Aaron in many ways. An ever-attentive and cautious man, for whom the security of the country was very high on his list of priorities. A man who went his own way and yet always looked out for his friends.
"Yes, I am perfectly happy."
"Then how about you get some sleep and leave the guard duty to me."
"Didn't you say you didn't sleep a wink last night?"
"I'm used to not getting much sleep. Have you been to Tsuke?"
"We're not going to start that. I need you in top form, Zod. Get some sleep."
"If you say so...", Cale replied, turning his back to Julius. "Wake me if anything happens. Don't be shy."
"I will", replied Julius politely, remaining quietly at his post, from where he could look down on the camp and had a rough overview of the forest.
Cale, on the other hand, snuggled into his arm and closed his eyes, his thoughts lingering on Fengari. Several times during the conversation, he had considered telling Julius outright that dragons were not the enemies of humans, but he didn't know the man well enough for that. Perhaps he could broach the subject subtly, but Cale didn't want to jeopardize his newly gained position after only a few hours. Instead, he swallowed his growing concern and tried to promote fascination with dragons through his description.
Who knows? Maybe Julius would eventually lose his fear and talk to Cale about dragons again. If Fengari ever had to reveal their identity, wouldn't Julius be one of the people who would protect them? If he couldn't get William to make the royal house trust Fengari, then perhaps he could try through Ben and Julius? Even if this was still a long way off, Cale could at least indirectly try to foster their relationship with each other.
How could anyone hate someone they had known and appreciated for dozens of years?