Embers in the Dust

At breakfast, Rhokhishi sat in the crowded food hall with the rest of the party. Students filed in through the morning, hair messy, clothes disheveled, as they ordered their breakfast and waited for someone to bring them their egg, meats, and coffee. With a plate before her, she lazily picked at items with her fork and listened as the rest of the party planned their day.

“I have some spare space in my book, and I think being able to travel quickly would be helpful,” Leaf explained.

“Teleportation circles? Is that dangerous?” Lyla asked.

“Not if done correctly. If Darion has a few, I could write them down, and it would at least give us a chance. I know we have a decent amount of time before we have to go, but anything to lower the risk of attacks by beasts along the way would be helpful.”

“That’s the second good idea you’ve had since we’ve met,” Mr. Muffins joked sarcastically.

The party laughed, and Rhokhishi felt content in knowing the world’s stresses hadn’t become too much for them.

“What about you, Rhokhishi? Do you have any plans today?” Lyla asked her.

“Nothing, really. I’m still packed, and ready to leave whenever. It’s been such a long time since I left Luffari. I feel impatient, and anxious, but I know I’ll face Zarin soon.”

“You’re not alone, either,” Gisela added. “We’re all going to Avernus. We have different motivations but the same goal.”

“It would be cool to see these circles,” Lyla added.

“You’re more than welcome to join me. I don’t know if they have them etched somewhere, or if they’re just in a book, so it might be boring,” Leaf mentioned.

“Wanna join, Kiki?”

“Yeah!”

“I think the rest of us are going to the library today,” Myla stated, looking to the others to check their nonverbal responses. Mr. Muffins and Gisela nodded their heads, the former still sipping his coffee slowly.

Gathering their things and setting off on their day, Rhokhishi and Lyla followed Leaf back to Darion’s home. Once there, Leaf knocked on the door and stepped back. A minute later, the door opened. Inside a dark room, a tired looking Darion stepped out and placed a hand over his head to block the sunlight from his squinted eyes.

“Morning… What can I do for you?”

“Good morning, Darion. I wanted to stop by and ask about teleportation sigils.”

“What about them?”

“I don’t have any currently in my book. I was going to ask if I could copy a few down, if that’s okay?” Leaf asked.

“Yeah. Um… Give me a minute.”

Darion stepped back inside and closed the door. Rhokhishi leaned against the wall, and a few minutes later Darion came back out in fresh clothes with a steaming mug of some kind. Taking a sip, he pointed over to the dragon statues between the houses.

“They’re in there. We all have our own access point. Follow.”

He moved quickly, and through the stone. Rhokhishi watched as Leaf followed him, then Lyla, as they merged into the statue and disappeared. Taking a deep breath, she followed.

Beyond, Rhokhishi saw that they were in a new room, underground. The large chamber was circular, with a small hallway at the opposite end. She turned around to see the frame of a door, but it was blocked by stone. She placed her hand to it, and felt that it didn’t exist, but rather a portal between the frame that took them from one place to the other.

“This sigil here is the one for Berkton,” Darion explained as he gestured to the large circle of symbols on the floor. “It takes me just outside. It’s not really useful, because I can just walk out the way we came, but it’s more for presentation. The rest are back there.”

Darion led them down the hallway, which opened into a larger, rectangular room. Pointing to each, he explained.

“Moonbright is over there, Westford in the middle, and Miofell is over on the left here. As I learn new sigils, the room grows larger, and I place it where it’s needed.”

“Just these four?” Lyla asked.

“It’s the only ones I’ve needed so far. The other deans have many of the others, but as I’m the most recent, the area starts out small. I’m sure that in time the space will be quite large, and I’ll probably have to put a marker of some kind down to remind me of which one is which. Until then, I have these four.”

“Thank you, Darion,” Leaf stated.

“Are you planning on traveling a lot?”

“Not specifically, but it would be nice to have it as a resource.”

“Of course. The one for Moonbright will be particularly useful, since the tower is there.” Darion added.

Rhokhishi sat against the wall next to Lyla, and they watched Leaf and Darion go over the various aspects of the spell, as well as each sigil and the formulas involved. It wasn’t long before Rhokhishi’s eyes drooped, and she found herself staring at the wall for almost an hour. The sound of Leaf snapping his book shut brought her out of her daze.

“That seems like everything for now, Darion. I really appreciate the help you’ve given me.”

“Not at all, Leaf. I consider it a privilege to help the Archmage,” Darion answered while giving a cheesy smile.

“I should probably try to reach out to Alyk, too,” Leaf said to Rhokhishi and Lyla.

“You can do that now?” Lyla asked.

“I should be able to.”

Leaf flipped through his book again, stopping a few pages before the ones with new ink on them. Taking a moment to focus, he looked up and smiled. Quickly after, his face took to confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Rhokhishi asked.

“Alyk. Something about a flying city? He sounds pretty busy.”

“One problem at a time. We have to get there first. Let’s let the others know,” Lyla stated.

They passed through the door frame, where the portal let them out in front of the statues. Saying farewell, Rhokhishi traveled to the library with her friends.