Hounds Rising

In the afternoon, the gray clouds slightly poured, so Ana grabbed an umbrella and her satchel and walked out of the Archmage’s Tower. Ana didn’t know the area, so she followed Rhokhishi, Myla, and Lyla as they moved through the various homes and businesses, passing through Moonbright to the Ghostway district. After a bit of time, Lyla held her hand up, signaling to stop.

“I think this would be the best place! What do you think, Kiki?”

“Four corners, plenty of people, and open enough. Looks good to me,” Rhokhishi answered back, a smile forming on her face.

“Do you mind if we stay and watch first?” Myla turned to Ana.

“Of course! What, exactly, are we watching?”

“You’ll see!” Lyla answered. She and Rhokhishi gave their money pouches to Myla, who placed them on her belt, nodded, and then walked into the middle of the intersection.

Ana and Myla moved under a small awning before a shop window. The rain was lessening, but it didn’t look like the clouds would disperse any time soon. She was excited to see them fight against each other, especially after seeing them take on a dragon!

Do they have other skills and abilities?

After a few minutes, Lyla and Rhokhishi managed to move random tables and divert traffic enough to have a vast space in the middle of the intersection. Rhokhishi pulled out her warhammer and waited. Lyla stopped, spun around as if turning to an audience, and began to shout.

“Welcome, citizens of Moonbright! Today, we have a special show just for you! As members of Master Elysium’s Arcana Emporium, let us show you our strength, skill, and smoothness under pressure in a display of acrobatic fighting. Be warned, don’t do this at home unless you are professionals like us, and of course, enjoy the show!”

Lyla pulled a hat from her pouch and threw it out in front of her, where it landed upside down. She gestured to it, then turned to face Rhokhishi. Ana watched as the two of them walked a careful circle from each other, and then Rhokhishi screamed in a rage. Running forward, she brought her warhammer down, but Lyla carefully moved out of the way, dropping to the ground and tumbling between Rhokhishi’s legs.

Ana noticed that few people were watching at first, and two guards immediately made their way over. The few people watching moved out of the way of the guards, but Myla quickly moved over to them, standing in their way.

“It’s only a show, officers. We are part of the Arcana Emporium,” She told them, blocking them from her sister and Rhokhishi.

Ana watched as the crowd started to grow. Myla pulled a small business card from her belt and handed it to the one guard. They looked it over before handing it back to her, then nodded to the other guard.

“Just make sure it doesn’t get out of hand, or we’ll stop it immediately,” The second guard stated, his hand on the handle of his sword.

Ana realized how quickly they could maneuver as a team. The fact that they could act this way and get away with it so easily astounded her. She assumed that being a carnival troupe probably made it easier to do these things, too. Excitedly, thinking of how this could turn into another story to tell later, she turned her gaze back to the performance.

Ana saw as children stopped, and parents stood to watch the show as well. Circling again, Rhokhishi moved toward Lyla. While Ana was sure her attack would be dodged again, Rhokhishi managed to stop her attack midway, raised her foot, and kicked Lyla directly in the chest. Lyla’s body flew through the air, but she caught herself at the last moment, tumbling back up. Before Rhokhishi could strike again, Lyla had already returned to her.

Ana had seen street fights before but had never seen something like this. As Lyla’s strikes made contact with Rhokhishi’s armor, Rhokhishi acted as if it was more damaging than it was. Before it became too much, though, Rhokhishi raised her warhammer, which caused Lyla to have to dodge out of the way again.

Rhokhishi pulled three metal stones from a pouch. They glowed a bright blue color, and she threw them, one by one, while taking closer steps. The first missed Lyla, but the second struck her face, causing her chin to snap back. Ana thought the third would also make contact, but Lyla ducked slightly and let it run up her arm. Redirecting it up one arm, she let it roll across her shoulders and down her other arm. With a snapping sound, the metal ball flew back at Rhokhishi. Rhokhishi jumped mid-run, dodged the ball, and brought her warhammer down.

Ana could feel her heart stop, knowing the attack would be devastating and seriously harm Lyla. However, before she had the time to grasp her staff and try to help, a shimmer of purple and blue energy erupted around Lyla’s body like a barrier. Rhokhishi’s warhammer smashed into the energy as Lyla stood back up to her full height. The air gusted around her, pushing people back as the energy manifested into large draconic wings connected to her shoulder blades. They opened wide, throwing Rhokhishi back, and Lyla moved her wings, which lifted her off the ground.

The crowd started applauding, and people shouted out in excitement. Rhokhishi stood back up from her kneeling position and looked up at Lyla. Lyla made a few motions as if collecting herself. Then, the two raced towards each other again. Just as they would have inevitably run straight into each other, they both stopped. Lyla’s wings vanished, she landed on the ground, and Rhokhishi moved her weapon to her side. They shook hands, smiled, then raised their hands into the air.

“We thank you for watching our performance! We hope you enjoyed yourselves, and if time allows, we’ll do this again soon. Have a wonderful afternoon, everyone!” Lyla shouted out to the crowd.

Lyla and Rhokhishi bowed slightly, and the crowd erupted in applause. Ana was in awe, seeing the display. Over the next few minutes, Lyla and Rhokhishi accepted money for the performance, and then Myla handed them their things back. Soon after, Lyla and Rhokhishi waved goodbye, with Ana and Myla on to the next part of their day.

A few blocks away, the world looked normal. People weren’t talking about the show they had seen, they were selling and shopping at the various markets and shops. At first, they just walked around, gathering and paying for multiple things, but Myla broke the silence after half an hour.

“You said you’re from Calimshan, right?” Myla asked her.

“Yeah. Lived there my whole life, working at Weary Hearts Respite with my dad or at the vineyard with my mom. This is the farthest from home I’ve ever been.”

“That’s gotta feel weird, being so far from home?”

“Not really,” Ana answered. “I’ve met some really nice people along the way and haven’t felt alone. Sir Nibs has kept me company since the first week.”

Behind her hair, the squirrel poked its head out as it heard its name. Ana felt it shiver a little and then moved into her coat, finding a warm, dry pocket inside.

“Sir Nibs doesn’t like the rain a whole lot,” Ana smiled. She looked over at an apple, then set it down. “You said you wanted to practice Elvish?”

Myla took a moment, listening to Ana speaking in Elvish to her. After a moment, she answered back.

“Yes, if you don’t mind.”

“Did you travel a lot before the carnival?”

“Not much. Lyla and I grew up in one place but left when we were young. We split for a few years, then came back and joined the carnival.”

“Why did you split up? And why did you go to the carnival instead of home?”

Ana watched as Myla’s shoulders became rigid. She saw Myla’s eyes dart back and forth while answering questions as if watching for some threat to pop out from the corner. After a moment, Myla put her hands over her face for a second, as if wiping her expression off, then looked over and smiled.

“Sorry. I must be more rusty than I had thought. Thank you for the practice. I’ll need to study, it seems.”

“Of course,” Ana replied, feeling the concern fill her. “If you need more help, I’d gladly talk more.”

Myla nodded, and they walked back to the Archmage’s Tower in silence. Once inside, Myla thanked her again and went to her room. Ana stood in the main chamber for a bit, confused. Shrugging it off for now, she sat for a few minutes, just listening to the sounds from upstairs and on the first floor, where Leaf and Mr. Muffins were working in their rooms on their various projects. Not wanting to waste too much of her own time, she dived her hands into Leaf’s bag and thought of the dragon scales she wanted. She felt the scales’ weight like someone had laid them in her hands. Pulling them out, she held three sapphire dragon scales. Excited, she let the odd feelings of Myla go for now and went to her room to work.