Kenneth described Bridgett’s selfless mission to distract the guards so the rest of them could get inside the volcano unseen. There were undertones of guilt in his voice as he explained how she had been captured. He waved his arms in the air as he described the timely arrival of Stargon, Ero and the other eagles. Hatred could be heard in his tone when he told Greyback how Thom had crushed the crystal key that was used to unlock the cages and they thought all hope was lost. Kenneth’s tale faltered as he tried to explain how Osric had made his first wand. It was clear that he still did not really understand what Osric had done. Osric was pulled from his thoughts by Kenneth shaking his shoulder. “Os, you will have to take it from here. I have no idea what you did or how you did it.”
“Honestly, I don’t really know how to explain it. It was Gus’ idea. He thought that maybe I could draw the strands from a source other than Archana, and sort of unravel the spell. I used the concept to draw magic from the gifts of our friends and make a wand, to see if it was even possible. I guess it has never been done before, but it worked,” Osric said with a shrug.
“You unraveled a spell? I didn’t think that was possible. Especially not one as complex as the vile barrier that confined my kin!” Greyback sounded like she was in awe, and more than a little frightened, of the power that Osric must wield to have accomplished such a feat.
“I guess I did. I really don’t know how it worked. I just wanted to free your elders.” Osric glanced up at the sky and rose to his feet. “We should probably be heading back to Stanton now.” They gathered what little supplies they needed and rigged the flying gear on Greyback.
Soon Osric found himself with wind blowing through his hair and Archana stretching far below. It was a beautiful sight with snow blanketing the trees and fields and glistening streams trying to wear away at the thin coat of ice. He felt lucky to be flying back to Stanton and seeing the horizon from such a height. Traveling by spoken spell had its advantages, but the view and time spent in peaceful reflection on dragonback is something he appreciated more than ever before. Hundreds of strides above the world, he felt things slow down for the first time in what seemed like forever, but he knew it would not last.
Osric was thoroughly enjoying the flight when the city of Stanton appeared on the horizon. Though he had rarely seen it from the air, his hometown was easily recognizable. Their journey had only taken them away for a short time, but the city looked smaller than he remembered. The last few rays of sunlight turned the snow on the rooftops to gold and shadows stretched toward them as they approached the edge of town. Greyback circled above the dragon platform, and they could see men unloading supplies from the backs of several dragons. One small dragon, on the far side of the platform, cried out as they approached. It looked as though she would leap into the air to greet them.
Osric spoke quickly, “Greyback, tell the dragons that they must not acknowledge that they know who I am. If they make a scene, it could get me killed. No one must know that I released the dragons from their imprisonment until we find out who was behind it!” Instantly, they could see the dragon calm. Greyback swooped away from the platform, passing time until there was room for her to land. The city sprawled out below them and Osric took a deep steadying breath. He was relieved to be home, but things had changed since he was last there. He had changed. For a moment, he wished everything could just go back to the way it was before the attack on the Ratification Ceremony. Life was simple before he had been promoted to Contege of the Stanton Vigiles. He had been happy with his quiet life patrolling the city, never wondering if there was more to himself than his Portentist gift and his swordsmanship, and not having to think about the politics and potential repercussions of war and conspiracy.
Greyback glided slowly through the air above the palace grounds. Osric trembled with anger at seeing the sight where all of the trouble