Mel’s last few days in Windbrook were spent in her father’s forge, singing and making iron nails for the big commission. Her father smiling silently and Mel hammering away at the metal. This was how she wanted to remember her hometown. This was how she wanted to remember her childhood.
Everything would be different once Mel left Windbrook. She had always known this. It would be her official mark of growing up and becoming an adult. Mel had just always thought she would leave under the cover of darkness without her parents’ permission. Not with pompous escorts and a goodbye ritual in the chapel.
Minnie had told Mel the dragons had looked inside her heart and listened to her most inner desire. Somehow knowing before Minnie could even string together the sentence herself what her destiny should be. Mel thought that was funny now. Cause the dragons had looked inside her heart as well, at least partly.
Her destiny was not in Windbrook. It was out there, beyond the mountains. She had always wanted to travel to Aldrion and study at Falden, things that were now possible because of the dragons. When she had been a young girl, all her dreams had revolved around smithing the great magical weapons at the dragon forge and now she was going to become a mage smith.
Her world had opened up before her like a precious flower and Mel felt herself floating along the edges of a petal, just waiting to reach the center. Her own ancestor had shown to have been a mage smith and her father had opened up to her about a past that he had thought better left alone until now. Mel truly felt grateful to the dragons today for giving her all of these blessings. Along with a singing magical dagger.
She still felt fear blossoming from her stomach every time she thought about Ben Ramsen or the true statement of her destiny. The part where she was supposed to bring back the dragons. She knew that was a deadly mission, but Mel had also realized she had a long way to go before that part of her destiny came into play. For Ben, he had been tasked with traveling to the wastelands right away. But for Mel, it was different. It could be years before she ever made it out of Aldrion. Before she ever saw real danger.
She wanted to be grateful for the years of training ahead of her. Of magic and wonders in the great city beyond the mountains. Everyone was going to die eventually, and Mel couldn’t possibly know when her time would be up. She guessed only the dragons truly knew how long someone had left.
Mel’s mother came into her bedroom, looking at Mel standing in front of her mirror. A warm smile spread across her mother’s lips and she tilted her head slightly. Mel stood before the mirror in her travel attire with her long, blood red cloak draped over her shoulders. She looked like a crossing between a priest and a vagabond. A combination Mel found herself surprisingly content with.
Mel looked down at her mother’s hands. They were clutching a piece of black cloth between them. Her mother seemed to remember why she had entered Mel’s room and dropped her gaze down to her own hands.
“I wanted to give you this before the ritual,” her mother said.
She stretched out her hand, and Mel grabbed the piece of cloth from her mother. She turned it over in her hands and saw her name, Melissa, embroidered in silver thread.
“I made it for our new permanent seats in the chapel,” her mother continued. “I made one for each member of our family. But I guess you won’t need yours now that you’re leaving. But I wanted you to have it. I made it for you.”
Mel looked up and met her mother’s gaze. There were tears in her eyes, and Mel swallowed a lump in her throat. Her mother wasn’t usually like this, emotional and tongue-tied.
“Thank you,” Mel said.
“I always knew you were meant for greatness, my love,” her mother said. “I just never thought your destiny would lead you across the world. But you must go beyond the mountains, for all of our sakes. To find your way to the dragons and bring them back home.”
A tear fell down her mother’s cheek, and she immediately blushed with embarrassment.
“It’s okay, mom,” Mel said, closing the distance between them. “I’ll come back.”
Mel wrapped her arms around her mother and welcomed her into her embrace. It was an unusual feeling for Mel, being the one to tell her parents it was going to be okay. She felt like their roles should be the opposite, but guessed this was what it was like to grow up. You took care of your parents, not the other way around.
#
Candles stood all around the small chapel, and the main room was filled with everyone in Windbrook. Mel took her seat up at the first bench, next to Samantha Alcon. Samantha gave her a warm smile when Mel sat down next to her.
Mel still felt like she didn’t belong up here among the important people, like she should be hidden in the back with Dorian West and the other lowlifes. She looked back over her shoulder and spotted her family sitting only two rows down. Third row in total was a fine placement for a blacksmith’s family, one they couldn’t have wished for before Mel’s destiny had been revealed.
Her mother and father sat with their hands clasped in their laps and looked up at the statue of the dragon hanging over the altar. Andrew’s eyes rested on a row in front of them, on Minnie and her family. His eyelids flickered, and he caught Mel’s gaze, like he had felt her watching him. Mel gave him a smile and Andrew glowered at her.
Mel turned back in her seat and watched High Priest Alcon take his place in front of the altar. He cleared his throat, and the crowd grew quiet.
“Today we say goodbye to one of our own,” Alcon said. “It is not a permanent goodbye. The dragons have assured me of that. But it is goodbye for now. Until Melissa returns with the dragons, we shall not see our daughter. The dragons have put their faith in her and we shall honor their choice. Melissa will be escorted all the way to Stonehearth by our guards and we shall thank them today for their service. I know Melissa’s parents and our brave soldiers' parents are scared of their journey, but the dragons have assured me they will not be harmed.”
High Priest Alcon extended his hand toward Mel and waved for her to join him up by the altar. Mel stood up from her seat, letting her cloak float along her back as she walked to stand next to him. He took her hand in his and together they faced the audience.
“To send our blessings with our dear Melissa,” High Priest Alcon continued. “We’ll perform the ritual of the flame. I have invited Elennian Mali to join us in the chapel today and with his fire, we shall light the candles and sacrifice our souls to join Melissa in her pursuits beyond the mountains.”
Elennian stood up from the last row in the back of the room. He walked down the red carpeted aisle in his long blue cloak. Together, he and Mel were opposites in colors. He was cool as ice and she was hot as fire. Elennian let his hood fall back against his shoulders and his scared face was revealed to the crowd. He brought the hammer around his cloak, showing it gleaming in a strange red pattern.
Mel’s eyes were fixed on the weapon, her breath getting caught in her lungs. She was standing so close to him now she could almost reach out and touch his hammer. Even though she had a magical weapon of her own now, she wanted to touch his hammer more than anything. She thought it had something to do with the glow, with the fierce red flowing out from the metal.
Elennian turned to face the crowd, his hammer held tight between both his hands. He stopped there, looking around the room at the unlit candles standing in the corners and hanging from the ceiling. A quiet, expectant air filled the room and in this total silence, Mel heard something.
It was a note, ringing true in her ears. One of passion and fierce determination. She thought it was the hammer that rang for a second before High Priest Alcon spoke again.
“From fire we were born and to fire we shall return,” Alcon said, his hands raised up to the ceiling.
He gave Elennian a small nod, and Elennian took a step back. He lifted his hammer up toward the sky and took in a deep breath. Then his eyes widened, seeming to take in the entire room with his gaze. He lunged forward with the hammer and a burst of fire shot out through the room, catching the wick of the candle furthest away from him. The candle caught fire and then rapidly Elennian swung his hammer toward the next candle.
Each of them was lit with a masterly precision, and Mel wondered how hard it was for Elennian to control the fire within his weapon like this.
When only one candle remained unlit, Elennian lowered his hammer and walked down the aisle, back toward the entrance. He made it halfway across the room before he stopped and turned back toward the altar. Mel and High Priest Alcon stepped away from the altar to each side, making sure the path was clear between Elennian and the large red candle standing on top of the white cloth thrown over the altar.
Mel sucked in a deep breath, and she saw Elennian doing the same. He leaned back, seeming to gather up momentum for the big finale. Then he threw himself into action and, with his hammer, he danced down the aisle. Throwing flames all around him in a marvelous light show. The flames never traveled further than an inch or two away from the hammer, and Elennian was careful not to get caught in them himself.
His motion ended in a two handed grip along the hilt and a release of his breath toward the candle. A flame shot out from the glowing metal and the wick caught fire. A piece of flame fell behind the candle and dropped toward the white cloth.
Mel threw her hand out toward the altar, but caught High Priest Alcon’s gaze. He shook his head. Mel regarded him with a confused look on her face, and then she saw the flame flicker out when it reached the white cloth. A smile spread across Mel’s lips.
She had never been this close to the altar before during a fire ritual, but now that she was, she realized High Priest Alcon had doused the entire altar in water.
Smart move.
Elennian had great precision, but it was only logical to take some precautions in case one of his flames missed.
The entire crowd broke out in applauds and everyone seemed in awe of Elennian’s skills. Elennian bowed curtly before taking his seat at the back of the chapel again.
High Priest Alcon took up his small silver knife laying on the white cloth on top of the altar. He walked over to Mel and held the dagger up to her face.
Mel gave him a smile and nodded.
Alcon took a strand of her hair and cut off a finger’s length. He walked up to the flame burning over the red candle and stuck her hair into the fire.
“We give away a part of our souls today in honor of your decision,” Alcon said. “We ask of you to watch over Melissa on her road to fulfilling her destiny. We ask of you to grant all of our children a safe passage to Stonehearth and beyond. We ask for your blessing and protection.”
The smell of burning hair spread across the room and Mel sent a prayer up to the sky. She watched the silver statue of the dragon who had given them his flame. She let herself be filled with love and belief, asking the dragons to watch over her and give her a long life in Aldrion.
She asked them to find someone else and task them with finding the dragons and in her heart; she felt a voice stirring. Telling her that if she became a worthy mage smith, then maybe she could escape her destiny.
Mel’s lips curled into a wide smile as she watched the townspeople, one after one, cutting off a strand of their hair and burning it in the red candle.
The dragons had spoken to her. She was sure of it. This voice coming from inside of her must have been the dragons. They had told her she could escape her destiny if she became a worthy mage smith. Finally, she had found a way out from the dragon cult. Now she only needed to survive for long enough to make this promise come true and the dragons would release her.
After the ritual was over, Mel made her way outside the chapel and took in a deep breath of fresh air. The smell of burning hair had been overwhelming up by the altar and toward the end she had almost felt lightheaded from the fumes.
Marcus walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
Mel looked up at him and then down at her own hands. He was right. They were trembling. Mel took in another deep breath and released it with a cleansing exhale.
“It’s just the fumes,” Mel said.
Marcus gave her a pointed look, and Mel swallowed her pride.
“And maybe I’m a bit scared about the trip to Aldrion, too,” Mel added.
She gave Marcus a hesitant smile, feeling embarrassed for being so easy to read.
“Don’t be,” Marcus said. “I’ll protect you.”
“What?” Mel said.
Marcus smiled at her, releasing her shoulder. “I talked to High Priest Alcon and Mr. Wickett. They’re letting me come with you as an escort. I will travel all the way to Aldrion with you, longer than the other guards. There, I can protect you and make sure you find the dragons.”
“I’m not sure I’ll find the dragons,” Mel said. “For now, I think I’ll just focus on attending Falden. Like the direction High Priest Alcon gave me.”
“Yeah, for starters,” Marcus said. “But I mean, I cleared it with the leaders. I’ll follow you to the end of the world, Mel. After you’re done at Falden. I’ll follow you to the wastelands and beyond. Protecting you is my destiny now.”
Mel’s last few days in Windbrook were spent in her father’s forge, singing and making iron nails for the big commission. Her father smiling silently and Mel hammering away at the metal. This was how she wanted to remember her hometown. This was how she wanted to remember her childhood.
Everything would be different once Mel left Windbrook. She had always known this. It would be her official mark of growing up and becoming an adult. Mel had just always thought she would leave under the cover of darkness without her parents’ permission. Not with pompous escorts and a goodbye ritual in the chapel.
Minnie had told Mel the dragons had looked inside her heart and listened to her most inner desire. Somehow knowing before Minnie could even string together the sentence herself what her destiny should be. Mel thought that was funny now. Cause the dragons had looked inside her heart as well, at least partly.
Her destiny was not in Windbrook. It was out there, beyond the mountains. She had always wanted to travel to Aldrion and study at Falden, things that were now possible because of the dragons. When she had been a young girl, all her dreams had revolved around smithing the great magical weapons at the dragon forge and now she was going to become a mage smith.
Her world had opened up before her like a precious flower and Mel felt herself floating along the edges of a petal, just waiting to reach the center. Her own ancestor had shown to have been a mage smith and her father had opened up to her about a past that he had thought better left alone until now. Mel truly felt grateful to the dragons today for giving her all of these blessings. Along with a singing magical dagger.
She still felt fear blossoming from her stomach every time she thought about Ben Ramsen or the true statement of her destiny. The part where she was supposed to bring back the dragons. She knew that was a deadly mission, but Mel had also realized she had a long way to go before that part of her destiny came into play. For Ben, he had been tasked with traveling to the wastelands right away. But for Mel, it was different. It could be years before she ever made it out of Aldrion. Before she ever saw real danger.
She wanted to be grateful for the years of training ahead of her. Of magic and wonders in the great city beyond the mountains. Everyone was going to die eventually, and Mel couldn’t possibly know when her time would be up. She guessed only the dragons truly knew how long someone had left.
Mel’s mother came into her bedroom, looking at Mel standing in front of her mirror. A warm smile spread across her mother’s lips and she tilted her head slightly. Mel stood before the mirror in her travel attire with her long, blood red cloak draped over her shoulders. She looked like a crossing between a priest and a vagabond. A combination Mel found herself surprisingly content with.
Mel looked down at her mother’s hands. They were clutching a piece of black cloth between them. Her mother seemed to remember why she had entered Mel’s room and dropped her gaze down to her own hands.
“I wanted to give you this before the ritual,” her mother said.
She stretched out her hand, and Mel grabbed the piece of cloth from her mother. She turned it over in her hands and saw her name, Melissa, embroidered in silver thread.
“I made it for our new permanent seats in the chapel,” her mother continued. “I made one for each member of our family. But I guess you won’t need yours now that you’re leaving. But I wanted you to have it. I made it for you.”
Mel looked up and met her mother’s gaze. There were tears in her eyes, and Mel swallowed a lump in her throat. Her mother wasn’t usually like this, emotional and tongue-tied.
“Thank you,” Mel said.
“I always knew you were meant for greatness, my love,” her mother said. “I just never thought your destiny would lead you across the world. But you must go beyond the mountains, for all of our sakes. To find your way to the dragons and bring them back home.”
A tear fell down her mother’s cheek, and she immediately blushed with embarrassment.
“It’s okay, mom,” Mel said, closing the distance between them. “I’ll come back.”
Mel wrapped her arms around her mother and welcomed her into her embrace. It was an unusual feeling for Mel, being the one to tell her parents it was going to be okay. She felt like their roles should be the opposite, but guessed this was what it was like to grow up. You took care of your parents, not the other way around.
#
Candles stood all around the small chapel, and the main room was filled with everyone in Windbrook. Mel took her seat up at the first bench, next to Samantha Alcon. Samantha gave her a warm smile when Mel sat down next to her.
Mel still felt like she didn’t belong up here among the important people, like she should be hidden in the back with Dorian West and the other lowlifes. She looked back over her shoulder and spotted her family sitting only two rows down. Third row in total was a fine placement for a blacksmith’s family, one they couldn’t have wished for before Mel’s destiny had been revealed.
Her mother and father sat with their hands clasped in their laps and looked up at the statue of the dragon hanging over the altar. Andrew’s eyes rested on a row in front of them, on Minnie and her family. His eyelids flickered, and he caught Mel’s gaze, like he had felt her watching him. Mel gave him a smile and Andrew glowered at her.
Mel turned back in her seat and watched High Priest Alcon take his place in front of the altar. He cleared his throat, and the crowd grew quiet.
“Today we say goodbye to one of our own,” Alcon said. “It is not a permanent goodbye. The dragons have assured me of that. But it is goodbye for now. Until Melissa returns with the dragons, we shall not see our daughter. The dragons have put their faith in her and we shall honor their choice. Melissa will be escorted all the way to Stonehearth by our guards and we shall thank them today for their service. I know Melissa’s parents and our brave soldiers' parents are scared of their journey, but the dragons have assured me they will not be harmed.”
High Priest Alcon extended his hand toward Mel and waved for her to join him up by the altar. Mel stood up from her seat, letting her cloak float along her back as she walked to stand next to him. He took her hand in his and together they faced the audience.
“To send our blessings with our dear Melissa,” High Priest Alcon continued. “We’ll perform the ritual of the flame. I have invited Elennian Mali to join us in the chapel today and with his fire, we shall light the candles and sacrifice our souls to join Melissa in her pursuits beyond the mountains.”
Elennian stood up from the last row in the back of the room. He walked down the red carpeted aisle in his long blue cloak. Together, he and Mel were opposites in colors. He was cool as ice and she was hot as fire. Elennian let his hood fall back against his shoulders and his scared face was revealed to the crowd. He brought the hammer around his cloak, showing it gleaming in a strange red pattern.
Mel’s eyes were fixed on the weapon, her breath getting caught in her lungs. She was standing so close to him now she could almost reach out and touch his hammer. Even though she had a magical weapon of her own now, she wanted to touch his hammer more than anything. She thought it had something to do with the glow, with the fierce red flowing out from the metal.
Elennian turned to face the crowd, his hammer held tight between both his hands. He stopped there, looking around the room at the unlit candles standing in the corners and hanging from the ceiling. A quiet, expectant air filled the room and in this total silence, Mel heard something.
It was a note, ringing true in her ears. One of passion and fierce determination. She thought it was the hammer that rang for a second before High Priest Alcon spoke again.
“From fire we were born and to fire we shall return,” Alcon said, his hands raised up to the ceiling.
He gave Elennian a small nod, and Elennian took a step back. He lifted his hammer up toward the sky and took in a deep breath. Then his eyes widened, seeming to take in the entire room with his gaze. He lunged forward with the hammer and a burst of fire shot out through the room, catching the wick of the candle furthest away from him. The candle caught fire and then rapidly Elennian swung his hammer toward the next candle.
Each of them was lit with a masterly precision, and Mel wondered how hard it was for Elennian to control the fire within his weapon like this.
When only one candle remained unlit, Elennian lowered his hammer and walked down the aisle, back toward the entrance. He made it halfway across the room before he stopped and turned back toward the altar. Mel and High Priest Alcon stepped away from the altar to each side, making sure the path was clear between Elennian and the large red candle standing on top of the white cloth thrown over the altar.
Mel sucked in a deep breath, and she saw Elennian doing the same. He leaned back, seeming to gather up momentum for the big finale. Then he threw himself into action and, with his hammer, he danced down the aisle. Throwing flames all around him in a marvelous light show. The flames never traveled further than an inch or two away from the hammer, and Elennian was careful not to get caught in them himself.
His motion ended in a two handed grip along the hilt and a release of his breath toward the candle. A flame shot out from the glowing metal and the wick caught fire. A piece of flame fell behind the candle and dropped toward the white cloth.
Mel threw her hand out toward the altar, but caught High Priest Alcon’s gaze. He shook his head. Mel regarded him with a confused look on her face, and then she saw the flame flicker out when it reached the white cloth. A smile spread across Mel’s lips.
She had never been this close to the altar before during a fire ritual, but now that she was, she realized High Priest Alcon had doused the entire altar in water.
Smart move.
Elennian had great precision, but it was only logical to take some precautions in case one of his flames missed.
The entire crowd broke out in applauds and everyone seemed in awe of Elennian’s skills. Elennian bowed curtly before taking his seat at the back of the chapel again.
High Priest Alcon took up his small silver knife laying on the white cloth on top of the altar. He walked over to Mel and held the dagger up to her face.
Mel gave him a smile and nodded.
Alcon took a strand of her hair and cut off a finger’s length. He walked up to the flame burning over the red candle and stuck her hair into the fire.
“We give away a part of our souls today in honor of your decision,” Alcon said. “We ask of you to watch over Melissa on her road to fulfilling her destiny. We ask of you to grant all of our children a safe passage to Stonehearth and beyond. We ask for your blessing and protection.”
The smell of burning hair spread across the room and Mel sent a prayer up to the sky. She watched the silver statue of the dragon who had given them his flame. She let herself be filled with love and belief, asking the dragons to watch over her and give her a long life in Aldrion.
She asked them to find someone else and task them with finding the dragons and in her heart; she felt a voice stirring. Telling her that if she became a worthy mage smith, then maybe she could escape her destiny.
Mel’s lips curled into a wide smile as she watched the townspeople, one after one, cutting off a strand of their hair and burning it in the red candle.
The dragons had spoken to her. She was sure of it. This voice coming from inside of her must have been the dragons. They had told her she could escape her destiny if she became a worthy mage smith. Finally, she had found a way out from the dragon cult. Now she only needed to survive for long enough to make this promise come true and the dragons would release her.
After the ritual was over, Mel made her way outside the chapel and took in a deep breath of fresh air. The smell of burning hair had been overwhelming up by the altar and toward the end she had almost felt lightheaded from the fumes.
Marcus walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
Mel looked up at him and then down at her own hands. He was right. They were trembling. Mel took in another deep breath and released it with a cleansing exhale.
“It’s just the fumes,” Mel said.
Marcus gave her a pointed look, and Mel swallowed her pride.
“And maybe I’m a bit scared about the trip to Aldrion, too,” Mel added.
She gave Marcus a hesitant smile, feeling embarrassed for being so easy to read.
“Don’t be,” Marcus said. “I’ll protect you.”
“What?” Mel said.
Marcus smiled at her, releasing her shoulder. “I talked to High Priest Alcon and Mr. Wickett. They’re letting me come with you as an escort. I will travel all the way to Aldrion with you, longer than the other guards. There, I can protect you and make sure you find the dragons.”
“I’m not sure I’ll find the dragons,” Mel said. “For now, I think I’ll just focus on attending Falden. Like the direction High Priest Alcon gave me.”
“Yeah, for starters,” Marcus said. “But I mean, I cleared it with the leaders. I’ll follow you to the end of the world, Mel. After you’re done at Falden. I’ll follow you to the wastelands and beyond. Protecting you is my destiny now.”
