The Consequences of Meeting a Dragon

Thenio stared silently at the spot where Lem had disappeared.

"Lem's nice, but he doesn't like being around people very much," Kleyo was explaining to Seyli. "And he doesn't like being touched. Though he doesn't usually hate it that much...um...I mean...maybe he didn't notice Thenio was about to touch him? So he was just surprised? Or something...?" He trailed off awkwardly.

Thenio clenched his fist even tighter.

Then he felt a calloused hand take hold of his. He started a little and turned to see Eteon standing next to him.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Thenio."

Eteon lifted Thenio's hand and gently pried his fingers open. Then he inspected the skin of his palm, apparently checking for injuries. There were reddened dents from the fingernails, but the skin wasn't torn.

"Like Kleyo said, I think Lem overreacted because he was startled. It wasn't your fault. The timing was just unfortunate." He let go of Thenio's hand and put an arm around his shoulders. "Come sit down. Your magic is getting restless. You need to calm down for a few minutes."

It was just bad timing? Lem was just surprised? Really...? Thenio wasn't convinced, but he let Eteon lead him back to the tent.

When he slumped back down into his chair, Tava whimpered a little and came across the table to jump onto his lap, where she began licking his hand. Not wanting to be left out, Iggy spread his wings and flew over to land on Thenio's shoulder. He nuzzled Thenio's cheek and then patted it with his front paw—a habit he'd picked up from Amisi over the past few days.

"Thanks, you two," Thenio said, smiling a little and stroking a dragon with each hand.

"Wow, they really like you, huh?" Kleyo looked impressed.

"He seems to have special magic beast-attracting powers," Seyli said with a laugh. "I really want to invite him to my family's dragon hatchery sometime to see what happens. He'll probably have the whole flock trying to climb on him at once."

Kleyo giggled. "Thenio will get buried in a big pile of dragons! I want to see that, too!"

"Hey, now...." Thenio made a face. "I like dragons and all, but can't I just have a few at a time?"

"Nope!" Kleyo said, snickering. "You get the whole pile!"

Thenio sighed helplessly. But then he smiled. He knew they were trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated it.

Some of the other children who had arrived at the park along with Kleyo and Lem had noticed the two dragons and were standing a short distance away, shooting envious glances at Thenio.

Several boys were huddled together in a group, having some kind of discussion in low voices. They seemed to reach a consensus because they all nodded at each other, and one of them left the group and started walking toward the tent.

"Hey, Kleyo!" he called out as he approached.

Kleyo turned. "Oh, hi, Nilo."

"That's your older brother, isn't it?" The boy called Nilo came and stood next to Kleyo. "How come he has dragons? They're not his, are they?"

Kleyo shook his head. "The black one belongs to the wizard that Thenio works for now. And the purple one is hers." He pointed at Seyli.

"Oh." Nilo looked apprehensively between Seyli and Thenio for a few seconds. He seemed to think Thenio was the more intimidating one of the pair because his gaze finally settled on Seyli. "Um...well...can we...?" He glanced back at his companions, who nodded encouragingly at him. "I mean...if it's okay...can we pet them...maybe...?"

"Sure you can." Seyli gave him a gentle smile. "Are you Kleyo's classmates?"

Kleyo and Nilo both nodded.

"Well, why don't you tell the others to come over here, and you can—"

Seyli broke off. She happened to look over and meet Thenio's gaze just then, and he'd shaken his head slightly. Seyli's eyes widened briefly in understanding. Then she gave him an apologetic look and nodded.

"Actually, the dragons are probably ready for their afternoon playtime." She turned back to Nilo and smiled again. "Why don't we take them over on that open grassy area, and you boys can play with them for a while? Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" Nilo said excitedly.

The other boys all nodded vigorously.

"Ah...." Kleyo looked at Thenio with concern. Then he turned back to Seyli with a rather forced smile. "Yeah. That sounds fun...."

"All right, then." Seyli turned to look at the dragons. "Iggy? Tava? Do you want to go play?"

Both dragons hesitated, looking at Thenio.

"I'm fine. You two go have fun for a while." He smiled and gave them both a grateful pat. "I'll stay here. I have some things I need to talk to Eteon about."

"Mmm. Okay." Iggy still looked a little reluctant, but he nodded and jumped off Thenio's shoulder to fly over and land on Seyli's outstretched arm.

Tava gave Thenio's hand one last lick before looking up at him and chirping softly a couple of times. Then she jumped down off his lap and trotted over to where Seyli was waiting.

Seyli gave Thenio and Eteon a smile and a little wave. "We'll be back in a while."

Then she led the group of children over to a nearby patch of grass, where there would be enough space for the dragons to fly around. Besides the original group of boys, they picked up several more children along the way who had noticed the dragons and come over to see them.

"She's a smart girl," Eteon remarked as he watched them go. "And very kind. Even if she gets a bit anxious about meeting new people...." He chuckled softly and turned to give Thenio a warm smile. "I'm really glad you've made a good friend."

"Yeah...me too...."

Thenio watched as Seyli organized the children so they could take turns petting Iggy and Tava. She seemed to be a little more comfortable interacting with younger children. Maybe that was because children and magic beasts acted in similar ways.

Eteon sat back down and picked up the carving he'd been working on. For a few minutes, the only sound in the tent was the scraping of his knife against the wood.

Thenio was trying to sort out his thoughts. He had so many questions he wanted to ask Eteon that he didn't even know where to start.

"Are you still thinking about Lem?" Eteon finally asked. He had just finished up the lizard carving and was starting to rub varnish on it.

"Well...yeah." Thenio hesitated. "Have you and Lem...gotten closer lately?"

"A little. He started coming by here more often after you went to the academy."

Thenio bit his lip. "...because I wasn't here as much?"

Eteon glanced at him. "I suppose so. But I don't think it means what you think it does."

"Then what does it mean? Lem hates me and wants to stay away from me. What else could it mean?"

"He doesn't hate you, Thenio...." Eteon reached over to ruffle Thenio's hair and looked him directly in the eyes. "I guarantee that he doesn't hate you. He just...doesn't know how to be around you."

Thenio looked away. "Because of my magic?"

"Well...yes. More or less." Eteon sighed and leaned back in his chair. "His reaction to you is a little different than most people's, though. It's not like you're the only person he avoids, is it?"

"Huh?" Thenio blinked. "No...I guess I'm not...."

"Some people are just more sensitive than others. Occasionally a person will be so sensitive that it's difficult for them to be around other people. Well...Seyli is a little like that too, isn't she?"

Eteon gestured toward the grassy area. Seyli had produced a couple of brightly colored cloth balls from the small embroidered bag she carried whenever they went out somewhere, which Thenio strongly suspected had a space compression enchantment on it. The children were taking turns throwing the balls for Iggy and Tava to catch in midair.

"She feels more comfortable around magic beasts than she does around other humans, right? Lem is kind of like that. Just a bit more extreme. He doesn't dislike you—he's just uncomfortable being close to you. He feels quite guilty about it, actually...."

"Really?" Thenio frowned. "Why hasn't he ever said anything? I've tried asking him what's wrong, but he always just evades the question and runs away."

Eteon shrugged. "He doesn't know how to explain it? He's afraid of how you'll respond? He feels guilty for how he acts around you? He's a stubborn kid who feels like he needs to deal with things all on his own? It's probably a combination of all those things."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just stay away from him...?"

"Not exactly." Eteon inspected the varnished carving in his hand for a moment before setting it down on the table next to the others. "Let him know you care about him, but don't push him faster than he's willing to go. I think he'll open up to you when he's ready."

"Maybe he'll open up to you first," Thenio said, a little gloomily. "He seems more comfortable with you than with most people."

"Well, not to brag, but I am better at controlling my magic than most people are. That's a big part of it. Though bribing him with cooking utensils has helped, too...." Eteon chuckled. "Speaking of which, what do you think I should carve now?"

Thenio frowned a little. He had the feeling that Eteon was trying to change the subject. But he decided to go along with it. "That...I was thinking of buying something from you...."

"You know you don't really need to buy anything from me. I'm happy to make you whatever you want. I don't need any money."

"I know...but...." Thenio scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, I got my first ever salary as a magic assistant the other day. So I kind of wanted to use some of it to buy something a little special. Just...to celebrate and all...you know?"

Eteon's eyes widened a little. Then he smiled warmly. "Well, now...I'm honored that you think of my carvings that way. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"Not exactly." Thenio fidgeted a little and glanced over toward the group playing with the dragons. "Um...do you think...would it be strange if I bought something for Seyli? She has been really nice to me. She's taught me a lot about dragons and stuff. So I thought maybe I should do something to thank her...."

Eteon laughed. "No, I don't think it's strange. I was actually thinking of giving her something myself to thank her for helping you out. But it's probably better if it's coming from you. All right. What do you think she would like?"

"Well, she obviously likes dragons a lot. Other magic beasts, too. And animals. And medicine and genetics and things like that." Thenio screwed up his face, thinking. "And...um...girly stuff? Like, she's always wearing pretty clothes and doing fancy things with her hair. So something like that?" He gave Eteon an apologetic look. "Sorry...that probably doesn't help...."

"No, that's enough. I have an idea." Eteon bent down and started looking through the basket of wood scraps next to his chair. "Let's see...I think I had a piece of...yes, there it is."

He held up a palm-sized block of wood that was a faded reddish color with white streaks running through it.

"Rose cedar," he said in answer to Thenio's questioning look. "It turns a really lovely shade of pink if you put a little stain on it to deepen the color. It's very popular for accessories, so I don't get scraps of it often. But I happened to get this one a few days ago."

"What are you going to make?" Thenio asked curiously as he watched Eteon start shaping the edges of the wood.

"A hair comb. It's been a while since I've made one, but decorative combs were very popular in Ket'qe when I was living there, so I used to make a lot of them. They were good practice...in patience, if nothing else. I don't even want to think about how many times I had a comb almost finished and then accidentally broke a couple of the teeth off...."

"I break things a lot when I carve, too. You hardly ever do it now, though, right?"

"I've had a lot of years of practice since then. It still happens once in a while, though. Some pieces of wood just have weak spots that are impossible to avoid." Eteon looked up from his carving and gave Thenio a wink. "Well, when that happens I usually cheat by sticking the pieces back together with magic."

Thenio frowned a little. That reminded him of the dream he'd had, where he was watching someone carve a unicorn figurine, and one of the front legs had broken off. That was probably just something he'd dreamed based on all his memories of watching Eteon carve, but....

No, it was just a dream. He shook his head a little to clear the memory away.

"Maybe I should start practicing woodcarving more," he said, looking at the table full of toys and figurines. "I don't think Ariom would mind the shavings like Mom does. He's always making random things. Like these."

Thenio held up his hands. He was wearing a new set of leather cuffs with magic insulation and suppression enchantments engraved on them. Ariom had improved the insulation enchantment a bit after analyzing where the previous ones had gotten overloaded and broken.

"He's pretty good at leatherworking, you know? He said he'd show me how to do it. They don't teach leather scribing until second year classes at the academy, so I didn't get the chance to.... Well, having a grandmaster teaching me is even better, right?" Thenio gave a slightly forced smile. "He's teaching me about Pre-War enchantment techniques for now, though. The Order of the Ravener seems to use a style that's based on those methods, so I'm learning about it to help out with the job Ariom's doing for the Royal Guard."

Eteon paused his carving and his expression darkened. "So he decided to take that job, did he? Well, it will probably be a good experience for the two of you, but...you be careful, understand? There are some real monsters lurking behind that group. You absolutely don't want to attract their attention."

Thenio felt a slight chill at those words. He didn't know exactly how powerful Eteon was, but even Ariom, a grandmaster wizard, seemed to be intimidated by him. So if that Eteon was calling someone a monster, with such a grim look on his face....

Thenio swallowed.

"I...think the Guard members we're working with understand that? They told us to be careful not to tell anyone we don't trust that we're doing anything related to the Order. I think you and Ariom's uncle are the only ones who know. The enchantment analysis itself is going to be a little dangerous...but just for Ariom and the other people directly involved. I'm only helping on the side." He gave a small laugh. "So the only thing I'm really in danger of is headaches from too much magic practice. I got one of those this morning."

Eteon raised an eyebrow at him before going back to his carving. "Well, too much magic practice isn't a good idea, either. You haven't forgotten how that got you in trouble before, have you?"

"No, I haven't. It's just that I was practicing a new technique and didn't realize at first how tiring it was. I'll be more careful from now on."

"Good."

Thenio was silent for a moment, watching Eteon cut out the spaces in between the teeth of the comb. He knew he was supposed to be finding out what Eteon knew about the clairvoyance magic he'd been using, but...he didn't quite feel up to asking...not yet....

The thought of how their relationship might change if he found out who Eteon really was...it was scary.

He cast around for something else to say, to delay the inevitable a little longer. "Oh...the headache thing reminds me...are there different kinds of healing magic?"

"What do you mean by 'different kinds'?"

"Well, I told you I had a headache this morning, right? That was just before Seyli came over to Ariom's house, and when she got there, she used some healing magic on me to help the headache go away faster. But her magic felt...I don't know...it was different somehow. Different from other times I've had people use healing magic on me."

"Ah, that." Eteon nodded. "Yes, there are different kinds. We put magic users into groups called 'affinities,' but there's actually quite a lot of natural variation in magic frequencies, even among people with the same affinity. Ariom does enchantment tailoring, doesn't he? He should know all about this kind of thing."

"Oh. Right. I remember him saying something about that. But he said the differences usually weren't big enough to notice without using the scanning equipment."

"Usually. Once in a while there are outliers. Seyli is one of those." Eteon paused his carving again and looked over to where Seyli was holding Tava on her arm so that a young boy and his mother, who'd just joined the group of children, could pet her head. "She's a phoenix child."

"'A phoenix child'?" Thenio repeated.

"Yes." Eteon was silent for a moment, still watching Seyli. Then he lowered his head and resumed carving. "That's what they used to be called, at least. I haven't heard the term for a long time, so I don't know if it's still in use. It refers to a person who's born with a magic frequency similar to the phoenix's. They're quite rare, and they usually become really excellent life mages.

"There's an old folktale about them. It says that phoenix children are created when the phoenix flies over a human settlement and one of her feathers falls down onto a newborn baby."

"Is that true?"

Eteon gave a small laugh. "No. It's just a story." He paused and rubbed his finger over the surface of the wood he was holding. There was an oddly melancholy smile on his face. "It can't be true because phoenix children are still being born, and no phoenix has flown over this world in a long...long time...."

Thenio didn't know what to say. Something about those words...or maybe it was the look in Eteon's eyes...for some reason, he suddenly felt his heart ache and his throat tighten.

He couldn't help thinking back to the strange image he'd seen when Seyli used her healing magic on him. That gentle, golden light...the soft rustle of feathers....

"Have you ever seen the phoenix?" he asked after a long pause.

It was a ridiculous question, of course. The phoenix was one of the few mythic beasts whose existence had been confirmed. There were plenty of old stories and records of it. And it was a well-known fact that Kafron had a phoenix feather kept under heavy security in the royal treasury.

But like Eteon said, there hadn't been any sightings of the phoenix for a long time—not since before the Great War. One of the many theories about the reason the demon rifts started forming was that the phoenix was disgusted by the brutality of the war and abandoned the world, which allowed the demons to start breaking in.

No human alive had ever seen a phoenix. That was common knowledge. But...if it was Eteon....

"Yes," Eteon said, very quietly. "I've seen her. A long time ago...."

Thenio's eyes widened. "What...what was she like?"

Eteon was still and silent for a moment, staring unseeingly at the table full of his wooden carvings.

"Beautiful..." he whispered. "She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...."

There was another moment of silence.

Then Eteon looked at Thenio and smiled. "I really hope you'll be able to see her someday." He set the half-finished comb down and stood up. "I can't show you the real phoenix right now. But I can give you a little glimpse of her."

He went to his backpack, which was propped up against the back wall of the tent. He opened it and rummaged around inside for a moment. Then he straightened up and turned around, holding a creamy white piece of wood.

"This is called phoenix wood, appropriately enough. I've been saving this for a special carving. But I'd say this qualifies. Well...I'm not exactly going to carve it, though." Eteon chuckled a little. "Here, watch closely."

He held the wood out in front of Thenio. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the wood began to glow softly and change shape. A moment later, it had turned into a hawk-like bird with a long tail and a crest of feathers on its head.

The figure was moving, like it was alive. As Thenio watched, wide-eyed, the phoenix shook its tail a little and turned its head to look at him. It opened its beak, and he could have sworn he heard it let out a clear, musical cry. Then it spread its wings, crouched down, and leapt into the air.

But just as the wings were curving for a downstroke, the bird suddenly froze. The glow faded. And resting in Eteon's hands was an exquisitely detailed wooden figurine of a phoenix taking flight.

"Here you go." He held the figure out to Thenio, smiling at the awestruck look on his face. "I know it's not the carving you asked for, but...well. Just think of it as a bonus, all right?"

Thenio slowly took the figure from him. He held it in front of him, hands trembling slightly, and stared at it.

Eteon was right. The phoenix was beautiful. The pale wood had a sort of iridescent gold grain through it that made the figure shimmer in the light. And even in wooden form, the creature looked strong and graceful.

It was beautiful...but...what was this?

An odd feeling of nostalgia came over Thenio as he looked at the figurine. He knew he'd never seen a phoenix before. There was no way he could have. But....

Why did it feel so familiar?

"Do you like it?"

He looked up. Eteon was still watching him with a gentle smile on his face. Thenio bit his lip and nodded, not quite trusting himself to say anything.

"Good." Eteon reached out and ruffled Thenio's hair a little. Then he turned and went back to his chair. "Well, I'd better get this one finished, too." He picked up his knife and the partially finished wooden comb again.

They were both quiet for a few minutes. Thenio was still looking down at the phoenix, running his fingers lightly over the wooden feathers.

"Hey...Eteon?" he said finally, raising his head.

"Hmm?" Eteon turned and looked at him questioningly.

Thenio looked into his light blue eyes. "Are you a mythic beast's agent?"

Eteon raised his eyebrows. "Where did you get that idea?" He didn't seem shocked or upset by the question—just mildly surprised.

"From Ariom. He said his uncle suspected it after he met you. He mentioned it to General Obarin, who asked a mythic beast agent that he knows about you."

"An agent the general knows...?" Eteon looked thoughtful. "Ah. It must have been that guy. Well, what did he say about me?"

"The agent didn't know who you were, but apparently the mythic beast he's contracted with told him to be polite to you and not interfere with whatever you're doing."

Eteon laughed. "Yes, that sounds like something he'd say...."

Thenio raised an eyebrow. "Ariom was pretty freaked out by that, you know? He assumed it meant you were contracted with a higher-ranking mythic beast."

"That's a reasonable assumption."

"So? Are you really?"

"Well...yes." Eteon sighed a little. "My contract is...a bit unusual. But yes, I'm technically a mythic beast's agent."

So it was really true....

Thenio sat and stared at him, not quite sure what to say next. He looked down at the wooden phoenix in his hands again. "Then...is the dream beast a real mythic beast?"

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?"

Thenio bit his lip. He did know the answer, if he was being honest. Just...for some reason he still couldn't quite believe it.

"I got a book of folktales from Ket'qe the other day," he said, looking over at where Seyli and the dragons were. They were still playing fetch with the children, although Iggy was starting to fly a bit erratically, which was a sign he was getting tired. "I haven't had time to read them all yet. But I found a story about a creature named Ki'shiu, who saved a child by going into her dreams and eating all the nightmare creatures that were tormenting her. It didn't say what the name means, but since the mythic beasts who watch over the forest are called Ket'shiu and Ket'yia...."

"It means 'Lord of Dreams,'" Eteon said gently. "Like Ket'shiu means 'Lord of the Forest.' And yes, that's what they call him there."

Thenio was silent for a minute, still watching the two dragons flying around and catching balls in the distance.

"Why?" he asked finally. "Why would a mythic beast care about me? Is my magic really that valuable? I just don't understand it...."

Eteon let out an exasperated sigh. "You're looking at it the wrong way, you know? You're assuming that a powerful creature like a mythic beast would only be willing to help you because he has something to gain from it. But that's backwards. Ki'shiu is a mythic beast! He's strong enough to do whatever he wants! So why does he need to gain anything from helping you? Can't he do it just because he feels like it? Just because you're a good kid who needs help, like the one in that folktale?"

Thenio was staring at Eteon with his mouth hanging slightly open. What was he saying? A mythic beast was keeping an eye on him and visiting his dreams and letting his agent sit in a park and make toys just...because he felt like it?

"Really, Thenio...." Eteon gave him a disgruntled look. Then he reached out and lightly flicked Thenio's forehead with his finger, causing him to wince and put a hand over the spot. "As hard as it might be for you to believe, some of us happen to like you, all right? Get that through your silly, insecure head already."