NOVPUBMorning arrived with umfortable swiftness. David awoke to find Luna still positioned between him and Elara, though the Archon's side of the bed was already empty. The sound of water splashing in a basin suggested she wasmpleting her morning ablutions behind the privacy screen in therner.
"Sleep well?" Luna asked, her voice carrying that subtle note of amusement that only Daviduld rgnize.
"Surprisingly," he admitted, sitting up and running a hand through his now-black hair. The transformation necklace had remained active throughout the night, its magic seemingly unaffected by his dimensional instabilities. A small mercy.
Luna rose gracefully, stretching in a decidedly feline manner. "Your little 'fractures' occurred twice while you slept. Nothing severe, but noteworthy."
David frowned. "I didn't feel anything."
"You wouldn't. You were quite deeply asleep." She paused, glancing toward the privacy screen. "The Archon didn't notice. I made sure of it." 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
Before heuld respond, Elara emerged, already fully dressed in her traveling attire. If she felt any awkwardness about their shared ammodations, hermposed demeanor revealed nothing.
"We should join the others for breakfast," she said, securing a small dagger at her waist—one of the few weapons that wouldn't draw attention on ammon traveler. "The caravan departs within the hour."
Themmon room bustled with early morning activity—merchants tallying ledgers, travelers packing provisions, servants rushing between tables with steaming platters. David spotted Yue and Litty already seated at arner table, the former daintily sipping from a cup while the latter methodically organized what appeared to be travel documents.
As they approached, David fixed Yue with a pointed stare. "I believe there was a misunderstanding about the room arrangements."
Yue blinked up at him with an expression of perfect innocence—one belied by the mischievous gleam in her ancient eyes. "Oh? Did something go amiss? I simply requested ammodations for our party. I didn't think to specify particular arrangements."
Her giggle, childlike yet knowing,mpletely undermined her feigned ignorance.
Litty sighed, shooting David and Elara an apologetic look. "Please forgive my mother. Shensiders 'harmless pranks' an essential part of any journey withmpanions."
"You define 'harmless' rather liberally," Elarammented dryly, though without real rar as she took a seat.
David opened his mouth to press the issue when a shadow passed overhead, visible through the inn's high windows. Allective hush fell over themmon room as patrons instinctively looked up. What appeared at first glance to be a large bird circled once, twice, three times before descending toward the building.
"What in the world—" Litty began, but fell silent as the creature swooped through the open double doors.
It was unmistakably an eagle in basic form, but unlike any natural bird. Six wings extended from its body in symmetrical pairs, and instead of talons, each leg ended in a paw-like appendagemplete with retractable claws. Its feathers shimmered with an iridescent blue-gold that seemed to pulse with inner light.
The magnificent creature circled the room once, golden eyes scanning the occupants before locking onto David. It let out a piercing cry that resonated with mana, causing several patrons tover their ears.
"Is that—" David started, rising from his seat.
Elara moved with startling speed, stepping between David and the approaching eagle. "It's just a message carrier," she said, her posture deceptively casual though Daviduld see her battle instincts had activated. "A particularly ostentatious one. That old man always did have a flair for the dramatic."
"That old man?" David questioned, momentarily distracted from the spectacle. "You mean my father?"
Elara didn't answer immediately, instead extending her arm toward the mana eagle, which settled upon it with surprising gentleness given its size. The creature nuzzled against her briefly in what appeared to be rgnition.
"The Earl of Aethelwarin's personal messenger," shenfirmed, stroking the creature's breast feathers with a practiced touch. "Only responds to De Gror family blood or those itnsiders friendly. This magnificent beast and I have an understanding from previous deliveries. It's particularly fond of the smoked venison meat I used to offer."
The eagle made a soft trilling sound, as ifnfirming her words, before extending a leg—or rather, paw—revealing a slender metal cylinder attached to a harness.
"I believe this is for you," Elara said, carefully removing the cylinder and offering it to David.
Themmon room had gone silent, all eyes fixed on the unusual scene. David accepted the cylinder, noting the familiar family crest embossed on one end. As his fingers madentact, the mana eagle let out another cry, this one gentler, before launching itself from Elara's arm and departing through the same doors it had entered.
"Well," Yuemmented, breaking the tense silence, "that was certainly more interesting than my room arrangements."
David ignored her, focusing instead on the cylinder. With a practiced twist, he broke the magical seal and extracted a tightly rolled parchment. The Earl's distinctive handwriting filled the page:
David,
As you witnessed before your departure, I have temporarily exiled your snd brother Eric from our household. Hisnduct has brought shame upon the De Gror name, and as such, he cannot represent our family at this time.
While tradition dictates that children of nobles attend the School of the Eternal Flame in order of age, I am making an exception in these circumstances. You are to take Eric's position and enroll at the Academy within seven months' time.
Do not squander this opportunity. The School's resources will prove invaluable for the tasks ahead—tasks I suspect you already understand better than I had anticipated.
The eagle is attuned to your blood and will find you regardless of distance orncealment. Use it wisely and sparingly.
Your Father, Hitlton De Gror, Earl of Aethelwarin
David carefully refolded the letter, his expression revealing nothing to the curious onlookers. But internally, his mind raced. The School of the Eternal Flame—one of the premier magical institutions in the empire and, if his suspicions wererrect, the location of the next cataclysm sign.
I'm running out of time, he thought grimly. The dimensional fractures were worsening daily, his system was malfunctioning, and now this—a deadline thatuldn't be ignored. Seven months to fix these fractures, restore his system, and prepare for what awaited at the School.
But first, the Eye of Ternion.
David's gaze drifted upward, through the inn's windows to the vast sky beyond. Somewhere up there, beyond the reach of ordinary magic and mundane travel, the fabled repository of ancient knowledge drifted among the clouds. Few even believed in its existence anymore, dismissing it as mere legend—a floating island appearing and disappearing throughout the centuries, never in the same place twice.
Yet David knew better. Solomon's Legacy had revealed fragments of truth about the Eye, enough tonvince him that itntained answers crucial to understanding the true nature of this world's impending cataclysm. The demons, the apostles of chaos—they were merely symptoms of something far greater.
His hand unsciously moved to touch a small scroll case hidden within hisatntaining the latestrrespondence from Salomonis. The old scholar's ambitious project might be David's only hope of reaching those impossible heights, if ituld bempleted in time.
"Bad news?" Luna asked quietly, having moved to his side while the others respectfully maintained their distance.
"Complicated news," David replied, tucking the letter into hisat. "We need to speak with Yue about those ingredients."
