ã€ŠVanax: Colonistã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Harper¡¯s first steps of exile were not steady ones. The ground seemed to roll as she almost stumbled away from the ship. Regaining her balance, she glanced back at her prison for the last few months, The Warm Breeze. The merchant ship was floating alongside the dock, lacking any noticeable distinctions from all the others among the fleet. It was by all accounts a pleasant enough ship; it wasn¡¯t dirty or crowded. The crew was polite and unobtrusive. Any unpleasantness could be attributed to her lack of choice in boarding it.

    Not bothering to bid farewell to anyone, she strode into the harbor city. Harper made her way towards the center of town. She passed fellow pedestrians, a few horse-drawn carriages, and, to her surprise, a core powered carriage. Maybe this continent is more civilized than I gave it credit for. The crowd was mainly human, though she did spot a few labuntans running errands for their masters and some tetrans going about their business.

    She received a few stares, especially from children. Harper knew this was due to her hair. The rest of her that was visible was fairly standard for a human. Brown eyes, average height, olive skin and athletic figure. Her hair though was a platinum blonde color. It wasn¡¯t nearly as metallic looking as her ranva ancestor¡¯s likely was, but the color was unusual.

    The harbor city¡¯s architecture followed her home continent¡¯s style. It was a mix of wood and stone buildings in a blend of straight lines and curves with a propensity for spires. The churches in particular having crown-like outcroppings above them. The roads were stone and mortar that looked very well worn in by the thousands of feet walking over them every day.

    Eventually, she caught sight of an official-looking building. The words Porvus City Hall were engraved over the entrance. Walking into the building, she joined the line for the secretary''s desk. Upon reaching her, the secretary asked, ¡°How can I help you today?¡±

    ¡°I would like to speak with the governor please,¡± was Harper¡¯s reply. Suspecting that wouldn''t be enough, she added, ¡°I am Harper of House Waspen, I have come to inquire about employment.¡±

    The secretary arched an eyebrow, ¡°No one sent ahead to announce your arrival. Where is your retinue?¡± Scanning her, she questioned ¡°Do you have proof of your relation?¡±

    Harper nodded. ¡°I have this.¡± She removed a ring from her finger and passed it to the woman. It was a copper signet ring with the symbol of her family¡¯s crest; it was a lunar dragon with a partially eclipsed sun in the background.

    The secretary studied it for a moment. She stood up and bid Harper to wait for a couple of minutes. After she left Harper considered what she knew about the governor. Her name was Estella Mavian. Her family is distantly related to the king; they were sent to govern the Orosburgh colony a few generations ago. From what she gathered in the little time she had before her departure; she was an ambitious woman who dedicated all her efforts into mercantile pursuits.

    Estella used the last thirty years to turn Porvus into a center of trade. By building a fleet of merchant ships, she was able to sell all the products and luxury resources uncommon in the tri-continents.  The returning ships then brought back both needed supplies for the colony and slaves. She had drastically raised her family''s wealth in the past few decades. The rumors were that she wished to accumulate enough of a fortune to move her family back to Magnon and establish a major noble house.

    The secretary soon returned, motioning Harper to follow. She led her down the hallway and gestured to an open door, standing outside of it expectantly. She thanked the woman as she passed her, finding another woman working at a desk. She spoke without looking up from her desk. ¡°Sit down. I¡¯ll let you know when the Governor is ready to see you.¡± She sat down.

    After waiting half an hour, the Governor¡¯s assistant instructed her to go in. Harper complied, studying the office and the two inside as she walked in. The governor was a wealthy woman, and it showed.

    The walls and desk were heavily decorated, curiosities from around the world displayed. Precious jewelry from Magnon. A chunk of meteorite and a living-bow from north and south Zecura respectively. A large violet crystal that must be the from the Crystal Spires on the southmost end of this very continent.

    The governor herself was outfitted in a dress that skirted the line between practical and aesthetic; her fingers were adorned with rings and her neck a silver necklace. An earring denoting her as a Luxalian sat on her left ear; a symbol of the sun being part way covered by the moon, not too dissimilar to her own. Her ornaments were enough to show her wealth and prestige, without looking ostentatious, as some tetran ambassadors she¡¯d met in the past had.

    The woman was caramel colored, and had long black hair streaked with grey, but her face was clear of wrinkles, and she still portrayed the energy of someone in their prime. Potentates were gifted with long lives and plentiful vigor even well into their elder years.

    The only other person in the room was a labuntan girl a couple years younger than herself. She was sitting in a chair in the corner. She had pale skin with dark stripes, wheat colored hair, and nearly white irises. Her elytra were not visible, nor could Harper tell if she still had her gliders. The girl was wearing a dress of better quality than most of the women she passed, much less the other slaves.

    The girl gave her a glance as she walked in, then averted her eyes and stared at the ground in front of her. Harper guessed the girl was one of the governor¡¯s handmaids. It was odd that she sat in the room with her and wore such quality clothes. She must treat her servants and slaves well. That boded well for Harper if she¡¯d be working for the woman.

    Ideally, she¡¯d secure a position as an intermediary for the woman¡¯s mercantile ventures, or as a manager of some portion of her finances. She¡¯d even take a job in the governor''s elite guard if offered. She knew she¡¯d be starting near the bottom at any of these due to her lack of experience and the need to earn the governor¡¯s trust, but she was confident she could move past apprenticeship within the year.

    Governor Mavian studied her as well, then gestured for her to sit. She cut right to the point. ¡°Greetings, Lady Waspen, you are seeking my patronage? Why did your family not send a letter warning of your coming? Where is your retinue?¡±

    Harper grimaced. Seeing as lying would be a poor idea in the long run, she answered honestly. ¡°That would be due to my circumstances. My parents have seen fit to send me here after a costly mistake of mine made in anger.¡±  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    She continued quickly, moving past it. ¡°I was exiled from my House, but not disowned. I may not have a retinue or any resources, but I still have my training. I can speak fluently and write in Quilinish, Destonish, and Tavinish; I also know enough Osetenish and Skjoldese to communicate. I have been trained in the tetran fluentum combat style and am familiar with most weapons, with a specialty in rapiers. I also have a noble¡¯s level of education in a variety of subjects. I am very good with finances in particular.¡±

    The governor considered this. She seemed briefly curious at Harper¡¯s admittance of a costly mistake but elected to ignore it. She nodded ¡°If that¡¯s true then you do have the background and qualifications to fit my standards.¡± The woman then asked the most important question of all. ¡°Have you manifested any Domains yet?¡±

    Harper knew this question was coming and replied, hoping for the best. ¡°No, but I am close to the Aerial Domain, I have consumed a handful of Sky cores and can feel it close, I am only a few months past my seventeenth, I should be getting it any day now.¡±

    The woman shook her head, ¡°Not good enough. If you haven¡¯t gotten it yet with the help of cores and are not well on your way to your second, then taking you in wouldn¡¯t be worth the risk. I am not short on help, and someone without either Domains or a house backing them would not be of much use to me.

    ¡°I can offer a position as a clerk, but that is it. You¡¯d have a biweekly salary of five shillings equivalent in our colony¡¯s paper money. If you excel there and manifest a Domain or two, then maybe I can find a place for in my upper workforce.¡±

    The younger woman paused to consider this before she shook her head. With only five shillings worth, she would have little coin leftover after paying for her necessities. ¡°Thank you for the offer. and I will consider it, but for now I must decline.¡± It just wasn¡¯t enough. That wasn¡¯t even mentioning that it was in the local equivalent, which was much less stable and wouldn¡¯t be worth much outside the colony.

    ¡°If that is all then please be on your way. I am very busy. If you change your mind, speak to my secretary.¡± The governor turned to the girl in the corner. ¡°Shatra, see Lady Waspen out, give her directions for the nearby inns.¡±

    Harper frowned but nodded; she thanked the governor for her time and followed the labuntan girl out disappointedly. Well, I knew chances weren¡¯t high, but I didn¡¯t expect to be practically shoved out the door.

    Once they reached the entry room, Shatra turned to her and spoke in an accent Harper recognized from slaves that were brought from south Zecura instead of born into captivity; Her tone though was despondent and flat. ¡°The inn down the street is very nice but expensive. If you keep going down that way, you¡¯ll reach one that¡¯s reasonably priced called the Lucky Seagull. If you want cheaper you need to go to the outskirts, but I hear those can be uncomfortable.¡±

    Harper gave a polite smile and thanked her for her help. Before retreating to the governor¡¯s office, the short girl hesitated and looked around discreetly; she spoke quietly to Harper. ¡°You don¡¯t want to work for the governor. Many of her people are unhappy, but they find it... difficult to leave.¡± She then turned and scurried back before giving Harper a chance to respond.

    Harper watched her disappearing back in surprise. She walked outside and thought over the encounter. That was odd. I shouldn¡¯t take her at her word, but I will be more wary of the governor in the future. It was enough to dismiss any lingering thoughts of taking the clerk position. She still felt a hint of both gratefulness and sympathy towards the labuntan girl. Hopefully she¡¯s not being mistreated, nothing I can do about it though.

    The exiled noble took stock of her situation. On her person, she had a purse with enough coins to last a couple weeks, her cloak, and a few sets of practical clothes, all in her house¡¯s colors: vermillion and silver. They were some trousers and tunics like she was currently wearing, and a dress and bodice. She also had her rapier in the scabbard attached to her left hip. In her aetherspace, she had a mystery egg with a burgundy coloring. Not much. Anything that didn¡¯t serve a practical purpose was taken before her exile.

    She set out to find an inn while she considered her options. Dismissing the most obvious idea as a near last resort, she thought about finding employment in the city. Lesser pay, and few opportunities. Finding a layman¡¯s job might as well be resigning myself to spending decades here before going home, if ever. Harper would not be able to afford the cores she needed without the pay and benefits of a richer patron.

    After arriving at the Luck Seagull and paying for a night''s stay, a meal, and a bath, which was shockingly cheap with Quilish currency, she inquired with the innkeeper about employment suited towards her skillset. She learned of a few establishments and merchants that would probably employ her, but nobody stood out as being able to help with her goals in a timely manner.

    Another nearby customer that overheard the conversation had a suggestion though. ¡°You''re not going to find employment that fits such high standards here, lass. Any jobs like that are long taken by the elite that have decided to expand their fortunes here. You¡¯re better off going further inland to the colonies near the wilds, less competition.¡±

    Harper turned to him confusedly. ¡°Why would those be so different? I didn¡¯t think it would take more than a few weeks to reach the frontier?¡±

    The man shook his head, ¡°Distance isn¡¯t the problem, those are dangerous lands. Domain creatures haven''t been culled to safe levels yet, the constables don¡¯t have as much presence and lawlessness runs rampant, and that¡¯s not even mentioning the savages attacking folk.¡±

    The innkeeper scoffed, ¡°The efferans haven''t been a problem in years, Old Tebour gave them quite the beating. He¡¯s even got crime well in hand, can''t think of the last time bandits have been a real problem out there.¡± The innkeeper looked back to Harper, ¡°Other than that, he¡¯s right. You''re better off heading to Mentril in Arboren or to Hesukar in New Golvoran. Be careful of the creatures though.¡± Harper asked for a few more details and thanked him. She picked an empty table and sat to wait for her food.

    Tapping her fingers on the table she went over her options. Safe and slow, or faster but riskier. She wasn¡¯t a fool; she knew that she didn¡¯t stand a chance against a trained fighter or creature with even one Domain. She wouldn¡¯t even have a good chance against many mundane creatures.

    On the other hand, she refused to take a common job and begin the arduous process of pinching every penny. If she chose that she may as well settle down and forget about running her house. The only other option was to send letters to her family apologizing and begging them to take her back. I would rather die. So that left setting out to the frontier. It was a risk, but a calculated one. She would travel to her destination in a reputable caravan and find a job with enough benefits to project her forward.

    Her dinner arrived and she dove in; it was a hearty beef stew. It wasn¡¯t quite as good as her usual meals back home, but it was better than the dry foods or even the occasional fish that she had gotten used to aboard the ship. Once she was done eating, Harper went to find her bath. She was directed to a private room with a tub already filled for her. She was slightly relieved when she found a device within that had a Solar core fitted to it. No cold bath tonight.

    After bathing and redressing, Harper headed to her room and meditated on the Sky Domain until it grew dark, then she went to bed. She had a surprisingly difficult time falling asleep without the gentle rocking of the ocean that she had grown accustomed to. Worries about her future didn¡¯t help either. While she would have preferred to go home, she was surprised to find in herself a slight bit of excitement for the path ahead.

    Many of the stories she was raised on included this very continent. While it had been some one-hundred and fifty years since it was colonized, it was still considered to be untamed by many. Vanax, they called it. The New World. Harper was ready to prove herself within it.

 Chapter 2

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 Chapter 3

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 Chapter 4

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 Chapter 5

    Starday had arrived. She had used the five days to prepare. In that time, she familiarized herself with the frontier city, inspected her equipment, and gathered general information on the state of things outside the walls.

    It had been reasonably safe for a while now. Three Domain creatures only appeared once every few years, usually just as brief sightings and not in attacks. Two Domain creatures were more common, having to be hunted down monthly. The odds of running into one were miniscule, though.

    As always, one Domain creatures were prevalent, but not too dangerous to the wary traveler. Harper actually hoped to run into one. Now that she had a Domain, they were significantly less threatening. The destitute noble needed their cores. The faster she got a core with the Aquatic Domain, the better. She guessed that, if she was frugal, she could afford one with the salary from her next couple months. Perhaps that was part of why the Governor had set her trial period until then.

    Not fast enough. I need those benefits now. She¡¯d go hunting soon. For now, she had a job to do.

    Harper walked in dressed in her uniform. The garment was a practical dress that reached from above her collarbone, down to her lower thighs. It was all in the Governor¡¯s colors, forest green and earthy brown. She wore leggings and knee-high boots beneath her dress; a pair of riding gloves were stuffed under her belt. The day was chilly enough that she had chosen to wear the jacket she had been given to complement her uniform, but it wasn¡¯t cold enough or likely enough to rain to wear the accompanying cloak.

    She had her rapier attached to her left hip, and her borrowed flintlock attached to her right. She carried the gunpower horn on a strap of her uniform meant for the purpose. The balls and wrappings sat in a closed pouch next to her sword. A knife sat strapped below the gun, on her thigh.

    To complete the ensemble, she had a large pouch strapped to her chest with a band that ran diagonally across her torso and back. It could be switched around to the other side at need; the satchel was the only piece of her equipment that was an artifact. It would reject any water, so long as she infused her Domain into it, keeping the contents safe and the bag in good condition. It was hardly the most glamorous enchantment, but she¡¯d take it.

    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t infuse it yet with Sea. She needed to integrate the Domain first. Another reason to obtain a core as soon as possible. It was little better than a mundane bag at the moment. The only advantages being that she was able to put it into her aetherspace and infuse it with aether for the slight bit of durability it would add.

    Which reminded her, she should be infusing it along with her clothes and equipment, she had stopped at some point. It would take a while to get to the point where she was always subconsciously infusing the materials, but she¡¯d get there. Most people with aether-imbued items did.

    Harper examined the room as she walked in. It was occupied by four other people, all humans wearing an outfit similar to hers. There was a map and board on the wall, listing various deliveries that needed to be taken. Several packages sat on a bar on the side of the room, each labeled in neat and concise writing.

    All four turned in her direction. Harper felt surprisingly nervous, moreso than when she had met with the Governor. These were her co-workers; she¡¯d be working with them in the coming months, one of them extensively.

    A man stepped forward, the oldest of the bunch. He held out his hand and Harper took it, shaking it. ¡°Hello, you must be Miss Waspen. My name is Vermon Woodster. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Harper noted that he didn¡¯t call her Lady Waspen. The Governor must have seen fit to not relay my noble status. It might be easier this way. Gavin reacted negatively upon finding out, best not to stir the pot. She responded with the other half of the pleasantry. ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡±

    He introduced her to each of the others. They were another man and two women. After introducing the first two he moved to the last. ¡°And this is Amelia Cavill, she will be your main instructor. You will be assisting her for the better part of the next couple months.¡± Harper shook her hand and gave her a nervous smile. The woman smiled back reassuringly.

    She had warm brown eyes, chestnut hair, and beige skin. The uniform matched her perfectly. She stood only slightly shorter than Harper. Unlike Harper, she had no sword, instead having a dagger to complement her pistol, with a bow and small quiver slung over her shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be showing you the ropes. I¡¯ve already got a job picked out for the day. We¡¯re making a delivery to a nearby town; we should be back by tonight.¡± She walked over to the counter and grabbed a stack of letters and documents, and a package. The package she put in her personal bag; the papers she handed to Harper.

    She set off and Harper followed behind. She led her to a building behind the armory, a stable. She looked behind her to Harper. ¡°You know how to ride, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am well familiar with riding. Will we be taking mundane or single Domain horses?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    The woman looked back at her with amusement. ¡°Do you think tamed Domain horses grow on trees? We have one in there to be used with urgent messages only.¡±

    Harper reddened in embarrassment. Of course they wouldn¡¯t have Domain horses for everyday use. That her family had a handful of them was a rare luxury. Creatures were notoriously harder to tame the more Domains they had. Even breeding domesticated ones and raising their foals from birth was an expensive and difficult process. They needed to either be fed cores or spend a lot of time near an aether nexus to properly grow.

    ¡°How long have you been working as a courier?¡± Harper asked, mostly to move past her embarrassment.

    ¡°Five years now. Delivering outside the walls anyway. I had worked as a courier exclusively in the city for a few years before that. Once I got my second Domain, I requested this job and have been here ever since.¡±

    ¡°You have the Sea Domain, right? If the Governor hired you for this, either you¡¯ve got special training or you¡¯re close to your second. Am I right?¡± She questioned.

    Harper responded. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too far from the Aerial Domain, but it¡¯s more the former.¡±

    They reached a pair of horses. The left stall had a chestnut that immediately moved to Amelia. She pulled a carrot from somewhere and rubbed the horse''s nose. ¡°This is Reggie. I take him most of the time. We try to take the same horse as much as possible, but we aren¡¯t the only ones to use them. Also, every once in a great while, one of us pulls a back-to-back delivery and swaps for a fresh horse.¡±

    She gestured to the horse in the right stall. It was dappled light grey. This is Nimbus; she just came from the trainers a few months ago. No one has really bonded with her yet. She¡¯ll be your main horse. She handed Harper another carrot.

    Harper went up to the mare, feeding her the carrot and scratching her behind her ear. Amelia took Reggie out and saddled him up. Embarrassingly, Harper needed help saddling her own horse; she had never actually done so, relying on her family¡¯s handlers to have done it. Amelia raised an eyebrow but helped her wordlessly.

    They rode to the city gate. Amelia handed the attending guard documentation; he looked it over and nodded them forward. They started to trot along the trail towards the tree line. She spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll begin teaching you on our way back. For now, let¡¯s focus on covering ground. I want to make sure we¡¯ll get there and back before it gets dark.¡± Harper nodded her understanding.

    Once they reached the tree line, they picked up the pace. They rode at a canter, not enough to tire the horses, but fast enough to make decent time. They were riding fast enough, and the wind blew strongly enough, to make conversation more trouble than it was worth.

    Harper spent the time meditating on the Aerial Domain and trying to enlarge her aetherspace. Manifesting Sky was further than she hoped, but not as far as she feared. Each successive Domain was harder to earn than the previous. This was because she needed the necessary understanding of how that Domain fit in with what she already possessed, in addition to understanding the Domain itself.

    Pondering on the connection between Sea and Sky was not too difficult for her. She had an excellent mental image. When Sky had proved to be the easiest of the Domains she wanted to manifest, she had spent an excessive amount of time on a seaside cliff near her family¡¯s estate. The wind was almost always blowing there in some capacity. The soothing presence of the ocean was just a bonus.

    She realized now that in her mental wandering, she had likely spent just as much time thinking about Sea as she had Sky. Her trip to Vanax over the sea had just solidified it, priming it to be manifested whenever she accepted it. Better than no Domain, I suppose. She wondered what she lacked in Sky that she had in Sea. Or the other Domains she wanted, for that matter.

    When she grew restless, it being difficult to focus on the back of a horse, she turned to her aetherspace. She needed to grow it. Not only was it useful to hold equipment and materials imbued with the aether, but it was also the key to holding an Alius and practicing an aethercraft. It could only be manually grown once someone attained their first Domain.

    She pictured the recommended technique with Sea. A ball of water swelled in her aetherspace. It grew, straining against the sides, before swelling back down and compressing. She repeated this as much as she could, eventually stopping due to a burgeoning headache.

    That was one good thing about Sea over Sky, it was much better for expanding one¡¯s aetherspace. As a singular Domain anyway. There were later Domain combinations that drastically increased the speed at which one could work.

    After around five hours, they stopped to let the horses graze and take a quick lunch. Harper had come prepared. She pulled out a small mountain of travel rations and began wolfing it down. She didn¡¯t have to eat as much as she did in the first few days, but still a decent bit more than her usual fare.

    ¡°So, either you just manifested that Domain recently, or you¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    Harper choked on her food and the other woman chuckled.

    ¡°I should know; those were the only times I¡¯ve eaten like that,¡± she added after she was done laughing. She got out her own travel meal.

    They ate their meal on a fallen log, chattering idly and learning a bit more about each other. Harper learned that Amelia, which she insisted she call her, grew up in a smaller town in Yornel. She got married and moved to Arboren, where she began working for the Governor. She had several kids, and her job earned enough for her to get them a good education. She seemed content.

    Harper wondered if she could be content with such a life. For as long as she could remember, she was supposed to be her house''s heir. If she wasn¡¯t going to take the mantle of the Countess of House Waspen, what would she be? Her brother was a prodigy; he was well on his way to Sky when she left, already having Sun, and he was nearly two years younger than her. Unless she started tripping over Domain cores to consume, her chances of reclaiming her position were nil.

    Even earning a two Domain core so that her parents would accept her back was going to take a long time. A few years at the least. Did she want to sacrifice all her free time and live off the bare minimum, so that she could do what? Get to start working on her family¡¯s accounts earlier? Be married off to strengthen some alliance of their house? She wanted more than that.

    These and similar thoughts ran through her head as they mounted the horses and continued the trip. She wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to do. Hopefully, she¡¯d have a better idea once she manifested Sky. Maybe another option would appear. Maybe her brother would slow down and turn out not to be as impressive as he first seemed, and her parents would ask her back. Harper could hope, anyways.

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    The battle came to a close quickly after. The Magnate that had taken the form of a troll had finished his opponent first and succinctly killed the nearest mountain lion; the same one that Harper had shot initially. From there, the larger mother lion was surrounded and taken down.

    Afterward, the party moved efficiently, gathering up the wounded and keeping an eye out for further threats. The worst of the injuries was the man that had been gouged in front of her. He was tended to by a fellow ranger, someone with experience in field medicine.

    The green clothed woman slathered on a poultice over his wounds. It was probably a minor alchemical paste, something Harper hoped to be able to make after enough practice. The medicine would speed up the healing and stave off infection. Hopefully it would shave off a few days of his recovery time. Everyone else walked away with small scratches or bruises at most.

    The corpses were the next priority. They were skinned and the cores extracted. All the valuable parts were stored into the various party members¡¯ aetherspaces. Once they got back to Mentril, the parts would be appropriated by the ranger¡¯s organization, and they would be given a bonus based on their contributions and the total spoils.

    While Haper was helping dissect the mountain lion she had killed, she noticed her fellow couriers, Mister and Missus Gunter, glaring and making the sun and star sign at her. It was their right hand splayed over their diaphragm, with their left fist balled up in front of it. It was meant to convey the sun in front of the stars.

    The sun and star sign was used by practitioners of the Solian and Clarmian branches of the Lumiantary religion. It was used to ward off evil, usually those who used the Lunar Domain. Their issue with her was not due to her noble blood, at least not just that. It was with her house, which was known for their specialty with the Domain of Moon. Her glowing blade only served to highlight this.

    In absence of the earrings that showed ones associated religions, she wasn¡¯t sure which they followed, but she could guess. Considering that they weren¡¯t frothing at the mouth and swearing at her, Harper judged that they were Clarmians.

    Both branches detested those who used the Lunar Domain, seeing it as blasphemy, but the hatred of Solians was on another level. Both religions came from southeastern Magnon, from two countries that almost had enough theological conflict to compare to the wars and crusades in Canjor.

    She was tempted to make her own branch¡¯s religious sign back at them; the eclipse. Similar to the others, it was shown with hands pressed to the diaphragm, though instead of one being splayed representing a star, both were fists, representing the moon covering the sun.

    She refrained; those who followed Luxalism should conduct themselves with grace. The other branches had lost themselves long ago and no longer worshipped as the Great Father and Mother intended. It wouldn¡¯t do to throw out the holy symbol at the slightest provocation.

    Harper looked down her nose at them and pointedly turned away. Trying to maintain good relations with them would be useless. Better that she just ignore them from now on and hope others in the couriers wouldn¡¯t be swayed by their misguided persecution. She returned to her task: skinning the mountain lion.

    In only a short time, everything was taken care of. The two Magnates of the delegation were debating as to whether to stay the rest of the night, find a new campsite, or forgo rest until the next night. Eventually, they decided on the first. By the time they moved to a new area and set up camp again, it would nearly be morning, and they wanted to be in peak condition when the party met the tribe.

    There was a risk that creatures would be attracted by the recent fight, and the cores they now carried, but it had been enough time with no danger that it was deemed safe as anywhere else in the wilderness. The largest risk was that a Magnate creature would detect the cores and attack them. The further they went into efferan territory, the more likely this was. So, staying in place was the best option for the night.

    Harper and Amelia had the misfortune of being on the next and last watch. They would have to make do with what rest they had managed. Luckily, the rest of the night passed in peace, and they were on their way in the morning. They expected to reach the tribe in the late afternoon, but they saw early signs of civilization, primitive, in Harper¡¯s opinion, but still civilization.

    They followed a trail that was too large and worn to be a game trail, but lacking any signs or markings. It wove around most obstructions, not cutting through as most roads in the north had. Old tracks, belonging to a variety of creatures were left in dried mud.

    In the early morning, they passed an abandoned tree fort. It was built atop an intersection of sturdy trees and wasn¡¯t much more than planks tightly bound above the branches. No ladder or rope granted access. It would be unnecessary, efferan claws, small they may be, granted them excellent climbing ability. The structure was in an ideal place to watch the surrounding area.

    It was likely a leftover from the conflict between the colonies and the tribes. Several in the area went on the offensive when Arboren and New Golvoran were founded. That was decades ago though. Now, a relative peace had been made, and relations had been opened.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Only a couple hours away from the tribe, they were spotted by an efferan. The tribe would know that the delegation was arriving, but not the exact day that they were going to. The party only saw the retreating figure of one of its members, probably running ahead to notify the tribe and send out a party to meet with them.

    Sure enough, only a short time before they arrived in the tribe¡¯s territory, a group waited for them. No weapons were drawn, but the hands of both parties rested on their weapons and a light tension settled over both. Trading and communication there may have been, but relations could not be called overly friendly.

    The efferans were a people surprisingly similar in appearance to humans, more so than atorans and ranvas, but less so than tetrans and labuntans. The most obvious difference lay in their skin; most of the tribe''s party bore green skin, though there were a few tan colored people. Not the pale tan common on humans, but a tan the color of sand or desert rock.

    The efferans¡¯ skin was not a single color like humans, nor a distinct pattern of stripes or spots like the natives of Zecura. Instead, the color was in a blended pattern of lighter and darker shades. It may have been best described as a ¡®camouflage¡¯ pattern.

    The delegation''s leader, a woman by the name of Amice Green, swung off her horse and walked forward. She spoke in a language Harper had never heard before. It was unsurprising, there were dozens of languages spoken by the native people.

    The leader of the efferans dismounted and stepped forward as well, greeting them in Quilish. His accent was thick, but not so much that she couldn¡¯t understand him. ¡°And may your eyes spot the elusive prey. I greet you and welcome you to our lands.¡± Harper wondered what that first part was about. It sounded like it was a ritualistic response to something Missus Green had said.

    Most of the remaining tension died down and the delegation walked forward, leaving only a few yards between parties. Without any fanfare, they were motioned forward and followed the efferans.

    Harper continued her study of the native people. Every one of them had hair that was surprisingly long, absurdly so in her opinion. It reached their lower waist, just above the thighs. Their hair wasn¡¯t left to swing freely though, it was gathered into a single, if wide strand and bound at the end.

    She squinted at the pale object that was tied with all their hair. Is that a... fish tail bone? She confirmed her observations when the woman she was looking at paused for a moment. The bone had a funnel carved on its end and the hair was threaded through and tied in place.

    As to the rest of their apparel, Harper would have been scandalized at their immodesty if they weren''t an entirely foreign race. Most of them, men and women, wore only a woven skirt to cover themselves. They were loose-fitting garments in the colors of water, mainly blue and green. Supposedly, you could tell an efferans tribal allegiances with a glance just by being familiar with their clothing. They were prolific weavers, and each tribe made their own clothing with certain colors and patterns.

    Of the few that wore more than this, they wrapped themselves in the skins of animals, mainly seals and beavers if she had to guess. Likely, it was to keep warm. They were still in a relatively warm part of the year and the areas high humidity helped to mitigate any chill that may arise, but those who had few Domains were more susceptible. Harper herself had brought along her coat.

    The only other wearable they possessed were animal skin pouches to hold supplies, and bandoliers to stow weapons and tools.

    They carried several weapons, most made of bone. Long pieces sharpened and turned into spears, small bows made of ribs, and daggers or shivs fashioned from smaller bones, but she did spot the occasional firearm. She knew from her studies that this was typical weaponry for most efferan tribes.

    Where other continents developed metal and wood weapons, those on Vanax had learned how to maintain and elevate the parts of creatures. Such would be ineffective with mundane bones, but the enhanced skeletons of Domain creatures and versatility of aethercrafts enabled some creative applications.

    Only an hour later, they reached the shore of a large lake. In the distance, Harper could barely make out structures on the water. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out details, but it was no use from this distance.

    She turned her attention to the shoreline, where two large rafts waited. Are some of us staying here? she wondered. There was no way that the rafts would fit all of both parties, maybe half of them.

    The efferans began wading into the water, but they did not make their way to the rafts, instead, all but a few of them began to transform. Shifting into aethereal light, the delegation watched as they took the forms of various creatures inclined to the aquatic.

    About three quarters turned into large fish, the smallest being her size, and the biggest looking to be nine feet long. The most common variety of fish having ribbed sides and whisker-like barbels, single Domain catfish. Of the rest, she saw a couple otters, a crawdad, and even a snake, one not too different from the Alius now in her aetherspace.

    One of the those who transformed was obviously a Magnate. The elderly man shifted into a fish almost thrice as large as the others, a primepiscis. Like birds and a few other species, there were so many two Domain fish varieties that picking out a specific type was difficult, so they were given a catch-all name.

    The fish he transformed into looked like a more advanced version of the catfishes. The barbel protruding from the fish''s face looked larger, and sharpened to points at the end. The Magnate swam towards one of the rafts and slipped into a harness attached to it, controlling the water to do so. He used what she quickly identified as the Apex Aquatic Domain to help the other fish do likewise. It seemed that they would be carried to their destination.

    The delegation split into two and boarded the rafts, leaving the horses with a couple rangers who stayed on the shoreline and began to set up camp. A few of the efferans stayed in their human forms and boarded the rafts as well. One of these was the leader of the party who had spoken to them earlier. Even though he had not shifted into an Alius, Harper was willing to bet that he was a Magnate as well.

    They rode in relative quiet, only faint murmurings emitting from the delegation. Harper kept well away from the water and sat quietly, not wanting to accidentally fall in or somehow offend the natives.

    It took only an hour to reach their destination. Soon, the details of the floating village became clearer. She was expecting the buildings to be made of wood, but the reality turned out to be much stranger. Are those... fish corpses?

 Chapter 24

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 Chapter 25

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    <hr>

 Chapter 26

    She was ushered to a corner and given a pitying look by the delegate. ¡°Foolish girl. I must thank you though. Your sacrifice will ensure that I can maintain somewhat good relations with the tribe. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re amply rewarded.¡±

    Harper looked back in irritation. ¡°What do you mean sacrifice? Isn¡¯t this just a duel with her?¡± She jerked her head towards the young efferan woman who was seething and being scolded by her elders.

    Amice Green pursed her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t know? It is a duel, of sorts, but one you are unlikely to win.¡±

    Harper relaxed. ¡°Is that it? I don¡¯t know if you heard about my duel with the Governor¡¯s son, but I dismantled him easily. Fighting that buffoon will not be a challenge.¡± She was confident in beating almost anyone her age in a straight duel. Some savage from this backwater was hardly worth mentioning.

    The older woman looked at her sternly. ¡°Do not underestimate them. The are capable and clever. They¡¯re fighting styles may not be nearly as refined or efficient as our own, but to them it doesn¡¯t matter. They rarely fight in their original form, only to kill less powerful creatures, in fact.¡±

    This made Harper pause, a disturbing thought occurring to her. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean-¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± The delegate leader interrupted. ¡°You will be fighting in your Aliuses. Not only that, this tribe in particular holds most of their sanctioned fights in the lake itself.¡±

    Now Harper understood the severity of what she had gotten herself into. She looked back at the other woman. It hurt her pride, but she put on a pleading look. ¡°Could you cancel this duel. They look unhappy enough with it that it could surely be done.¡± Harper motioned to the elders still scolding the defiant young woman.

    Her hopes fell as Amice shook her head. ¡°I cannot. Not only would it tarnish your reputation with them, and worse, hurt my own, we would be right back to where we started. There would be no good solution to that either. I would most likely end up in a duel myself. If I lost, I would look weak and it would be much harder to negotiate with this tribe in the future. If word spreads, my reputation with other tribes will degrade as well. If I won, they would be very bitter towards me, even more bitter that they already are.¡± She gave a glance of regret towards the nearby arguing group.

    ¡°What has made them so upset? Harper demanded. She had a right to know, considering that it seemed she¡¯d bear the fallout.

    Amice arched her brows at her tone, but she still supplied the answer. ¡°I told them of the upcoming colonial expansion, and how they are expected to move further south. If they don¡¯t abandon their ancestral home,¡± she gestured around them, presumably at the lake and floating hovels, ¡°then the elites of the next colonial settlers will force them.¡±

    Harper understood their plight much better now. She even empathized with their situation. It would be difficult, abandoning all that you know at the whim of a greater and foreign power. Still, it was necessary. Their population was much sparser and so did not have need of such a large amount of land. Better they join their brethren to the south.

    The young woman adopted a resigned expression, though internally her nerves began to crumple. ¡°Very well. I presume that you will pay for the materials needed to repair my Alius at least?¡±

    The delegate leader¡¯s look turned back to pitying. ¡°I will, and more besides that, but you will need to do more than just repair it. You will need to rebuild it from scratch.¡± Before Harper could interrupt, Amice confirmed her sudden fear. ¡°It¡¯s a duel to the death.¡±

    <hr>

    Harper held out a hand, it was shaking. Willing it to stop did nothing. In just a short time, she would face near certain death.

    Well, she in the form of a snake would.

    Dying in one¡¯s Alius did not mean death in one¡¯s real body. Instead, the artificial creature body was killed and had to be regrown. However, there were consequences beyond this. The core she had absorbed would be damaged. If she were fortunate, it would recover in a couple of months. If she wasn¡¯t, she would need to find and absorb a new core entirely. This was not what made her shake though. No, what she dreaded was what she would feel.

    Pain.

    To no one¡¯s surprise, dying, especially violently, was painful. Real body or not. It was said to be so painful that many were left permanently damaged. One in three that lost an Alius never grew another. A small amount were so traumatized that they never saw combat again. No one was left completely unscarred.

    Harper¡¯s father had lost his Alius once. It was as a new Magnate. He had just absorbed the core of a wyvern and thought himself invincible. An officer in the conflict in northern Magnon, he had ample opportunity for combat. He attacked when he shouldn¡¯t have, and while it won the battle, a major victory for which he received accolades, he lost most of his squad and nearly lost his own life.

    Her and Corvin¡¯s father had only recounted it once as a cautionary tale to the two of them. It was something he clearly did not enjoy reliving. She had never seen her father with such a haunted look before or after his warning. It succeeded, instilling an aversion in Harper to think of her Alius as something expendable. And yet, here she was.

    She stood on one of the rafts, which had been moved to the edge of a large open space in the floating village. Her opponent stood on one of the larger hovels opposite her. Harper once again considered begging for the delegation leader to step in or attempt to forfeit the match.

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    If she absolutely refused to do so, she guessed that she could stop the fight. They couldn¡¯t make her transform into her Alius and participate. She seriously doubted that the delegation leader would let her be harmed. Even if she wasn¡¯t a noble, letting her die at the hands of the efferans would be a major scandal when it could be prevented.

    Not that she thought the efferans would kill or harm her for not participating either. They had too much to fear from the Governor and the colonies. Nor did she think they killed people out of hand, savages they may be. She wasn¡¯t willing to risk her life on her assumptions though.

    There were two reasons she was willing to go through with this. The first and most important, refusing could jeopardize her future. Even ignoring how poorly she would be thought of among the efferans, something she didn¡¯t care all that much about, her reputation would still be in tatters.

    A reputation for cowardice could follow her the rest of her life. Maybe even back to Magnon. Her parents were already displeased her, such a mark may lead them to disinheriting her entirely. It was not just pride on the line, but how she would be perceived from here onwards. Losing a fight with an efferan on their home turf was significantly less humiliating than begging to be spared the pain.

    The second reason was perhaps overly optimistic. She thought she may have a chance to win. Her Alius would fare better than most, being of a creature that spent quite a bit of time in the water. The efferan woman opposite her was of a similar age, and was likely new to her Alius as well. Maybe not as unpracticed as Harper, but she would take what she could get.

    Besides, it didn¡¯t take that much fine control to wrap around something and squeeze until something gave.

    Looking to the left for reassurance, Amelia shot her a smile, or an attempt at one at least. It was closer to a grimace, and her pale skin did not help Harper¡¯s impression. To her right was Amice. She wore a resigned expression, as if Harper¡¯s incoming death was a particularly annoying task that needed to be done.

    On the other side of the make-shift arena, Salamander jumped in. Stressed as she was, the loud splash startled her and she jumped into the air, letting out an embarrassing squeak. Abashed, Harper focused on the ground, beginning her transformation. She was not confident enough to do so while swimming.

    A process that usually felt like it took forever, she was displeased to find it happen all too fast this time. First her form become insubstantial, a feeling of weightlessness overtook her. Her senses faded and her mental faculties became blunted. The most similar sensation she could compare it to was being in a half-asleep state. Conscious enough to idly think, but not coherently. It took her three tries and a little over a minute to successfully complete the transformation. Her nerves were growing out of control; she did her best to suppress them.

    Harper¡¯s Alius wasn''t even halfway grown at this point. She had taken the form a few times over the past couple of weeks. It was an odd sensation, and the reptile''s senses were completely foreign to her human ones. Moving the serpentine body was an excursion in frustration, even with the built-in instincts helping her along.

    She stuck her tongue out, preparing for the barrage of weird sensations that would follow. Sure enough, the odd scents of the lake and people inhabiting it struck her like a cannonball. Focusing her attention, she scanned the water.

    Surprisingly quickly, she picked out the glow of her opponent in the blues, greens and oranges that was her vision. She was an indistinct shape swimming towards the center. Harper didn¡¯t want to even think about how awful it would be to use the senses of a mundane snake.

    The senses of an anaconda with a Domain were bad enough. It was the thing she looked forward to the most in more powerful creatures. Dragons were said to be able to distinguish the shade of green on a leaf from miles away. She was a long way from that.

    Harper carefully lowered herself into the water. She had practiced enough to swim in the strange undulating way snakes do, if not well. Still, she was at least able to pick a direction and go in it.

    Harper kept her head above water and approached to a short distance from her opponent, clumsily treading in place. This close, she could see what manner of creature she would be facing, it wasn¡¯t much of a surprise though. The efferan convention of adopting the name of the type of creature they had as an Alius was well known.

    A salamander was treading water in front of her, seemingly glaring at Harper. She was a light brown color with deep black eyes. Webbed claws worked to keep her in place. Harper heard a voice yell out. She was unsure if that was due to her distorted senses or if it was in another language. Perhaps both. Either way, it was clearly the signal to start. Salamander launched forward.

    Harper was not adept enough to swim backwards, if that could even be done in her current body. She did the only thing she could, met the other woman head on. At the last moment, the salamander jerked to the side, making Harper miss the bite she attempted and giving her a mouthful of water for her trouble.

    Pain shot through as the amphibious creature latched onto her neck. She felt her claws begin scoring at her newly grown scales. Harper shrieked and whipped around furiously, trying to shake her off. Finally coming to her senses, Harper did what her anacondan instincts were screaming at her and tried to wrap around her prey. Before she could bend around and tighten her grip around the smaller creature, Salamander dipped away, out of her grasp.

    What followed was not dissimilar to her own fight with the anaconda weeks previously. Salamander continuously wounded her before retreating, using her speed and experience to navigate the water in a way Harper couldn¡¯t hope to achieve.

    She felt herself grow tired. The water around her was red and stained in blood. She was surprised she lasted this long, not having the energy reserves of an adult anaconda. No! She thought. I will at least hurt this moon-cursed savage.

    The next time she darted in, overconfident with her success, Harper used her renewed resolve to jerk her head to the side. She was successful, clamping onto the other Alius¡¯s back leg with her fangs and refusing to let go. Salamander gave her own shrill shriek of pain.

    Nothing had ever sounded so sweet in Harper¡¯s life. She held on no matter how hard the salamander thrashed, trying to get away. Another spot in her previously pristine scales were being savaged, but Harper couldn¡¯t find it in herself to care. Forgetting everything that wasn¡¯t relevant to being an anaconda, she wrapped herself around the smaller body and squeezed, eager to crush the life out of something that had hurt her so badly.

    That was until she realized that she couldn¡¯t. She did not have the energy to exert much pressure at all. Her missing energy was all around her, in her missing lifeblood that painted the surrounding waters crimson.

    Harper vision began blacking out. She strained with everything she had, but it was not enough. She was too far gone. As Harper and Salamander sunk deeper into the lake, she felt something snap. Pain become her world. At some point that transitioned from a soundless cry in her own mind to a gurgling choke.

    Harper could not stop herself from letting in the water. She lacked the presence of mind. The combination of pain, trauma, and drowning was too much. For the second time in only a minute, Harper felt herself blacking out, in her real body this time.

    She later wished she could say that her last thought was of something profound, or she could see her life flash before her eyes. None of that was true. At the time she was certain death was near. It was mostly terror and blind panic that followed her into the dark.

 Chapter 27

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 Chapter 28

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 Chapter 29

    Early the next morning, Harper set off towards the post office. She felt it necessary to tell her family of her uncle¡¯s presence and ask for advice in the event that they met. Unfortunately, it would take a while. The mailing service between continents was known for its lethargy. She still hadn¡¯t received her family¡¯s response to her initial letter back to Magnon.

    Alric Henton was mother¡¯s brother. Like Harper¡¯s mother, he was a scion of one of the warring kingdoms of upper Magnon, the remnants of the greater Empire of Tavenoc. Henton was a powerful, if short-lived, dukedom on the northern coast. Her maternal grandparents and great grandparents had carved out their own territory by force, only to be shattered by a coup some decades later.

    Her mother and uncle were only children at the time, and fled to Quilen with a large portion of the house''s riches. Those riches were enough to ensure their survival, and eventual assimilation into the Waspen house. It was finalized when her mother and father were married, and her uncle went back to fight in northern Magnon under the Waspen banner.

    Harper didn¡¯t know the reason, but at some point, they had a falling out and her uncle was exiled. It was not too dissimilar to her own circumstances she realized, except that her uncle¡¯s exile was much more thorough. He had been stripped of the Waspen name and had no recourse to regain his lost standing. She only had vague memories of the man.

    Harper¡¯s parents had thought he settled in south Zecura. His experience in warfare would serve him well there, and it would not have been too difficult for him to establish himself, being a powerful Magnate.

    Perhaps he did, and moved to Vanax later. Whatever the case, she needed to be cautious. She didn¡¯t know how bitter their relationship was when they parted. It was very possible that he would prove hostile. Assassinations were not below the nobles of north Magnon if what she knew from the stories held any truth.

    In the worst case, her letter would give her parents some clues if she ¡®mysteriously disappeared.¡¯ Harper didn¡¯t want it to come to that of course, but she could use her parents knowing his whereabouts as leverage in case he tried anything untoward. Her best defense currently was his ignorance to her presence.

    This is probably excessive, she thought. I don¡¯t know anything about him. He may welcome me with open arms. Memories of the previous day¡¯s ventures flitted through her mind. Of starved workers and the incessant crack of a whip. But probably not. I should keep my distance.

    Harper walked into the post office, well familiar with it by now. She had visited it both during her duties as a courier, and when checking for correspondence from her family. Mail distributed here was almost always of personal nature, deliveries to recipients in the city that weren¡¯t important enough to burden the Governor¡¯s couriers with.

    She made her way to the front desk, stamped letter in hand. ¡°Good morning, Arvin. I would like this set aside for the next delivery north.¡±

    The clerk nodded and set her letter in a nearby pile. ¡°Will do, Harper. Hold on a minute.¡±

    She tilted her head in question but he just vanished into the back. He reappeared a minute later, holding a letter with a wax seal over the top. ¡°The letter you keep asking about just came in last night. I was thinking I wouldn¡¯t see you again until your weekly check-in, but it seems you''re in luck.¡±

    A wave of relief flowed through Harper and tension she didn¡¯t know she had eased in her shoulders. Thanking the clerk, she grabbed the letter and hurried to a nearby bench. With every passing week with no response Harper had gotten more worried. They had said they would exchange letters but what if her parents changed their minds?

    What if they had elected to make her exile like her uncle¡¯s, completely cut off from the family. A lack of response from Corvin worried her even more. He would send something, even if her parents hadn¡¯t, unless they were actively stopping him from doing so.

    Her worry was for naught it seemed. She had left a notice in the Porvus post office that she would be in Arboren. Maybe the trip in between had more stops than expected. Maybe the ship ferrying letters across the sea was delayed by bad weather. It didn¡¯t really matter; the message had arrived.

    Harper sat and broke the seal, a familiar image of a dragon with an eclipsed sun and moon background. Two letters sat inside. The first was in her mother¡¯s handwriting; the script was grateful and flowing, far different than her father¡¯s clear and precise print. The second was in her brother¡¯s messy scrawl. Their tutors never could get him to write his letters properly. Her own was closer to her father¡¯s, print with the occasional flourish.

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    Dear Harper,

    We are glad to hear that you arrived in Vanax as scheduled. The opportunities should be plentiful and connections you form there could be helpful after returning home. I recommend building a relationship with Governor Mavian, if you haven''t already. She is supposedly the current foremost merchant on the continent; there is the chance for some very lucrative contracts.

    If you succeed in building a presence there, and achieve the goal we set for you, we may consider sending you resources to build an outpost for our house on the continent. Just something that would keep an eye on developments there and serve as a trade station. You might be able to come home not only having redeemed your mistake, but expanded the house and secured a potential investment.

    As for matters back in Quilen, your brother has officially taken heirship. Do not be too disappointed, prodigies of his level are quite rare. I know things didn¡¯t turn out as any of as expected, but you need to remember it¡¯s for the good of the house. His rise in power will benefit us all.

    Corvin has even caught the attention of the crown. We¡¯ve begun receiving invitations for events above our rank. Even the dukes have started treating us differently, some as potential future allies, and some as potential rivals. If we play our cards right, the new territory in the north and dukedom is not out of our reach.

    There has even been talk of sending your brother north early. If he joins now and climbs the ranks before becoming a Magnate as is usual, he could earn the respect of the army. He¡¯s already been given a core and grown most of his Alius. We had decided on a crushing monitor. It fits his fighting style well, and will leave him with a useful legacy trait as he moves on to more powerful creatures.

    The war continues on as always. Neither side is making much headway. We remain entrenched in what we¡¯ve claimed and have not been able to push through. There¡¯s talk of this next campaign being the one to do it, but such has been the rumor for years now.

    Your father and I are eager to see what you can accomplish on your own. Work hard, and seize any opportunity that arises. Be patient with the Domains, Sky will come for you when you are ready. It is notoriously tricky among the Domains. Make the house proud.

    Our warmest regards,

    Celvine and Dolvan Waspen.

    It was about what she expected. Her parents were never much for sentiment, and she supposed she wasn¡¯t either. Some of the contents did surprise her, however.

    Harper¡¯s parents had been wanting to move up for as long as she could remember. Both were personally powerful, and the house itself was on the larger end of viscounts and counts. Harper had expected that they would move onto marquess and marchioness at some point, but becoming a duchy? That was ambitious, and something she thought far from their grasp.

    Corvin¡¯s talent was a bigger deal than she realized. That fact, and that he was given the core of such a powerful creature spawned a new surge of jealously in her. She pushed it down, and acknowledged that a crushing monitor was an excellent fit for him.

    Mundane monitors were large lizards known for their size and ferocity. The crushing monitor was known to amplify these traits; it was especially well known for its size and devastating bite. It was said to be able to snap the bones of even most Magnate creatures, should it clamp its jaws around them. Lesser creatures would be pulverized bite by bite.

    That Corvin may be joining the ranks soon worries her. She was surprised her parents would allow it; it seemed like too great a risk. With only one Domain, he may not even be joining as an officer, but as a foot soldier in the special forces. It would be fraught with danger.

    Harper reread the letter, grimacing at the mention of Governor Mavian. She had heard more about the Governor in her time here, and while what she heard was no doubt biased against her, being in another colony, all that she heard reinforced the initial impression and what that labuntan handmaiden had told her. What was her name again? I can¡¯t recall, she thought, feeling slightly guilty.

    In any case, building a relationship with the Governor of Orosburgh was out of her reach for now. Nor did Harper want to stay any longer than necessary to build a branch of their house here.

    Harper moved onto the second letter. It repeated much of what the first said, going over new events and developments. His letter was more personal in nature. Unlike Harper and their parents, Corvin was more emotionally open. He expressed his sadness at her absence, emphasizing how their home felt less lively.

    There was an obvious conflict in his words of trying not to come off as gloating, but wanting to share his excitement for what was happening. He was extremely in favor of joining the war in the north, and was doing everything he could to make it a reality. Harper hoped he wouldn¡¯t come to regret it.

    One section talked about the high-ranking events he had been invited to. Instead of focusing on the trading opportunities and political connections he had been able to form, he went on about the friends he had made.

    Corvin had always been like that. Something about his genuine personality and natural charisma enticed people, low and high ranking alike. Of course, for some, it had the opposite effect, them thinking him a fool. Yet he always seemed to manage fine.

    One paragraph in particular was spent gushing about a particular royal. One of the princesses in their age group that he had never met but had always seen from afar. Apparently, that had changed during a recent ball.

    She raised an eye in amusement at the praise he had given her. It seemed that she had entranced him. Hopefully she didn¡¯t intend on using him as a piece in some political game or that he grew too bold. They were still only a countdom, after all. She was sure her parents were watching closely and would stop him from making any sort of political misstep. Harper fully intended in mocking him for his poorly hidden admiration.

    Smiling, she returned home. Harper had another letter to write.

 Chapter 30

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 Chapter 31

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 Chapter 32

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 Chapter 33

    Harper awoke suddenly. Her entire body felt sore; the hard ground not doing her any favors. She was momentarily confused, before the events of the previous night came to her.

    Harper had run through the night. There were many close calls. In one particular instance she had been surrounded on three sides; she barely escaped, only one of her pursuers tripping in their haste providing an opening. None were meaningfully faster than her, and neither did any of them seem to possess an Alius that could run her down or track her

    One by one, she lost them. Eventually, after running for over an hour with no sign of pursuit, Harper slumped to the ground, against a tree. She only intended on catching her breath, but her fatigue was too overwhelming. Despite her feeble attempts to resist, she had fallen asleep.

    Harper looked down at the creature that had awoken her. Briar, who had somehow gotten out of his pouch, stood on her breast. He was staring at her intently.

    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have any food for you, Briar. All the supplies were in the saddlebags.¡± The thorny devil did not respond, only staring at her.

    She sat up; it was time to get moving. It was still early morning; she couldn¡¯t have slept for much more than a couple hours. Now that it was getting light enough to reliably follow tracks, she expected her hunters to be after her. She was fortunate they hadn¡¯t found her already, but she needed the rest.

    The courier climbed to her feet. She needed to get back to civilization and alert the Governor. Hiding her relation to her uncle was no longer an option. He had proven hostile. With the benefit of hindsight, it was obvious that this was his doing.

    The most obvious piece of evidence was the man who she saw both in her uncle¡¯s plantation and hunting her. The next was how long she had to wait for her uncle¡¯s letter. Keeping her there for so long ensured plenty of time for the ambushers to prepare and drastically decreased the chance of witnesses on the road.

    She still found it puzzling. Harper spent the majority of the time in a closed room. She would have seen her uncle at the same time he saw her. She supposed that someone, either the servant girl or the man, Pelman, she thought his name was, could have remarked on her appearance.

    The platinum blonde hair she and her mother possessed was not a common trait. She¡¯d be surprised if such a description didn¡¯t immediately remind him of his sister and niece. Still, it was not a trait exclusive to them, and it seemed silly to think that the man would send hunters after her for that alone.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, she decided. The most important thing at the moment was getting back to Mentril. She was still in danger, if not from her ambushers, then from the forest¡¯s fauna. The faster she was behind the stout walls of the city, the better.

    Harper climbed to her feet, setting Briar back into his pouch. He was heavy enough at this point that lugging him around would have been impractical if not for her Domain and core. He didn¡¯t seem inclined to wander off on his own; perhaps she should let him walk alongside her more in the future.

    She put the matter out of her mind. Harper put her foot forward, before she paused. She had no idea which direction to go. All she knew was that she was somewhere northeast of Mentril. She wasn¡¯t even sure which direction she had fled off the road.

    Finding a rough compass was a simple matter, she climbed one of the nearby trees, checking the sun¡¯s position. With that, she began jogging in what she estimated was southwest. She¡¯d run into a road eventually, and getting back from there would be easy.

    Stopping only to relieve herself and load her gun, Harper alternated between jogging and walking. She found a few creeks that enabled her and Briar to slake their thirst, but nothing to sate their hunger.

    Well, she did find an anthill and let Briar devour the colony, but was not hungry enough to partake herself. There were also several berry bushes along the way. She wished she paid more attention when Amelia or Vayuhn pointed out which were edible; she didn¡¯t think it would ever matter.

    It was nearing dusk again before she found a road, and fortunately one she recognized. Harper looked at the setting sun, grimacing. The chances that her ambushers were roaming the roads were low, but not impossible. Backtracking, Harper retreated half an hour from the road. Finding a sheltered spot, she built herself a modest shelter.

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    She debated whether or not she should sleep. The most dangerous creature she had encountered thus far was a particularly aggressive badger. She had given it a wide berth, and it let her pass without conflict.

    She turned her head back, toward where she had come from. It was also possible she was being tracked, though the uneventful day made her think the possibility unlikely. Ultimately, she decided that sleep wasn¡¯t worth the risk. Exhausted or not, she was fit and bolstered by her Domain. She¡¯d be fine.

    Harper settled down to wait out the night. The exiled noble sat there, completely miserable. She did her best to ignore everything. The hunger, anxiety, soreness, bruises, and lingering fits of pain from her failed duel the previous month.

    For the first time since she had smashed the primavis core her parents had given her, Harper felt regret for the action.

    Even right after doing so and facing her parent¡¯s ire, she didn¡¯t really regret it.

    Even when she arrived in Vanax, she didn¡¯t regret it.

    Even when she had nearly died on her first hunt, she didn¡¯t regret it.

    Even when she woke up humiliated and in pain after her Alius death, she didn¡¯t regret it.

    She regretted it now.

    Harper could never recall feeling more miserable. Her hard-earned Alius was gone, needing to be regrown. Her horse was dead. She was still no closer to the Aerial Domain then she was a year ago.

    Harper just wanted to go home. In that moment, she forgot her pride. If she could, she would beg to come back home. She would promise to be content with her lot and spend the rest of her life in the background, watching over her family¡¯s accounts. Ambition was set aside for comfort. Glory set aside for safety. Freedom set aside for stability.

    The morning did not come quickly. She had nearly dozed off a dozen time, resorting to splashing some water on her face from the nozzle on her ring. She had refilled it in one of the creeks they had stopped to drink at.

    After what felt like an eternity, Harper stood up. It was once again light enough of to see where she was going. She made her way to the road, following in the foliage alongside it. After a few hours, she felt confident enough to get on the road.

    After walking for a while, she heard the sounds of hoofbeats behind her. Harper¡¯s heart leapt to her throat and she spun around, preparing to dash off the road. A lone rider in a cloak was making his way down. He had definitely already seen her.

    Harper calmed herself down. He didn¡¯t look like any of those chasing her, and was making no aggressive moves. Still, Harper set one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other on her flintlock. It was long since loaded and ready to be fired at a moment''s notice. Dangerous to carry around perhaps, but she wasn¡¯t taking any chances.

    The rider slowed as he approached. The man held up a hand and called out. ¡°I mean no harm. Are you alright?¡±

    Harper realized how her own position looked. She was tensed and ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice; she was covered in filth and blood. Her hair looked like a rat¡¯s nest. There were leaves and small sticks tangled within that Harper hadn''t cleaned out yet.

    Harper relaxed her stance marginally. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I had gotten ambushed on the way to Bornel and barely escaped. I¡¯m one of the Governor¡¯s couriers."

    The man nodded. ¡°I recognize you. When you didn¡¯t turn up two days ago at your scheduled time, we thought you must have gotten held up somewhere. When you still hadn¡¯t arrived this morning, I was sent back.¡±

    The man got down from his horse, keeping his hands open. Realizing that she had slid an inch of her sword out of its sheath, Harper took her hand off her weapons and pointedly held them at her sides.

    Studying the man, she found him familiar. ¡°Ah you work in the stables.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of them. My name¡¯s Leon.¡± He held out his hand.

    ¡°Harper,¡± she returned, and shook his hand. She gestured to his horse. ¡°Can you take me to Mentril? I urgently need to see the Governor.¡±

    He nodded as if this was expected, and she supposed it was. At her request, he gave her some rations to eat on the ride there, and they were off.

    Despite the circumstances, Harper felt a bit awkward wrapping her arms around a near stranger. The saddle didn¡¯t do any favors for her sore body either. It beat walking though.

    They arrived at Mentril in the late afternoon. A wave of relief flowed through Harper once they passed the city walls. Unlikely it may have been, the fear of being ambushed again had only grown stronger as the day wore on, not weaker.

    They went straight to the city hall. While her news couldn¡¯t exactly be called pressing, it was still best to tell the Governor as soon as possible. The faster she alerted him, the less time those responsible for her ambush would have to cover their tracks.

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Leon asked.

    Harper turned her attention outwards. She hadn¡¯t noticed, too preoccupied with her own troubles. The streets were far emptier than they should have been at this time of day. Some people were still going about their business, but they walked hurriedly, not stopping to chat with others as she would expect.

    They turned a corner and a patrol of guards was making its way down the street. Noticing them, and Harper¡¯s state in particular, they were stopped and questioned. Her uniform, tattered though it was, was enough proof that she was a courier and they were let through relatively quickly.

    Before they continued, they queried about the state of the city. The guards told them of an incident the previous night. An attack by a terrorist group. While the name meant nothing to Leon, she recognized it instantly.

    The Unshackled. They were back, and they were in Mentril.

 Chapter 34

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 Chapter 35

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 Chapter 36

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 Chapter 37

    The hermit inspected the thorny devil. ¡°The scales have been meticulously harvested. Who do you sell the molt to?¡±

    Harper bristled at the implication that Briar had been cleaned only for profit. She would ensure he was clean whether there was money to be made or not. Regardless, she answered. ¡°It goes to Susan Alvera of the Arboren Apothecary. And I don¡¯t sell them, they are in exchange for alchemy training.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°A waste of time. You don¡¯t have the temperament required.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve known me for all of ten minutes. How would you know?¡± She had started to grow irritated at the man. It was no wonder he was known for his cantankerousness. They hadn¡¯t exchanged two dozen sentences and he was insulting her.

    He ignored her question. The old man picked Briar up, looking at him from different angles. She made no move to stop him, the reasoning from earlier still applied. If he wanted to harm them, there was nothing she could do about it. Besides, he had earned quite a bit of goodwill from giving her that healing draught.

    After a few seconds, he gave a hmmm. He set Briar down on the table and walked away once again. He emerged a few minutes later. His intention obvious as he made for Briar with another vial in his hand. Harper did feel the need to interject here.

    ¡°Wait! What are you giving him!?¡± The man looked over at her exclamation absentmindedly, as if he forgot she was there.

    ¡°Just an experimental growth draught. It shouldn¡¯t harm it at all. This is an excellent opportunity to test an exotic specimen. Here, hold the lizard still for me.¡± The hermit gestured at Briar.

    ¡°Him,¡± Harper corrected, but she moved to help. Prior stories and her own experience with the earlier healing draught assuaged her worries. Anything that could help Briar, especially something free, could only be a good thing.

    Just before he tipped the vial down Briar¡¯s throat, he paused. ¡°Ah, is he of the Telluric Domain?¡±

    Harper frowned, puzzled. ¡°No, he¡¯s got the Solar Domain? Why does that matter?¡±

    The hermit recapped the vial. ¡°No matter. It would only have made him sick. Probably.¡±

    Harper¡¯s eye twitched, but she only watched as he left the room and came back with a different vial. She was suddenly much more wary but still helped him pour the concoction down Briar¡¯s throat.

    The lizard was not pleased with them. He swallowed the drink but squirmed out of their hands after angrily. He nipped the hermit¡¯s fingers. The man didn¡¯t react at all, only setting the now empty vial aside.

    He spoke to her as he picked up his notebook and jotted down more notes. ¡°Feed him twice whatever you were feeding him before. Make sure his meals are very protein dense. If he excretes anything purple, do not touch it with your bare hands. Find somewhere to bury it to be safe.¡±

    Harper didn¡¯t have time to formulate a reply before he picked Briar up and shoved him into her hands. As soon as she had him tucked in his bag, he shoved another bundle into her hands. The potions she was sent to retrieve. From there she was rushed out the door.

    ¡°Out with you now. You should have plenty of time to get out before dark. Don¡¯t linger, a drake was around here yesterday. They are quite fond of eating other reptiles.¡± Harper¡¯s eyes widened, about to protest before he cut her off. ¡°You are to come back next month. Bring the lizard.¡±

    With a final light shove, she was out the door. It shut behind her. Harper looked back flabbergasted, and then at the surrounding forest, nervously. Eventually, she sighed and readied her horse. She was obviously not welcome to stay the night. The sooner she got back the better.

    After loading her flintlock and putting the potion inside her aetherspace, she jumped atop her horse. While alchemical concoctions were not as alluring as cores to wild Domain creatures, they could still attract them. They were effectively distilled in aether after all.

    Harper set a fast pace. The mention of the drake caused her to be even more nervous than when she came in. Luckily, nothing accosted her. She once again gave the tree that she thought she saw movement in a wide berth. If something had been there, chances were it had already moved, but it cost her nothing to spend another thirty seconds taking a detour off the trail.

    Half an hour later, she relaxed marginally; she was in the clear. Harper still kept an eye out for danger, of course. Her ambush had made her far more paranoid, but this was a fairly safe area. There was no need to scan every potential hiding spot with alacrity. Keeping a wide view was adequate.

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    The courier made good time. She not only got back before dark, but with several hours to spare. The fact that the delivery to the hermit was comfortably a day trip had factored heavily into her decision to take it.

    Harper stopped at the courier room to hand off the potions. She did take a quick glance at the descriptions that came with the brews. The first had a niche but potent effect, if the tag could be believed. It was a mouthwash that revitalized and strengthened teeth, even purifying cavities. Some wealthy merchant that ate too many sweets as a child would get this, she was sure.

    The second was more practical. The potion could temporarily mimic the effects of the Biotic Domain on the body. One¡¯s senses would be enhanced. Their eyes would be clearer, their hearing sharper, and their sense of smell enhanced. The degree in which they were boosted or for how long it lasted wasn¡¯t specified.

    The last was the most interesting to her, not for its usefulness, but rather its oddness. It would cause the drinker to emit a pheromone that would attract freshwater fish. She supposed if someone wanted to lure a lot of fish quickly, this could do it. Overall, though, she didn¡¯t see why he wasted his time creating such a potion.

    Then again, he seemed to care a lot more about the craft itself than anything it could produce. Maybe the process of making it was interesting. Harper wondered what kind of creature or creatures were used in the making of it. At least one type of fish, she decided.

    Harper made a note on the board that she would deliver to the hermit again the following month, as well as an explanation that he had specifically requested her. She looked at the board, considering doing another riskier delivery the next day, before ultimately deciding against it. Her free time was limited. Better that she find Vayuhn and see if he had a hunt lined up.

    he set off for their spot, exiting the west gate as was her custom. Some of the guards found her odd for spending so much time out in the woods. At being questioned about her activities, she just claimed to be hunting, which was often true anyways.

    Harper walked into the glade with the peryton statue, glad to see that Vayuhn was here. He had taken to spending a lot of time in the area, when he wasn¡¯t prowling the woods or doing whatever task his master had him doing. She couldn¡¯t believe that his master asked more of a slave that got him a core every week. Few could hope to have a slave that turned so much profit.

    Harper hesitated at seeing him meditating. She had walked over quietly, something she had started doing habitually in the last few months. Her good mood from the aetherspace healing draught and successful delivery put her in mind for some mischief. She thought of the first time she met Vayuhn outside the gates. He had jumped from a tree, startling her.

    Harper didn¡¯t think she could quietly navigate the trees, but she had the next best thing. She shifted into her Alius for the first time since its pervious incarnation¡¯s death in the lake. She had just restarted growing it and was not much more than an infant anaconda.

    If she hadn¡¯t had previous practice growing it, then it would be even less developed and not worth the risk to shift into. As it was, her senses were immediately overwhelmed, and she had to take a few minutes readjusting. Harper would definitely dedicate more time to moving around like this.

    Even if the fight hadn¡¯t been in water, Harper would probably have fared poorly. Her control was rudimentary and her instincts uncoalesced. A few hours of practice were not enough to get down the required muscle memory.

    Her senses adjusted; she slithered in the direction of the big red blot in her vision. No movement, perfect, she thought. There was something satisfying about using her Alius as the actual creature might. She would have to hunt with it in the future. For certain creatures, it may be preferable over fighting as a human.

    Harper slithered right under his unsuspecting form. She would have to have some caution. While he should recognize her quickly, she didn¡¯t want to get squashed in his knee-jerk reaction.

    Just as she was about to nip his leg, right above his boot, something picked her up from her middle. Vayuhn lifted her, looking at her beady eyes. ¡°Not quite good enough, Harper.¡± He said, or at least, something like it. Hearing was odd as a snake. She could still see the grin on his face though, snake vision or not.

    Shattered Domains, she cursed. Vayuhn set her back on the ground, and she shifted back, growing in a white light from the small serpentine form, eventually solidifying. She sat up, dusting herself off. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°You¡¯re not as quiet as you think you are,¡± his cocky grin still in place. ¡°A leaf you went over made a crinkling sound.¡± He sat back on the bone peryton. ¡°I¡¯ve got a hunt for tomorrow. Rumors of a pack of wolves from down south have begun spreading. There¡¯s even supposed to be a dire wolf among them. I want to see if their hunting has shaken anything else out of their hiding spots.¡±

    Harper nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do that, but we need to do your lessons first.¡±

    Vayuhn groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m still going over what we talked about last time.¡±

    Vayuhn¡¯s interest in education had waned as time went on. He had learned the alphabet, and other basics, but didn¡¯t seem very motivated to continue. He was even slacking on the Domain portion, preferring to meditate.

    Harper would not accept it though. They had made a deal, and she would follow through. It already sometimes felt like she owed him. She just joined for hunts he had prepared, and she often only played a minor role. That she walked away with half the profits felt unfair.

    So, despite his misgivings, she would make sure his education was thorough, if he wanted it now or not. It also helped her newly soured mood to see him irritated over something she knew so well. He may have practically grown up in the forest, but she grew up surrounded by tutors and books.

    ¡°So, how goes the manifestation of the Domain of Sun?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Same as last time,¡± he waved off. ¡°None of those facts about matter and places and temperature seemed to help.¡±

    ¡°It was how the state of matter changed dependent upon temperature.¡± she corrected. To Vayuhn¡¯s frustration, she launched into another lecture on the topic, trying to instill the basic idea. The effect of heat on materials was a vital part of the Solar Domain after all.

 Chapter 38

    After an hour of lecture, they sat in silence, meditating on the Domains. Well, Vayuhn was. Harper was shifting restlessly. She was growing frustrated and had resolved to ask Vayuhn his advice before she got ambushed.

    It rankled her pride to ask. Not only because this was something she should have been able to do with her extensive education, something he lacked, but that it would put her into his debt. It was outside the scope of their original deal. What if he decided their exchange was no longer equal and wanted something more? She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d do if he asked for help escaping his bonds or to stage a revolt.

    Swallowing her pride and reluctance, she voiced the question. ¡°Vayuhn?¡± she intoned. He cracked an eye towards her. ¡°Can you advise me on the Aerial Domain?¡±

    She expected a calculating look or bargaining for something she could ill afford to lose, but none of those happened. She should have known better; he hadn¡¯t pushed for more the entire time she knew him.

    He hadn¡¯t requested a larger profit from their hunts, even when he probably should have. He hadn¡¯t asked for any secret knowledge from her house. He hadn¡¯t even pressed for more information about her background.

    Perhaps she was too used to backroom politics and the conniving manipulators common among the nobility of Quilen. Whenever she spent time with peers, she almost always had to be on her guard.

    When did I start considering Vayuhn to be a peer? She wondered. On this continent, so far from her house, her title mattered for a lot less. The closest she had to a peer in her social class in Mentril was the Governor¡¯s son, Gavin. The manipulation she was expecting held true there, at least.

    Now that she considered it, she had nearly stopped thinking about the difference in social stations when interacting with others. An outcome of Vanax¡¯s lack of clear social hierarchy, no doubt. Still, Vayuhn was a slave. Should she be getting so familiar with him? Should she consider him a... friend?

    His answer cut off her deliberations. ¡°Finally! I was wondering when you were going to ask.¡± He gave a smug smile and spoke in a posh tone. ¡°I will deign to educate you on the matter.¡±

    Harper crossed her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t talk like that.¡±

    ¡°Whatever do you mean? I am merely speaking as an educated scholar. I would be delighted to enlighten you on my vast repertoire of knowledge.¡±

    The vocabulary he was mocking her with was not as far off as she would prefer, still, the accent was too much. His approximation of her aristocratic lilt was far overblown; a caricature of her way of speaking.

    She wished she could mock him in a like manner, only with a labuntan¡¯s drawl and butchered sentences, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense. There was no accent in his words different than she was used to at this point on Vanax, nor did his speech show any type of educational deficient. He was surprisingly eloquent for a slave, even before she began teaching him.

    Most of the labuntans she interacted with spoke simply and with a drawl. Not through any fault of their own of course, merely their lack of proper education. She wasn¡¯t one of those foolish enough to believe the labuntan people any less intelligent than the other humanoid species. She had read too many books from south Zecura for that to be the case.

    She just rolled her eyes and huffed. ¡°Are you going to assist me or not?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he relented. ¡°What I think you¡¯re missing is the... feeling of it.¡±

    Harper raised a brow before replying in a dry tone. ¡°The ¡®feeling¡¯ of it?¡±

    He ran his hand through his dirt blonde hair. ¡°I know, give me a minute. I¡¯ve never put it into words before.¡± He continued after a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s like... it¡¯s understanding what it¡¯s like to be of the sky and be without the sky. Not the Domain of Sky, but the actual sky. Does that make any sense?¡±

    She frowned; it didn¡¯t really mean anything to her. She tried to find a comparison within herself with her own Domain. Did she understand what it was like to be of the sea and not of the sea? Not really. The sea is just... the sea. The ranva are of the sea more than any other species, and while the Aquatic Domain is more common among them, it¡¯s far from universal. Nor do I feel any affinity with the Domain of Earth, despite being of it as much as any other person or creature.

    Harper shook her head. It wasn¡¯t too unexpected. If everyone was able to understand Domains in the same way, the process for manifesting them would be far more streamlined. The ways they looked at and understood the Domains was likely just too different for his advice to be helpful to her.

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    Before she opened her mouth to dismiss the topic of discussion, he spoke triumphantly. ¡°Ah ha, it¡¯s like freedom,¡± he declared. He gestured up and around. ¡°Being of the sky is like freedom, while not being of it is like bondage.¡±

    That brought the conversation into more familiar waters for Harper. ¡°Ah, you ascribe to Gentrel¡¯s theory then?¡± she questioned, knowing full well he would have no idea what that was.

    Vayuhn just looked at her with mild annoyance. He folded his arms and stared at her, not bothering to ask the obvious.

    After a minute Harper gave in. ¡°Gentrel was an atoran philosopher from Canjor that lived a few centuries ago. He was a known heretic and was eventually forced into the Great Nature Nexus and never seen again. In his time, he came up with a variety of methods for helping along the manifestation of Domains. Almost all of them were eventually proven correct, if outdated at this point.

    ¡°Only one, now called Gentrel¡¯s theory, is still debated. The theory states that every Domain is related to understanding an associated state of being. For the Aerial Domain, that state of being is freedom. For my own, the Domain of Sea, it is supposedly acceptance.¡±

    Vayuhn nodded. ¡°A state of being; that¡¯s almost the perfect way to describe it. He was right. Why is it still debated?¡±

    ¡°Because most people think it¡¯s ridiculous,¡± she said flatly. ¡°Myself included.¡± Harper stood up and began pacing. ¡°While a few say that it¡¯s correct, most people have found no difference when it is taught. Studies done on it are inconclusive, but usually they lean towards it not mattering at all. Why would the Domains care about how one understands their state of being anyways?¡± Frustration leaked into her voice at that last sentence.

    Harper took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°I would completely dismiss your advice if not for the fact that my brother believes in it too.¡±

    Vayuhn refocused on her. She specifically never mentioned her family. ¡°Why would that change your mind?¡± he asked.

    Harper spoke, but the frustration she had previously restrained was back in full force. ¡°Because, like you, he¡¯s a Domains blessed prodigy. What are the chances that two prodigies would tell me the same thing. There must be an element of truth, but it makes no damn sense!¡± Harper¡¯s voice rose at the end of her sentence, and she kicked a nearby rock into the forest.

    Vayuhn gave her a minute to cool down, and she blushed in embarrassment. She should be better than this, losing her temper at all was a failure on her part. Losing it in front of someone she had a business relationship with was unacceptable. Her parents would see her locked in her rooms for weeks.

    After a while, Vayuhn spoke. If there was any pity, it was carefully removed from his tone. Only reasonable logic took its place. ¡°You still got your Domain well before the average. You might not be a prodigy, but you¡¯ll be just fine.¡±

    Harper shook her head. ¡°You don''t understand. My Domain manifestation was average, maybe even a little behind. Most people don¡¯t have the resources I grew up with. Even my parents didn¡¯t have quite as many cores and as much accumulated knowledge as I received. In the circles I come from, I am far from the elite. In a house as ambitious as my own? I am not enough to lead.¡±

    Realizing how much she had revealed, Harper changed the subject in a manner that was anything but subtle. ¡°Ahem, back to the discussion. Maybe the theory would help you with other Domains. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve studied at all extensively, but I know the basics.¡±

    Vayuhn frowned but didn¡¯t say anything about the earlier topic. ¡°That would be good. I would have no idea where to even begin for the Solar Domain. Is it about power? The state of having power or being powerless. Maybe it¡¯s about fury?¡± Vayuhn shook his head before correcting himself. ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t make sense. That''s more an emotion then a state of being.¡±

    Glad to be moving on, Harper gave a small grin at the next thing she told him. She guessed that he would have a similar reaction to her own upon hearing it. She was not disappointed.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s about reliance. Do you understand the state of relying on someone or something?¡±

    Vayuhn scrunched up his face. ¡°Seriously? The Domain of Sun is associated with... reliance?¡± he asked. At her nod he groaned. ¡°Okay, maybe his theory isn¡¯t all that accurate after all.¡±

    She gave a small laugh at that. ¡°If you think that¡¯s odd, the Umbral Domain is apparently related to the state of vulnerability.¡±

    ¡°Where did he get these? They¡¯re ridiculous!¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°She continued. ¡°And the Lunar Domain. It¡¯s just as ludicrous. Apparently, it is connected to the state of being of passion, whatever in the Domains that means.¡±

    At that Vayuhn paused for a second. He laughed unconvincingly a moment later. ¡°Yeah, those don¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Harper looked at him for a moment, noting the pause, before shrugging it off. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s plan tomorrow¡¯s excursion. It was a pack of wolves? Did you say there was a dire wolf?¡±

    He nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s what the rumors say. We¡¯ll be staying well clear of them. These ones in particular seem very aggressive to people. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Governor has already sent some rangers to hunt them down. I¡¯m hoping that their presence will have scared some game further north.¡±

    Vayuhn couldn¡¯t venture too far due to his master¡¯s restrictions. The enchanted device implanted in the back of his neck ensured his cooperation. Sometimes that made it difficult to find enough creatures when so limited to the near vicinity, but he always seemed to make do.

    After another hour they separately headed back. She took the time to enjoy the meal prepared by her landlady. She really was fortunate to find her landlords. Harper had a hard time imagining anyone else would have been willingly to take care of Briar when she left him. She had tried to pay Laytia one time but had been brushed off. The apprentice aethertanner was fond of Briar and had no issues checking up on him.

    Harper looked at the lizard himself with some small concern. He was in a deep sleep, snoring unusually loudly. While she was sure the hermit meant Briar no harm, she was still weary of the experimental growth serum he had been fed. There was nothing to do but see how he was the next morning.

    She went to bed. It would be an early start the next day. The nightmares still came, but they were starting to reduce in frequency, if not intensity. Still, there was nothing she could do about them. Harper needed to rest; they¡¯d interrupt her whether she started now or later.

 Chapter 39

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 Chapter 40

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