15-21. The Caravan

“I thought you had already left,” Elijah said to Sara, who sat at a desk, papers scattered all around her. Not just on the surface of said desk, but across the floor as well. She’d obviously been at it for a while.

She looked up. “I could say the same to you.”

Elijah massaged the back of his neck. “Leaving in a few minutes. I just wanted to come by to say goodbye.”

Sara looked around, blinking as if she’d just woken up. “What day is it?”

Elijah sighed. “You haven’t left your apartments in three days.”

“That long?”

“What are you doing?” he asked, tiptoeing around the papers on the floor. “And why are you using paper? I figured you would be using crystals. Or something. I don’t know.”

“Crystals are great for storing information, but etching that information onto them requires a specific skill,” she answered. “I don’t have that skill, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be using it. Not until I’ve finalized my plans.”

“Oh. That’s what this is all about?”

“What else would I be doing?” she asked.

“Honestly, I thought you’d move on to something else the moment you came home.”

“You think so little of me?”

“What? No. I just –”

She let out a hearty laugh. “I was just kidding,” she said. “If this was a year ago, you would’ve been right. My teachers all say I have trouble staying on task.”

“But not with this?” he asked, clearing a few pages from the desk, then sitting on the surface.

“Nope. I told you I was going to go back there and make a difference. I’ve already spoken to mother, too. Laid the groundwork, even if I haven’t asked yet. She knows what I’ll request. I’m certain of it. As long as I have a proper plan and a reasonable chance of success, she will allow me to go,” Sara revealed. “Once I complete my studies at the academy, at least. That won’t take long, though.”

“That’s…surprising.”

“I could evolve to demigod whenever I want to,” Sara pointed out. “I’m just trying to enhance my Legacy. The academy helps, but –”

“Wait,” Elijah interrupted. “It does?”

“Of course. I mean, it’s mostly there to teach us, but at the end of it all, we can take some tests, and if our evaluations come back with the right score, it counts as a feat,” she answered. “Why else would we do it?”

“Let me guess. They teach you how to take the tests.”

Sara shrugged. “Sort of. Mostly? I don’t know. That’s mother’s other condition before I evolve. I have to get top marks, or I’ll have to stick around until I do,” she revealed. “But I’m like ninety percent sure I’m already ready to do that. The only issue is the sparring, but Birk-Birk is going to help me with that.”

“That’s awesome,” Elijah said. “But be nice to him. You know he has a soft spot for you.”

“And I intend to exploit it.”

Elijah sighed. “So, what’s your plan with Earth? I’m not going to come back with you having established yourself as the planet’s supreme leader or anything?” he asked.

She didn’t say anything.

“Right? Sara, if I come back to see pictures of you in every government building…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Or statues. Please don’t have them build statues.”

“Mother has statues.”

“Oh, God…it’s already starting.”

She punched him in the arm. “I’m not going there to take control,” she insisted. “I’m just there to help out.”

“And by help out, you mean that you’re going to tell everyone what to do, right?”

She shrugged. “It’s the best way to get people to do the right thing.”

“Yep. You’re destined to become Earth’s supreme leader. I wish you well.”

“Really?”

“Sara, if there’s one thing I know about humanity, it’s that we don’t give up power easily,” he said. Then, he gave a short chuckle.

“What?”

“Just imagining you dealing with Isaiah. That’ll be fun.”

“I’ll be fine!”

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“Sure. I know you will. But a little advice? Start small. Help Atticus. Work with the Hartwood Foundation. Maybe help Ramik. Once you have your feet under you, then branch out,” he said.

If he thought for even a second that she’d be able to take over the world, his advice would have been very different. But Elijah knew humanity. And what’s more, he knew some of Earth’s leaders. They wouldn’t give up their authority without a fight, and Sara wouldn’t let it get that far.

After all, she just wanted to help. Starting a war was counterproductive.

Still, he said, “Just promise me you won’t start a fight.”

“Of course I won’t. That’s not how we do things. Mother would be incredibly disappointed if it came to that.”

“Which it won’t.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Which it won’t.”

“Good.”

After that, they discussed Elijah’s plans as well as the timeframe for what was coming. Kirlissa and Mano had both hinted at whatever was coming after he visited the First Fang. However, any additional information was thin on the ground, which left only speculation.

Eventually, Elijah’s imminent departure forced him to say goodbye. So, he gave Sara a hug, told her to behave, and left her behind. As he did so, he realized something very important – he’d only known the real her for a few years, but in that time, she had become his sister in truth.

He no longer needed to use the adopted clarifier.

That thought accompanied him as he left Sara’s apartments behind and traversed the rest of the palace. By that point, he knew his way well enough that he didn’t even get lost. So it didn’t take him long to reach the entrance, where he found four figures waiting for him.

The first was Mano, who loomed over everything. Elijah already knew that Mano would be accompanying him to the First Fang as his protector and sponsor, so his presence wasn’t surprising. The same couldn’t be said for the other three.

However, Elijah looked right past Ylaskin and Noai and focused on the final figure.

“Imal? What are you doing here?” he asked. He’d seen her a handful of times over the past few days, but they hadn’t really spoken. Part of that was because she fled the second he came into her line of sight, but it was also due to the sheer size of the palace. It was big enough to house hundreds of thousands of people without utilizing even a fraction of the space, so running into her was extremely unlikely.

“Imal na Rosi has joined our clan as a combatant,” Mano explained for the water mage.

Noai cut in, “Her performance in the tournament ignited quite the bidding war.”

“And no one beats Prosperity when it comes to money,” Ylaskin added.

“Oh,” Elijah said. “I guess…welcome to the family, then.”

“Thank you,” she responded, bowing her head slightly. However, Elijah got the distinct impression that she wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground where no one could see her.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” he said, making eye contact and smiling.

She flinched. Only slightly, but it was there. Still, she managed to get control of herself and say, “I will. Thank you again.”

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s go,” Mano commanded. Then, he turned on his heel and marched away. Noai and Ylaskin followed, with Elijah and Imal bringing up the rear.

He chose not to disturb her further, instead preferring to keep a healthy distance and remain silent.

They reached the teleportation circle only a couple of minutes later, then used the rings to head down to Esik. After arriving in Ashakar, they crossed the city to one of the cloud artifacts. Elijah would’ve preferred to fly under his own power, but he recognized that doing so would present issues for the others. Mano’s dragon form was the size of a moon, so he couldn’t employ it so close to the planet, and Imal wasn’t even a dragon. There was every chance that she couldn’t fly at all.

So, they were forced to use the cloud.

Thankfully, this one was much faster than the ones Elijah had ridden to get to the Praesidium, so their ride wasn’t particularly lengthy. It was just a couple of hours before another city came into view.

And it was nothing like Ashakar.

The most obvious difference was that it had been built on the ground. Many of the architectural flourishes were similar, but Elijah couldn’t help but think it was a slightly less affluent area. Or rather, it reminded him of visiting the Ironshore docks. The buildings weren’t particularly low quality, but they just hadn’t been built for looks. The same was true of this new city, which Mano labeled Paikir.

“It exists for one reason,” Noai explained. “It is this solar system’s access point for the Coreway. Everything in the city was built to support that fact.”

Elijah really didn’t know what to expect from that statement, so he remained silent as their cloud drew closer. And he soon realized that Paikir was quite a bit larger than his first impressions suggested. A trick of perspective based on distance, he reasoned. Either way, it was obviously large enough to host millions of people.

Soon, they landed on a designated platform just outside the city. After that, they joined the flow of traffic that populated a connecting road. Mano practically twitched with impatience, but thankfully, he restrained himself.

The walk took the better part of an hour, during which time Elijah got a good look at the other travelers, their surroundings, and the city itself. And his first impressions of its general tone turned out to be correct. Sure, there were still beautiful towers and palaces throughout, but the majority of the buildings were no-nonsense business premises, warehouses, or other related structures.

Elijah also got a good look at some draconic caravans. Almost everyone preferred to go on foot, but he saw whole lots full of six-wheeled vehicles meant to carry huge crates of various goods. Most were currently idle, but he did see two trains of those vehicles snaking past.

As with just about everything within draconic society, they were enormous. Each car was more than a hundred feet long and, once loaded, twice as tall. The wheels alone were thirty feet tall and built for any terrain. At the head of both caravans was a single beast of burden.

They were built a little like a brontosaurus, but far heavier in the shoulders and a bit lower to the ground. Both were covered in lustrous blue scales that shimmered in the fading light.

“Ekolosi,” Noai said. “Beautiful creatures. We breed them on the other side of the planet. No better beast of burden. Docile, so long as you treat them well. Strong. And you see those scales? It would take a peak deity to break through.”

“Impressive,” Elijah said, walking beside her.

Thankfully, they didn’t feel like they’d been enslaved. Instead, they felt more like pets – content to do their jobs, get attention from their owners, and be fed. Elijah was mostly neutral about that kind of a relationship.

After a few twists and turns, they reached the supply depot that represented Kirlissa’s interests. Or rather, the collection of structures, considering that they covered a full quarter of the city. Mano led them through the cluster of buildings to the central headquarters, which loomed larger than all the rest.

There, Elijah saw the caravan he was meant to join.

Like the others he’d seen, it was comprised of hundreds of those same cars. Indeed, it was so large that one ekolosas wasn’t enough to get it moving. Instead, it required three such beasts.

“This is one of ten caravans that will join us,” Mano said. His tone had shifted subtly into one that demanded obedience. “When we get to the Coreway, you are all to act as guards. Do you understand?”

“That sounds good to me,” Elijah said. The others agreed. Then, Elijah asked, “Just one question. Where is the Coreway?”

Mano grinned. “You’ll see.”