Chapter Text
It had been a normal day. It had been a normal trip .
As normal as it could be tagging along with the heir of the Asim family, of course. Jamil is pretty used to Kalim’s desire to do everything that could potentially launch him and subsequently Jamil into the most danger possible, but signing up on a quest to kill a deadly dragon is new. And unappreciated. So, so unappreciated.
Even less appreciated is the person fresh from the bush, having pushed through their adventuring party to where they stand holding a very sharp sword to Kalim’s neck.
Shit.
He can feel the group’s eyes on him, can see them frozen and unsure of which sudden movements might leave Kalim bleeding out on the floor in front of them. Better for him. If they got in the way, that would only make things more complicated.
“Put that down,” he demands, already feeling the power thrumming from his palms to his fingertips. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“And you,” the stranger challenges. “Stand down.”
“On a count of three. You drop yours, then I’ll stand down.”
“Fine.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three,” they say in unison. Neither move. Jamil frowns, and the stranger just continues to glare holes in him.
“I thought that might work,” Jamil says. “I suppose you thought the same.”
“I suppose I did.”
“Great.” They both stand there in a tense silence. Kalim wiggles a bit, and the stranger tightens his hold with a practiced ease. He’s a threat- much more dangerous than the ones that Jamil is typically used to. But Jamil is nothing if not prepared. “Let’s talk, then. You want us to not kill the deadly dragon?”
“No,” the stranger insists. “You can stop him. I would like that as well. But I swore on my life to protect him, and I won’t let you kill him.”
“Oh, you just want us to not kill it?” Kalim says, shoulders relaxing and smile spreading across his face. Jamil’s eyes widen, because if Kalim starts talking and says something that gets on the wrong side of the person who’s literally ready to slit his throat-
“We can do that!” He continues, eternally oblivious to Jamil’s internal turmoil. “I wasn’t really expecting to kill it! I guess I was just going to go along and see what happened when we got there, but if you don’t want us to kill it, then we won’t!”
“Oh.” Momentarily stunned by Kalim’s straightforwardness, the stranger falters, and his grip on the sword wobbles. That’s all Jamil needs. In two steps and a deftly targeted jab to the wrist, the stranger yelps and drops the sword. Kalim yelps and twists out of the way, barely avoiding taking the sharp edge to his ankle.
It happens all at once, but Jamil ends up with the sword in his hands and the blade pointed at the stranger’s chest, Kalim having broken away and fled to the safety of the group. Small victories in life, Jamil supposes as he nudges the blade forward a little bit. The stranger steps back.
“No other demands?”
“That’s all. I would like your word on this, but then I will go on my way. I apologize for the disturbance.”
Well. Jamil’s not used to apologies from potential assassins, so this takes a moment to settle in. Before he can open his mouth to respond, though, Kalim cuts in.
“You could come with us!”
Six heads whip around to stare at him. He just keeps talking.
“I mean, you also want to stop it, don’t you? If you’re just gonna go off and do that too, then we should work together! Two heads are better than one, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jamil says at the same time that the stranger says- “Okay.”
He feels like he’s getting whiplash as he turns to look at the stranger this time, eyes wide like the metaphorical two-headedness has just become literal.
“Okay?” he repeats disbelievingly. “You just tried to kill him, and now you’re coming with us? Kalim, you want him to come with us?”
“Why not?” Kalim says. He blinks extremely innocuously for someone proposing one of the worst concepts that Jamil has ever heard of. “He was just doing it for someone he cares about, right? He didn’t want to kill me.”
It pains Jamil, but Kalim… might be right. He looks at the person on the other end of the sword and sees the fiery danger from earlier replaced by sheer earnestness. They’re not the eyes of a killer. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it.
“Tell me your name,” he demands. The other blinks slowly.
“It’s… Silver.”
“Silver.” Jamil takes the sword and turns it over in his grip. “Forgive me, but I’ll be keeping ahold of this for now. Until I’m sure that you won’t pose a potential threat… you’ll be alright with that, won’t you?” He glares at Silver with the message that there’s only one correct answer to this. To his surprise, Silver bows his head.
“I understand.”
“…Huh. Do you have a sheath?” Silver nods, handing him the sheath. Jamil almost wants to laugh at how easy this is, but he has a job to do. For now, he sheathes the sword and takes advantage of his most treasured item- opening the mouth of the small pack that sits on his hip, he feeds the sword into it.
Everyone except Kalim gapes at him.
“Bigger on the inside,” he tells them. What he doesn’t tell them is how much time and effort he spent enchanting it himself, sleepless nights spent studying up on space-bending spells and fabrics and measurements. It’s both his pride and his secret. As far as Kalim knows, a merchant offered it to him on one of his trips to town. If Kalim knew that Jamil had made it… well, he’d want one too, and then one of the few things that Jamil truly had for himself wouldn’t be just his anymore.
Regardless, it’s a perfectly fine place to hold a confiscated sword.
“Welcome to the party,” he says to Silver, making his disinterest clear in his voice. Silver doesn’t seem bothered, turning to the party and bowing deeply as well. It takes Ruggie a moment, but he finds his voice finally speaks.
“Sorry, but what just happened?”
Silver, as it turns out, is a pretty good traveling partner.
He seems to know his place, doesn’t try to lead any walking songs, and matches pace with the group with ease. Jamil makes him walk at the front, glaring daggers into his back with his magic at the ready. The rest of the group follows, varying levels of uneasiness but with no one voicing any public complaints.
Jamil doesn’t trust him, but it makes things easier on him for now.
The most eventful thing that happens during the rest of their travels is one of those birds that suddenly seem to be following them a lot more gets caught in Floyd’s hair, and they have to sit down and extract it while Azul and Jade try to hold back laughter to varying success.
He’s still grumbling and rubbing at his scalp when they come to the first inn- small and less nice than the Mostro Tavern, but it’s serviceable. Jamil can see Azul scribbling down notes as they sit down for a meal, appraising the decor and the food with a critical and enterprising eye. He doesn’t comment on it.
“So,” Ruggie says through a mouthful of food. “You. Silver. Why can’t we kill the dragon again? I forgot to ask earlier, what with the whole sword action.”
Silver looks up from where he’s carving canals through his potatoes with his knife.
“Oh. That’s cause Malleus isn’t… he’s not really a dragon. He just kinda… looks like one right now.”
“He’s got a name?”
“Malleus Draconia.”
From across the table, Azul splutters.
“Malleus Draconia?”
“You know him?” Kalim asks.
“You don’t?” Azul sets down his fork and splays out his hands. “He’s an extremely powerful wizard. People said he could call thunderstorms and move down mountains. It’s incredible… or was. I didn’t think his legacy would disappear so fast, but I suppose that’s what happens when you disappear off maps. It’s been years now. I think everyone assumed he died. And now… he’s a dragon ?”
“He wasn’t instantly a dragon,” Silver offers. “He just preferred privacy. But something went wrong and now he’s… out of control.”
“That’s a word for it,” Ruggie says, resting his cheek on his hand. “So where do you fit into this mess? Also, are you gonna eat that?”
“What? Oh, you can have some.” He nudges his plate forward. “And I’m his personal guard.”
Several eyebrows are raised around the table.
“That makes a surprising amount of sense,” Jade says with a chuckle after a moment. “I can’t say I’ve heard anything about the great wizard having a guard around our age, but I suppose none of us have heard anything. Have you, Azul?”
Azul shakes his head.
“This is incredible information, though. Silver, if you wouldn’t mind telling us m-“
“Holy shit, he’s asleep.”
Ruggie half-wheezes half-whispers this, and everyone immediately looks over to see Silver passed out against the table.
“Asleep? Or…” Kalim stares at him wide-eyed, concern written across his face. Jamil feels the same panic rise in his chest, swinging his legs over the bench and striding over to Silver.
The food tasted fine. Kalim’s had nothing in it. Could there have been a mix-up in the kitchen? Or-
Before he can think too much, he reaches out and grabs Silver’s wrist and feels for a pulse, leaning over and holding a hand out for everyone to be silent.
“…He’s breathing. He really is sleeping.”
He wants to collapse out of relief, but he just goes back to sit down. Kalim looks equally relieved but still shaken, while Jade looks at them, raising an eyebrow.
“Are you alright?”
“Just seeing something,” Jamil says with a sigh. “Don’t worry about it.”
Jade’s eyes narrow. Ruggie cuts in with a yawn.
“He does kinda have the right idea, though. I’m-“ He yawns again. “- exhausted from all that walking. I think I’m gonna go get a room and pass out.”
Kalim hops to his feet. “I’ll come pay for the rooms!”
Ruggie grins, and the two of them leave. Azul leaves shortly after, commenting something about going to investigate the kitchens.
Jamil shifts uncomfortably when he realizes that it’s just the twins and one unconscious Silver at the table. Before he can move to get up, Floyd beats him to it.
“You going up, Jade?”
“I’ll be up in a moment.”
“Eh? You’re going to talk to sea snake without me?”
“Just for a minute. I would like to clarify something… please take Silver up with you.”
Jamil shifts. He’s not sure if he’s supposed to be here for this, and he’s definitely not sure if he wants to be. But Floyd is already grumbling, picking Silver up under his arms and letting him hang limp in his grip. Jamil watches helplessly as he disappears.
“You’re awfully careful,” Jade notes. “Are you always?”
“I have to be,” Jamil bites out. “Is there something you want from me?”
Jade smiles, and a shiver goes up his spine.
“I just wanted to get to know you. After all, we’re traveling together, aren’t we? We should be able to know the people that we’re on the road with.”
“You know all you need to know about me.” Abruptly- he’s at the end of his rope, can you blame him?- he stands and makes for the door. When he turns, Jade is still sitting there, smiling that freaky smile of his.
“You’re quite interesting, traveler.”
“I’m leaving .”
He turns his back and does just so. Jade doesn’t call after him.
The next day sees the group on the road again, this time with Azul at the front. The trip is significantly less strenuous than yesterday’s which is good because Jamil’s feet are killing him . He doesn’t complain, though, instead grateful for the open plains which means less people.
He even deems it safe enough to make a little conversation- all informational, of course- and picks up his pace to catch up to Azul.
The other looks up from his map when Jamil approaches, face splitting into a wide smile that Jamil recognizes as just a bit too calculating. He takes note of this, because Azul may cut a nonthreatening figure but a facade is always just that.
“So where are we going?”
“His name is Riddle Rosehearts, though he’s making a name for himself as the Crimson Wizard,” Azul answers, peeking over his map to look at Jamil. “He lives in the Rose Kingdom.”
Jamil nods, raising an eyebrow.
“And you think he’ll be able to help us?”
“Certainly,” Azul says with a nod. “His mother was the Healer Rosehearts before her passing… exceptional magics, and I’ve heard talk of her prodigy son even before we came across him. Of course, there’s been little else, but if there’s even a trace of her ability in him…”
“He’s a healer, then.”
“Ah… we don’t actually know for sure.” Azul frowns. “Beyond being a magician, like I said, there’s not a lot about him out there. But we’ll be able to see when we get there, so…”
“I see.”
“While you’re here,” Azul says with a smirk, tone shifting into something far more crafty much to Jamil’s dismay, “I wanted to bring up that bag of yours. Quite a strong enchantment, isn’t it? Is there a price that you’d be willing to put on it?”
“It’s not for sale,” Jamil hisses.
“Of course, of course. I can imagine how useful it is… though if I had magical capabilities such as yours, I would- mmph!”
Jamil draws his fingers across his own lips and subtly flicks a weak spell at Azul, the other yelping as he finds his mouth pressed shut. It’s released as soon as it happens, but it gets the message across, judging by the other’s expression.
“I see.” Azul is only caught off guard for a moment before his smile widens again, surprisingly not off-put. “You’re very lucky he’s that oblivious, aren’t you?”
Jamil deems to respond to this with only a shrug, even if it is true. Azul stares at him, all too knowing and far too smug about it.
But he keeps in step, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure that Kalim is staying in one piece- to his relief, the combined efforts of Jade, Ruggie, and Silver are currently enough to keep him from drifting off the path. It’s… nice having other people watch over him. Even if he doesn’t know them and probably shouldn’t trust them.
But the walk isn’t that much longer, so Jamil just puts his hands in his pockets and keeps on walking.
“This is it,” Azul says, folding his map closed decisively. “He should be in here.”
The group has come to a stop at the base of a tower, tall enough that they (even the twins, at their unnecessary heights) have to crane their necks to see the full height and a glimpse of the red roof on the top. It’s decorated with vines and outcropping of stone, and red and white heart-shaped pennants hang between balls of magically formed light to illuminate the space.
It is both beautiful and intimidating.
Kalim cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, breaking everyone’s awe.
“Hello? We’re here to speak with Riddle Rosehearts! Riddle!”
No one responds.
“How do people… normally go visit?” Jamil asks. Azul shrugs.
“Magic, I presume. Healer Rosehearts came down to her clinic in the village to perform her works, but from what I’ve heard Riddle rarely comes down from the tower. As such, I’m not sure that their residence is very visitor-friendly.”
“Not even a doorbell?” Ruggie asks.
“I doubt it.”
“Should we try climbing it?”
“I’m afraid my climbing skills are an area that I haven’t had the chance to develop,” Azul says.
“I can do it!” Kalim pipes up. Jamil feels a gaping pit of dread open up in his stomach at the thought.
“I’ll do it,” Jamil says. He sighs deep and irritated but rolls up his sleeves- but better him than Kalim, of course. Methodically, he prepares. He gives his pack to Kalim but keeps his enchanted bag on his hip, thankful for its lightness.
He tests his shoes against an outcropping of stone about a foot up from the base. It’s solid.
“Good luck, Jamil!” Kalim cheers from the back. Faced with only the stone wall, Jamil lets his face relax into a deep frown, grabbing one of the stones and beginning to climb.
It’s not one of the worst things he’s had to do, all things considered. The gaps between the available stepping stones is fairly slim, so he only really has to make sure that he’s keeping his balance and maintaining his stamina so he doesn’t get stuck midway.
Halfway up, somewhere down below him he hears a “should we tell him?” and an “he’s already so high up, though!”. He ignores both- because they’re right, he is high up and it’s faster to climb up to the top than go all the way back down for something that he might have heard.
He’s almost there.
He goes for a vine but catches one of the climbing roses and gives a strangled gasp when the thorns dig into his hand.
Shit.
His grip shifts and he balances his weight on his legs and body, leaning his torso as close to the wall as he possibly can to take the pressure off his right hand. Nothing stuck in it, from what he can tell, but the blood coming from the scratches is worrying.
Jamil has never been afraid of heights. Fear isn’t something that's very easily afforded for someone like him- but also, one look at the ground and even he finds himself assuring himself that anyone would be afraid of a height like this. He’s much, much too high to drop. But climbing… doesn’t seem like it would work either, not with his hand out of commission.
A plan starts to form in his head.
He can’t even see the people at the base of the tower from up here, and they shouldn’t be able to see him either. It’s a weird place to have a moment to himself, maybe, but maybe that’s exactly what he needs. With his free hand, he feels magic tingling from his spine to his fingers and gestures.
The wind hits his back in full force, applying enough pressure that Jamil doesn’t feel himself balancing anymore. In a moment of pure trust in himself and only himself, he lets himself fall back and rest against the swirling wind. It holds, as he doesn’t find himself plummeting to the ground below.
Using this new support, he walks at an angle up to the open window at the top of the tower, only dismissing the spell when he can grip the mouth of the sill and pull himself up without using his other hand.
When he gets up there, he pauses dead in his tracks. The group has somehow appeared in the room, looking varying amounts of sheepish. Kalim waves from his spot on the floor, smiling wide.
“We found a door!”
Jamil suddenly feels the urge to take the short way back down. He doesn’t, of course, because the appeal of that idea seems largely short-lived, so he just settles for dragging his hands down his face and stifling a groan.
Ruggie raises an eyebrow.
“Uh… is that blood?”
“Huh? Oh. Don’t worry about it,” Jamil says with a shake of his head. He shoves his hands in his pockets before anyone else can say anything. “Is he here?”
“Nope,” Floyd responds from where he’s leaning against a covered cauldron shoved against the wall, fiddling with the cloth across the top and sneezing when the dust hits his nose.
Jamil takes a second to finally look at the room around him- it’s simple and tidy, with bookshelves lining one half of the room and a small kitchenette and table on the other side. A heart-shaped rug has two couches and a small table on top of it. Finally, a staircase wraps around the portion of the wall across from the window, leading up to a red door.
“We tried that,” Azul offers before Jamil can say anything. “Some spell prevented us from even going up the stairs. But I don’t think he’s in right now, if that helps.”
“Sure does.” His palm hurts.
“We could go back down and ask the town…?” Jade offers, plucking a rose from one of the many vases around the room and inspecting it. “Perhaps they might have word on the location of the mysterious Rosehearts.”
“Yay!” Kalim cheers, getting back up and heading for the open doorway that presumably leads to the stairs that go downwards. Everyone follows suit, but Ruggie pauses to slap Jamil on the back.
“Thanks for making the climb, man. And hey, you can take the stairs down now, right?”
Jamil just nods and bites back another sigh.
The Rose Village is a pretty nice place, all things considered. Jamil can almost forget the sting in his hand and legs when he stares at the red-brick and white-trimmed buildings, small and sweet and decorated with the same flowers of the village’s namesake that keep tormenting him.
There’s really not that many places to go to once they make the full lap- besides the tower, the village is small and quaint. He doesn’t say it, but Jamil swears that he could fit the extent of it into the Asim’s home building. They go around twice again, and find nothing but a few residents of the town who look at their motley crew and look away. Fair, Jamil thinks. Floyd and Jade add a menacing aura that could get even him to steer clear.
They take a break against a waist-high cobblestone wall. Jamil takes this time to stare at his hand again, taking his sash and binding it around it. It’s not a lot, but the medicine work that he’s done has never been magic. Healing spells are a little out of his range. Ruggie yawns, then yelps.
“Hey, do you guys smell bread? From over- wha- don’t fall asleep on me, man!”
As Silver flounders and sits up, Kalim perks up and sniffs the air.
“Hey, you’re right!” Without further explanation, he hops off of the wall and runs off in a direction. Jamil lets out a strangled, frustrated yelp and tails after him. He vaguely hears the group take chase after him , but he’s single-minded in his attempt to stop Kalim in his tracks before danger catches him first.
The door that Kalim slips through is inconspicuous— a heart-shaped window on the door surrounded by a wreath of roses to distinguish it from the other doors, but there’s not much else besides the scent of bread to set it apart. Once in, Jamil immediately tracks the scent to the rows of breads and pastries lined up behind the counter. Someone stands behind them, watching the group file in with a raised eyebrow.
“Um… welcome to the Clover Bakery. Can I get you something?”
“There’s bread!” Kalim chirps before Jamil can press a hand over his mouth.
“Well,” the baker says with an amused smirk. “This is a bakery. We have a lot of that here.”
Azul’s got his notepad out again, furiously scribbling down notes as he surveys the place and Jade peers over his shoulder. Jamil ignores this and holds his hand up placatingly.
“If you could just give us a moment…”
“Sure,” the baker says easily. “I’m gonna go check on the oven. Yell if you need me.”
He disappears behind a curtain and leaves the group staring at each other.
“Well, we needed food anyway,” Azul points out. “Also, we can figure out how we’re going to introduce Riddle to this plan. Should we send Kalim to propose the idea again?”
“Not this time,” Jamil says. What he really wants to do is point at everyone and declare a reason why he doesn’t think they should, but he just bites his tongue. “I could do it this time. As long as it’s just explaining the plan, yes?”
“And the benefits,” Jade offers. Azul nods. “People love benefits.”
“What benefits do we have for him ?,” Ruggie asks, making a face. “I mean, I want cash. You guys want cash- don’t give me that face, I know how you work- but I can’t imagine that any magic healer guy’s short on it.”
Jamil sighs, beleaguered.
“I don’t know. I, unfortunately, know nothing about this wizard from a city nowhere near mine. We’ll have to figure it out when we talk to Riddle and convince him from there.” He’s done harder things.
“You’re looking for Riddle?”
Everyone turns to look at the green-haired man returning to the front of the shop, shifting his tray of tarts from one hand to the other.
“You know him?” Kalim asks, finally looking up from where he’s leaning on the counter staring at the bread.
“Everybody does here. I’m a friend though. You traveling through?” When they nod, he grins and slides the tray onto the counter. “Have at it. I’ve got a new batch in the oven already.”
“Hell yeah,” Ruggie says, already digging in. Most of the others around the table follow suit, but Kalim just stares. He looks up at Jamil and Jamil looks back at him. He’s already reaching for a tart, anyways, so it makes it easy to switch the pastries in front of them and sample it. When it doesn’t leave him writhing on the floor in agony after he takes a bite, he shrugs and Kalim eats.
“We don’t get a lot of visitors anymore,” the baker comments as he slips off his gloves. “Ever since Healer Rosehearts… you’ve probably heard. We weren’t particularly sustained off of tourism beforehand, so it wasn’t a big deal, but it’s nice to see some new faces around here.” He pauses. “The name’s Trey, by the way. Trey Clover.”
As everyone goes around naming themself and Jamil is hit with the sudden realization that their party of two has grown exponentially, he takes a moment to study Trey’s face. Jamil guesses that he’s one of those people who refuse to show their whole hand of cards, judging by the glint in those golden eyes. But cautious doesn’t mean harmful, and Jamil would be a hypocrite to say otherwise.
“So you’re going to see Riddle, right? I’ll point you there, just let me box up something for him-“
The doorbell jingles and the door swings open. Another unknown, this one with pulled back orange hair and green eyes, slides in and leans against the wall by the doorframe. He’s dressed in colorful robes, patterned with scarlet shapes and draped with sashes of a similar color. When he moves, his bracelets clink and the bells on his sashes sing. He’s dressed to draw attention, and he does.
“Did I hear someone say Riddle? You’re going to see Riddle?”
“Hey, Cater.” Trey waves. A soft smile spreads across his face, which Jamil notes. “What’s up?”
“Finished my show for the day,” Cater sing-songs, rattling his hat and letting the sound of coins fill the room. Jamil side-eyes both Azul and Ruggie- he can see their eyes glinting. “He’s still at the library, right?”
“Yeah, actually. Good timing. I can’t exactly leave the counter right now- do you mind taking them?”
Cater swivels to stare at the party. He looks almost wary. Jamil meets his gaze with a raised eyebrow and no clue if anyone behind him is doing the same.
“Aww, new travelers? Whaddya’ need Riddle for?”
Everyone looks at each other for a moment before Kalim, ever-lacking a filter, raises a hand.
“We need him for a quest that we’re going on.”
“A quest ?” Cater’s eyebrows shoot up, and he looks at Trey disbelievingly. The other merely shrugs. “Here? We haven’t seen people come in here for a quest in, like, forever!”
“Well, we’re here,” Jamil says with crossed arms. “You can take us to Riddle?”
“Sure can!”
Trey slides a wicker basket across the counter, lined and covered with red-checkered cloth. The scent of it stands out even against the delicious smells of the bakery, sweet and enticing. Trey raises a finger.
“Take this with you. Don’t eat it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Jamil says as he takes it, spinning around to point to everyone in their party in turn. Ruggie splays his hands out and whistles innocently.
“Thank you for having us,” Jade says with a bow.
“Thank you!” Kalim echoes.
“Of course. Come back any time.” Trey is already back to work as they single-file exit the door, spoons clattering against bowls and bowls against counters.
Cater takes a leisurely pace as he navigates through the buildings, hanging back between the twins and turning his head back so he can look at Jamil.
“So what’s this quest about, hm?”
“We’re going to kill a dragon,” Floyd says, grinning wide. From behind him, Silver chokes on the remnant of a pastry he’s still eating, causing Kalim to gasp and furiously pat him on the back. It grinds the whole procession to a worried halt.
“We’re not—“ More coughing. “We’re not going to kill him. We’re going to un-curse him,” Silver insists as soon as the pastry leaves his airway. Kalim nods furiously, and Jamil sighs.
“We’re going to remove a dragon,” he clarifies. “It’s the one that’s been terrorizing the pass ahead, so we’ve heard.” He gestures at Azul, who just grins that slippery grin of his. “From them.”
Cater grins, spinning around and starting their mini parade again, walking backwards now.
“I’ve heard of it. Huuuge pain. I’ve been stuck in this town for a while because of it… and I don’t stay in one place for long often. There’s only so many acts I can do here….” He tilts his head to the side and sighs, pantomiming his whole body draping over before popping back up and narrowly avoiding hitting Jade in the face with his bell sash.
“If I may ask,” Jade begins, “What is it that you do?”
“Oh! I’m a traveling performer. I do magic on the go, and all that.” Cater snaps his finger and produces an identical copy of himself. Jamil stares wide-eyed as the copy falls into step with the original, smiling that same smile. Azul almost reaches out and tries to touch it before thinking better of it.
“Is it solid?” He asks.
“Just as solid as you,” the copy replies. Azul yelps, and the copy laughs. “And I can talk too!”
“Works very well for double acts,” the original Cater says. Somewhere behind them, Kalim catches up to reality from where he’s talking with Silver and yells “ there’s TWO?. Jamil doesn’t bother responding.
“Incredible,” Azul breathes. “That must be extremely useful.”
“Eh.” Cater shrugs, snapping his finger and dismissing his clone. Jamil hears a “ HE DIED?” from behind them and ignores that one too. “It’s all party tricks, really! Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors! If you asked me to do serious magic like Riddle, though, I probably couldn’t do it.”
“Even so,” Azul pushes, “Illusion magic is quite a feat in itself. I certainly don’t specialize in it myself, at least.”
“We-ell, whatever you say! We’re here, by the way.”
The group comes to a halt in front of a building, red brick and rose-covered as the rest of them. The only thing that makes it stand out is a sign engraved with three books. Cater squeezes past them and pushes the door open.
“Riddle!”
Someone yelps and whirls around in his chair in the corner of the library, red-haired and wide-eyed. He sits with a small boy at a table, books spread out in front of them. The child blinks. The one who shouted pauses as his expression turns more sheepish.
“I will be available to talk after the lesson,” he says as he composes himself. His curious gaze flicks between the small procession of people awkwardly filling up the small library. “To all of you.”
Jamil tries to look at Cater’s expression out of the corner of his eye, but the other’s expression remains unchanged. Green eyes flick in his direction and Jamil tries to look away, but there’s already a smile spreading across his face. Before Jamil can shuffle away, Cater slides closer and drops his voice to a whisper.
“If I’d startled him like that a bit ago, it would have been super different. He was different. Tenser. His mother being gone is… well, I would never speak ill of the dead, but it’s like a weight’s been lifted off. He’s…” Free hangs unspoken. Jamil stares at it, the thing that has never and will never be his and feels green with envy. He shrugs Cater off.
“I didn’t ask.”
Cater just hums cheerfully, slinking back to his place in line and instead draping himself over Kalim, who looks more than happy to chat. Jamil just lets a tired breath of air escape him as he turns his attention to Riddle. There’s a tornado of books surrounding him now, hands dancing as fluttering pages cause a small gale to tousle the scarlet hair that falls around his face. He has an expression of peace across his features, and Jamil understands.
It’s how he feels when he does magic- like there’s something light and free and all the bad things are leaving him, if only for a moment. It is a moment that allows him to be selfish, to take from the world and put something incredible and powerful directly back into it.
He looks at Riddle and suddenly wants to understand the power that he has so much more now.
Maybe then…
The books dance through the air and slide into their respective bookshelves with ease, leaving everybody watching in awe. The student gets to his feet and earnestly bows, clutching his books to his chest. Riddle stands as well, matching the height of the kid, and nods.
“Come back next month. I will schedule your meeting for then.”
“Of course! Thank you, Mister Rosehearts!”
The child bows one more time, almost falling over himself before scurrying out of the library. Cater watches amused then spins on his heel and strides over to Riddle, hopping up to sit on the table behind him.
“You’ve got visitors, Riddle. They said they need your help, like, on a quest.”
“A quest?” Riddle says, eyes wide. “I don’t even know your names.”
“I’m Jamil, and this is for you,” he cuts in before anyone else can say something and potentially burn this whole deal down in flames. He sets the box down on the table and feels a wave of relief when the corner of Riddle’s mouth tugs upwards. “We’re travelers, and we’re here to remove a dragon.”
Riddle is surprisingly receptive to their plan, all things considered. He nods politely at all their introductions and takes a seat to hear about their actual quest plan, hands folded neatly in his lap and grey eyes wide with fascination. He doesn’t even try to touch the pastry basket until they’re done explaining, and he even offers them slices of strawberry tart when he does.
His civility is a relief- other than the copious amounts of magic power at his fingertips, he seems completely risk-free and just as concerned with keeping things safe as Jamil feels (judging by the way he furiously scolds Floyd when he gets bored and tries to scale a bookshelf). At the least, he respects it.
“Well,” Riddle says once all is said and done and everyone is polishing off the last of their crusts, “You propose a very interesting offer. And… well, I’m interested.”
This invokes a wide variety of reactions from the group- mostly cheers and affirmative hums- but none is louder than Cater.
“Really, Riddle? You want to go?”
Riddle turns and looks up at Cater, expression earnest enough to almost tug at Jamil’s heartstrings.
“I do. I think… I think it would be good for me. You always did say that I should go see the world a little bit.”
“Weeeell, I mean… yeah. But, like, just like that?” Cater shifts, winding one of his loose front strands of hair around his finger. “It’s for a good cause and everything, but…”
Riddle’s expression softens, and Jamil suddenly feels like he’s intruding- just a little bit.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Riddle says. “I’ll be back before you leave— they said it wasn’t that long of a trip.”
“Ah, that’s not what I’m worried about…” Cater responds with a sigh. His expression shifts back to normal with a snap of his fingers. “But they’ll take care of you, so I bet you’ll be fine!” He reaches over and pats Kalim on his shoulder, who’s made himself comfortable on the table. “You will, right?”
“Of course!” Kalim says, grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically. He matches Cater’s smile wholeheartedly, but Jamil continues to eye Cater. The magician doesn’t look back at him, though, just nods and lets his gaze flit from person to person like nothing is wrong. Not that it’s any of Jamil’s business.
“Then that’s settled,” Riddle says. “Give me a moment to pack. It won’t take long. We can leave today.” He stands back up. “Would you like to come up to my house? It’s that tower, all the way over-“
“We stopped by,” Jamil says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’ll wait down here.”
“Ooh, we can go see Trey again if you want to meet us at the bakery!” Cater says, sliding off the table and getting to his feet. “You guys might want some treats for the go— plus, we should probably tell him if you’re gonna disappear, right? He’d worry like crazy otherwise.”
“That’s a good idea.” Riddle tilts his head. “You’ll take them back?”
“You got it! See you there!” He winks as Riddle exits the building, turning back on the group with his hands on his hips. “Y’know, I didn’t expect him to actually go with you.”
“You expected us to fail?” Azul asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Not really! I just know— well, I’ve been around Riddle for a bit now and if this had been another day, it might have gone differently! That’s all I’m saying. But he’s going now, so you’re lucky!”
“That we are,” Azul mutters. “He’s very powerful.”
“He is, isn’t he?,” Cater agrees. “Excuse me, coming through!” He nudges his way to the front and leads the way, heels tapping against the streets. They can’t see his face anymore, but Jamil can see the way his posture shifts and tenses. “Be careful out there. If anything happens to him... well, I may not be staying here for much longer, but even I can tell that won't end well.”
“Where are you going?” Kalim asks with wide eyes.
“Oh, you know! Wherever, here, there… I’m a traveling magician! We never stay in one place for long.”
“Oh! Cool!”
Jamil watches them converse and hangs back a few feet, ears perked up to every change in Cater’s tone. He sounds bitter, enough to cause his hackles to rise. Even if Cater doesn't seem to pose a real threat, he still remains unpredictable.
Still, he doesn't seem to be trying to make any moves against Kalim- whatever's going on beneath the surface is deeply personal, so there's that. He still fixes his eyes on Cater's exposed back as they make their way back into the bakery, where Trey waves them in with a smile.
“He’s going,” sing-songs Cater, light and airy and full of meaning . Something secret passes between Trey and Cater’s gaze, and Trey eventually shakes his head with a small smile.
“It’ll be good.” He beckons Cater behind the counter and lays a hand on his arm, whispering something in his ear that no one can hear. Jamil can see Azul perk up with intrigue, and Ruggie’s ears twitch. Silver steps forward.
“We’ll take care of him,” he insists, hand where his sword would be. Jamil’s own instinctively flies to the mouth of his bag before he realizes that it’s simply just a gesture.
Trey and Cater regard him with raised eyebrows and confused smiles for a moment before Trey speaks.
“He can take care of himself. It’s appreciated, though.” He dusts his hands off on his apron and straightens up. “Hey, let me give you something to go.”
“We can pay,” Kalim chirps just as Azul says “Thank you.” Azul’s gaze flicks to Kalim, squinting. Kalim doesn’t even seem to notice, leaning over to count out coins with Silver before sliding them across the counter.
Cater swipes them with a wink before Trey can stop him, depositing it in the pouch on Trey’s hip as he takes something from the platter on the counter. Trey just rolls his eyes good-naturedly and starts pulling down loaves from the shelves behind him.
The group fills the tables and chairs of the small shop as they wait, entertaining themselves with idle conversation (or in Jamil’s case, just observing). Floyd and Ruggie talk with Silver, playing a game with a dagger (holy shit where did they get that) getting tossed up through the air and caught. Kalim and Jade have their own chat where it looks like Jade’s gesturing at the bizarre streak in his hair. There’s a smile on his face, wide and eerie. Somehow it slides right off Kalim— he seems to be just rolling with it, at least. Azul has picked up a conversation with Trey. Something about business.
Cater hangs around the edges of every conversation, flitting from person to person with that same calculated grin across his face.
It’s strange, being with this many people. Annoying, definitely, but there’s something fascinating about how all the moving parts seem to click together. It even occupies Kalim, hemming him in where Jamil cannot. What a relief.
When Riddle walks in, he’s completely swallowed by a cloak. It’s a traveling one— very new, showing no signs of wear. The pack slung over his back looks the same. It gives Jamil a moment of doubt, of fear that he’s pulling an unprepared soul into whatever the hell this quest has become. Then he remembers the whirlwind of pages, and at least there’s that .
“I’m ready,” he says dutifully. Trey reaches over the counter and hands him a bag.
“ Now you’re ready,” he corrects him. Riddle smiles. Cater watches, and the rest of the group hang on to their every word. They’re all different levels of intrigued in whatever’s going on between the three, but Jamil keeps his gaze insistently away from the situation. He’s not getting involved in anything else.
“Let’s go,” he says as he gets to his feet.
“Where?” Floyd asks, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He grins. “We got a destination, sea snake?”
“I- we’re going to the pass, yes?”
“It’s days out,” Ruggie says. “We have to find a stop along the way.”
“Days out by land. ” They all turn to look at Cater, who grins. “It’s a lot shorter if you go by sea, y’know! You’ll skip a lot of the weird terrain.”
“By sea?” Jade says, eyes twinkling with interest. Behind him, Azul blanches.
“Yeah! I can give you the name of the boat I traveled on one time, actually… it’s by the Coral Docks, if you guys know where it is.”
“We do.”
“Actually,” Ruggie interjects, “There’s somewhere I need to stop first. I gotta send a letter to my boss telling him that I’m going somewhere. It’ll be on the way, but it’s gonna take a couple days.”
“A couple days?” Silver repeats, wide-eyed. “We can’t wait that long.”
“We’re gonna wait or I’m not coming, buddy.” Ruggie sighs, scratching behind his ear. “I gotta keep my job when we’re done. There’s, like, shops there, so you should be able to do stuff.”
“That’s fine,” Jamil cuts in, if only to stop a debate from going down. “We’re gonna need more ingredients. I didn’t pack enough to cook for eight people.”
“Cool.”
“Cool.”
“It’s settled, then?” Riddle asks. “We should go now to maximize daylight.”
And so they do.
There’s no tavern on their way to the next town, leaving them to set up camp in the forest. It’s a mix of magic and good old-fashioned struggling that leaves them with five tents surrounding a campfire. Meals are meals, with Azul peering over his shoulder and watching him poke at the fire. He has questions too, only some of which Jamil deems to answer.
“Do you ever think about working?” Azul asks, blowing on his stew as everyone sits around the campfire, holding an assortment of stew-filled mugs, cups, and bowls.
“I do work,” Jamil says as he ladles more soup into Kalim’s bowl.
“Work in a tavern, I mean. It’s very interesting work, really, there’s a variety of people and the pay is good as long as you—“
“I’m not interested.” Not interested, can’t be interested. Azul raises his eyebrows over his spoon and falls silent, but sips just a little bit louder.
Other than that, the campfire is peaceful. The day seems to have worn most of them down, leaving even Kalim silent. Silver is already long asleep, slumped against Kalim’s shoulder. His stew is long forgotten. Ruggie steals it.
Then the stew is gone. Jamil hangs back to clean the pot (by hand, even if he would so like to use magic). One person leaves, then two, then three, and soon everyone is back in their tents except for one Riddle Rosehearts, who watches him.
“I’ll help,” he says. With a wave of his hand, something flashes in front of him. The remnants of the stew in the pot disappear as a burst of water, stronger yet more restrained beyond the capacities of what Jamil has learned so far, splashes in.
“Teach me,” Jamil breathes before he thinks. Riddle blinks at him.
“You want to learn to do magic?”
“I can already do magic. I just— I need to learn to control it.” Splaying his palm out, he lets a small light emit from his palm, and then lets it flare out.
“Oh. I can—“
He opens his mouth to speak, thinks better of it, and then points at his and Kalim’s tent. He drops his voice to a whisper. “Can’t know about it.”
Riddle blinks slowly, lowering his voice to a whisper as well.
“…That’s fine. When would you like to…?”
“Tomorrow night is fine.”
“Tomorrow night it is.”
Riddle leaves for his tent as well with another nod, giving Jamil a small wave as the tent flap closes. Jamil waves back, sinking down to sit around the ashes of the campfire— he has a lot to think about. Possibility, his future.
For the first time in a while, he thinks about what could be.