Her True Form

Yvette could feel Gervas moving on her back as the merfolk came closer. She hoped he was getting ready, but for now all she could do was stare at the approaching figures and hope they wouldn’t be hostile. Try as she might, she couldn’t come up with any way for them to escape that wouldn’t put them in more danger.

Yvette had never actually met a merfolk before, she wondered what they would sound like. Would it be like the zmaj? But they were an undersea race, would their language be more bubbly? Would she be able to understand it at all? Would they communicate with other methods? Or maybe they used magic of some sort. Despite her nervousness she felt the excitement building inside of her, matched only by the dread of what could go wrong if they were not able to properly communicate. It all felt as if it was going to boil over by the time one of the merfolk finally rose above the depths, their head popping out of the water. She braced herself for what was to come.

“You are a mage and guardian of the Mage’s Association, are you not?” one of the merfolk asked.

To Yvette’s disappointment, the voice was almost human. Possibly even a male. Deeper than she would have expected, guttural at times, but still easy to understand. She couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed that it was so incredibly mundane.

“Indeed we are,” Gervas said, his tone wary.

“Finally! Please, follow me,” the merman said before turning and swimming off. Almost instantly the rest of the merfolk were swimming after him, leaving her and Gervas behind and confused. She didn’t move, instead waiting for him to tell her what he thought. When she glanced up, she noticed he’d drawn his sword.

Gervas sighed and slowly sheathed his weapon. “Well, this isn’t exactly what I expected. Any plans?”

Yvette rolled her eyes. Even if she had a few ideas it wasn’t as if she could say them in this form. She wiggled her shell.

“Right, I guess you can’t really say anything. Okay, I guess follow them. We can try and get some information at the least,” Gervas said. “If it’s something minor we can deal with it quickly. Just remember, Yvette. No matter what happens, keep your mark hidden. They likely can identify a fallen mage and the last thing we need is information about that spreading.”

Yvette nodded, dunking her head into the water before taking off once more.

The merfolk were quite fast, but seemed to be going just slow enough she could keep up without risking Gervas falling off. Still, she felt a growing unease in her stomach. If these merfolk were working with the Mage’s Association then her being here just put them at greater risk. She hoped whatever it was they needed wouldn’t be anything too difficult so they could get in and out without issue.

“That doesn’t bode well,” Gervas said softly.

Yvette felt her stomach sinking. Off in the distance she could see an island rising out of the water with a small makeshift fort on the beach. She could see that the camp extended out into the sea and, near the seafloor, there were dozens of other merfolk. They occasionally glanced up at the pair and pointed. On the beach more merfolk were gathering, quickly moving around to try and get a view of her when she pulled herself up onto the sand and lumbered forward.

Outside of the water she couldn’t help but consider at how almost human, if strangely colored, they appeared. While their bodies were very human-like, thin blue and green scales covered almost every inch of them and great fins sprouted from their legs and arms. Their eyes were breathtaking, though. Outside of the water they seemed to sparkle like jewels, different colors rippling off them whenever they shifted positions all, catching the light in the most dazzling display. The biggest difference she could see on any of them were their clothing, those below the water covered themselves in tight garments that seemed to be woven of sea weed and sea shells. Those on land were wearing breeches and tunics, the same as she was used to seeing on humans. Though when some of the merfolk moved around she could see the occasional shell or sea weed beneath the garments, apparently the clothing serving as just the outer layer.

“Is that a dragon turtle?” she heard one of them say.

“It can’t be. It’s just a shifted turtle, isn’t it?” another said.

“Is it a mage?”

“I think the mage is the man riding it.”

“What if the turtle is the mage?”

“Can a turtle learn that kind of magic?”

“Could a mage take a form like that?”

“Is this who they sent?”

“AHEM!” a loud voice yelled and, almost instantly, the merfolk scattered. Yvette would have laughed if she could at just how quickly they fled. Within a few moments only she, Gervas and a handful of merfolk remained, though she could see some of the fleeing merfolk were sticking their heads out from the sea to watch them. At the very least they didn’t feel nearly as intimidating now.

One of the merfolk stepped forward, though they were wearing the same clothing as the merfolk beneath the water, with shells that seemed to shimmer like silver. Oddly, this merfolk stood almost a foot shorter than the others. She quickly pushed that thought aside when she realized the merfolk who were still here were standing at attention. The one that stepped forward put both their hands together and bowed politely, before raising their head. “Greetings. I am told you are of the Mage’s Association?” the merfolk asked. They sounded female, but she couldn’t be entirely sure.

“We are,” Gervas said before jumping down from her back. “Though I’m afraid I don’t understand what that has to do with anything. I am her guardian, Hawkin. This is Petra, a master of transfiguration.”

Yvette froze for a moment. Petra? She was Petra? Who in the world was Petra? Why would he call her that? She swore if he was expecting her to go by a boy’s name then, wait, no. She realized quickly that was a girl’s name. She felt a moment of shame when she realized that she had never even thought about coming up with fake names. Petra. That was good, she could be Petra. She slowly began to end the spell, rising up out of the dragon turtle’s form, drawing a few gasps from the merfolk. She made sure that as her hands formed that she moved them behind her, as if she was stretching, to keep the mark hidden.

“I see,” the merfolk said. “I am commander Nautia, the one in charge of this operation. Were you not informed of why we called you?”

Gervas shook his head. “There seems to be a bit of miscommunication. Our arrival is purely coincidence, Petra is a traveling mage and we came here in order to gather some rare components. The Mage’s Association didn’t send us.”

The reaction was almost instant and Yvette couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Those nearest to them seemed to sink a little in their stances and even the merfolk who was talking to them seemed to sink, just a little, into the sand. “You weren’t sent?” Nautia asked, her voice filled with such despair that Yvette had to struggle with the urge to hug the merfolk. When she spoke again, though, her tone was more confident and calm. “Components? Of course, the black market. I would be careful if I were you. While I’ve heard that it is possible to get almost anything a mage could desire from them, I’ve heard that more than a few of you mages have disappeared during such transactions.”

“Black market?” Yvette asked before glancing to Gervas.

“No,” Gervas said, shaking his head. “We needed ingredients from some of the creatures that made their nests on a nearby island. We have absolutely no desire to deal with pirates of any kind.”

“I see,” Nautia said so quickly that Yvette couldn’t help but wonder if the merfolk had even heard him. “Seeing as you two are here, as they say, the fates move in mysterious ways and few are the coincidences that are just that. Perhaps we could work out an agreement.”

“An agreement?” Gervas asked and, judging by his tone, Yvette doubted he liked the sound of that. She didn’t feel particularly fond of it either.

“Indeed,” Nautia said with a nod. If she heard the displeasure in Gervas’ tone, she made no sign of it. “We require a capable mage of the association to deal with this threat. Every day the empire is there, the phoenix is getting more agitated and their defenses around the island get harder to dismantle.”

“Phoenix?” Yvette asked, her eyes focusing entirely on Nautia now. “There’s a phoenix? Here? Now? I mean, where? Why?”

Nautia smiled then, showing off a small row of sharp teeth. “Perfect. If you two would come with me, I could explain the situation more in detail,” she said before turning to walk up the beach towards the small, wooden fort.

Gervas, however, looked less than pleased before he took her hand. “Petra, we’re in a rush. Remember?”

“Yes, but if a phoenix is here then that could be incredibly useful. Besides,” Yvette said before leaning in and whispering into his ear. “Part of the spell requires a phoenix talon, remember?”

Gervas gave a soft sigh before whispering back. “And if the Mage’s Association is already sending someone, what then?”

“They aren’t going to show up in the little bit of time we spend finding out the issue,” Yvette whispered. “It’s an opportunity, you know? Do you really wanna pass it up? How many chances do you think we’ll get to have something like this? Besides we don’t even know the situation yet. It could be something really easy.”

Gervas sighed and shook his head. “When is it ever easy?”

Yvette gave a small smile. “Okay, fine. But less suicidal than normal.”

Gervas gave a low, grumbly sound of annoyance before he turned and started walking after the merfolk. Yvette followed behind him, a small smile on her lips. If this really was a chance to get a component and help someone who needed it, how could she pass it up?

------

Yvette felt like she was going to be sick once she walked into the fort and caught sight of some of the humans on the island. Unfortunately, most of them were unconscious and laying in small cots, bodies mostly covered in bandages. More than a few of the cots were entirely covered with thin bedding over what she suspected were now corpses. There were a few humans walking about, but mostly it was merfolk tending to the few awake wounded. One of them were having their bandages replaced she could make out deep, dark burn marks across their body.

“What happened?” Yvette asked, her voice far softer and hushed than she’d wanted.

“What do you mean?” Nautia asked.

“This, obviously,” Yvette asked. “How did everyone get so wounded? What happened?”

Nautia gave a soft sigh. “Phoenixes are dangerous creatures, Master Petra. When everything went poorly, these were the people on the ship. The mages doing the ritual never stood a chance. Most of those still alive were fortunate enough to jump overboard before the worst of it. Even then they suffered grievous injuries. Please, follow,” she said before walking through a doorway and away from the room, the sounds of moaning wounded soon fading behind them.

Yvette followed after the merfolk quickly, happy to leave the sounds of misery behind her. She waited a few moments before asking her next question. “Nautia? Could I ask a question?”

“As you wish,” Nautia asked.

“I haven’t actually met a member of your particular race before, so--”

“You’re traveling the seas and you haven’t run into us?” Nautia asked, cutting her off before glancing back at both of them.

“We tend to stay on land,” Gervas said. “She gets terribly seasick.”

Nautia grimaced, a sight that was, frankly, quite unsettling to Yvette. It made the merfolk’s razor sharp teeth become oddly pronounced. “My condolences. I’ve seen a few of your kind go through that. Most would have preferred death.”

“To be honest, during it I would have likely welcomed it,” Yvette said.

“Yet you have power capable of turning into one of the leviathans of the deep. Interesting that such a rare talent is wielded by one with such a crippling condition,” Nautia said. “But please, ask your question.”

“Are you a man or a woman?” Yvette asked. “And would it be merman? Mermaid? Or…”

Nautia actually stopped in mid step, before very slowly turning to look at her. She couldn’t be entirely certain, but she’d received that look enough times in her life that she was pretty sure that the merfolk was questioning if she was an idiot. “Excuse me?”

“Would you be a--”

“Is this really important?” Nautia asked, their eyes narrowing and tone turning quite hostile. “I was selected by Wurindir to perform this mission and my gender has nothing to do with my capabilities, human. More to the point, are you not a female yourself? I would expe--”

“She’s trying to not offend you,” Gervas said, cutting the merfolk off. “She literally can’t tell and doesn’t want to get it wrong and insult you.”

Nautia stopped, looking between the two for a moment. She then gave a nod. “Ah. I see. My apologies. You see, many humans I have run into have expressed some discomfort over it. I am female, a mermaid.”

Yvette nodded. “Right. Sorry, I guess I should have figured that out. I mean, I thought you might be because you were so much smaller than--” She quickly shut up when the mermaid turned to glare at her, that at least she could identify. She gulped and gave a soft squeak. “And that has nothing to do with your gender, does it?”

“No. It does not,” Nautia said, the hostility radiating off her voice.

“Sorry. He usually does the talking,” Yvette said, pointing to Gervas.

“Perhaps you should stick to that tradition,” Nautia said.

Gervas lightly snickered and reached out to lightly pat her head. “Our apologies, but I swear that Petra does mean well. She just isn’t quite the best at thinking before she speaks. She meant no harm. She’s just better at books and studying than she is people.”

Yvette nodded quickly and the mermaid gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Very well. If we could return to the matter at hand?” Nautia said moments before turning and leading them into a large, cold room. While everything else in the fort had looked a bit rickety, if stable, this room looked as if it was added recently, the floor still dirt, the walls and ceiling so loosely built that she could see through the holes between the boards. In the center of the room was a single old table that looked as if it was utterly soaked through and covered in little water stains. On top of it was a single map, spread out with a pair of stones on either end. The map itself looked as if it was made of a strange, rubbery material, despite being damp it didn’t look at all damaged.

Nautia walked to the map and pointed to one of the islands on it. “Here is where all the trouble started.”

“Where’s that?” Yvette asked.

Nautia blinked a few times before looking to Gervas. “Is that a joke?”

“I read the map,” Gervas said. “She turns into the dragon turtle. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses.”

Yvette flushed, looking between the two of them. “You know, turning into a dragon turtle isn’t easy. Swimming like that all day isn’t, either. It’s really exhausting. I’d like to see either of you do it.”

“Of course, my apologies,” Nautia said before tapping on it. “This is the island where the phoenix arose.”

Gervas glanced at the map before looking back to her. “It’s the island we slept last night.”

“Oh!” Yvette said, before a frown formed on her lips. “So is the mountain related?”

“Exactly,” Nautia said.

“Exactly what?” Yvette asked.

Nautia gave another sigh of exhaustion before glancing to Gervas. “Well?”

“I actually don’t know either,” Gervas said.

Now Nautia was looking at both of them as if they were idiots. Yvette couldn’t help starting to feel a bit annoyed by the mermaid, she certainly seemed to be quite judgmental. “Phoenixes are incredibly dangerous beasts and, when they arise, they can cause quite the disastrous environmental effects. Bursting free from the earth itself, like the legends of the birth of magic,” Nautia said.

“Like Akaziah?” Yvette asked. “The first dragon?”

“Ah, so you have knowledge of these matters. Exactly,” Nautia said. “When a phoenix first appears, it bursts open the earth itself and it is said that the lands themselves cry out in agony and the sky will shed tears of despair. However, from that destruction a new life is sprung. What was old is swept aside and, from it, new life is born.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Yvette said.

“It is, incredibly so. A phoenix is a creature of nature incarnate. Fire, thunder, wind, rain, hail. All envelop the creature. If you spent the night on the island, surely you saw the great thunderstorm that shattered the heavens?” Nautia asked.

Gervas gave a small nod. “Yes. We thought it was some mage’s fight. Are you saying the phoenix is responsible?”

“Partially,” Nautia said. “When a phoenix arises they are quite deadly and dangerous. They are smarter than most animals and beasts, but not quite as intelligent as, say, you or I.” Yvette couldn’t be certain but she swore that she saw the mermaid’s eyes flicker to her for a moment. She felt just a hint insulted, but tried to push that aside. “But they are also, in many cases, territorial beasts. If they see you as a threat, they will utterly destroy you. If you leave their territory, they will often leave you be. Within a few months, they can become far more benign and even valued allies to those living in the territory.

“When this one arose, a mage residing in the village contacted us immediately for aid. I was sent as I have the most talent in dealing with such magics and we quickly extracted most of the villagers from the locale safely. After that, the mage attempted a ritual to, well, while I don’t know the exact effects of such magic, harness the phoenixes power and make it calmer, accelerating its growth and burning off the excess power it now wields. It all went well until the empire got involved,” Nautia said with a soft, annoyed sigh.

“A surprise attack?” Gervas asked.

“Indeed. I wish I knew how they had pulled it off,” Nautia said coldly. “The ritual was halfway done by the time we had the first inkling that anything was wrong. Within moments their ships were there. Before we knew it the ritual was backfiring and the mage’s ship was engulfed in lightning and flames, turning the vessel to nothing more than splinters and ash. While we managed to sink many of their vessels as well, our efforts had to be focused on protection. We rescued who we could, but many didn’t survive the trip. By the time we got the wounded away, the empire had moved in, taken what they could from the wreckage and laid claim to the island and the phoenix.”

Yvette nodded. “So what is it you need a mage for?”

“To break the initial ritual circle,” Nautia said, her voice cold as ice. “While the second was never finished, the initial one placed in the phoenix’s den was and the empire has been able to harness some of that power and use it against us. The waters near that island get more dangerous every day and the area they can cover with their barriers is only growing wider. As much as I would prefer it if the phoenix was a calmer, less dangerous threat, at this point my primary goal is to stop the empire from being able to harness its might. You have seen the raw power that thing can unleash, I don’t even want to imagine what kind of destruction it could bring if they managed to fully control it.”

“All you need me to do is break a ritual circle? That’s not hard at all,” Yvette said with a smile. “Heck, I used to do that on accident all the time. Master Betan always got so furious.”

Nautia turned her gaze back to her. There was that look again. “You broke rituals? On accident?”

“I mean, yeah. I used to,” Yvette said, her cheeks going redder. “It’s quite common.”

“Aren’t you a master?” Nautia asked. “I’d heard that master mages of the Mage’s Association were supposed to be incredibly talented.”

“I DID say I used to,” Yvette said. “This was back when I was an apprentice. I’m just saying it’s really easy. You just need to find out where the most vulnerable parts are and then jam your own magic into that place until everything just shatters. Trust me, I’ve done it before. In fact, I did it recently when I had to…” She trailed off and glanced to Gervas. “I guess I did almost die that time though, huh?”

“Was that what you did?” Gervas asked.

“I mean, it was pretty big. I had to get rid of that magic somehow,” Yvette said with a light chuckle. “Still, the concept is the same. And this time the ritual wasn’t even made by a dragon turtle, so it’d probably be a thousand times easier.”

“Excuse me?” Nautia asked. “You’ve done this kind of thing before? Intentionally?”

Yvette nodded. “Of course. Not very often, though. But--”

“Then you’re perfect!” Nautia said, her voice radiating relief and, for the first time since they’d begun speaker, the edge faded from her tone. “You can do this. You will, won’t you?”

Yvette nodded. “Of--”

“No,” Gervas said.

“No?” Yvette and Nautia asked.

“The Mage’s Association has already been contacted and is sending someone, are they not?” Gervas asked. “More importantly, whoever they send will have more experience with the ritual and be able to better manage it than we could. On top of that, the last thing we want to get involved with is a territorial dispute between mages.”

Nautia’s eyes narrowed. “A territorial dispute between mages? This is hardly such a thing. If the empire gains total control of that phoenix, then—”

“Then they will be no more dangerous than any other nation in the world that has master mages at their beck and call. Or worse, grandmaster mages,” Gervas said calmly. “If even that. For all we know they can’t harness such powers.”

“While true,” Nautia said. “We--”

“On top of that, Petra is a transfiguration mage. This kind of power isn’t her specialty. Whoever the Mage’s Association sends is likely to be far more adept at this particular field. Going into a situation like this, ill prepared as we are, is likely to just get us killed. Not to mention cause more trouble for whoever is on their way,” Gervas said.

Yvette’s cheeks went red and she shook her head. “I don’t think it’s that bad, Hawken. I mean, all I have to do is break a ritual, right? Any apprentice could do that.”

“When the last ritual backfired, it destroyed a ship and every mage nearby,” Gervas said before turning his gaze to her. “Do you think you could handle that? If the power in it has to be released a certain way to avoid catastrophe, can you do it? Would you even be able to know if it did require that?”

Yvette tried to think of a proper response to that but, slowly, she shook her head. Try as she might, she knew he was right. While she could break the ritual itself there was no telling what destructive power it might have. It could kill her just like it had all those other mages. While she had broken the ritual on the massive turtle, all that magic had been was focused on making something larger and wiser, with all the magic for it used by the thing that had made it. This ritual was designed to contain and hold back the might of a phoenix, there was no telling what would happen if she tried to let it all out at once.

“On top of that, we have no idea where the ritual would be or how to get into the den,” Gervas said.

“I know,” Nautia said. “I was there when it was set.”

“Oh,” Gervas said. “Everything else I said stands then. The threats of our involvement are too high.”

“But—” Nautia said.

“I’m sorry,” Gervas said, cutting her off. “I know what you’re going to say. If you don’t think I want to help, you’re wrong. And if you don’t think she wants to help, you’re doubly wrong.” Nautia clenched her fists, but didn’t say anything. “But the best course of action in this case is to trust whoever the Mage’s Association sends.”

“You…” Nautia said before looking to Yvette. “And what say you, mage? Yes, the risks may be high, but the danger only grows. Every day the waters get more dangerous. By the time help arrives we may not be able to bypass the barriers they’ve placed. They may even be able to surround the entire island as well. Does your guardian speak for you? Are you as cowardly as him?”

“He’s not a coward,” Yvette said quickly, her own anger rising.

“Then I suppose that’s a yes,” Nautia said, sneering at them. “I should have known. A mage of the association is only ever willing to help when it benefits themselves, aren’t they? Very well. Name your price.”

“My price?” Yvette asked.

“What?” Gervas asked.

“Your price,” Nautia said. “If you are a traveling mage, there is obviously something you want, something you desire. I saw the way your face lit up once I mentioned the black market. You desire something, what is it?”

“I don’t--” Yvette started.

“Don’t lie to me, mage,” Nautia said coldly.

“We’re not--” Gervas said.

“I wasn’t asking you, guardian. You’ve made your stance on this clear. While you may see the dangers required to end this early as an unacceptable risk, I do not. I am not a member of the Mage’s Association and if their plans are ruined, I care not. All I care about is that this conflict ends before more of my people are wounded or worse. You have found yourself in the middle of a war, like it or not,” Nautia said fiercely. “We have waited long enough and I will not allow an opportunity like this to pass me up. Name your price, mage.”

Yvette gulped and looked between the two of them. Finally, she cleared her throat before she started. “Very well. I’d like to talk with my guardian in private for a moment.”

“What?” Nautia asked. “He already said—”

“I won’t go behind his back. As this is something that affects both of us, I will discuss it with him before coming to any decision. If you demand I make a decision now, then the answer will be no. If you would like me to consider it, then please give us a little bit of time to discuss it,” Yvette said, her voice as firm as she could make it.

Nautia’s eyes narrowed but, very slowly, she nodded. “Very well. I will wait outside. Please come and--”

“Actually, I think it might be best if he and I went for a little walk around the island first. Okay?” Yvette said before grabbing Gervas’ hand and dragging him behind her, drawing a surprised yelp from him. She didn’t give Nautia a chance to object, instead heading out through the fort and trying her best to avoid looking too closely at the wounded. Once they were outside and on the beach again she let out a soft sigh of relief.

“You aren’t really considering it, are you?” Gervas asked.

“Not on my own, I’m not,” Yvette said before glancing back at him. “I do, however, want to discuss it with you.”

“It’s reckless,” Gervas said with a frown. “Even if the chance to get a phoenix talon is here, there are other ways to do it. Like--”

“The black market?” Yvette asked before she started to walk. She couldn’t help but notice how often the merfolk would glance up at the pair of them only to quickly look away the moment they noticed she saw.

“Not what I had in mind,” Gervas said. “Other ways. I wouldn’t trust that kind of thing. Pirates can’t be trusted and, worse, if the things they gave you weren’t truly what they said they were, it could end up destroying everything you’ve already worked so hard to acquire.”

Yvette nodded. “True. But this is an opportunity, isn’t it? A phoenix right here. It’s not like there are a lot of them just waiting for us to find them. But this one is right here, right now, it’s an opportunity. On top of that, they need our help.”

Gervas rolled his eyes. “The Mage’s Association will have someone coming already. In case you forgot,” he said, his voice going low quickly. “You’re not exactly their favorite person right now. What happens if whoever they send figures out that you’re a fallen mage?”

As much as Yvette hated to admit it, she knew that was right. If whoever came here figured out what and who she was, there was no telling what could happen. By now the Mage’s Association had likely already sent someone to try and locate and dispatch her. If they knew where she was, then she’d be bringing more trouble down on both of them. She reached down, gentle playing with the ring on her finger before nodding. “You’re right, I can’t argue that.”

“Good,” Gervas said.

“But what if they aren’t?” Yvette asked.

Gervas paused for a moment, looking over to her. “What do you mean?”

“You said the Mage’s Association would be sending someone, right? After all, everything here is going poorly and there’s a phoenix right there. However, it’s also a dispute between countries at this point, possibly a full on war. The Eterna Empire has taken over new territory. These islands aren’t exactly easy to get to at the best of times, even worse now. While they may be able to setup a teleportation array, there’s no telling if they’ll decide that it’s worth it. They may decide that sending some mages by boat is superior. Or, more importantly, they may decide that the best course of action is to do nothing at all.”

“They wouldn’t do that,” Gervas said.

“Wouldn’t they?” Yvette asked. “The Mage’s Association isn’t going to want to get involved in a war, even against the Eterna Empire. That adds a whole new twist to the affair. The fact things already went poorly once and cost a lot of mages their lives might make them even less willing to interfere. Certainly they could have decided to send aid within the first few days. Or it could be months before they decide to send help, if any. You heard how desperate she was. I may literally be the only chance they have.”

“You’re not prepared for this,” Gervas said.

“Of course I’m not,” Yvette said. “There’s a good chance it might kill me if I tried. But there’s still a better chance of me doing it correctly than there is of anyone else here. I’ve broken things like that before. I broke the one from the dragon turtle, remember? Compared to that, this might be easy.”

“And if you can’t?” Gervas asked.

Yvette gave a shrug. “I don’t know. But think about it. Let’s say three years from now. We hear about this place and find out that someone from the Mage’s Association arrived a day later and ended up fixing everything without us. That we just narrowly avoided disaster and me being found.”

“I don’t see how that’s supposed to convince me,” Gervas said.

“Hear me out. That’s the best case scenario,” Yvette said. “Now consider if we hear about this in three years and we found out that nobody had come in the end and the Eterna Empire had managed to figure out how to harness the phoenix as a tool of war. It resulted in a conflict with who knows what other nations and thousands were left dead.”

Gervas gave a soft sigh, shaking his head. “Yvette, it’s not our duty to deal with this.”

“It’s not anyone’s duty, is it?” Yvette asked. “The Mage’s Association has no real reason to get involved aside from the fact they already were. They might decide to cut their losses rather than risk getting involved in the conflict. More importantly, nobody of the association is here. It would be dangerous, but I am here now. Can I really just stand aside and hope it all works out in the end? Is that what I’m going to always do? Do you really want me to ignore the people right in front of me who need my help just because it’s dangerous? Besides, everything about my life these days is dangerous, this is almost tame in comparison.”

“I hate that we have to have this talk,” Gervas said, lifting a hand up to rub his forehead. “Yet I love that we have to have this talk. Do you know how frustrating that is?”

Yvette smiled despite herself and gave a small nod. “Oh, entirely.”

“You’re right, we’re here,” Gervas said. “We have no way of knowing if they’ll send anyone. Judging by Nautia’s reaction, she doesn’t either. She’s desperate.”

“Can you blame her?” Yvette asked.

“I’d be pretty desperate too,” Gervas said. “Remember what I told you before? Don’t light yourself on fire to keep others warm?”

“Of course. Because that’s what your dad said,” Yvette said. “Not that you followed it, now did you? After all, you’re here with me.”

“Someone has to look out for you and it’s certainly not going to be you,” Gervas said.

Yvette gave a light chuckle before looking up at the sky for a moment. “I’m happy you came around to my way of thinking. I think I would have felt guilty for ages if we just left things as they were.”

“Really? Maybe you’ve just got a bit of a hero complex, Yvette,” Gervas said with a light chuckle. “But I guess that’s just another reason I’m here.”

“Well, maybe the world needs more people like us, then,” Yvette said. “Besides, it’s the kind of mage I want to be. Someone who goes someplace and makes things better. Not-- mmph!”

Yvette’s words were cut off when Gervas pulled her to a stop and then leaned in close, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her lips firmly. She felt her knees start to go weak and she slowly wrapped her arms around him, holding on and trying to ignore the furious pounding of her heart. After a few moments he finally let her go and gave a small smile. “Very well, oh master mage. Shall we go and see if you can try and get yourself nearly killed again today?”

“What?” Yvette asked, staring at him bleary eyed. “Who? What? We’re doing the what now? You kissed me.”

“Yes I did,” Gervas said with a smile. “Come on, let’s go light ourselves on fire,” he said before he turned and began to walk back, half dragging and half holding her up when he went.

Yvette followed behind him, struggling to get her mind back in order while she walked with him. Fire? Why were they on fire? Who was on fire? Phoenix? Right, she was lighting a phoenix on fire. Wait, no, that wasn’t right. Was it? Yes. No. Wait. She couldn’t suppress the giddy smile on her lips no matter how hard she tried, though. Not that she tried very hard.