The chirping of Aura Finches filled the morning air as they flitted to and fro among the branches. A couple of dainty Kirin trotted by the path, though paused to look as a pair of feet raced past them.
“First day! It’s the first day, Kyrie, you dunderhead!” Complained a young elf, his hair braided back as he ensured he had his notebooks in his knapsack. The Sages were coming to Bristol, and he fricken overslept! “I’m never going to hear the end of this one!” He complained as he beat his feet and ran.
Bristol was the city his little village sat at the edge of, and it was brimming with life. Traders from all over came to the city to trade their goods: High-bred Hearth Drakes, Silks from the Arachne clans in the mountains, horses from the dwarves, and finely hewn minerals and gems from trolls. Among the traders were performers and service providers, such as the dancers from the desert lands, fortune tellers who used old dragon bones, and even elves who had bonded to unicorns performing tricks.
Kyrie tried not to get distracted by the hubbub of the city, though the fantastic smells of exotic foods caught his attention often and made him slow or even stop to check the price. He always did love this time of year, Traders Season, in mid-fall when the leaves changed to the color of a dragon hoard. He felt alive!
He eventually found his way to the other side of the crowd, somehow holding a hot honey bun in his hand as he continued to run for the stadium.
“Ky! Ky over here!”
Ky skidded to a stop as two others came running over: another female elf with green eyes and golden hair pulled back into a braided bun, and a young man with red hair and blue eyes. Kyrie smiled at them as he came over, panting and waving.
“We waited an hour for you!” The she-elf told him.
“I know Nissa!..” Kyrie panted. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
The young man chuckled as he clapped Kyrie on the shoulder. “Come on, Nis, give him a break. I’d bet he was up late watching the stars again.” He teased. “Or writing a new song.”
Kyrie laughed and playfully pushed his friend off. “You know me, Kozen, I always have my head in the clouds.”
“At least you have us to ensure you don’t float away,” Kozen answered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Did I miss anything?” Kyrie asked.
“Thankfully, no,” Nissa answered, rolling her eyes at the boys. “But if you don’t hurry, you will.”
That got the two going again, albeit at a more leisurely pace as they stepped into the stadium. It was a tall building, seating many in balconies and steepled seats towards the bottom. In the center was a pillar-like stage that allowed the ones standing on it to be heard by all, like a giant echo chamber. Five people were on the stage, each with a fox drake on their shoulder. The Sages, Keepers of the Elemental Magics and their Guardians. They were teachers, prophets, and guides in the ways of magic.
Kyrie sat with his friends and set his bag down, pulling out his notebooks to remember what the Sages would say. He and Kozen were always eager to learn something new, and the best source to learn about magic was from the Sages themselves. They were the strongest Keepers known to all of Hireath, after all;
There was Fintan and his Guardian of the Flames, Aiden.
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Faeylynn and her Guardian of Water, Ripple.
Salacia and her Guardian of Earth, Geode.
Athelon and his Guardian of Air, Zephyr.
And Minsi and her Guardian of Souls, Alchos.
Kyrie smiled as he looked at each of the Sages. While Minsi and Alchos were the most mysterious of the group, his favorites had always been Athelon and Zephyr. They were wood elves like him, making him wonder if he could ever be a Keeper. He was told being chosen by a Fox Drake was like when a cat came into your life. They appear. However, that never stopped him from daydreaming about what kind of Fox Drake would choose him, if any.
Finally, Minsi stepped forward, Zephyr lifting her wings and asking the air to carry the elf’s voice. “People of Bristol! I humbly thank you for your hospitality for this year’s Trading Festivities!”
The balconies roared with welcoming cheers, and even Kyrie and his friends applauded and cheered with the crowd until Minsi shyly raised a hand. “It is our deepest pleasure to be here in this beautiful season and among such wonderful people. Thanks to all of you, our people can flourish with peace!”
Another round of cheers greeted her, and Kyrie could see she bit her lip. Being the Keeper to the Guardian of Souls, Kyrie read that Minsi was highly empathic and preferred to stay somewhere quiet. He could only imagine how jarring it would be to be surrounded by so many people. She looked to her companions, and Fintan nodded, letting her step back to Faeylynn and Ripple as he took over for her.
“We are happy to announce that The Fox Drakes have information that you all may find interesting!” He said. “New clutches of eggs have been laid, and the young from the last hatching are old enough to find Keepers of their own! While there have been a few occasions where a hatchling needed a Keeper early, these hatchlings will be brought to the local schools for young magic users to meet and possibly bond with.”
Athelon stepped forward, his boyish features making him look more impish than elvish as he looked across the crowd. “There is a possibility that an older drake may choose you as a keeper as well. Do not turn your nose up at this. Respect for the elders goes for the Fox Drakes as much as it does your own great-grandmothers!” He paused and grinned as he heard scattered laughter. “I mean it! A Fox Drake may forgive you… but Grammy, she’ll grab a ruler and smack your wrist so quick you’d think twice next time!” More laughter rippled from the gathering as Athelon chuckled with him. “Just be respectful, and your drake will find you.”
Kyrie smiled as he wrote down the words and wondered if he could put them into a song when he got home that evening.
***
“New hatchlings,” Kozen commented as they walked home after a long day of shopping at the stalls, his arms behind his head as he looked up at the crimson leaves. “Hard to believe they only lay once a year.”
“It’s not just that,” Nissa said as she balanced on a fence and walked beside them. “The magic’s balance has to be right. The right heat, moisture, breathability, and softness of the nests. It must all be in balance for a fox drake to hatch properly. The drought last year caused a lot of eggs to still.”
Kyrie remembered hearing that news and was glad the eggs were doing far better this year. He smiled at the thought of hatchlings around the schools this year and looked at Kozen. “Think any of us will be chosen?”
Kozen grinned and shrugged. “I certainly hope so. Who knows, maybe we can be part of the next group of Sages.”
Kyrie laughed. “Honestly, I’d be content with my songs and some wandering.” He told his friend.
“Why not aim higher?” Kozen asked. “Ky, you’re very good with magic.”
It was Kyrie’s turn to shrug. He was skilled but thought it was his path; a Drake would come to him. He didn’t have to strive for it like Kozen thought he had to. But Kozen had always been the ambitious one. “If I reach that bridge, I’ll cross it,” he said, putting his arms over Kozen and Nissa’s shoulders. “For now, I’m content with where I am and what I’ve got.”
As they walked into the city for the evening’s vendors and festivities that would last for another week, a pair of Peridot eyes watched the group from the trees with a curious gleam. One of the group stood out to her, but he had yet to be tested. She ruffled her wings as she stood on the branch; her black scales camouflaged her well in the darkening night, and her bright green underbelly, horns, and claws made her look like a clump of leaves.
‘Let’s see what this one has in store.’ She thought as she opened her wings and flew for her den. Perhaps she had found her Keeper at last. But time would only tell.
