Path of The Dragon Mage (Nomad) 68. The Winding Paths (Patreon)

Roan stared at the message so long that Corvus had to bite his cheek from telling him just to choose already. It would be wrong to rush him. No matter what, this had to be Roan's decision.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Gwen asked as Roan continued to stare.

"Maybe," Corvus said.

Her hand clamped over his forearm, hard. Her expression was somewhere between excited and stricken. Gwen lowered her voice to a hiss. "But, how? I got my Paths from Charm's egg."

"I received my first message when I found her egg in the royal nesting grounds." Though he suspected he had the Paths well before that. He just couldn't see them until he fully left the palace. "It's the same, isn't it? The egg waiting to hatch and a... reset. It's like a renewal."

She stared at him. "What?"

"I can't explain it. But it feels like her egg and the system... they're tied into one another."

Starella had walked up to peer around Roan's broad shoulder to read the message. Her eyes widened but she said nothing.

"It still doesn't make sense," Gwen insisted, louder. "What if this doesn't work. What if it means resetting in another way? We don't know enough--"

Roan spoke, abruptly. "So what? My life's already in the dung heap. What's the worst that can happen?"

Then he waved his hand inexpertly through the word 'Yes'.

There was a sharp zapping sound, high pitched and mechanical.

Roan collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Starella tried to catch him, but his weight dragged her down.

"Roan!" Corvus rushed to them, but Roan was already sitting up, wringing his hands. Wispy trails of smoke drifted up from the tips of his fingers.

Starella had picked herself up enough to kneel back next to him. "Are you okay?"

Roan didn't answer. His eyes flicked back and forth through the air. "What the..."

"Are you seeing the messages?" Corvus asked. He remembered the deluge of messages that had come at him when he'd crossed the threshold out of the palace.

Roan didn't answer right away, but by the faraway expression and the way his eyes moved back and forth, he suspected the answer was yes.

"What do you see?" Gwen asked, anxious.

"I... can read this," Roan said slowly. "Usually the letters always mix me up, but I can really read this."

"Makes sense. I know a lady who has the Paths, and she's blind," Corvus said, grinning. "Welcome to the club."

"What is it telling you?" Starella asked.

"It's asking me to pick a Path."

"Roan, this is amazing!" Gwen crouched next to him, a hand on his shoulder. "What do you have?"

"I don't..." he stared to say and trailed off. "Some weird ones."

"Take your time," Corvus suggested. "Look through your options. Not all the Paths are straight forward."

For the first time, Roan fully focused on him. He stood, ignoring the offers of the girls to help, and looked very hard at Corvus. "Is there a Path that can fix Cloudy?"

"There might be," Corvus said. "Remember those essences we saw? NightShade was able to consume those. I don't see why CloudStrike couldn't. It might lead to a spell to aid her or heal--"

Roan grabbed Corvus and yanked him forward into a hug. And because it was Roan, it was a crushing hug.

"I'm sorry...” Roan rasped. “I know I've been distant, and kinda an ass… I knew it wasn't your fault, but--"

"It was my fault," Corvus said. "We'll find something to help her, Roan. I'm not going to stop until we do."

Roan nodded, pulled back, and wiped some lingering moisture from his eyes.

"Okay," he said roughly. "Let me look through these. See what fits."

"Cousin."

Corvus turned at Starella's soft voice. She stood, twisting her fingers together in anxiety.

"Starella," he answered, wirily.

She swallowed. "You've said that someone cannot use the Paths and their elemental Talents. I've always loved having my Talents, but I want to hatch my egg more. He's helped me out so much, I can't leave him in the shell, and I want what you and your Charm have. I..." She seemed to go a shade paler. "I know I have no right to ask you, but--"

Corvus pulled the last ticket from his pocket and held it out to her.

She stared at it, then up at him. "Just like that?"

"Starella, if there's one thing walking the Paths have taught me is that life is a winding, twisting road. You made a choice to destroy my pardon out of fear. Then you rejected Daffodil's offer out of strength. I have my choices, too. And if I prevent you from doing this... I don’t think that I would like the Path it leads down."

Gwen stepped up, throwing a quick look at Starella. "What if she hatches her dragon?"

"Then there's one more royal dragon in the world. We both want the same thing, but Starella isn't my enemy. Daffodil is, and so are the demons he’s consorting with.” Corvus looked at Starella. “And if what you say the king told you is true--"

"It is," she said firmly, though tears were sliding down her cheeks.

"Then we need more dragons on our side." He lifted the ticket again. "Take it."

She hesitated as if she wasn’t sure she was worthy. "I still haven't found my dragon egg."

"And I don't know if you'll be able to pick a Path," Corvus said. "I was born into Path of the Royal, and you might be, too. Or you could pick something else." He looked at the counter with the store. "There's a Path change option there, though you'll have to run through the dungeon a few times."

"It would be nice to actually be useful," she said. "Thank you, Prince Corvus."

She wasn't the type to hug. But she curtseyed to him, low, in full court manners.

On rising, she took the ticket.

Gwen's hand found Corvus's own and squeezed.

"If she betrays you, I'm turning into Path of the Assassin," she muttered into his ear, then softened it with a kiss to his cheek.

He snorted.

Starella turned to the counter.

“Wait.” Roan abruptly positioned himself by Starella’s side and smiled down at her. “In case you take a fall like I did.”

“Did it hurt?” Starella asked, looking up at Roan.

He smiled down at her. “Yes, but only for a moment.”

“Then if I fall, I trust you to catch me.”

Corvus was just wondering if he should step in and stop… whatever this was before Starella entered her ticket. She briefly scanned over the prompt before she nodded once and pressed a finger through the floating ‘Yes’.

As before, there was a sharp zap-snap and her legs buckled. Roan was quick and caught her arms before she collapsed entirely.

Corvus waited with bated breath for her reaction. Would she receive the option for more Paths? If so, what would she choose?

And what would he do if she had or picked Path of the Royal?

There’s still a chance for me, he reminded himself. The apex of his Path was Dragon King. He wasn’t sure if his interpretation was correct, or Bartee’s but the option would not be there if it weren’t possible.

Like Roan, Starella’s focus was glued to the middle distance – her eyes darted back and forth as if reading.

Gwen had no problem showing her impatience. “Well? What’d you get?”

Roan suddenly turned, eyes wide. “All of you, be quiet.”

“Why—“ Gwen started, but a sharp gesture from her brother cut her off.

A bare moment later, Corvus heard the quiet click-clack of nails against stone.

He turned to the wall of dirtied windows. The grit made it impossible to look outside, and besides that, the illumination must cast shadows on the walls… visible to anything on the outside.

The nails clicked closer. Everyone stood still. Carefully, Corvus reached to his scabbard to withdraw his short swords. Gwen did the same with her arrows.

There was a snuffling of a large creature right under the door.

“Get back!” Roan hissed, grabbing Corvus and Gwen by their shoulders and yanking them hard. They were closest to the window and, spinning them back, Roan put himself in front of them.

The glass shattered as a nest guardian crashed in.