The Fiery Glazier

Serrana turned to look at Mel again, the furrow returning to her brow and concern appearing in her frown again. Even with the glazier's comments, which were, in retrospect, a little callous - at least, likely from the perspective of a dying man huddled in a corner - the Dark Cockerel's grumbles and glares seemed consistently directed at Morella, for reasons Serrana couldn't understand. How had she managed to anger him this much, as well as draw him to her room without intending to? If all things were equal, the sorceress should most certainly be drawing more ire than the duke's daughter at present.

Something still didn't smell right to Serrana, and she felt herself begin to tense again, even if only a little, as she thought about that fact.

The sorceress took a sip of her tea and considered the crumpled man again. She did pity him, for certain - such a plague could only give one unending agony. However, there was a sense of forboding malice that came from him, whether it was direct, or simply because him being there was omen to another thing entirely. Her mind drifted briefly to the creature recently sighted at the volcano, almost sure that their common presence was related, though precisely how was another matter entirely...
 
Once he was removed and food and drink brought, and servants once more out of the room, Morella let out a heavy sigh. "Where were we?"

The 'excitement' of finding a dead man in her chamber finally showed as she let out a wearily nervous giggle and let her weight rest into the seat. She did her best to hide her uncertainty while Mel was there, in case he was the sort who reacted to fear, but now that it was only her and Serrana, she let herself relax.

"That was a little bit scary," she admitted.
 
Serrana raised a hand to get one of the servants' attention just as they were about to leave, and once she had it, levied her question. "I'm sorry, if you would be so kind, and if the duke does not object, could I trouble you to head to his study and fetch my book? They should be on the corner of the table within." The glazier gave the servant a nod as they left, then turned back to Morella.

"A little?" Serrana remarked, her eyes opening just a little wider as she shook her head. No offense, milady, but that was terrifying. Honestly, I was half certain he was going to leap at you snarling and try to tear your head off with some unforeseen well of strength. His presence in here doesn't sit well with me at all... nor does the way he reacted toward you in general. How did you manage to make him hate you so much?" The sorceress looked back at where Mel had been skulking and chewed the inside of her cheek. "It just seems like too much coincidence..." she said, eyes narrowed briefly in thought before she turned to face Morella again.

"I think we'd been discussing Prince Brahm and him trying to hold it together after what he'd seen at the volcano, and, well, precisely what it WAS. There's too many things going on right now for at least some of them not to be related, Lady Morella." Serrana looked down as she thought about, well, all of it, and wished that there was something she could better use to connect pieces. At worst, there was some end-of-their-world level event starting to brew, and there was nothing that she could do to try to put a stop to it - or to help anyone else do the same. At best, they were facing invasion on a massive scale. And in the middle of it all, somehow, was this glassworker-turned-sorceress that was from the middle of nowhere, unsure of exactly WHAT she should do with this fate thrust upon her, knowing only that she needed to press on through it, even if blindly, as she was doing now...
 
"As for Mel, probably because I said the rumored cure is a myth. Father investigated it back when the plague was still at large, rather than mere straggling people dying, and the historians have no cure, but there is a person near there who was hiring the ill to enter the caves in search of treasure."

She shrugged. "I'm convinced Mel was going to feed into that scheme. The person hiring the dying was wanting to send people to their deaths who wouldn't be missed, in hopes that one might find and enter the sealed cavern where magical history is stored."

Morella nodded, thoughtful as she rested her chin on her knee.

"We don't know his motivations for wanting that, but he's in custody, as are all his would-be adventurers, who are receiving care so they at least don't suffer as much when they pass away."

Her eyes closed for a time, then opened again.

"That at least is mostly sealed, aside from knowing what led to that person's desire to enter the sanctum."

It seemed open and closed, aside from the motive.

"Moving on from that, we have the mystery of the Hauteflamme Volcano, of which we know little. Unless we can find answers among monsterkind or get people in there who can survive the many-faced creature without going mad, that will remain a mystery, possibly dangerous."

"That its face is on coins here though, that seems almost like a warning, doesn't it? Or maybe an invitation. Some sort of symbolism may be at play, though I'm not sure what kind."

Morella tilted her head, resting her cheek on her knee now as she watched Serrana.

"I wonder," she murmured, "If you could help find the goblins involved, and find out more about their plans, and about the volcano. Goblins have, for a long time, lived there due to its unending caves and passages helping their raids."
 
Serrana listened to Morella's words, and though finally she was starting to get more pieces to the picture as a whole, it did exactly what she expected, which was leave her with more questions. Who was it that had decided to go after this forbidden knowledge, and why? Was it truly so important - so potentially powerful - that they would send so many to their death, even if they were already condemned, by misusing false hope? And all this at the same time as everything happened at the volcano?

No, there was no coincidence there. Which one prompted the other might be a valid question, but not "were they connected?" And more and more, Serrana was becoming sure that the goblin activity she'd been swept up in was also a piece of this puzzle.

That was when Morella mentioned the goblins.

"That's a possibility..." she mused, a thoughtful frown on her face. "I don't know where they are though - I didn't exactly get movement instructions from their leaders when I got rescued; though 'rescued' is a suspect term." The sorceress looked up at Morella, her face still scrunched slightly in thought. "The two who rescued me, they talked about a huge fight, but I saw no blood. No dead bodies. Nothing. I certainly don't know of any magic that simply makes people not exist, goblin or no, and neither of them seemed the kind to manage it even if it did." Serrana shook her head a bit as she continued to think.

"That ritual they wanted me to help with though... that has got to have something to do with all of this. There's just too much going on for it to not. Problem is, I have no idea how to find them, even if they ARE a missing link of some kind..." Serrana pursed her lips in thought as she tried to consider exactly how to do that - and what to do if she did manage the feat. The gears turned in her head for a long moment, her dark eyes staring at the floor as she thought, hands between her knees as she leaned forward, still thinking when she finally spoke.

"The ritual..." she said quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek for a moment before she continued. "We still don't know for sure what it entails. I know what they claimed, and I know we have papers on the ritual itself... Even if its purpose was a ruse, it's a lead. The goblins would need to be working toward its completion. That's the in. It could give a clue to where they would be next - or soon. We'd have to figure out what all is on those papers though..." Serrana looked to the door of the study where they sat and sighed. "Because we have all the time in the world to figure thatout, I'm sure..."
 
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Morella let her head fall back as she listened and pondered. Serrana talked a lot, and though not everything was known, she was trying hard to piece things together—stubborn things that refused to give any hints to their links.

Rather than let Serrana torment herself by marinating in her thoughts for much longer, Morella made a decision. It as quick, but she didn't doubt it would help.

"There are goblins in the city. Not many, but present. We allow it because we have found they use the knowledge to avoid needless killing."

She had to pause for breath, but she held up a hand before Serrana could think or speak to much.

"I will take you to them in secret. Once there, you will request to speak with one of your previous captors. I'll endorse their safety as a hostage—before you object, know that goblins are not without a sense of honor. I'm confident I'll be safe."

Her eyes narrowed with a smile she tried to hide.

"We can't tell my father, though."

There, the grin emerged finally.

"He'd want to make a big show of it, when something sneaky will be better. I'll get the papers from Father before we go, and leave him a note after. He'll realize it's stupid to chase me once he reads it, so we ought to be fine."

With that, Morella let out a breath, still grinning.

"Sound exciting? Question the source."
 
Serrana's head perked up at that, a curious look on her face as her brow furrowed. "Seriously?" she said, a hint of disbelief to her voice before her mouth quirked to one side, her countenance turning from curious to thoughtful. "No, that makes sense. At the very least, they would almost have to have spies. They are practically their own nation, after all..." The fire dancer was going to say more, but that hand stopped her, at least for the moment.

She listened to Morella before her dark eyes went wide and she immediately shook her head. "No! Milady, you can't! You're the heir; you can't risk yourself in such a play! Either you'd be in personal danger, or they could kidnap you to use against the duke!" Serrana took a deep breath, ready to expel it with a dozen more reasons that this would be a horrendous idea, not the least of which was that she didn't want to be accused of kidnapping royalty.

That air instead was let out with a defeated sigh as she watched the grinning redhead and knew immediately how this was going to play out.

"Let me guess," she said, knowing what was coming. Morella was a crafty girl, especially when it came to escape attempts, and the game plan had already been played out in the sorceress's head. She rolled her eyes and shook her head before she spoke. "You're going to go whether I want you to or not, despite what your father thinks, and my options are to either protect you in this endeavor, and thus assist with the knowledge I have, or to run to your father and tell him your plan, though I will be too late to truly stop you from going through with it. Right?" Serrana shook her head again as a wry smirk and soft chuckle came to her.

"I'd be angrier about that if it wasn't exactly the type of gambit I'd pull on my brothers every time I wanted to get into mischief. I suppose it's my turn on the receiving end this time." The crooked smile on the glazier's lips became a much more playful one as the thought danced in her head. "Very well. My loyalty to land and duke do not allow me to consent to this course of action, my lady, but neither do they permit me to allow you to take on this risk alone. I shall accompany you as you suggest, under extreme duress, of course..." The words were proper and clear - the kind of thing one would say to make sure that her objection was noted, and that should the question ever arise, she could truthfully say she had made the effort to prevent this subtle little coup.

The smile on her face, however, told a different story - the story of two girls conspiring on a plan that was a mixture of impetuous, brave, and potentially very, very foolish... though also potentially very, very necessary.
 
Serrana was smart, just as Morella expected, and reached the conclusions she hoped for. Not only that, he stated her objections aloud, though the other woman's smile was plenty, and Morella felt secure knowing she had a kindred soul on board for this plan.

"Good! I'll get the papers." She beamed as she hopped to her feet and headed to the door. She opened it, then smiled at someone outside. "Oh good, you're still here. Please discretely escort my guest to the servants' west door."

"My lady?" the servant asked.

"Mischief."

"Yes, my lady." The tone of tired understanding said plenty as Morella stepped aside and motioned for Serrana to get going.

"I'll meet you there," she promised.

The servant, who introduced himself as Vanni, led the way through various servant passages, kept just as pristine and well-lit as the main halls, though they were less broad and high. There was room for two people to walk abreast comfortably. Simplified maps of polished gold marked a person's location at every other crossing or door, and they were labeled in coded abbreviations.

They arrived quickly to the door Serrana specified, and Vanni looked at Serrana. "I'm sorry for whatever she's pulling you into," he said with a grin, then turned to find Morella in her whites immediately behind him. He reddened, stammered, then tried to dodge out of her way. "My lady!"

She only grinned. "I'm getting quieter on my feet," she purred, then bumped her hip against Vanni, who squeaked and hurried away as she called to him once more, "Take care of Father for me!"

With that, she looked toward Serrana with a broad grin. "We have five minutes to get to the city proper. Are you good at running?" With that, she offered Serrana her hand and pointed with her face towards the gate.
 
Serrana watched the interaction between Morella and her servant, an impish smirk on her face as she did. The nature of the 'order' only brought the firedancer a little more amusement before Vanni was introduced and led her through the halls of the palace. Her eyes took in everything, from the palace's paths to the maps on the walls (where she both wondered at the fact that the maps were likely worth more than most citizens were like to ever see in their lifetime, as well as tried to commit as much information on them to memory as possible, should it be needed). Serrana's hand went to the book at her side, a nervous habit she didn't succumb to often, but one she indulged in now for a small piece of comfort before they reached the door.

The sorceress flashed a smile at her escort as he made his apology. "My duty is to serve, and it is a duty I fulfill happily," she said, her grin widening before Morella appeared. She gave a nod at her counterpart, remembering how the girl had tried to practice those quiet steps while literally wearing bells when they'd first met. "Indeed!" she said, taking the red-haired noble's hand and starting along. "And yes. Quite. Where I am from, one learned to run, lest Gardas the devil-chicken overtake you!" Serrana chuckled as they made their way, following Morella's lead, but only barely, as she made sure to keep her pace up on her own accord.
 
Outside the inner wall, Morella paused and giggled as she looked back, then continued to run, leading the way along the winding main street. Once they turned the first bend, she flashed a grin back towards Serrana. "Now to find the goblins."

Now that they were away from the castle, they were just two girls in their whites, jogging through and holding hands like friends on their way to something fun.

To those who recognized the duke's daughter, it was unusual to see her running through the city with someone else, and they turned to watch them pass before returning to their own tasks.

Eventually, they slowed to a walk, and Morella led the way down various side streets, in darker and darker areas. There weren't slums, not in this city, where her father had guards to round up any homeless or begging and offer them a chance to return to their feet through efforts that they might not have thought to try.

These darker areas were rental homes: not fully houses, but they were owned by one person and rented by another, and when not in use, they simply didn't waste money on lighting.

Morella led the way deeper, to a small empty building with a shop-style front that featured a flaking mural. Morella paused at the mural and frowned as she picked briefly at the paint. "This is no good," she muttered, then sighed and shook her head. "Well, let's go inside. This is the place!"

As she spoke, the door opened suddenly, to reveal one of Serrana's human kidnappers, who scowled at the two women, but moved to one side to let them into the dim interior, where two other men sat at a table with an interrupted game of cards. They weren't alone, though. A goblin also sat at the table, large and with the firm sort of fat that screamed of muscles beneath.

The goblin stared at the two, then sighed. "Morella. What is it this time? You never come with good news." He reached to pick up his cards, then cast his eyes to Serrana. "And who is your friend?"

Morella beamed as she led the way in, and the kidnapper closed the door behind. All light from outside cut off, and all sound. The air was stale inside, but breathable.

Only once the door was closed did Morella offer an introduction. "This is Serrana. She was recently kidnapped by goblins. We want answers." Her manner hardened. "Especially since we agreed you would not do anything to the people in the city if you were allowed to stay and spy, General."

The general stared flatly for a long time, then scowled as he straightened. "My word is true. I did not authorize any kidnapping. However, I will take responsibility, as I did not act quickly enough to prevent it or to end Serrana's captivity before those... pff... 'adventurers' went in."

His expression darkened. "Almost miss the days of true adventurers. Back when it wasn't just a job for money, but a matter of pride and heroism..."
 
Serrana couldn't help but smile when Morella giggled as they made their escape. The duke's daughter may have had noble intentions, but she also saw it as a grand adventure of sorts, to be sure. The glazier-turned-sorceress-turned-bodyguard (or whatever she was now) enjoyed adventure no small bit herself, but there was a bit of dire tension involved here that she couldn't deny, and that ate at her and chewed up some of what would have otherwise been a great deal of enjoyment.

Still, there were worse things than having a chance to affect your grand fate than simply sit by and let it happen, even in the most favorable circumstances, and it wasn't like she wasn't going along willingly...

Even without a proper slum, Serrana didn't feel completely comfortable in these darker parts of town. She might have not too long ago, but being kidnapped can change your outlook on things sometimes, often for the worse. Her mood went from excited to cautious as she looked to and fro, making sure they didn't need to fear any pending threats as they made their way until Morella found their destination. The sorceress watched as her charge appraised the building's decor, then gasped as the door opened and realized she recognized that face.

Serrana hadn't thought about how she would react if she ever saw her assailant again, particularly outside of the confines of what turned out to be somewhat comfortable captivity. The trauma of the sudden shock and fear that she had endured as a result of the abduction caused her to freeze for a moment, particularly with the man's reaction, her exuberence culled significantly due to being face-to-face with this man.

When Morella spoke, the firedancer was able to pull herself together, realizing that the goblin (who she'd really only truly started to notice now) seemed displeased about the fiasco. In fact, when the general (who Serrana didn't recognize on a personal level, but did realize had to have some level of rank - even without Morella's 'introduction') showed his ire, she managed to regain her footing just a little more as she leveled her gaze at the one who'd opened the door.

"Without orders, huh?" she quipped, not waiting for an answer to continue. "Seems that one hand wasn't talking to the other... I'm fine, by the way, though if you're going to kidnap someone in the future, would you kindly do it with a rag that you weren't using to also wipe your armpit?" The sorceress turned to the general and gave him a nod before she went on.
 
The kidnapper grunted. "I did have orders... and already got a lashing over the whole thing, thank you." He scowled as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"You'll stand properly in front of your betters in official meetings!" the general snapped, which prompted the man to stand up straight.

Morella watched the gathering for a moment, then took her own turn to speak. "Anyway, since it seems everyone knows what went wrong and has been informed it is not to happen again, shall we move on to business?"

"A woman after my own heart," the general grumbled, which brought a small smirk from Aridefort's heir.

"We need to speak with the ones who authorized Serrana's kidnapping. Especially Sergent Nikolov. I assume you'll make the arrangements, General Damir?"

The general nodded, then looked back towards the back room's door. "Nikolov!" he barked.

"Yes, yes," Nikolov breathed as he emerged a moment later. One eye was swollen shut, and one of his arms was in a sling. He walked with a crutch, and on seeing Serrana, he smiled at her. "Miss Bahira, I'm glad to see you're doing well," he said, his tone genuine. "And I'm relieved that those fools didn't hurt you... adventurers lately can be an unpredictable lot." His smile faded, and he inclined his head to Morella. "Lady Brightcloud," he greeted, his tone respectful.

Morella smiled slightly, then indicated the table. "Have a seat. We're here to ask some questions about the ritual you kidnapped Seranna for."

"I assumed as much," he murmured as he took a seat, ignoring Damir and the kidnappers.

"First, why was one of my people kidnapped? This goes against our agreement."

A bit of red touched Nikolov's cheeks, but he didn't look away. "I let my emotions get in the way of my better judgment. I take full responsibility for convincing General Golbev to give the order... I had hoped that when the ritual succeeded, such a breach in trust might be forgiven, as the end result of the ritual would have surely ended much of the conflict between our people.

"I am willing to submit myself to Aridefort's judgment for this breach."

Morella watched him closely, then shook her head. "No need for that, but this will not happen again."

"Yes, Lady Brightcloud."

"The well-being of my people is important to my father and I. They trust us to ensure their safety, and if goblins kidnap our people from within our own walls... We will have to reexamine our arrangement."

"Yes, Lady Brightcloud." Nikolov lowered his head.

"However, if someone agrees to go with you, and they are not mistreated, it does not break the agreement." Morella smiled at the lutin, who looked up, then nodded.

"Thank you, Lady Brightcloud."

"Now, we have some questions. You will answer to the best of your capability."

"Yes, Lady Brightcloud." Nikolov sat up straight, ready for an interrogation.

Morella nodded, pleased with this, then looked to Serrana. "You're up," she said simply with a flash of a grin as she indicated a seat across from Nikolov before she took a stool and pulled it over for herself.
 
Serrana arched a brow at her abductor's response. "I was the one kidnapped," she said sharply, leveling her dark-eyed gaze at him, "and I'll tongue-lash all I want as a result, thank you." The firedancer said that last bit in a tone mimicking the thug's as well as she could manage, before turning away, leaving him to stand up 'properly' against the wall and no doubt think about her demise - or worse. Serrana, for her part, had realized she was in what was technically friendly confines, but it could turn into a lion's den at any moment. The snapping retort was as much an opportunity to gain her footing once again as anything, though once she saw the condition Nikolov was in, she gasped slightly. Even though he'd been the engineer or the whole thing, it wasn't as though she'd been treated unkindly. Far from it, in fact, which prompted her to take a few steps towards him, a new look of shock on her face.

"You're... hurt!" she said, head shaking slightly. "I was about to ask if you were alright, but... that seems facetious now. What happened? Was it Oria and that lunk of hers? Ugh! I'm sorry, Nikolov..." A frown that seemed upset, but not at all surprised, crossed her face as she internally condemned the mercenaries - until she had a few more moments.

"Wait... you weren't..." she said, the gears starting to turn in her head. "That didn't happen until you returned, did it?" Serrana looked to the general, suddenly realizing he was the most likely one to have doled out said punishment. "Oh... nevermind..." she said, tone quieting a bit as she realized it likely was better of her to stay out of that particular affair for now.

Serrana sat down, leaning back in the chair and taking a deep breath, welcoming the chance to finally get a little closer to the bottom of everything that was going on. There were no few questions she had, but the sorceress felt that the ones she knew the goblins could answer were the best place to start.

"I am glad to see you safe at least," she said, trying to relax but still clearly tense, "I never did see any bodies or anything while we made our way out - blood yes, but nothing else, which was incredibly odd. Did everyone escape?" Serrana waited for the answer to that before continuing, deciding that the best course of action was to put some of her cards on the table.

"We need to know everything about this," she said, sighing as she leaned forward. "Every detail about the ritual. Every reason why you needed me, a specific dance, if there were other dancers, everything. And when you have told me that, you must tell us all you know about the creature at the volcano. Don't look at me like that, this isn't up for debate. If what you have told me is true, then you certainly must know something, and both our peoples are on the line now. Plus... the sands of this hourglass may run faster than you think..." Serrana looked down, chewing her lip, then looked back up, specifically at the lutin.

"The papers were never destroyed..." she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I split them, but I couldn't get rid of them. I didn't know what they entailed - only that what was on them was vital. The duke currently has all of the ones regarding the ritual - he and I were to research them before this sojourn here occurred. As for the logistics - at least I think they were logistics - my brother took those to his commander. That's why I say time may be passing quickly... if those documents lead here, you may only have a short time for contingency - one that doesn't involve another pit-rag..." She could tell that Nikolov would be a bit disappointed at that, but the sorceress pressed on before a response could come. "You may have wanted me to destroy them, but you know as well as I that I could not do that. As for any level of secrecy, I tried to keep at least the ritual to myself, not knowing you had goblins within the city itself... but the duke knew. I didn't have to tell him anything before he had already sussed out too much for me to hide. So, I did with him what I do here now. I told the truth - for the best interest of my people, and now yours as well."

Serrana sighed and paused briefly before speaking again, her tone soft yet serious, her words matter-of-fact. "I tell you these things so that you know I mean no harm, and so that all parties can come out of this alive. If we all are to survive - which this may very well have become a fight to do - then we will need to trust one another. That doesn't happen until someone extends a hand. Now, the question is, do you slap it away, or do you take it, and tell us what we need to know?"
 
Nikolov waited after her initial comments and confusion, and he let her go on. He made no move to interrupt her, nor to answer anything before she was finished, and when she finally asked if he would take the offered hand or slap it away.

"Serrana," he began, his tone serious. "In the time we've known each other, I've learned that you are a human I am willing to trust. Honest. Forthright. Good intentioned. The sort this world needs more of."

He straightened in his seat and stared at her, his gaze direct.

"And now, you come to a place hidden from all but the duke and his daughter and make demands in the name of both our people... I would be a fool not to listen, and a fool not to answer with care and thoughtfulness."

He closed his eyes, then looked to the kidnappers each in turn. "You are dismissed."

Only once they left did he let out a heavy sigh.

"Yes. Everyone made it out. They were under orders to play dead until they could escape, and did so—under protest, of course. As for not destroying the papers... That is fine. I realized after I sent you the note that destruction would be hugely impractical. Your actions were rational, and have led to your continued safety, which I am glad for.

"As for the documents themselves, they won't lead anyone here, least of all the logistics-related ones. We can take our time, without fear... Aside from the usual of world-ending and other such things." He added the last part as a joke, though only a quirk of his lips gave it away.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Then we get to the topic of the duke's knowledge, the ritual, and the volcano... The duke knows pretty much everything that happens in the city, purely because he encourages his people to report anything unusual. Most who grew up in the city take this encouragement seriously, because the Achille is a very serious person. Not prone to fantasy." He scowled and waved his hand dismissively. "You've met him."

And he couldn't put it off much longer. Next came the ritual.

"The ritual. It's... There is a lot to tell, honestly. We never wanted to involve many humans in the casting, because humans in large groups... Frighten us." He paused at a glare from the general, then shook his head. "Perhaps not the goblin warriors, but those of us who have seen human herds when one shouts 'burn them!' and others gather rope and pitchforks and join, we know to fear humans in large groups."

That description caused General Damir to blanch, though he tried to hide it.

Nikolov forced a shaky breath. "It has been a long time since those days, but memories linger, and fearful people make mistakes.

"For that reason, those among us who have been acting in pursuit of this ritual wanted to use as few humans as possible. You, other dancers, and a few trusted humans as your instructors. The ideal dancers should be opposing in the pure human elements—making us need to find a dancer who favors ice to match her. Our team in Icesog is working on that—and will be instructed to obtain consent this time." He glanced at Morella, who nodded in approval.

Nikolov took a few moments, trying to figure out what else to say. There was so much information, and to be told simply to tell all—it was hard to decide just where to go next. "Questions would help," he finally admitted. "It's harder to tell everything when there is so much to tell that it gets dizzying..." He scowled to one side, more angry at himself for having to admit it than at Serrana for asking.
 
Serrana nodded, content that Nikolov seemed to be playing her straight, and willing to accept what he said as true for now. After all, it wasn't like she'd get any other information than what he was willing to divulge, true or not - and he hadn't given her reason to distrust it at this point.

The firedancer nodded as she listened, doing her best to take in and understand everything told to her. In particular, she seemed to recognize the reasoning of fearing large mobs of humans; indeed, she couldn't quite fathom having to endure that particular ordeal. This had easily been the most harrowing experience of her life, save perhaps running from oversized roosters, and as such didn't really have a good understanding of living day-to-day worrying about one's own existence.

"Start from the beginning," Serrana said, focusing more on the ritual now. Better to tackle one topic at a time - they'd have the opportunity to discuss the creature at the volcano before long, after all. "I know that I was to dance, and the steps that I was learning, but I know less about exactly what it entailed. Fire and ice, for example, but not wind. Why specifically only the two? And how do they figure in? What exactly do my steps, my magic have to do with the ritual itself? And are human dancers required? Who else participates, and how? And what purpose do they serve?"

Serrana sighed, shaking her head. "There's far more, I'm sure, but answering some questions may answer others, so let us start there. Should we need to be unified in our effort, we'll need to know as much as we can."
 
One question at a time, Nikolov decided. One at a time. Elements first.

"Humans have lost the knowledge of how to cast earth spells, so we can't use wind, which opposes it Opposing elements are more important than varied elements. Our only chance at getting an earth dancer is through the archive in Glacelieu Cave, and hope whoever went to store those books didn't die on their way in."

He frowned.

"It's also possible it just didn't exist for humans. None of our records ever mention it, even as far back as your... 'age of heroes'."

Morella coughed into her fist, and he glanced up at her, then sighed and pulled his mind from the hateful place it had gone briefly—the butcher, Armand II.

A quiet growl beside him warned of Damir's unhappiness, and Nikolov placed a hand on the fat goblin's arm, which earned him a glare, but the growl stopped.

"Moving on, opposing elements can fill in the gaps, as the reactions between them can be... unpredictable. That unpredictable energy is what the ritual needs. The steps are the ritual magic's channel, similar to how your other rituals use symbols and circles."

"And as for the human dancers and participants: the human dancers are the only participants. Only humans and witches can use complex ritual magic." He closed his eyes. "We're not sure why, as our histories do describe that in the past, lutin and a few other races could do it as well."

He frowned, then shrugged. "I would be present at the ritual, as will dance instructors, but we can only guide."
 
Serrana listened as Nikolov spoke. The back of her mind registered that this was almost akin to a magic lesson – and was, in fact, the first time in her life she'd received a somewhat-formal lesson in magic of any kind.

If one had painted even a similar picture for her about how her first 'lesson' would come, however, she'd have, at best, stared at them in disbelief.

"Earth magic?" Serrana asked, eyes narrowing slightly in thoughtful curiosity. "I've not even heard of humans using it, but there's truly nobody who knows it that remains?" The firedancer pursed her lips. She had a feeling that was going to make the ritual more difficult, no matter how the lutin spun the situation. "So how do you intend to compensate? If there is fire and water, but not earth and wind, does that not leave a gap? Or does the original ritual not include fire and water, and you've switched to it so that there's still opposing energies involved?"

The sorceress paused, tongue poking the inside of her cheek. The dancing was a channel. Like motions, sigils, and books. The gears turned in her head. "So, wait, if the dancing is a channeling, and your dancers already know how to cast the spell with their usual focuses, is the intent to combine the two in order to narrow that energy, to potentially rein in the erratic results of the opposing elements? Or has this not been considered yet?" Serrana looked at Nikolov thoughtfully, almost wondering if the ritual had even parsed that in its original creation.

Serrana thought about asking more, but waited until those queries were addressed, before she finally did voice up with the next, and possibly the most pressing question in her own head. "Once all those things are considered, I need to know something rather critical that hasn't been discussed at, well, any point, and that is specifically what the ritual actually does? I get the feeling that it has more to do than simply increasing farming yields. You'll forgive me if it simply seems that there has to be more to it than that – especially if you're speaking of the unpredictability of opposing magical energies. That doesn't sound even remotely like a farming ritual ever could, to be totally frank..."

The firedancer was somewhat insistent on knowing what exactly her participation was supposed to end up bringing about. After all, if there was a distinct possibility she might have to go as far as betraying lord and land, she want to make sure it was for the right reasons and that she'd done her homework, and the longer this whole thing went on, the bigger it all seemed. And that was before they even started on the business at the volcano – which was a card she didn't want to play… yet.(edited)
 
Nikolov nodded as she verified that she'd never heard of humans using earth magic. If it ever existed, it was lost to time.

As Serrana questioned the underlying method, he let loose a subtle smile.

"The original ritual states there must be a dancer for each base element found in nature, but the notes in the margins, left by the ritual's creator state clearly that if any one element is missing, its opposite must also be excluded for the sake of maintaining balance.

"It will lose the specific effects of those two missing elements, but the spell will still _function_, and limited effect is better than none, in the current situation."

He took a deep breath, reviewing in his mind all the questions she asked. There was... one left, he thought. This girl asked so many questions, all so quickly.

"The dance actually directs the magic to avoid it mixing and to give it purpose before the precise moment when it must come together."

He gave her a moment to process, and gave himself a moment to make sure that he'd answered everything this time, gaze lowering.

She had more questions, though, and he lifted his head, then nodded.

"The specific effects are these: ice purifies toxins and heals the land, and fire will excite the area of effect into producing better, richer soil over time that slightly speeds the growth of things that draw from the ground. If we had wind and earth, wind would increase the chance of rain where it is needed, and earth would further enrich the soil. The place where the magic is meeting is an object that, paired with the speed of the dance, determines the range..."

He wrinkled his nose.

"The best objects to use would be either the Bloodstar, the Orb of Light, or some other relic that the people of Saldecla consider paramount to the kingdom. Makes it unlikely for us to acquire short of causing a war, but there are other objects, and if we cannot peacefully borrow the Orb of Light, then our chances lie heavily on the Duke of Vraitrasse, who..." he stopped speaking suddenly, then glanced to Morella.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"We'd... rather not deal with, in case he's anything like his... relation." He spared a glance toward Damir, who stood and began to pace.

"I hate having to rely on these... humans... for so much!" he grumbled, "These two are decent, but we have to rely on more than just dancers...!"

Morella blinked at the goblin, then offered a small smile. "General Damir, this ritual sounds like a wonderful idea. If it will help ease you, I could be the one to request the items and pick an ice dancer."

Damir's gaze jerked toward her, and he stared for a few moments before he shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. If it were your father offering, I might accept it, but not from _you_." He scowled as she visibly deflated. "Stop that. It's for our own good not to involve you more than you've involved yourself."
 
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