Nobody has been allowed in or out of Elaganheart Harbor for days. Cayman stood at the city’s entrance, waving his scroll in the face of an impassive city guard.
“I have permission to enter this territory,” he said.
“Permission from who?” the guard replied, looking down at him. Cayman had to admit, he must look pretty foolish still, growing into the guard armor given to him by his leader. However, he did not let that dissuade him. With a flourish, he opened his scroll and pointed at the name.
“Omuki Fenris, Captian of the Southeast guard,” he said.
“Sorry, Elganheart falls within the Eastern Jurisdiction. I’ll need permission from their Omuki before letting you pass.” the guard responded.
“Actually, Elganheart was a disputed territory until three years ago,” Cayman responded, “when Creator Xinar declared it part of the Southeastern Jurisdiction.”
“I have no memory of that.” the guard responded.
Cayman growled, debating drawing his weapon and forcing his way in.
“Look.” he said, taking a deep breath, “no matter what jurisdiction it’s under, one of the five main Archanan port cities shutting down all operations without warning is a cause for concern. This issue has been rising up the ranks of command. The next people to come knocking might be the Areotheil Guard or even the Guardians, which may bring its own consequences. Make things easier on yourself. Let me pass so I can meet with the leader of Elganheart as scheduled by Omuki Fenris.”
“The leader of Elganheart is preoccupied with the running of the port and is unavailable to meet with you today.” the guard responded.
“Listen here, Camandon, the Omuki are the leading forces of justice in Areotheil outside of the Guardians or the Creator. If one of them tells a city leader to do something, it is wise for them to do it. I don’t want to take up too much of their time, but I have been commanded to speak with the Elganheart leader, and they have been commanded to speak to me. If you have a problem with that, I will take you to Fenris and have him get through that thick head of yours with fewer words and more prison sentences.”
“I’m going to need to see an order from the Guardians before I can let you in.” The guard responded.
Caymen sighed.
“Fine, it’s your head on the line, not mine,” he said.
Turning on his heel, he marched away, feeling the guard’s eyes stare impassively at his back. Marching out of sight, he turned back to face the city.
“What could you be hiding in there?” he asked himself.
The whole situation seemed wrong, the Guard, the closure of the city, the refusal of authority, everything. Cayman thought as he watched the city stand still, frozen in time. He had a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach as if there was something obvious that he was overlooking.
“What am I supposed to do?” he muttered to himself.
He turned around and continued walking away from the city.
“If they want me to go to the Creator, that’s exactly where I will go.”
“That is troubling, Esmun,” Familiar Ingrid said, “thank you for telling me.”
Esmun nodded. The two sat on a bench outside the Creator’s throne room. Xinar was out at the moment in a meeting with City leaders. The Blue Guardian sat in silence for a second, the echoes of his dreams hanging in the air.
“You have been struggling to sleep, then.” Familiar, Ingrid said.
“Yes, Familiar.”
“And your potions are not working anymore.”
“No Familiar.”
Familiar Ingrid nodded and looked down at the floor. Esmun noticed the Staff of Memories glow slightly, assisting the elderly woman with thinking back on her long life and the lives of those who came before her.
“Should we do something?” he asked.
“Not yet; the dreams can be… misleading at points. Their interpretation might seem obvious, but it is important to gather as much alternative evidence as you can before jumping to conclusions.”
“You have these dreams as well?”
Familiar Ingrid sat on the bench, her nod almost imperceptible.
“They have become common for me, warning of potential dangers and hazards that might lie in the future,” she said, not looking at him.
Esmun shifted in his seat a bit.
“Have you been having any lately?”
Ingrid’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Nothing of note.”
She slowly rose to her feet, leaning on the Staff for support.
“I have something that may help you.”
She began walking away. Esmun quickly stood and followed her. The two walked through the halls towards the Familiar’s quarters. Stopping outside the door, Ingrid gestured for him to wait in the hall as she disappeared inside. A few moments later, she stepped out, holding a large bottle of blue liquid.
“This is a potion made for me by a good friend many years ago. It won’t stop the dreams, but it would lessen your emotional or physical response.”
Esmun looked at the bottle as he took it from Ingrid. The promise of calmer sleep filling his tired mind.
“And I can just have it?” he asked.
“Of course!” Familiar Ingrid said with a small smile, “I have plenty.”
Esmun smiled and thanked her, then walked away, holding the bottle tightly.
For the first time in weeks, he was looking forwards to going to sleep.
Will Fall Writings 