Her True Form

“You want a talon?” Nautia asked. “That’s it?”

“I require one for a rather complex spell,” Yvette said. “If there’s a phoenix here anyway, I might as well get it as well.”

“Do you need the full foot?” Nautia asked.

“NO!” Yvette yelled quickly, the mere thought of doing such a thing horrifying. The whole foot? She couldn’t imagine what kind of spell would even need such a component. The talon, at least, would grow back. “Just the talon, please,” she said again. “And not even the full talon. If I can just get it to stand still for a few minutes I could probably clip the tip off. Or baring that, there might even be some pieces in its nest that will be perfect, a few small fragments would really be all I need.”

Nautia sighed and gave a small nod. “I see. Talon clippings, truly the magics of master mages such as yourself is a mystical, unique craft that those such as I could never hope to fully understand.”

Gervas gave a light snort at that, but had the decency to keep his mouth shut this time.

Yvette frowned, glaring at him for a moment before turning back to the mermaid. “You asked what I wanted, didn’t you? You didn’t say you’d be mocking me over it. There are other things I need to gather but I am at least trying to be reasonable.”

“You’re right, my apologies,” Nautia said, bowing her head. “I am sorry if I seem quite tense, it has been a rather difficult time for all of us here. I truly do appreciate the fact that you have both agreed to help us in this manner. I swear I will get you that talon if I have to get the phoenix myself and chop off the talon personally.”

Yvette paled slightly and shook her head. “I ummm… would rather it be done safely. Phoenixes are rare enough as it is without trying to maim the first one I’ve ever seen. We can worry about it after though, okay? Once this threat is dealt with. Have you heard anything from the Mage’s Association about when their aid will arrive?”

Nautia shook her head. “No. But our own preparations are well underway, so long as you can disrupt the ritual we can take care of everything else.”

Yvette nodded. “Of course. What happens once it’s broken, though? They’ll still hold the town, won’t they?”

“Yes. But without the ability to tap into the phoenix’s power we will no longer need to be as wary of traveling through those waters. We’ll be able to cut off their supplies and, if not fully drive them off, at least make remaining an inhospitable arrangement,” Nautia said calmly. “They’ll be driven off eventually and unable to become the kind of threat we fear.”

“Once the actual danger is gone, maybe the Mage’s Association will finally step in to help,” Yvette said, just a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Nautia stared at her, her eyes wide now. “I’m sorry?”

“Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” Yvette said quickly. “I was just--”

“I must admit, I am quite surprised to hear such words about the association from a mage,” Nautia said.

“Well, I mean, I may be a part of the association but that doesn’t mean I believe they’re infallible. In fact, I can name at least three or four different situations off the top of the head where they were filled with fallible. Ness. Fallibleness. Is that a word?” Yvette asked.

“I don’t know why you’re asking me, it’s your language,” Nautia said with a small shrug. “Just because I can speak it does not mean I know all of the intricacies.”

“I think it is. If it’s not, it should be,” Gervas said before giving a small shrug of his own. “But I couldn’t say for certain.”

“Then yes, they have a lot of fallibleness. I’ve also seen a lot of mages be incredibly greedy, selfish and refuse to do what should be done until everything went wrong. In fact, one of my first experiences with another mage was like that,” Yvette said with a sigh. “Sorry, I think I’m getting off track. What were we talking about?”

“Breaking the ritual,” Nautia said. “You are quite easily distracted. That’s troubling.”

“She’s always like this when she’s nervous,” Gervas said with a light chuckle.

“Really?” Nautia asked.

“Yes. Sadly, she’s always nervous,” Gervas said, looking as solemn as could be.

“And he’s always paranoid, it’s a great combination,” Yvette said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Truly you two are made for each other. The hardest part will be getting to where the ritual was initially created. We’ll need to head into the phoenixes nest. I don’t suppose you know any geomancy?” Nautia asked.

“Not much, I wish I knew more,” Yvette said softly. “Would have been incredibly useful a few times.”

“I was afraid of that,” Nautia said with a sigh. “Flight?”

Yvette gave a light chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. “It’s uhhh, on the list of things I’ve been meaning to develop.”

“I take it your specialty is water forms, then?” Nautia asked. “I suppose taking the form of a dragon turtle can’t have been easy.”

“You wouldn’t believe how hard it was,” Yvette said with as innocent a smile as she could force. “Things have just been so hectic I haven’t had much chance to practice things like flight.”

“Then that leaves only one path for us to take. When we initially entered the volcano, a geomancer made the path we took to get up to the nest, in fact it leads straight up there,” Nautia said.

“That’s convenient,” Yvette said with a smile. “So why do you say it like it’s a bad thing?”

Nautia sighed and shook her head. “It’s in the village, isn’t it?” Gervas asked.

“Yes,” Nautia said.

“Oh,” Yvette said. “That’s less convenient.”

“Likely to be heavily guarded, isn’t it?” Gervas asked.

“Indeed,” Nautia said.

“Any other ways in?” Gervas asked.

Nautia shook her head.

“Delightful,” Gervas said.

“So, what’s the plan?” Yvette asked. “Go in at night and--”

“Definitely not,” Nautia said quickly. “The phoenix is most active in the night. Going anywhere near it during that time would be akin to suicide. No, it’ll have to be done during the day.”

“Could we approach during the night, then wait in the tunnel until sunrise?” Yvette asked.

“It wouldn’t be easy,” Nautia said. “At night we dare not go near those waters. We would need to approach during the day, then make our way into the tunnel at night, then hope nobody noticed us during the night and then head to the nest once the sun had risen and the phoenix rested once more. Assuming they didn’t have anyone going into the tunnels during those times.”

Yvette gave a small nod, a frown on her lips. Frankly the whole thing sounded worse the more she heard about it. “So going during the day is our best bet. Well, then maybe there is one thing I can do,” she said with a small chuckle. “It won’t be pretty, though. Or safe.”

“What is it?” Nautia asked.

“I could dig a hole,” Yvette said.

“I thought you said you didn’t know any geomancy?” Nautia asked.

“I don’t. But it’s not solid stone, right? Just dirt? I could make a giant mole form and dig through that. I don’t know how well it would work, or how far I could go. I don’t know how stable it would be either. But, in theory, I could dig us through there and into the other tunnel,” Yvette said.

“Would you be able to tell where you were going?” Gervas asked.

“Not particularly, no,” Yvette said sheepishly.

“Then we’ll call that plan unlikely to risk,” Gervas said.

“I don’t know, I think it has potential,” Nautia said.

“It’s a volcano that just had a phoenix rise out of it recently. There could be magma or who knows what else in that rock,” Gervas said firmly. “Not to mention there’s no telling how stable it is. That’d be borderline suicide.”

Nautia gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Fair enough. Then we’ll need to be careful. I know where the tunnel is, at least, but we’ll need to be as sneaky as we can. Petra, do you know any magic to hide yourself?”

“I can turn into an animal,” Yvette said. Judging by the look on Nautia’s face, the mermaid wanted to say something in response to that, but she instead just nodded.

“Very well. We’ll just need to do our best, then. See if we can find an opening,” Nautia said, though she sounded almost depressed in her tone.

Yvette couldn’t blame her. Of all the mages the mermaid could have had show up on their shore, the only one they had was her. She wouldn’t have been very pleased either. She tried to change the subject. “Hey, Nautia?”

“Yes?” the mermaid asked.

“You seem to know a lot about this ritual, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you there? Was it because you were a mermaid representative?” Yvette asked.

“Oh, not at all,” Nautia said. “I helped to set it.”

Both Gervas and Yvette shouted at the same time in response. “WHAT?”

“No,” Nautia said, shaking her head. “Nothing quite like you’re imagining. I don’t know the first thing about the rituals that were done. My magic is more elemental in nature and nowhere near the caliber of a proper mage. It is, however, similar to that of the phoenix itself. It was the primary reason I was sent here to begin with. As such, I was able to help set the initial ritual without disturbing the phoenix itself. I mostly just stood there as the mages chanted in my general direction.”

“Sounds annoying,” Gervas said.

“It was hardly the most exciting experience I’d been through,” Nautia said. “Being, effectively, a statue in the middle of their spell. But it was useful, supposedly, and it is the key reason I will be able to guide you there.”

Yvette nodded. “Right. That’ll probably make it easier to break with you there, at least. If you were a key component of creating it. So, the entrance. Is it directly in the town itself?”

Nautia shook her head. “No. Nearby, however. When the phoenix first awoke it burst free from the ground and decimated much of the surrounding landscape.”

“I’d imagine so,” Yvette said with a shudder. She couldn’t imagine how terrifying that had to be. One moment forests and flat lands and then the next the ground splitting open and a tower of dirt, rock and fire rising from the ground. She could still remember the sight of broken buildings and collapsed walls near the mountain. When it had happened it had likely been far worse. “How bad was it?”

“I was not here when it happened,” Nautia said with a shake of her head. “Though I am told that there were signs that something was going on and, fortunately, there were very few in the surrounding area at the time of its arrival. Apparently they were incredibly fortunate, I’ve heard tales of eruptions such as that one that wiped out entire cities in seconds, wiping out thousands. All things considered they were lucky that most of the destruction erupted with the phoenix itself and not in a flurry of magma and stone.”

Yvette nodded, though she couldn’t help but think back to the thunder she saw while on that island. Massive bolts that pierced the heavens and struck the sea. If the phoenix was capable of not just doing that, but doing it over and over with such power and ease, she hated to imagine what would have happened if it had decided to fully unleash its fury on the town upon awakening. She doubted there would be anything more than a crater remaining.

“So we can avoid going near the town itself?” Gervas asked.

“Unlikely,” Nautia said. “While it’s not directly in the town, when they made the tunnel into it they did ensure it was as near as possible. While it may not be in the town proper, they do have patrols in the area that we have seen. If we go there, we’ll need to be quick and quiet.”

Yvette nodded. “So how many of us are going?”

“Just you and I,” Nautia said.

“No,” Gervas said quickly. “If Petra goes, I’m going.”

Nautia took a slow, deep breath. “Hawken, it will be difficult enough for the two of us to get in there without being seen. A third--”

“There is absolutely no possible thing you can say that will make me okay with her going off on her own to do this,” Gervas said firmly. “I’m coming with her, like it or not. Right, Petra?”

“Yes,” Yvette said without hesitation, unable to stop herself from smiling. “He’s my guardian, after all. And if anyone can keep me safe, he can. Besides, I never would have gotten this far if not for him. Last time I didn’t have him with me to help, I almost died. I’d rather not repeat that.”

Nautia clenched her fists and for a moment Yvette suspected the mermaid was going to yell at them. Finally she shook her head. “Very well, then. I will, somehow, sneak both of you in. Anything else? Perhaps you have a familiar? Perhaps some friends and family you’d like to take along?”

Yvette shook her head. “No, I never actually got a familiar. Maybe I should do that one of these days, I hear they’re really familiar. I really do miss Chestnut and Redwood.”

Gervas nodded. “They’re waiting for us when we get back to the mainland.”

Nautia gave a soft, depressed sigh. “Very well. We will try tomorrow morning. Once the phoenix’s nightly displays have finished it will be the best time for us to attempt anything. If you require anything, do not hesitate to ask. Until then, please, make yourself at home,” the mermaid said before turning and all but storming off.

Yvette waited a few moments before glancing over to Gervas. “She is really angry, isn’t she?”

“She’s tense,” Gervas said. “I don’t blame her. Tomorrow is going to be rough. You sure you want to do this? Still time for us to back out.”

“No,” Yvette said before reaching out and grabbing his hand. She gave it an affectionate little squeeze. “Besides. You’ll be there by my side, won’t you? So I know it’ll be okay.” To her delight, her words were rewarded with a light blush. He looked so adorable when he was embarrassed.

------

“How long has it been now?” Yvette asked.

“Huh?” Gervas asked, glancing over at her.

The pair were laying out on the beach, the sun having gone down hours ago and now just the stars in the night sky and a small fire remaining. Occasionally Yvette could hear the splashes of the merfolk as they went about their business as well as pained cries from the fort, though she tried to tune those out. She couldn’t do anything more to help them than the merfolk already were. The few bite marks she’d healed before were nothing compared to those severe burns. “Since you and I met.”

“Not sure. It has been pretty chaotic,” Gervas said.

Yvette nodded, staring at the stars. “It feels like almost yesterday that I met you. You wasted no time in making an impression.”

“Neither did you,” Gervas said with a light chuckle. “Tearing your clothing apart. I thought you’d gone mad.”

“I was pretty mad,” Yvette said when she thought about the anger she’d felt when she discovered her master had changed her clothing. “Especially at you. You did kind of deserve it.”

“I probably did,” Gervas said. “I didn’t know, though. I was just going off of what I was told.”

“You know, I think I can forgive that part,” Yvette said. “But I’m not so sure about all of the bruises and bumps from the training practices. That is something I don’t think you’ve ever actually apologized for.”

“If you don’t want to get beaten, learn to handle a knife better,” Gervas said with a small smile. “You don’t see me complaining when you mages do things like hit me with a golem.”

Yvette nodded. “Fair. I suppose next time I turn into, say, a troll or something I’ll just make sure to take a swing at you. After all, at that point it’s only fair.”

Gervas didn’t respond for a few moments. Then he finally gave a light sigh and pinched her side. “Bad mage. Bad.”

“Ow!” Yvette said before snickering. “Fine, I won’t. You could lighten up when we spar, though.”

“I could,” Gervas said. “But I won’t.”

“Wh—”

“Because now I have to make doubly sure you don’t get yourself killed. Especially as hard as you try to do it. My work is really cut out for me,” Gervas said with a light, almost mournful sigh. “Alas, the job of a guardian is never done.”

Yvette sighed and then rolled over against him, resting her head on his chest. “Okay, fine. I guess you have a valid reason for that. Still think you just like bullying mages, though.”

“I can do it for two reasons,” Gervas said.

Yvette gave a light snort before she reached out to pinch his side, drawing a light chuckle from him. “We’re gonna be fine tomorrow,” she said gently.

“Hopefully,” Gervas said.

“I guarantee it,” Yvette said. “Can’t die. Too busy. Besides, if your grandmother, a giant turtle, pirates and a leviathan couldn’t do it, what chance does a phoenix have?”

“Stars know you’ll give it every chance you can to make sure it succeeds,” Gervas said.

Yvette couldn’t help but giggle at that response before shaking her head. “Just go to sleep, silly. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

“You too, reckless mage. Just be thankful, you have the easy job.”

“Oh?” Yvette asked. “Breaking a seal might be pretty hard.”

“Not that. You’ll try and get yourself killed and it’ll be my job to make sure you fail,” Gervas said.

Yvette gave a light snort. “Oh, well, I’m sure you’ll handle it the same way you do everything else. Yell at it until it goes away or beat it with a stick.”

“Hey,” Gervas said before lightly nudging her. “That’s not fair.”

“Oh?” Yvette asked.

“I do a lot more than beat it with a stick. Sometimes I stab it, too,” Gervas said with a haughty tone.

Yvette couldn’t help it, she broke down into a fit of giggles at that one, soon both their laughter echoing into the night.