Jahree sighed as he moved one of the wooden tiles, sliding it into place. He had lost another marker to Tellic, though he was determined not to give up. They were playing a modified version of an old Elvish strategy game. The original version required magic to levitate the tiles, but since humans couldn’t manipulate magic like that, they had devised a simpler version using a scorepad to track progress. Still, even without the magic, the game required keen tactical thinking, and Tellic was always just a step ahead. “Give up, trethec,” Tellic taunted, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re outnum-bered and surrounded.” Jahree chuckled, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. “Give up? Never. I haven’t lost until you take my last piece.” His stubbornness was a point of pride, even if Tellic’s skill often left him with little chance of winning. Tellic leaned back, arms crossed. “Which is only a matter of time,” he replied confidently. It was true—Jahree had never beaten him. But tonight had been the closest contest yet. “One day,” Jahree said, grinning, “I’ll beat you. You’ll see.” Tellic raised an eyebrow. “You think so? You’ve only got six more years in the squad. Unless…” His voice trailed off, curious. “You thinking of reenlisting?” Jahree shrugged, considering the idea. “Lanni and I have talked about it. Maybe I will. We’ll see.” Tellic’s smile softened. “I’d like that. It’d be good to keep serving with you. It’s bad enough that Jahan’s leaving. This squad is a good fit—we work well together.” Jahree glanced up at him. “I thought you wanted to return to Lerjao once you got your citizenship?” Tellic nodded thoughtfully. “If I can become a magistrate, I will. But until then, I’ll stay in service.” Jahree’s gaze fell to the game pieces. “On Tameria, the watchmen were so ruthless that everyone was terrified of them. It took me a long time to trust soldiers here. It’s strange to think that I’m a soldier and actually considering staying willingly…” His words trailed off as he suddenly gasped, gripping his arm tightly. Pain flared through him, making his muscles tense. Tellic’s eyes widened with concern. “Are you okay?” Jahree winced but nodded. “Yeah. Just… shades that hurt. Lanni burned her hand.” Tellic frowned. “We should check on her.” “She’s going to see Loka,” Jahree assured him, but the residual pain still lingered. He shifted, trying to shake it off. Tellic shook his head, still baffled. “It’s strange. You feel everything she does like that.” Jahree exhaled. “It is. Makes it hard to sleep.” “As if you didn’t have enough trouble sleeping, to begin with,” Tellic teased, though there was an edge of sympathy in his voice. Jahree smiled faintly. “Since we bonded, it hasn’t been as bad. I think Lanni’s doing something to help me.” Tellic grinned. “So I don’t need to tuck you in anymore? My little Jahree’s all grown up.” He mussed Jahree’s hair playfully. “But he’s still little.” Jahree scrunched up his face, batting Tellic’s hand away. “Shmilat.” He swore in Trollish, something he’d picked up from Tellic’s own colorful vocabulary. Tellic tried to stay polite in public, but in private, his tongue was anything but refined. “Shmilat am I?” Tellic stood up, grinning mischievously. “I ought to—” Before he could finish his playful threat, Jahree gasped in pain again, collapsing to his hands and knees. “Ah! Shades!” Tellic knelt beside him, his tone now serious. “What is it?” Jahree’s face contorted in agony. “It’s Lanni.” “Did she burn herself again?” “No… no, something’s wrong. Help me up.” Jahree strained, forcing himself to his feet with Tellic’s help. He leaned heavily against his friend, gasping for breath. Tellic kept an arm around him, concern deepening. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “It’s Lanni, not me,” Jahree insisted, his voice shaky but resolute. “We have to get to her. She’s near Loka’s.” Tellic half-carried him toward the healer’s house, moving as fast as he could without losing balance. As they hurried, Jahree started to regain his footing, leaning less on Tellic. “You seem to be doing better,” Tellic said cautiously. Jahree nodded. “It’s a trick I learned as a kid to suppress pain. I still feel it, but it’s… filtered.” He hesitated. “My dad taught me. It got me through the worst times.” Tellic glanced at him. “Why would the man that beat…?” Jahree flinched, his expression tightening. “I said my dad, not that monster.” Tellic’s brow furrowed, but he let it go for now. “How old were you when you came here?” Jahree swallowed. “Three.” Tellic looked troubled. “Why would anyone need to teach a three-year-old how to block pain?” Jahree didn’t answer, his face a mix of confusion and suppressed memories. “I don’t know.” He shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. “It doesn’t matter. Right now, we need to help Lanni.” They reached the house and found Sifa kneeling beside Lanni’s collapsed form in the hallway, just outside the healing rooms. Her face was paler than usual, her breathing shallow but steady. “She went to get her hand checked by Loka, but she never came back,” Sifa explained. “I came looking for her and found her like this. She’s still breathing, but something’s wrong.” Jahree knelt beside Lanni, taking her hand gently. Through their bond, he felt her pain… and something deeper, a creeping sense of terror. “She’s scared. Something’s hap-pened.” Without thinking, he closed his eyes and reached out along the bond, his mind following the invisible thread that connected them. Suddenly, his surroundings shifted. He found himself in a barren, rugged landscape. The sky above was dark and oppressive, the ground cracked and lifeless. In the distance, he saw Lanni huddled with Drepal, both of them sitting in the dust. Lanni was rocking back and forth, muttering, “Not again… not again.” Jahree approached slowly. “Lanni? Drepal?” Drepal looked up, startled. “How did you—?” “I followed the bond,” Jahree said, kneeling beside them. “What happened?” “I don’t know,” Drepal replied, her voice shaking. “We collapsed, and she started this. I’ve tried to bring her out of it, but I can’t.” Jahree focused on Lanni, calling her name softly.” Lanni. Lanni, look at me.” There was no response. “Lanni? Ann? Annlonna?” He reached out to touch her, but she pulled away. “Call her Narticani. Talk like you’re scolding her,” Drepal suggested. “Narticani, you look at me now, young lady. I won’t be ignored,” he demanded. At the sound of her apprentice name, Lanni flinched and looked up, her eyes wide with fear. “Nim?” she whispered, confused. Jahree looked down at his hands. They weren’t his—they were rougher, older. Drepal handed him a mirror, and he saw the face of her Mentor, Nim, staring back at him. “In this place, we see what we expect to see,” Drepal explained. “Nim always called her that.” Jahree nodded. “Come on, Princess,” he said, offering Lanni his hand. Lanni took his hand, and together, they followed the bond back to Jahree’s mind. Drepal followed, too, though their connection was thinner, a faint tether. When they reached the other side, Lanni blinked, disoriented. Unlike Lanni’s barren world, Jahree’s mind was a kaleidoscope of memories. Lanni looked around, confused that it was Jahree’s mind rather than Nim’s she was in. “You’ve never been in a trance. You haven’t created a quiet corner, “ Drepal explained. “Are you sure you want us to see this?” “Don’t keep things from your mate,” Jahree said. “No one goes this far.” “Anything to help you. Now let me see if I can find the memory I need to help you.” He tried to think back to when his dad had taught him the trick to bury the pain. Tel-lic’s question about why came to mind. With it came unwanted memories, the beating from Trean, fights he’d gotten into while living on the streets, the abuse from the monster who’d adopted him, a beating from his other adopted parents, a city guard holding him by this throat up against a wall, yelling at him. Drepal had been upset by what she saw, but the guard made her growl. The guards weren’t like that. That was more like how the city watch back on Tameria had acted. He realized the memory was faulty. It had been a watchman who had done that, and it hadn’t been the first time one had hurt him. Had that been why his father had taught him the trick? He focused on his dad and on the bleak, sterile apartment, his room where his sleeping pod had been. It was where he’d spent most of his time. He remembered his dad talking to him, his mom saying he was too young, his dad insisting he had to learn it. His mom had left then, saying she would find help. His dad laughed and asked who would dare. His mom didn’t know, maybe Mistan Treka. His dad had laughed again. Then, he had taught Jahree until the boy was exhausted. But in the end, pain no longer bothered him. He knew Lanni had watched the memory. She understood. Then, she took hold of Drepal and slid over the bond to her own mind. Jahree opened his eyes. Only seconds had passed in the real world. Lanni stirred beside him, her breathing steady but weak. She clung to him, whispering, “Thank you.” He hugged her tightly. “Anything for you.” Tellic and Sifa watched in quiet awe. Tellic spoke first, “What happened?” “It’s like something that was used on me once to suppress magic,” Lanni explained, her voice trembling. “My magic feels… gone.” “You think someone injected you again?” Sifa asked. “No, I know they didn’t. I was just with Loka. She would have read the serum.” Jahree placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Maybe we should let Loka take a look.” Tellic carefully picked Lanni up. “We’re not taking any chances.” A faint sound reached Jahree’s ears. He tensed, drawing his sword. “Take her to Lo-ka. I’ll check it out.” As they hurried down the hallway, Jahree slipped into the room where he’d heard the noise. He found Shan on the floor, or at least part of him. His upper body looked human, but his lower half was a twisted, reddish-orange mass. His face was contorted in agony, his mouth opening and closing, barely forming words. “Help…” Shan managed, his voice a ragged whisper. “What happened?” Jahree asked, kneeling beside him, horrified. “Lanni…” Shan rasped, his face contorting in fresh pain. “Lanni did this?” Could it have been a spell gone wrong? “Help. Need…” He spasmed in pain. Jahree didn’t wait to ask more questions. “I’ll get help,” he promised, hurrying back to find Loka. Whatever had happened to Shan and Lanni was beyond anything he’d ever seen, and he knew he needed the healers’ expertise. He could hear the others’ voices coming from Loka’s bedroom. There, he found Lanni giving Loka a potion. She, too, was on the floor. He recognized the potion bottle as one the healers used to help them recover from traumatic healing. “Something happened to Shan,” He said. “He was in the tub in the other room,” Loka said. “Something happened. He needs help. He said something about Lanni.” “Did he tell you?” Loka asked her. She nodded. “Let’s check on him.” They went across the hall. #fantasy #magic #dragons #hiddenlands