To Phone A Friend

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Permanent banishment.

The condition wasn’t ‘immediate execution’, so that was sort of a relief. But in a world far away from everything I ever knew, being sent away might as well have been.

It was shortly after the council adjourned that I began to realize just how pampered I was up until now under the protection of the royal family. It hadn’t been easy one hundred percent of the time, but I was never alone in anything I did either. I had finally begun to make friends and allies. So why…

Why is this happening now?

Thinking the hardest part was over with the Engagement Ball coming to a close, I underestimated my rotten luck. Now there was a little less than a month until the summer solstice and the Northwind Triathlon with it. I was up the creek without a boat.

I know what I said. The boat, the paddle, all of it.

I ran my hand over the surface of the book Jewel gave me from the library and wondered what my predecessor might do amid a dilemma like this. Probably something more graceful than I could hope to come up with.

“It’s not like I can fire a cannon at this problem… probably.” I chuckled.

“Hey, Sakuta!” Amber plopped down next to me at the gazebo in the courtyard where I sat, pondering my next plan of action. “Brought you something…”

Brought me—?

“EEEEEK!” I felt something freezing cold press against my cheek, and I recoiled in response.

Amber had provided me with a refreshment of some kind, iced tea by the look of it. On a hot late-spring day such as this without a cloud in sight, it was an appreciated gesture. However…

“That’s freezing!” I complained.

“Sorry, your face just looked so tense and I thought it would give you a jolt.” She giggled at my expense. “So what’s got you so lost in thought? Nervous for the triathlon?“

“Well there is that, but…” I took the glass with a nod of appreciation. “I guess I was just wondering what the great ‘Mage of the Crossing’ would do at a time like this. Seems like some impossibly big shoes to fill, and I don’t even know much about the guy.”

“Hmm…” Amber pondered for a moment. “I guess I can understand that. I sometimes think of what my father would do when I start feeling inadequate as the heir to the throne.”

“Oh yeah?” I perked up. “And what conclusion do you usually come to?”

“I have to remind myself that he’s him, and I’m me.” Amber leaned in until she was in my view. “We could chase ourselves in circles thinking about what other people would do in our position, or…”

Amber shot up, pulling me to my feet with her.

“We could just be ourselves, and do our best.” She smiled. “That way we can make those people proud someday.”

“I see… Thanks, Amber.” I nodded, understanding her point. “You always seem to know what to say.”

“Not always.” Amber locked eyes with me. “But it’s not as hard to tell you how I feel about this kind of stuff anymore. You think it’s because we’re getting closer, little by little?”

It wasn’t all that often, but I sometimes noticed a far-off look in her gaze when she spoke of her father. This time, however, it was a lot different as we crossed our gazes. It was much closer, more familiar, and yet…

I couldn’t quite place the meaning behind those pools of deep crimson. Perhaps it reflected my own longing, of wanting to understand the person in front of me on a deeper level. Maybe it was all in my head, but…

“I think you might be right.”

I knew Amber had become a person I could truly rely on.

I went to place the journal—still locked from the outside—in the inner pocket of my uniform jacket, but I felt something else tucked in there. The surface was cold and metallic to the touch. Wasn’t this–

Amber’s birthday necklace, that’s right!

I had completely forgotten to give it to her during the council-related chaos of the last couple days.

“Hey, Amber?” I coughed into my hand, clearing my throat.

“What’s up?” Amber tilted her head.

I, uhh... I just...” For some reason, I was nervous to bring it up now that the Princess was staring directly at me.

“You’re acting a little funny, are you sure there’s not something else going on?”

But I pressed on.

“I totally spaced it with the council summons happening right after your birthday, but there’s something… something I really wanted to give—“

“Sissy, Sakuta!” Princess Mavis came running out into the courtyard, interrupting my pathetic gift-giving attempt. She held up her long purple gown over her shoes to keep from tripping over herself.

“Mavis! You’re awfully dressed up.” Amber greeted her sister as she walked up. “Any news on where that crystalite might have come from?”

“Not yet, but I was in a meeting with Mother, and Guard Captain Moreau. He still insists that none of his men had such a thing in their possession.” Mavis was out of breath as she explained. “Mother suggested we ask Cedrick to let us borrow his crystalite to make contact with Henrí. It should be quicker than sending a familiar with a letter.”

“Crystalite?” I repeated. “And what’s this about the Senator?”

Henrí. That was a name I hadn’t heard in a bit. Not since the Senator left via wagon with his entourage to return to his home country of Gularahi after the ball.

“A crystalite is a magic communication and recording device like the one Duke Cleishay used against you in the council meeting.” Amber said.

“I never thought to mention it, but I did see Cedrick using one just before the Engagement Ball.” I put my hand up to my chin. “Are they rare?”

“Somewhat, yeah.” Amber said.” It’s an old dwarven technology that we can’t fully replicate, so you don’t see many of them floating around the streets anymore...”

“Dwarven? Now that you mention it…”

I had seen all manner of folk in Aurelia so far. Elves, orcs, lizard men, beast folk, humans, and I knew that demons were out there too somewhere. But I had yet to see even a single dwarf…

Then again, I left the castle about as much as a hikikomori leaves their own bedroom. It’s possible I just hadn’t had the chance to run into one yet, but I thought it was pretty odd.

“A bulk of the crystalites that still work are in the possession of the Kawar Trading Company in Kawar’s Shield, the capital of Gularahi.” Amber explained, taking note of the surprised look on my face. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

“Kawar… That’s Henrí’s family name.” I said.

Amazing… A whole trading company and a city named after Henrí’s family? I know his father is the vice president and all, but their influence must go way beyond that.

“With the quick communication crystalites allow for, Henrí’s grandfather was able to build a trading empire and unite Gularahi in a way that hadn’t been possible since before the days of the Gods.” Amber said. “Or at least that’s what all the merchant lords on his payroll boast about when their caravans come rolling through here.”

“Days of the Gods, huh?”

I saw a brief passage about that in one of the history books Jewel forced me to read for practice, but I passed it over, thinking the idea of gods and goddesses walking around was simply too ridiculous to take seriously. I almost gave the history buff Jewel a conniption with my flippant attitude on the subject.

Though it might not be as far-fetched as I previously thought.

I learned not to apply Earth logic to certain things over time, and I’ve been a more adaptable person for it. That piece of potential history aside, I had a much more pressing question to attend to in regards to our wolfish merchant friend.

“I understand now how we’re gonna reach Henrí, but for what purpose?” I asked. “I feel like we just said our goodbyes to him, and I’m sure he’s busy with running his company.”

After the ball, he also hung around Morningstar for a spell and we engaged in some hijinks, but that was a tale for another time.

The pair of sisters smiled at me without answering my question.

“Eh? What’s going on?” My head swiveled between the two of them. “Is there something on my face?”

“As you know, you’ll need proper teachers to prepare you for the triathlon,” Amber said. “We’ve already found you one of the best fencing instructors in the kingdom from Morningstar Magic Academy. She’s practically world famous for her technique, and she’ll have you in top form in no time.”

“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows.

I’m suddenly very interested in meeting this fencing instructor after hearing Amber gush about her skills, but that still leaves one big hole in my triathlon-related education program…

“What about the instructor for my f-f-f–” I sputtered, not wanting to say the word.

“Flight training?” Mavis–who had been quiet for a bit–answered for me. “We haven’t had much luck finding one in the kingdom who isn’t competing in the event themselves, or doesn’t have some affiliation with the Golden Dragon and their smuggling network.”

“Those damn pirates…” I remembered the group of lizardmen who ruined my first adventure outside the castle with Amber, Commodore Flynn, and his crew.

At times I wondered if I would have been on a faster track to the demon capital, Darkspire, and The Crossing had I not experienced that training setback at the hands of Captain Dag and his goons. But it was also the life-or-death nature of that situation that awoke my materializing abilities. Assuming I wanted to go the glass-half-full route, I could even say it was good in some strange way.

“Sissy and I came up with the idea to search outside Aurelia for a teacher, and we both agreed on the perfect person for the job.” Mavis said.

We were just talking about him, in fact…” Amber added.

“Henrí? I didn’t know he was a dragon rider.” I said. “But then again, I also didn’t know he ran a whole trading company either. Would he come straight back here just to train me? Doesn't he have a lot going on?”

“Only one way to find out for sure,” Mavis said. “He might even be able to help us find out who sold Duke Cleishay’s men the crystalite. There might be several more out there, recording events around the castle.”

A good point, you can’t be too careful when espionage is a real risk now. And, stranger still, that it goes totally unpunished by the royal family…

Was the power balance really swinging that far towards the Duke’s camp that he could get away with such activities in plain sight? Either way, it didn’t bode well for the immediate future.

“Cedrick should be in the dining room preparing for dinner.” Princess Mavis turned heel and began walking back towards the castle. Amber and I followed closely behind. “Let’s go call big brother Henrí, shall we?”

13.2

“You just missed him.”

Those four words from Morningstar Castle’s head maid, Poppy, caused us all to groan in annoyance.

“Which way did he go?” I asked.

“He said he was going to make his rounds,” Poppy replied. “What has you three in such a hurry, anyhow? It’s not often I see you in particular slacking off around here when there’s work to be done.”

Poppy poked me in the forehead, pausing her sweeping of the foyer.

“Sakuta has a big event coming up, and we’re having him begin fencing training this afternoon with his instructor,” Amber said. “Didn’t Mother mention something like that to you, Poppy?”

“Of course she did.” The maid chuckled. “I’m just messing with Sakuta here.”

I had been placed on indefinite leave from my butler responsibilities while I prepared for the triathlon. Not having my cleaning skills to rely on must have been running the staff thinner than usual, and they desperately missed me… or so I would have liked to believe. In truth, Jewel and the other servants got along just fine.

“I think he was planning to start in the servants’ wing and work his way down to the catacombs where the mage adepts are placing crystals for the barrier,” Poppy said. “If you go now, you might be able to catch him.”

“Thanks Poppy!” Mavis smiled and gave a small bow.

“If you guys do go down to the catacombs, be careful!” Poppy called out as we rushed in the direction of the servants’ wing. “There was a collapse somewhere in one of the emergency exit tunnels, and giant rats keep getting in!”

Giant rats? How ‘giant’ are we talking about here??

“Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind!” Amber shouted back.

...............................

“Not here.”

“Haven’t seen him.”

One by one, the princesses and I checked each communal area and kitchen in the servants’ wing looking for Cedrick. But the fleet-footed elf was nowhere to be found, and the other butlers and maids hadn't seen him.

“It’s a pain, but I guess we’ll have to check the catacombs after all.” Amber sighed. “Mavis, why don’t you head back and wait for Sakuta and I to return with Cedrick?”

“Ehhhh?” A look of disappointment flashed across Mavis’ face, but she quickly returned to her composed self. “Ahem… Very well then, I’ll see you both shortly.”

What an adorable pout. It was easy to forget that Princess Mavis was about the same age as my unruly younger sister, Yuki. Especially when she acted so well-behaved in comparison. I could tell just from looking at her that she wanted to come with us.

Amber could handle herself well enough, but the mention of giant rats made me think that the catacombs were no place for a bite-sized Princess, or a clumsy butler like me to be quite frank.

“You know, that kid will become ten times the magic user that I ever was. Her mana pool is really impressive for her age.” Amber looked on as Princess Mavis left. “I’m sure gonna miss her when she goes back to the academy...”

“Will that be soon?” I asked.

I wasn’t familiar with how school periods worked in this world, but Mavis had been around for the duration of my time here in the castle thus far. In fact, she was the first person outside of Queen Veranda to give me her vote of approval.

“As soon as the next term starts shortly after the summer solstice, she’ll resume her studies at Morningstar Magic Academy,” Amber said. “I wonder if she’s missing out on living like a normal girl her age. What was your sister like, Sakuta?”

“Well…” I thought for a moment.

“Oh… I’m sorry if that was rude to ask.” Amber quickly apologized, mistaking my concentration for a troubled look.

“No, no, it’s alright. Yuki… She’s a ball of energy, and lazy at the same time. Conniving and sweet.” I chuckled to myself. “The benevolent tyrant of the house, full of spite and kindness.”

“She sounds like a walking contradiction.” Amber laughed.

“Oh, she is. We fought constantly over it.” I grinned. “But… that back and forth is why we’re so close, I think. We’ve experienced the same hurts, and joys growing up. I do miss her, and the rest of them.”

My family… In a way, I’ve made an entirely new one here too.

“I bet…” Amber nodded. “That’s why I haven’t forgotten about our deal. Even if we’re a little sidetracked right now, we’ll get to the demon capital. Right?”

“Right on, partner!” I said. “Oh, that’s right…”

I finally took the opportunity—fearing I might get interrupted again—and collected Amber’s necklace from my uniform jacket. The locket at the end of the chain was strikingly similar in shape to a cherry blossom.

“This is for you, happy birthday.” I presented the gift to Amber, much to her surprise. “Sorry it’s not wrapped or anything, but if I put it off any longer I would have lost my nerve...”

“Oh… It’s lovely!” Amber turned the accessory in her hands for a moment, a warmness filling her cheeks. “Can I try it on now?”

“Of course!” I answered, relieved that she seemed to like it. At least enough to wear as a courtesy.

The silver necklace contrasted nicely against her tanned skin and the shapely nature of her chest. It suited her natural features almost too well, and I struggled to peel my eyes away.

“You’re staring awfully hard there, Sakuta.” Amber crossed her arms, poking fun at me. “You haven’t materialized a way to see through clothes, have you?”

“Absolutely not!” Now it was my turn to blush.

Is that even possible? Maybe if I—Wait, no! That’s totally wrong!

“Give me a break…” I sighed. “I’ll admit it, it looks really nice on you.”

Amber looked like she wanted to tease me again, but she suddenly clammed up after hearing that compliment.

“You know, this flower has a special meaning in the Kingdom of Aurelia.” Amber said, running her fingers over the pendant. “Did you know that when you picked it out?”

“No…?” I muttered, suddenly worried that I might have given her the necklace equivalent of a severed horse's head. “What does it mean?”

“It’s a se-cr-et.” Amber grinned widely. “Maybe Jewel will tell you if you’re that curious.”

“Ehhhhhh!?” I stood in protest.

“Let’s go find Cedrick before it gets too dark to make contact with Henrí.” Amber skipped away, leaving me idling in place. I just couldn’t keep up with her sometimes, or anyone in the castle for that matter.

Having finally given Amber her present, the two of us descended the steps leading to the lower level of the complex past the storage rooms. On the bottom floor was a trap door, containing a wooden ladder that led down into the catacombs.

“The castle has something like this down here?” I asked, staring into the darkness. My attempts to hide my anxiety were futile, and Amber picked up on it immediately.

“You don’t have to come down if you don’t want to,” Amber said. “Your fencing instructor is looking forward to meeting you this evening, and you wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression by being late.”

“What kind of man would let his fiancée climb into a dark cavern by herself? I’m coming.” I insisted. “It’s just a little spooky for my taste, I never was a fan of the whole dungeon aesthetic.”

“If you insist so strongly.” She shrugged. “You can hold onto me if you get scared.”

Shouldn’t I be the one suggesting that?

“How far does it go down you think?” My voice echoed into the abyss.

“We’re not sure how far it goes, but the city of Morningstar was built on a rather large hill. There’s a rumor that an ancient dwarven civilization used to live in the caverns below it.” Amber said. “But we’re only going down one level to find Cedrick.”

“It’s not… haunted, is it?” I asked.

“Are you being serious?” Amber scoffed. “Spirits don’t linger around unless a necromancer is tampering with honored dead, and necromancy was banned from the kingdom centuries ago. Rest assured.”

That’s a big relief.

Suddenly the rats didn’t seem so bad when I thought of other things you might find in a place called ‘the catacombs’, namely the undead. Zombies, ghosts, and the like. The deceased should stay deceased if you asked me.

“I’ll go down first, and you follow me.” Amber took the initiative as usual. “Watch your footing as you come down, I’ll be below you.”

“Aye aye, captain.” I followed her down into the labyrinth, hoping that my lack of vision wouldn’t send me tumbling down like a domino.

13.3

“I know I should have expected as much from a place called the catacombs, but it’s pretty dark down here.” I muttered as we shuffled through a dusty corridor.

Soot hung thick in the air, and the torch Amber took from the wall was only able to pierce the darkness surrounding us to a small degree. Suddenly I thought of an idea. I still couldn’t make something as detailed as a key for the lock of my journal, but a light was simple enough.

At least I hope it is.

“Materialize: Flashlight!”

“Ah—!”

There was a literal flash of light in my palm that nearly blinded the two of us, but it quickly stabilized into a bright orb. It was enough to light the corridor and then some.

“Good thinking, Sakuta.” Amber was impressed. “But remind me to look away the next time you try something like that.”

“Sorry…”

We kept walking with improved visibility but still hadn’t come across Cedrick or the mage adepts after a few minutes. I wondered to myself if it would just be wise to go back, and ask Cedrick tomorrow. This field trip was starting to feel unnecessary, and I didn’t want to linger in the stale air any longer than required.

“Hey Amber, do you think maybe we should—?”

“Shh!” Amber put her finger to her lips and placed her ear to the wall of the cavern. “I hear voices coming from the room on the other side of this wall.”

I listened closely, faintly hearing two voices just as Amber described. How she heard such a thing while we were ambling along so noisily, I couldn’t tell.

“Let’s get a little closer, and see,” Amber whispered, and began sneaking around the corner. “Keep your voice down.”

Though I wasn’t sure why we were skulking about, we finally saw Cedrick and another man having a conversation in a dimly-lit room. It contained a small desk and an iron jail cell, resembling some sort of warden’s post. Neither of them saw Amber and I peek our heads around the corner.

“I’m telling you, sir, we don’t yet have the magic crystals to put the spell into effect. And the monsters have made matters more difficult.” The distressed man in front of Cedrick wore dark robes and had golden eyes that flickered in the light.

By ‘monsters’, I wondered if he meant the giant rats. From what I understood, the mage adepts down on this level were placing focuses around the catacombs to erect a magic barrier that was capable of extending above and below the castle. Having to fight off creatures would inevitably slow that process down.

“I get that it’s for Her Majesty's sake, but please try to understand how many focuses are necessary for us to—“

“I don’t care how you get it done, you were hired for your magic skill, not for making demands!” Cedrick barked back. “Are you sure you come with the academy's recommendation? Why is it that he brings me fools to do the work of professionals whenever I ask?”

He?

“I’m… very sorry sir…” The man in the robes stared dejectedly at the floor.

“Eek—!” I felt a brush against the back of my thigh that sent a chill down my spine, and clasped my hand to my mouth before I could give away our position.

Seeing that she was the only person next to me, I glanced at Amber, bemused. She wasn’t the kind of person to get frisky, so I assumed it was an accident in close quarters. Cedrick paused as if he heard something, but quickly turned back to chastising the man in front of him.

“We cannot afford another disturbance to our plans like the Phantom.” Cedrick clenched his fist. “I won't face humiliation like that again. It’s bad enough I still have to find a way to deal with that common meddler, S—“

“WOOOAH—!” I was yanked backward abruptly by the end of my pant leg, sending me face-planting into the ground.

The glasses flew off my face in the process, blinding me to the source of the sudden attack. My light orb illuminated the blurry figure. The squeaking and sheer size of it gave me some idea as to what it might be.

“R-R-RAT!!!” I shouted as I was dragged through the corridor by my ankle.

“Princess!? And Sakuta!??” I heard Cedrick exclaim.

The abrasive dirt beneath me was a grater against my now-exposed back as I struggled to figure out which way was up or down. I just knew I had to act quickly, or I might become this thing’s lunch special. And I was certain I didn’t taste that good.

“MATERIAL—OOF!” The creature swung me to the side against the wall, knocking the wind out of my lungs before I could call forth a weapon to protect myself.

“Let him go, you big furry bastard!” Amber chased the rat and me into a much wider space in the catacombs, leaving Cedrick and the cloaked man behind.

The rat let me go the moment we were in the middle of the cavernous room and disappeared into the darkness. At first, I thought it had given up on the hunt, not seeing me as worth the risk of taking on the Princess.

“Sakuta, are you alright!?” Amber rushed to my side, as worried as I had heard her sound. “You dropped these…”

“A little dinged up, but otherwise I’m fine…” I groaned, taking the glasses Amber had collected for me.

“If you hadn’t chased after me, I probably would have been a Sakuta sandwich.” I sighed. “We should get out of here before more of them…..”

Red glowing eyes filled the darkness surrounding us, beyond the reach of the light in the palm of my hand.

“…show up.”

Of course.

Chittering and squeaking filled the air as we were surrounded by the beasts. The smell alone was enough to put me off, but their numbers were what concerned me the most.

“A whole nest of them…?” Amber muttered, incredulous. “I knew they reproduced quickly, but to think that there’d be so many already.”

“What do we do?” I whispered not wanting to send the rodents into a feeding frenzy.

“They’ve blocked the way out. We’ll have to fight our way through.” Amber said. “Are you okay with blood?”

“I saw what you did to those lizardmen. Besides, I’ve dissected a rat or two in biology.” I chuckled. “I can manage.”

“Good. Then you think you have enough mana to blast a path for us?”

“Only one way to find out for sure.”

Instinct would have told me to run under most circumstances, but Amber was still the most fearsome fighter in a room filled with the things.

“Materialize: Level 1!” I brought forth the smaller version of my cannon arm and prepared for a fight.

“Pon-Pon, come on out!” Amber summoned her familiar to her shoulder, getting in a ready stance herself. “We’ll charge them in three… two…”

“FLAMMARÉ!”

We heard a shout. Fire rained down from seemingly nowhere, burning all the rats in the vicinity to ash. Amber and I were completely bewildered at the sight, and couldn’t understand what was going on at first.

In addition to that, I thought the smell of musk was bad before… But it was a hundred times worse after the creatures were reduced to smoldering piles of flesh and bones.

“Well that was pretty disgusting,” I noted, scanning the room. “You really saved our asses though, C.”

Cedrick stood behind Amber and I, holding a magic staff I hadn’t seen before. It was made out of polished wood with a red gem at the end. The expression on his face told me exactly how he felt.