Page 39 of The Shadow Wand

Kiya Wen pulls a rune disc from her dark uniform’s pocket and places it on the corresponding blue Noi rune marked on the center of the onyx door. “This is how you unlock it,” she says to Tierney. She gives the door a brisk knock.

“Come in,” a melodious voice sings out in the Noi language.

Kiya Wen takes hold of the door’s black metal knob and pushes it open.

And there, whirling around in the center of the small room, is another Asrai Water Fae, as Tierney was told there would be.

“This is Apprentice Asra’leen Filor’ian,” Kiya Wen formally announces. “Your Wyvernguard cohort.”

Tierney’s eyes widen with a visceral astonishment to be face-to-face with the water-hued, point-eared young woman. The only other unglamoured Asrai Tierney has ever seen since she, herself, was glamoured at three years old.

The dark blue of Asra’leen Filor’ian’s skin is as changeable and rippling as Tierney’s. Her hair is white as foam and worn in a cloud of soft, tight curls around her head, her graceful hands lowering as she twirls to a stop, a swirl of water suspended around her that quickly dissipates into a mist that encircles her slender frame.

Asra’leen’s large blue eyes widen with palpable warmth as her full indigo mouth spreads into an effervescent smile.

Then the air around Asra’leen bursts into a veritable riot of crystalline rainbows.

“Tierney!” she enthuses as she springs forward and draws Tierney into an embrace, as if Tierney is a long-lost, much-beloved friend, and Tierney finds herself encircled by glittering rainbows.

Asra’leen draws back, loosely gripping Tierney’s arms. “Welcome home,” she says with real warmth, her smile devoid of any guile.

Tierney gapes at her, caught up in a sudden vortex of emotion.

Just like Tierney, Asra’leen is dressed in the sapphire-blue, white-dragon-marked uniform of the Vu Trin military apprentice.

And she’s openly Asrai Water Fae.

A tension Tierney didn’t know she was holding suddenly gives way as the full ramifications of being free of the Western Realm and free to be who she truly is strike through her. Turbulent, dark clouds spring to life around Tierney as she furiously blinks back tears and struggles to find her voice.

Asra’leen’s smile fades as she glances up at the clouds, and both understanding and compassion light in the Water Fae’s rainbow-flickering eyes. “You’re safe here,” Asra’leen says as she holds on to Tierney. “We’re all safe here.” Asra’leen’s gentle look hardens with significance as she glances toward the rune blade sheathed at her side. “And now we’re armed.”

Awe sweeps through Tierney the next morning as she follows rainbow-flecked Asra’leen into the Wyvernguard’s massive central hall, the vast space cut right into the center of the South Twin Island. A towering alabaster statue of the dragon-goddess Vo twines up from its middle, the dragon surrounded by carvings of Vu Trin military women raising their rune weapons outward in alliance with the goddess.

Tierney pauses to take in the countless sapphire-uniformed Vu Trin military apprentices streaming by her, some striding toward runic lifts set inside cylindrical columns that rise from tier to tier, the plate-shaped lifts able to carry Vu Trin smoothly up and down the South Twin’s many stories.

Almost all of the Vu Trin apprentices passing by are young, black-haired Noi women, as the Noi men don’t possess the runic sorcery needed to amplify rune weapon power or create runes. But scattered among the Vu Trin apprentices are pointed-eared, jewel-hued Urisk women and even some Urisk men. As well as blonde Issani women, dark-brown-toned Ishkartan Vu Trin apprentices with golden rune-marked head-wrappings, and both male and female Elfhollen with gray hair and skin, bows slung over their shoulders.

All with a Noi translation rune emblazoned behind one ear to allow for fluency in a multitude of the Eastern and the Western Realms’ major languages.

And there are dragon-shifters here—the Zhilon’ileWyverns, tall and stunningly attractive, their onyx coloring shot through with pulses of bright white lightning, some only partially shifted, their obsidian horns and dark wings on full display.

Now I’m part of this too, Tierney marvels, momentarily overwhelmed by a whirlpool of grateful emotion as she glances down at her own brand-new Vu Trin apprentice uniform.

It’s incredible, such diversity in one military, in one society, and the reality of it flows into Tierney in disbelieving wave after disbelieving wave.

And fills her with a fierce desire to defend it, no matter the cost.

Asra’leen sends Tierney an ebullient smile then pulls a runic watch-orb from her uniform’s pocket and checks the time. She holds up the luminous blue orb for Tierney’s perusal. “We need to report for roll call in an hour’s time.” She slides the orb back into her tunic’s pocket. “You’ll be partnered for a few weeks with Fyordin Lir, our division’s command. He works closely with all the new Asrai.”

Tierney’s nervous anticipation heightens at the prospect of meeting so many of her people—their Asrai’lon division is comprised entirely of Water Fae.

“Fyordin is incredibly powerful,” Asra’leen happily tells her as a sapphire Vhion’ile dragon enters the hall and walks by with a group of Noi Vu Trin apprentices.

Tierney’s attention is snagged in astonishment.

Dragons...right here in the open.

Unbroken dragons.

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