The door slammed shut behind them. The sound of a heavy bar being slid over the door in order to lock it quickly followed.

"They're not very polite people," Lorthrendel said in a grim tone. He pushed his glasses back up the brim of his nose.

Ragnus cast one, furious glance at the door before stomping off. "I'd rather be out in that damn desert than stuck here with four doorknobs." He threw his helmet on the floor, and, not paying attention to where he was going, promptly jammed his foot on a stool.

Aerysdren snorted, his shoulders heaving in silent laughter. He quickly averted his gaze when Ragnus looked back at him, acting as if he was suddenly very interested in a bug he just saw on the floor. Isendir sighed and walked over to the now swearing and flustered dwarf.

"Ragnus, please calm down." The Highlander took the tie out of his dreadlocked hair, letting it hang around his face. "It will not help us to get angry." He pushed a piece out of his eyes.

"Bah!" Ragnus kicked the stool out of his way and continued his angry stomp out of the room. He pushed back the bead curtains in the doorway to the other room and walked out. "If those bastards so much as put a scratch on my pipe smoke, I'll shove my foot up their asses-"

The main room of the house was average in its size. Dust particles sifted down, illuminated by the dim sunlight that shone through the windows. A fireplace sat against the wall with wood sitting inside, cold and unlit. Nothing else was really that noticeable. This house had apparently been abandoned for some time, and like most homes in the village, it was constructed of adobe and was quite bland. A few chairs and a table was scattered across the room.

"Lorthrendel?" Varenyl, who had remained at the top of the stairs, slowly began descending them, taking his cloak off as he did. "Can I have a word with you?"

Lorthrendel raised an eyebrow at the elf. "Well, I suppose so." He walked over to the table and laid his gloves down on it. "It's not like I don't enjoy our little talks, but-oh, who am I kidding." He cast Varenyl a sly smile and leaned against the table. "I hate them. And I am not very fond of you either. Have you noticed that there is beginning to be a little bit of grey in your blond hair?"

Varenyl laid his cloak on the back of a chair. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest as he turned around to face the mage, his eyes cold. "Premature aging is the least of my worries, fae." He looked at Isendir. "I would also like it if you would join us, Isendir."

"Hmm?" The Highlander started at the sound of his name.

Aerysdren suddenly appeared at Isendir's side. "He wants you to join him and Lorthrendel," he said. He sneezed, causing his fluffy black hair to fall into his face. "You three go ahead. I'm going to go bother Ragnus." He walked out without another word, whistling a tune to himself as he did. He poked his head back in before long. "Hey! Do you think you can light that fire? This place is freezing!"

"Yes, Aerys. I'll do it right now." Isendir nodded his head at the elf.

"Thank you!" Aerysdren grinned and disappeared once more behind the bead curtain.

Lorthrendel rested his hip upon the table. He took his glasses off and proceeded to clean them with a handkerchief. "What is it then, Varenyl? Go ahead and say your piece."

Isendir pulled out a flint stone and began starting a fire in the hearth. "Can the two of you be civil with each other? I have my own questions for Lorthrendel, but the last thing I need is for a fight to break out between you two."

Varenyl grunted. "He's nothing without his magic, Isendir. It wouldn't be a fair fight," he said.

Lorthrendel's scarlett eyes glinted with amusement. "I can hold my own, Jorona. Now, did you want to talk or engage in witty banter?"

"You two are like children, for Ophian's sake." Isendir breathed out a heavy breath and rolled his eyes. He managed to get a small fire started in the hearth. The wood was old and rotted out, and it proved to be a challenge to light. "Go ahead and say what you have to say, Varenyl."

The Sylvari's dull blue eyes remained fixated on Lorthrendel. "What are you and the Sylvanaar hiding?" he asked. "You know what is wrong with him. Leravacha could somehow tell. We need to know."

"I agree." Isendir nodded his head and stood up. He picked up a metal rod by the fireplace and continued to poke at the now burning logs, making sure that the fire would not go out. "If we are going to do this, we need to trust each other. We cannot do that when we feel like members of our group are holding daggers behind their backs." The fire flared up.

"Give me a break, Isendir. What kind of man do you take me for? And Aerysdren?" He cocked his head at the dark skinned Highlander. "The boy has trouble with even killing an animal, and not because he can't, but because he dislikes the idea of taking a living creature's life away."

"It's not that, Lorthrendel." Isendir leaned against the wall beside the fireplace and hung his hands off his belt. "These are dark times. It is very obvious that the Dragon King has influence in this world. And, well...." His voice trailed off.

"In other words, we think that it's a possibility that you or Aerysdren have made contact with him," Varenyl finished grimly.

Lorthrendel's face was a mask made of cold stone. "I thought you did not care about the world, Varenyl."

"I don't, however I feel that the dragon I seek is connected to Vadrioth, and thus I continue to travel with you and the others," replied the Sylvari coldly.

The corner of Lorthrendel's mouth ever so slightly tilted upwards into a smile. "Well, you're correct in your theory. I have indeed met with the Dragon King, but it was not in the slightest of ways voluntary." He looked at Varenyl's and Isendir's shocked and horrified expressions with amusement. "It was a dream that he came to me in, although it felt extremely real to me. You remember that spell I cast in Rosepoint? The one that allowed a divine being to take control of my body and speak through me? Apparently that spell had originally caught Vadrioth in its claws before Fibius came through. A link was formed between me and Vadrioth, however, thus allowing him to haunt my dreams and nightmares."

"Go on," Varenyl ordered. A line appeared between his brows.

"He told me that the gods have given one of the people in our group an item of great power and import, but he is blind to all but me and therefore knows not which one," Lorthrendel continued. "It's Aerysdren, in case you couldn't tell." He raised his shoulder in a half shrug. "Vadrioth threatened to tear my mind and body apart if I did not bring him this object. Apparently whatever it is, it has the power to defeat the Dragon King. Aerysdren was ordered by the gods to not reveal it until the time is right. Suffice to say, I know very little about what it actually is."

Silence fell. Varenyl's eyes ever so slightly widened.

Isendir awkwardly cleared his throat. "So...are you?"

"What? Oh, for the love of Thynryx." Lorthrendel massaged his temples and shook his head. "No, Isendir, I am not. I don't care what that scaly bastard does to me; I have a job to do and I damn well plan on finishing it. I don't like people ordering me around, god or not."

Isendir nodded, his brown eyes growing soft. "I know, Lorthrendel. I know. I'm just...worried." He lowered his head. "Well, at least we know that we have a way to win. Is Aerysdren-"

Varenyl glanced at Isendir and turned around on the heel of his boot. "I don't trust him," he said.

"Well I don't trust you either, Varenyl, but unlike me, you wouldn't hesitate to kill one of us if we stood in your way," Lorthrendel coolly shot back. "And you did murder your closest friend in a fit of insanity once, if I remember correctly. Wylcher was his name, correct?"

Varenyl stiffened.

"Lorthrendel," Isendir gently warned the mage.

"You're the one who should not be trusted, Jorona," Lorthrendel continued, his lip curling into a slight sneer as Varenyl's hand clenched. "I've seen what lies in your heart. You're nothing like the man you used to be." He took a step closer to the elf. "What would your daughter think of her father now, I wonder? Would you still be her hero? You-"

Varenyl suddenly whipped around and landed his fist in Lorthrendel's face. The mage's glasses shattered.

Lorthrendel fell backwards on the table, clutching his nose. He grimaced. "Alright, I deserved that. I deserved that."

"Varenyl!" Isendir pushed off the wall, his hand going to his sword until he remembered that he the tribesmen had taken it from him.

"Don't you dare talk about my daughter to me," Varenyl seethed, stabbing a finger at Lorthrendel. His eyes glistened. "You could never understand-"

"No, I couldn't," Lorthrendel returned, breathing heavily. "But I can understand that the path you're going down is not a good one."

"Dammit, we've been here for ten minutes and you two are already at each other's throats." Isendir rubbed his temples, his head aching. "Lorthrendel, you're a jackass, and please try and get rid of that character trait for the rest of this damn trip. Varenyl, for Ophian's sake, stop being so cynical and brooding. The two of you are going to make me rip my hair out!"

Varenyl continued staring at Lorthrendel for a moment longer before turning back around and storming out of the room.

Isendir let out a very long and exasperated sigh. "Lorthrendel, how old are you in human years?"

"Twenty six."

"Then can you please act like it?" Isendir groaned. "Pissing off Varenyl should be at the very bottom of your to do list."

Lorthrendel smiled as he took off his now useless spectacles. "I don't enjoy being punched in the face, Isendir. I merely did it because Varenyl needs to be made aware of his less than healthy mental state. I was not lying when I said that he murdered his friend; he did. He is losing himself, Isendir. His end is going to be rather tragic."

"I just- okay. It's over." Isendir threw his hands up and dropped the subject. "Thank you for being honest with us."

"Don't mention it, Isendir." Lorthrendel moved a stray strand of his red hair out of his face from where the tie in his hair had come loose. "If you talk to Aerysdren about this...be gentle."

"I will." Isendir nodded. "I-" He stopped talking.

Somebody was opening the door to the house. 

***🐉***

hi yall♡

this chapter is dedicated to Last_Apprentice, who ive been wanting to mention for a while now xD she's extremely talented, and made the current cover of this book. i kinda look up to her a lot bc she's more successful than i am on here😂😂 please go follow her n show her some love♡♡

anyway, please give me any criticism you have. i read over this chapter twice and i still feel like it is terrible.

thank you so much for reading😙

until next time~♡