“Alright, kid.” Cal released Minnow’s shoulders, choosing to ignore the comment about being civilised. “I believe you.”

It was a conundrum, alright. In her time here, Cal had learned that fairies seeking sanctuary could be transported to Shaman spontaneously, but it seemed like a crazy coincidence that another ker had arrived right after she did. Then again, if Xara was at war, perhaps it wasn’t such a big coincidence after all. Maybe there were even other ker running around Shaman in bewilderment.

The thought of a Rock ker stumbling around the island and challenging the sword-bearing royal guards with a little spitter almost made Cal smile. The mental image faded away, replaced by the young woman standing in front of her. The girl – Minnow – held her tail between her hands and stared at the ground while she gave her name, reminding Cal how young she was. Fifteen may be when ker came of age, but it really wasn’t very old at all. In the Volcano, at least, teenage ker had a kind of ‘grace period’ when they could switch apprenticeships or train in trades before they were expected to carry out their chosen jobs. Although Cal had met Swampies before, she had no deep knowledge of their culture. Perhaps Minnow was still something of a baby by their standards; perhaps she was a full-grown woman with as much responsibility as any.

Buddy provided a welcome interruption. He must have picked up on Cal’s feelings from the other side of the castle, because he came haring around the corner in a magnificent gallop. His tail flowed out behind him and electricity crackled around his legs whenever his hooves hit the ground. Noticing that all eyes were on him he tossed his head and snorted, maintaining his speed. Only when he got unnervingly close did he dig his hind legs in and skid to a halt, his hooves screeching on the tiled courtyard. He arched his neck, ears pricked forward, head turned slightly to reveal a stunning profile. Cal rolled her eyes at him but grinned in spite of herself.

“This is Buddy, my aja.” She rested a hand on his back. Electricity sparked, but it didn’t bother her – it never did. It felt good to be able to introduce Buddy as her aja instead of her familiar for once. “He’s Dark Lightning.”

The elaboration was a little unnecessary. If Buddy’s jet black coat and electric blue stripes weren’t enough of a giveaway, then nothing was.

“From what I’ve gathered, this place works kind of like a sanctuary,” she explained, stroking Buddy along his back and avoiding Minnow’s eyes. “People are transported here spontaneously when they’re unsafe. I guess, with the war on…” She bit her lip. Guilt still woke Cal up in the middle of the night, making her toss and turn restlessly. She’d elected to stay here because she didn’t want to be separated from Buddy, but her family had been left behind in the Volcano while a war raged. “I’m with the Volcanic common force, but I’m also an Alliance officer. I got transferred here by Allianah to help with a big battle, and now… I’m sort of stuck here.” Not the whole truth, but Cal didn’t feel like going into all the details of her predicament. “Are you, uhh… alright? Have you got some place to stay?”


CALDERA