Page 94 of To Fight and To Fold

"Can we go there next?"

"Of course," Thea said.

On their way, a gleaming purple dragon passed, huge and intimidating, horns stacked upon his head.

"Am says ‘Hey, cousin,’" the man accompanying the dragon called out, and Thea rolled her eyes.

She waited until he was behind them before she answered Aaryn's unasked question. "Am is short for Amethyst—super original purple dragon name, by the way," she shouted after him.

"Fuck off!" he said in a jovial tone, and Thea laughed.

"And that's Rolph, Am's Awakened. He likes to tease that Amethyst and I are related, because, you know, the horns," she said, waving her hand around her head.

Aaryn laughed. "Do you have some heritage in Amethyst's family line?"

Thea shoved her. "Somewhere in my bloodline are dragons, yes. But not Amethyst. Now, why don’t we start at Rune Hatch? Assuming that’s alright with Starspark."

Starspark’s happy trot halted when they turned to him, eyes narrowing as he took in their silent request. With a put-upon sigh, he sank down and shifted his wings out of the way to allow them to climb on.

And yet he huffed as if pleased as they settled into place, and his tail wagged until they were in the air again, and then he was all excited focus. Thea pointed him toward the southeastern isle. As they neared, a rune flared to life on the barrier's surface before it faded into the shape of an entry point, allowing them to glide through. Rune Hatch spread before them, and Aaryn gasped. Her mouth stayed agape until they were on the ground, and she shoved at Thea’s shoulder.

There was something delightful in the brief contact, and she laughed at Aaryn’s reaction. “What was that for?”

“I have never seen anything like this,” Aaryn breathed, pure awe.

“I know,” Thea said. “You should see it at night.” Runes covered most surfaces, their bright glow dimmed beneath the sunlight, but once the moon was high, the entire place shimmered with magic. It was otherwise rich with growth, not unlike the Heart. Starspark pranced ahead, tail flicking in interest, and Thea tugged Aaryn to a stop when he paused.

He hunched down, braced lightly on his feet, and Thea’s chest inflated as he wiggled back and forth. Aaryn bit down on her fist and Thea could feel the aggression of her adoration. Then Starspark launched forth and landed on a rune, smacking at it with his paw.

“What does it do?”

“Watch,” Thea said, biting down on a smile.

Aaryn was rapt as the breeze picked up—except it wasn’t the breeze, but the leaves and blooms from the nearby trees. They fluttered from the limbs through the dappled sunlight and rained down on Starspark. A high-pitched noise spilled from Aaryn, and Thea cackled as she chased him down to step on the rune alongside him.

Thea watched, tucking the moment away before steeling herself and approaching. “Alright, come on. There’s a tree I think you’ll like even more.”

“Doubtful,” Aaryn scoffed, and gave up peppering kisses on the bridge of Starspark’s snout—for now.

“I take it back,” she said once they came to a stop.

The Archives loomed before them, a door of an oak awaiting them. Not a door made of oak. An actual oak tree, huge, towering, could've been centuries old from its size—and in the center of the bark, an arched door.

Aaryn's eyes went wide as her gaze trailed up and up. "Magic is so…" She shook her head, unable to find the words.

Thea loved Aaryn's awe at her world, her home. "We aren't even inside yet," Thea told her, and pulled open the door.

Her voice would've echoed in the large space, had there been room for it to echo. Instead, shelves had been carved into every wall, dim light gleaming from magically-lit lanterns. Book spines filled every curved shelf, some thick and straining at their bindings, others thin and loosely bound with twine instead of leather.

A familiar face smiled at their entrance, and she rose from one of the few desks scattered about the floor. "Thea! Long time no see! What brings you here?" Willow's tone was jovial, friendly, and Thea hadn't seen her since the night of her return, at the bonfire so many weeks ago.

"Hi, Willow," Thea greeted, and shut the door behind them, sticking her tongue out at Starspark, who would just have to wait.

"Stop antagonizing him," Aaryn said, a bit of a laugh in her sympathy whine.

"But he's so fun to antagonize," Thea argued, and introduced them. "Willow, this is Aaryn. She's—new. And this is Willow, a keeper of the Archives."

Willow offered a polite nod and smiled. "Welcome! Are you looking for anything specific?"