Chapter 2
Time: 199 Years Before the Doom
POV: Kaelen (Elias Vance)
The air in the clearing crackled with tension. The monstrous cockatrice, its wings pinned by my stone pillars and its body bound by impossibly strong vines, thrashed weakly, its beady eyes wide with terror. The Valyrians, sleek and arrogant in their shimmering armor, watched me with a mix of awe and suspicion. They were powerful, proud, and in this moment, utterly helpless before something they couldn't understand. Good. Fear was a useful tool.
The silver-haired woman, whose violet eyes now studied me with intense scrutiny, slowly pushed herself upright. She was regal, even covered in jungle grime. Her Valyrian High Tongue, though a bit shaky, was clear. "What... what manner of creature are you?" she repeated, her gaze darting between me and the impossibly restrained beast.
My Earthly mind, Elias Vance's mind, raced. Valyrians. Slavers. Conquerors. Telling them about the Silvanar or my unique lineage was suicide. They would exploit it, enslave them, try to dissect me. No. Secrecy was paramount. My advantage lay in being unknown, unpredictable. But I needed a way in. A deal.
"I am Kaelen," I said, my voice as calm as I could make it, consciously keeping my Ael'athar empathic resonance subtle. "And this jungle... it listens to me." Simple. Vague. True enough.
She looked at the bound cockatrice again, then back to my eyes. "That... is clear. You saved me. And my guard." She gestured to the two male Valyrians, who were now slowly picking themselves up, their faces as pale as hers. "I am Vaella Balearys. And we owe you a life debt."
Balearys. One of the great dragonlord houses. Perfect. This was precisely the kind of access I needed.
"A life debt can be a heavy thing, Vaella Balearys," I replied, choosing my words carefully. I needed to sound powerful, mysterious, but also reasonable. "And I do not offer my assistance lightly." I walked towards the cockatrice, my footsteps silent on the damp earth. The creature whimpered as I approached, its terror palpable. I placed a hand on one of the stone pillars I'd raised, feeling its raw power. "I require something in return for my... unique services."
Vaella's chin lifted, a flicker of her natural Valyrian pride showing through. "Name your price. If it is within the power of House Balearys, it is yours."
"I ask for two things," I stated, my eyes fixed on hers. "First, that you and your companions never speak of what you saw here today. My abilities. My connection to this land. You keep this secret, for all your days. To reveal it would be... unwise." I let a hint of cold steel enter my voice. "The jungle has its own way of silencing those who betray its trust." It was a bluff, but a good one. My earth sense told me her two guards were still too shaken to be a threat.
Vaella's eyes narrowed, but she didn't argue. Her gaze went to the impossibly perfect stone pillars, then to the unyielding vines. She was intelligent enough to see the unspoken threat. "And the second?" she asked, her voice tight.
"Take me to Valyria," I said, the words feeling strange on my tongue, bridging my past and present lives. "I am a curious being, and I have heard tales of your Freehold. It is said to be a place of unmatched knowledge, of great wonders. I wish to learn."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Valyria? You wish to come to the Freehold? As... what?" There was a hint of suspicion in her tone now. "You are no thrall."
"As a guest," I clarified, my gaze unwavering. "A scholar. One who seeks understanding. I offer my unique... talents, should House Balearys ever find itself in such dire straits again. A quiet ally, whose existence remains unknown to others." I gestured subtly to the cockatrice. "My value is obvious. My discretion, invaluable."
Vaella considered me for a long moment, her calculating Valyrian mind working. The secrecy, the power, the potential for a powerful, hidden asset. It was a tempting offer, especially for a proud house that might occasionally find itself in need of a quiet advantage. And my very presence here, in the depths of Sothoryos, hinted at secrets she might not want others to uncover.
Finally, she gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Very well, Kaelen. Your terms are accepted. You will travel with us. You will be a guest of House Balearys. And what happened here, stays here. We swear it, by the blood of our dragons." She motioned to her guards. "Loose this beast. We have no quarrel with it now."
I released the cockatrice, the stone pillars sinking back into the earth, the vines retracting as if they were never there. The creature, terrified, fled into the jungle, its shrieks fading. Vaella watched it go, then looked at me, a strange light in her violet eyes.
"You said you were curious, Kaelen," she said. "Valyria is indeed a place of knowledge. But it is also a place of... fire. And blood."
"I am familiar with both," I replied, a small, wry smile touching my lips. I had read the books. I knew a lot more about fire and blood than she could possibly imagine. "Lead the way, Vaella Balearys. My journey begins."
We traveled for weeks through the dense, unforgiving jungle. The Valyrians, despite their armor and swords, struggled. My assistance, though subtle, became indispensable. I cleared paths, found hidden springs, even occasionally conjured temporary shelters of woven branches that protected us from the harshest downpours. Vaella watched me closely, her initial suspicion slowly replaced by a growing fascination. We spoke, in halting Valyrian from my side, in more practiced tones from hers. I asked questions about Valyrian history, their dragons, their trade routes, feigning a scholar's innocent curiosity. She, in turn, asked about Sothoryos, its dangers, its secrets. I answered vaguely, always steering her away from any mention of the Silvanar.
When we finally reached the coast, a majestic Valyrian galley, sleek and powerful, waited offshore. It dwarfed their smaller landing boats. Vaella's personal vessel. Relief flooded her face.
As we boarded, the ship's captain, a stern-faced Valyrian male, looked at me with open skepticism. "Who is this, Archon Vaella?" he demanded, his eyes raking over my pale, simple jungle attire.
"A... curious scholar from the depths of Sothoryos," Vaella stated, her voice firm. "A guest of House Balearys. Treat him with respect." Her gaze flickered to me, a silent reminder of our pact.
The journey across the Smoking Sea was long, giving me more time to observe Valyrian ways. Their ship was a marvel of engineering, but their arrogance was even more striking. They spoke of dragons and magic as if it were their birthright, of other peoples as lesser beings. I saw the seeds of their future Doom, cultivated in every proud word and dismissive gesture.
And then, one morning, the horizon shimmered. Not with heat, but with impossible grandeur. Far in the distance, columns of smoke rose from the Fourteen Flames, the chain of volcanoes that powered their empire. And then, the city. Valyria. Spire upon spire of impossibly tall towers, built of fused rock, reaching for the heavens. Dragon riders swooping through the clouds like living banners. It was magnificent. Terrifying. And, to the Elias Vance part of me, a living historical document.