Blake rolled over and shook her head as the sun began to rise. Well, today was the day that the Emberfangs returned from a battle against the Phantom Brigade. Normally, they wouldn’t go out in the winter, but the Phantom Brigade had been incredibly active that winter for some reason unbeknownst to everyone. She hated it, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She was just an Echo Keeper and not a fighter. Her mother was a fierce warrior, but Blake had never once picked up a sword, spear, or other weapon that would help her protect herself. Elodria was a relatively safe city in Nytheris with a large amount of city guards as well as several Solaris Knights to help protect them. She didn’t doubt that they would stay safe and protected against the Void Worshipers…

  “Blaaaaaaake.” A soft voice caught her attention and she looked over at the corner of the room. A large bird stood on a perch, its deep violet eyes looking into her soul.

  She blinked. It was unusual for a Murmurean to speak with its own voice instead of using the echoes that they fed on. “What is it, Melea?”

  “A fallen light seeks the mystics and stars etch memories.” Well, that wasn’t creepy at all. She was used to her Murmurean repeating the past echoes that she dealt with sometimes, but to hear Melea’s voice herself… There had to be a direct message from the Arcanum Lords. Only they would give a message so cryptic. A fallen light…? Stars…? She had no idea what any of that meant. She really didn’t. It was way too early in the morning for this. It was barely even dawn yet. She wanted to get to work to help whatever survivors of the Emberfang Legion returned… It was rare to see any survivors with as hellacious as the Phantom Brigade was. Plus… She would need whatever support from the Arcanum Lords could offer her today. She’d keep the ritual short as skipping it was considered bad luck to skip any of the major prayers and rites of the day. And she could not risk any bad luck today.

  She grabbed the carefully sculpted stone and closed her hands around it, bowing three times and saying a quick prayer to Orthenos. She would need great strength today in dealing with the trauma that the Emberfang Legion had picked up from the Phantom Brigade. She absolutely needed every bit of power and stamina she had. A lot of them would want to forget things, losing friends, losing brothers and sisters, killing people… But she would need to preserve those memories… An Echo Keeper’s role was to preserve whatever memories they could, be they good or bad. She could take memories away from people, but she couldn’t destroy them no matter what. They had to be preserved for the good of the Emberfang Legion.

  She sat there for a good few minutes, feeling the sculpted stone’s curves and shape carefully. She would really need the strength that Orthenos offered. Trauma inflicted by battle was never an easy thing to deal with… She had been doing this for years, but it didn’t make it any easier when the Emberfang Legion came back and its newest members had haunted eyes. She truly felt bad for them because they often had no idea what battle against the Phantom Brigade meant… Not until they got into the field, anyway. She had to take away so many memories just to make sure these people could function and go onto the next battle.

  She put the stone down after a good several minutes, got ready, and then looked at Melea. The Mumurean dipped her head and flew over to Blake, landing on her shoulder. Melea was a gorgeous bird, but all Murmureans were. Her feathers were obsidian black with the occasional silver or violet shimmer under the light of the dawning or dusking sun as well as the full moon. Her eyes, unlike human and Faunus eyes, were purely violet with no discernable white. She was larger than a typical raven as they were animals of memory, given by the Arcanum Lords to aid Echo Keepers in their duties.

  “I’m guessing you have nothing else to say to me, then?” Melea just looked at her, unblinking. Yeah, that was about what she expected unfortunately. Murmureans were relatively silent animals, only speaking to deliver a message from the gods or to repeat an echo. She really wondered what that message meant. And it was Melea’s voice that spoke that, not an echo. She had heard Melea’s voice during the Rite of the First Whisper when Melea had chosen her over fifteen years ago. It was a rarity to hear a Murmurean’s voice directly as they more often repeated echoes and forgotten last words. She really had no idea what that cryptic message meant, but it was incredibly typical of a Murmurean.

  A large moth sat on the knob to Blake’s door and she held her hand out to him. She was rare to have two familiars, often a mark of someone with a special connection to the gods. The moth was an aetherwing moth, typical of Australis mages. He was large, larger than her hand, and his wings glowed silver. She held her hand out and he crawled up onto it, then fluttered to the shoulder without Melea on it. They were silent guides, so she couldn’t expect anything from Rither. It was a bit on the annoying side to have two relatively silent familiars, but it wasn’t like she had any choice in the matter.

  She went downstairs to the kitchen where her family sat. Kali was cooking a breakfast. “Oh good morning, Blake. How was—”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have time. The Emberfangs are getting back today and I need to get over there as soon as possible.” She loved her mother’s cooking and normally didn’t skip meals, but it wasn’t like she had a choice. She needed to be there for the Emberfangs. Kali had retired and passed the role onto her. She was still relatively new to doing the duties alone, but she’d get the hang of it eventually. She really didn’t want to disappoint Kali and the Emberfangs. She’d only been at it a year by herself so the pressure was definitely on… She hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t mess up the Emberfangs… They were the ones up against the Phantom Brigade and were really the main ones that fought against them. The Solaris Knights sometimes helped, but they had bigger enemies than the Phantom Brigade. They needed to track down the Void Worshipers on the whole while the Emberfangs were the ones that fought against the Void Worshipers’ militaristic arm.

  “Oh, all right then, dear. You can take the coach. Your father and I don’t need to go anywhere today.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Blake went over and grabbed the keyes, then headed out to the garage. Normally, she’d just take a horse, but today, she really needed to get there as soon as possible. The coach was much faster than a horse so it’d really shorten the amount of time she needed to get there. She knew she really should’ve eaten before such a big day, but she was anxious. About four hundred new Emberfangs had joined last year and she was anxious to see who all had come home. They were usually around three thousand strong, but with the high mortality rate due to the Phantom Brigade killing so many of them yearly… There was a high mortality rate. She’d seen so many good men and women die over her years of being around the Emberfangs.

  She headed out to the barn where a wide opening and spot had been made for the coach. She got inside and took Melea and Rither off her shoulders. She sat Rither on the dashboard and Melea on the seat next to her. She needed to get across the city and into the heart of downtown so that way she could get to where the Emberfangs were garrisoned. She started the coach up, a soft hum of magic going through it as it lifted off the ground and started gliding. Melea looked at her, unblinking as ever, but the Murmrean’s feathers wer fluffed out ever so slightly. She had never liked the coach, but she suspected it was because most Murmreans were ancient beings that didn’t like this new-fangled technology.

  She turned into the streets where people, horses, and carriages were milling about. Coaches were still rare, relegated largely to the elites of society, so most people still used horses. There were maybe a dozen or two coaches in Elodria… It was nice to have it as a transportation option especially when it was raining. Honestly, she could already see the rain cloud gathering. Melea turned her violet eyes to Blake, spreading her wings slightly. That was always the Murmurean’s warning of a storm approaching.

  Great.

  Just what she needed: a storm.

  The poor Emberfangs might not get there until midday or later so they’d get caught in the tempest.

  She arrived at the garrison around twenty-five minutes later and parked the coach in the spot that had been designated for her. She got out with Melea and Rither, then headed into the garrison.

  “Good morning, Blake.” A young woman sat at the reception desk. Most people weren’t allowed into the garrison as nobody wanted to put the Emberfangs in danger and potentially let a Void Worshiper in…

  “Good morning, Makenna. How are things?”

  “We’re busy getting everything ready for their arrival back… Oh, also, you might be interested to know that there’s a new archivist that should also be arriving today.”

  Blake blinked. “And nobody thought to tell me?” She was the one in charge of a good chunk of the garrion’s archives. She was in charge of its Archive of Echoes which made up a large amount of the records there. There were other, normal records which was probably what that archivist would be working on… From what she had seen, they were in a sorry state. She had no idea what to expect… The Archive of Echoes was well maintained, as her family had worked there for generations. But the general archives… She hoped this new archivist wouldn’t overstep their bounds and attempt to come into the Archive.

  “Sorry… A lot happened.”

  “This decision was probably made months ago.” Blake’s ears flattened against her head.

  “It was… I’m sorry. It fell between the cracks.”

  Blake sighed. “It’s not your fault… I shouldn’t be taking it out on you.” It wasn’t Makenna’s fault by any means. She just… She was frustrated. She had been working in the Archive since her youngest years and she just really didn’t want some non-Echo Keeper to try to muscle in on her territory. The Archive itself was well maintained, but the general records had fallen into disrepair from her knowlege. But she wasn’t an administrator; she was an Echo Keeper.

  “She’s here to work with the main archive, not your Archive. Like pay rolls, records, and so on. She may ask you for help though.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Weiss Schnee.”

  Blake just stared at Makenna for several minutes. “As in the Schnee family?”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Makenna nodded. “Yes.”

  Blake sighed. “Great.” One of the most uppity mage families with one of the longest records in all of Nytheris. She had no idea how to deal with this… Normally, they didn’t leave the capitol. And they were Australis mages largely… Why was an Australis mage an archivist? They should be dealing with the stars and all manner of mystical, metaphysical nonsense, not records. What kind of Australis mage made a living from being a mundane administrator?

  “I’ve heard about her… She’s an Astral Weaver more interested in the mundane world than that of fate and the Divine Weave. She has quite the good reputation…”

  “I’ve never heard of her.” Blake wasn’t sure what to make of that. Then again, it wasn’t like she really had much interest in gossip or anything like that. She really didn’t. Gossip was a poison that turned people against each other. But it didn’t mean she didn’t hear anything. Someone of the Magisterium coming and working with people so much lower than her… It boggled Blake’s mind. She had no idea what to think of it. She was pretty sure the Schnees were of the Great Houses while Blake was just of the Guildmasters… It was almost sacrilegious that a Great House mage would come work with someone as low as the Emberfangs when most of them were commoners or lesser nobles that had few lands to inherit.

  “Well, you are less prone to gossip than we are.” Makenna giggled. “Anyway, you should probably start getting Echo Scrolls ready for today.”

  Blake nodded and sighed. “Yeah, probably…” She’d been getting them ready for months now, ever since the Emberfangs had left, but now, she really needed to make sure she had the proper amount. She had a pretty good stockpile of them, but even so, it didn’t mean that she had enough. Though, depending on what time that Astral Weaver Schnee arrived, she might be too busy to take care of the Echo Scrolls. Well… They weren’t scrolls anymore; they had long changed over to codexes, but the name still stuck. “I’ll see you later.”

  “See you! Though…did you eat today? You’re gonna need to keep your strength up.”

  Blake’s ears went back. “I skipped breakfast to get here today.”

  “Go to the kitchens and get yourself something to eat first.”

  “All right.” She knew better than to fight with Makenna. There was no point. The receptionist seemed like she would be easy to deal with, but she could be stubborn beyond words.

  With an internal sigh, Blake went through the garrison to the kitchens and told them to give her something. At least spring was underway and things were growing again. The fields were being sown and the earth itself was waking up. It was getting warmer and the birds were returning from the south… Oh, how she loved the warmer seasons. She really was glad that winter’s icy grip had relaxed and warmth was returning.

  The cooks brought her over a plate and she started to eat. They offered a dish of water and Melea hopped off of Blake’s shoulder to sip the water. Unlike most animals, Murmureans preferred to drink from still water. Normally they preferred undisturbed water, but there wasn’t much that Blake could do about it being fresh from the faucet. Oh well. Murmureans had to make concessions when they chose a keeper and underwent the Rite of the First Whisper.

  She finished up eating and heard a crack of thunder overhead. Well, the Emberfangs certainly were going to have a fun time marching in… Even this deep in the garrison, she could hear the sheets of rain roiling down onto the building. She shook her head and went to the Archive. It was a massive room, filled with tons of codeces and scrolls much farther back. Echo Scrolls took up a ton of room and not much could be done about it…but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She adored her job and spending countless hours here in the Archive. She’d spent so much time in here as a child and it had almost become a second home to her.

  However, she frowned when Melea let out a soft whisper. “Stars come.” Melea’s true voice. Melea turned her head around entirely and Blake turned as well.

  A woman with white hair and blue eyes stood in the doorway, obviously spooked. “Who…Who are you? Why are you in the archive?”

  “I think you’re in the wrong archive. This is the Archive of Echoes, not the normal archive. I take it you’re Weiss, then?” The appearance was relatively striking. White hair wasn’t common unless mages had escaped normal aging by becoming nigh divine. Some mages could extend their lifespan incredibly long if they had mastered their magic to an insane degree… She wasn’t sure if Weiss was one of those mages, but the white hair spoke to magic being deeply intertwined with her family legacy…

  The woman nodded. “I am. Who are you?”

  “Blake Belladonna.”

  “Oh, right, I’ve heard of the Belladonna family. Some of the finest Echo Keepers in all of Nytheris.” She smiled, her eyes going wide. “Is that a Murmurean? I’ve read a lot about them, but I’ve never seen one up close before.”

  Blake nodded. “This is Melea, my Murmurean. You’re not going to be able to bond with her, though… Murmureans don’t really care for people outside of their Echo Keeper or maybe other Keepers.” It seemed like almost every Murmurean she’d ever met was fond of Kali. Kali just seemed to have an odd draw to her. She was an exceptionally powerful Echo Keeper, so maybe that was why. She was also a Spiritwalker, an odd combination to be certain. Some people did have two types of magic, but it was rare…

  “Aww, that sucks. She’s really pretty. I did read that, but I wasn’t sure if it was true or not.”

  “It absolutely is.”

  “Do you think you could help me find the main archive? Apparently the Emberfang’s records have fallen into disrepair and need some help.”

  “Yeah, I can help you.” Blake screamed internally. She just wanted to get on with her work rather than help this Weiss character. But, she didn’t seem as uppity as Blake had feared. She seemed…friendly at the very least. Not what she expected from a member of a Great House like the Schnee family. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that she and Weiss would be working closely together due to both of them being record keepers. Granted, Blake wasn’t all that familiar with the main archive. She knew where it was and where things were generally, but she knew her Archive well.

  “Thank you! I appreciate it.” Weiss smiled. Blake left the Archive with Weiss on her heel. “So how long have you been here with the Emberfangs?”

  “Since my youngest memories. I do have some older siblings that have gone out into the world to do similar work, but I was the one that wanted to inherit the main family legacy.”

  “Oh wow, so you grew up around the Emberfangs?”

  Blake nodded. “Yeah. I’ve seen…so many good men and women come and go from here.” The Emberfangs had such a high mortality rate because the Phantom Brigade refused to leave survivors if they could help it. So many from Nytheris had succumbed to the Void Worshipers and their militaristic arm. They were quite the evil bunch and wanted to bring society to its knees. She prayed that the Emberfangs would help keep them at bay. They had been going on like this for over a thousand years… It was hard to see so many good people die, but there wasn’t a lot that could be done to help. The Void Worshipers were relentless and refused to give up.

  “I’m so sorry… I can only imagine how many good friends you’ve lost.” Weiss’ voice was genuine. Blake’s ears twitched a bit. Yeah, Weiss seemed…really sincere. It wasn’t like the Schnee family she’d heard of which was full of itself and refused to talk to people that weren’t of the Great Houses. Granted, Guildmasters weren’t too far below them, but they were far enough below that the Great Houses considered them basically dirt, even if the Unwoven were far, far below them. A Guildmaster was little better than an Unwoven in their eyes.

  “Yeah, I’ve lost a lot of good friends. From my youngest years until now… I can only imagine who got lost in this most recent campaign.”

  “Why did they go out in the winter? That’s…highly unusual for the military.”

  “They had just settled down during late Zepyhria to come in for the year, but there were reports of soul binding activities on the border of Nytheris and Vaflium by the Void Worshipers. People were showing up with extreme madness but it was unlike Arcane Burn; it was just pure, unbridled madness that reminded them of Void Sense.”

  “Oh my. That’s…definitely a good reason to go out during the winter.”

  Blake nodded. “Yeah. And they’ve been gone since then. But Melea let me know they’d be coming back today. Murmureans are more beings of the past, but they can occasionally dip into the future.” She still wasn’t entirely certain what the ominous message from Melea that morning had meant. Sometimes Murmureans could give prophecies even if they were mostly dedicated to preserving memories of the past. “I informed everyone at the garrison a couple weeks ago.”

  Weiss caught up with Blake and nodded. “I see. That does make sense. Murmureans are incredibly interesting creatures.”

  “They are.” Blake couldn’t deny it. Thankfully, they weren’t super heavy either. They persisted entirely off echoes and other past memories. They didn’t eat normal food. “It’s just nice to not have to feed either of my familiars. Do you have an atherwing moth too?” She looked at Rither on her left shoulder. The moth was silent as ever, his wings glowing a faint silver color. However, from the subtle movement, she could tell he was frustrated that she wasn’t working normally. Aetherwing moths could be quite the characters despite being completely silent and entirely weightless.

  “Oh yeah, I do.” Weiss turned slightly in the hallway and showed off the truly giant aetherwing moth that sat on the back of her shirt. Aetherwing moths were usually about the size of a palm, but this one’s wingspan went from shoulder to shoulder. Its wings glowed a faint violet color and its body was a beautiful silvery green. She’d never seen one so massive before. “Her name is Velmora. I wasn’t expecting such a large moth to come to me when I performed the bonding rite. Yours is much more in line with what I expecting.”

  Blake nodded. “This is Rither. Velmora is a pretty name.” It was odd to meet something else with an aetherwing moth. They were by far the most common familiar among those that tapped into Australis magic, but that still didn’t mean it wasn’t surprising to meet someone with one. Especially one so large. She honestly had no idea they could even get that large. Most were standard size or smaller. It was really strange to see one so large.

  Weiss nodded and smiled. “It is! I really like it. She agreed to it, so I gave it to her.” Huh, having an aetherwing moth agree to something… What an oddity. She’d never seen one agree to something. Melea, sure, though she could be annoyingly cryptic. She knew she really should’ve been used to Melea being cryptic by this point, but she wasn’t. She’d been bonded to Melea pretty young, before even Rither. She’d been working as an Echo Keeper for around fifteen years at this point, considering she was very much a prodigy in the field like her mother had been… None of her siblings had really shown the same adeptness as Blake had. They weren’t bad Keepers by any means, but they definitely weren’t as good as she was.

  “I’ve never heard of an aetherwing moth agreeing to anything.”

  “Velmora can be pretty outspoken if you know her body language.”

  Blake cracked a smile and chuckled a bit. “Same with Rither… He can be quite the character if you spend enough time around him. They’re silent, but they can be real characters.”

  “Absolutely!” Weiss smiled at her warmly.

  They arrived at a door and Blake motioned. “This is the archive you’ll be working in.” She opened the door to reveal a room that hit them with the scent of old paper. She really did like spending time around here since Echo Scrolls didn’t age the same as normal paper did. The spells applied to them prevented the paper the echoes were kept in from aging too badly.

  “Okay. Thank you!” Weiss smiled and headed deeper into the archive.

  Blake left and let out a sigh, her ears drooping over. Well, this girl certainly was quite chipper. She had no idea that a Schnee could be so warm and open. She’d only ever heard bad things about the Schnee family, but this proved otherwise… Apparently, they could be just…normal people. It was odd to think about but she wasn’t upset with it. It would hopefully make working with Weiss easier. For now, though, she had duties to attend to and Echo Scrolls to make. With that done, she headed back to her Archive and began work.