Chapter Text
“What have we learned so far?”
“That we need to head to Taurus library if we want to have any luck finding information on what we’re looking for.”
“And how much money have we made?”
“Uhhh, just over three-hundred silvers.”
Seungkwan nodded, satisfied with the result. It was only the second day since they had departed from Dino’s hometown and most of the day had been spent riding past guilds and through open land. Donghae, their gracious and affluent host, had covered the cost of their inn the night before and was continuing to make good on his promise to take them to their next stop: a nearby guild that specialized in making and selling maps.
Donghae had chosen to spend the latter half of their journey on horseback, riding beside his attendant, who the boys were beginning to suspect was more than just as attendant (if the noises they had heard from the room beside them the night before was of any indication). Now alone, the boys continued to plot out the next steps of their journey.
Dino leaned forward, his elbows hitting the sides of the caravan as it jostled him to the side. “Why exactly are you looking for dragons? You do know that they’re extinct, right?”
“So they say.” Seungkwan sighed. “We’re not actually trying to find a dragon. We just trying to find some proof that they existed.”
“Proof that they existed? Isn’t it common knowledge that they existed?”
“I thought it was common knowledge that they were alive, too, but everything I’ve learned since I’ve come down here has said otherwise.”
“Well, the Islands aren’t really in contact with us, right? It makes sense that their information wouldn’t be up to date.” Dino closed his eyes and leaned back against the plush seats of the carriage. “Why don’t we go somewhere more exciting? Like a performance guild or someplace touristy. Oh,” his eyes widened, “We should go to Pyledys!”
“Do you have any idea how expensive it is to get to Pyledys? And how far away it is? We’d be broke before we even make it out of this side of the continent.”
“Okay, not Pyledys then. But anywhere would be better than where we’re headed now.”
Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “No matter where we end up going, we still need a map to tell us how to get there. If you’re in such a rush to go to Pyledys, buy your own map.”
Before Dino could respond, the carriage came to a sudden stop, sending him flying into Seungkwan and Hansol. His head slammed into the wooden panel behind their heads. Unlike Hansol, Seungkwan didn’t bother to hide his laughter, earning him a dirty glare from Dino.
“You kids alright?” Donghae called from outside the carriage.
“Yes!” They chorused back.
“We’ll be approaching the village soon. I apologize for the sudden stop,” the voice of Donghae’s servant called.
Seungkwan gave his thanks and turned back to Dino. “You okay, kid?” He asked him in a low voice, a grin still playing on his lips.
“Why do you keep calling me kid? You aren’t that much older than me,” Dino huffed. Hansol helped him right himself as the carriage began to move again. Their bodies jerked from side to side as they continued down the uneven path.
“So you’ve really never left your guild before?” Seungkwan asked Dino once he had settled back into his seat.
Dino shook his head. “Never.”
“It’s just my luck that I end up with probably the only two people on this side of the Mainland who have never ventured beyond their own homes. At least Hansol doesn’t complain.”
“You’re dragging us around the middle of nowhere in search of creatures that have been dead for years. At least drag us somewhere nice.”
Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “I’ll make you a deal. You help Hansol and I look for dragons, and when we go to Pyledys, we’ll take you with us.”
“So you are going to Pyledys.”
“Not until after I pay off my debt. The faster we find proof that dragons are still alive, the faster we get to Pyledys.”
“And if we don’t find proof?”
“We’ll just have to make sure that we do.”
The carriage came to a stop again—this one far smoother than the last— and the door opened to reveal Donghae smiling up at them. “We’ve arrived.”
The boys exited the carriage, Dino first and Hansol right behind him. Seungkwan took a second longer to pull up his backpack from where it rested on the floor.
They each said their words of gratitude and farewell to Donghae and his servant. After ensuring that the boys had all their things, the two mounted their horses and rode away, leaving the three boys on their own in front of the guild.
Outside the guild stood a wide post staked into the ground. The guild’s name was carved into it, and underneath was a detailed map of the guild, marking the location of each non-residential building. Of these buildings, a rather impressive number of them were cartography shops. After the boys stopped at the two shops nearest the entrance, it was immediately clear that each of the shops was specialized, each one focusing on a different area of the world, or on mapping a particular feature. There were shops that sold maps made for travelers and those that sold maps made for tradesmen. Others sold maps recording common plants and animals of a particular area or maps that recorded all the mountains and rivers across the land.
After having little luck with the first two shops that they went into, the boys had been directed toward a shop in the center of the guild, simply named ATLAS. ATLAS was a rather big place, and its bright red signpost made it easy to spot.
Seungkwan pulled open the wooden doors and a bell chimed above them.
“Welcome,” the shopkeeper greeted them.
Along with maps, the shop was filled with an array of little trinkets: almanacs, compasses, and weather vanes were all displayed in seemingly no particular order. Globes hung from the ceiling and maps were pinned to every surface, including the walls, the door, and the shopkeeper’s counter.
Seungkwan walked up to the shopkeeper. Dino had already disappeared amongst the trinkets, and Hansol was headed toward a spread of particularly colorful maps that were pinned to the back wall.
Seungkwan returned the shopkeeper’s polite smile. “We’re headed to Taurus. Do you have any maps that’ll get us there?”
“Travelling on foot or by road?”
“On foot, but if the main roads are safer, I don’t mind taking them.”
“You’re in luck, lad.”
Seungkwan followed the man over to the wall. The shopkeeper pulled up a wooden stool and used it to reach the map that he unpinned and handed to Seungkwan. He took a moment to search the wall before he spotted a second map, taking that one down as well. The man then pulled a piece of twine out of his pocket. He handed it to Seungkwan.
The shopkeeper pointed a dirty finger at the first map. “That’ll take you up to Hwarang River. Because the areas around here are so sparse, there’s much quicker routes to take than the main roads. This map here has the minor roads as well.”
“After you pass the river,” he pointed to the second map, “you’ll start reaching the bigger guilds and busier roads. This map here has all the major roads coming from the Central Mainlands and all the major guilds they lead to. The Eternal Gate is right there in the center.” He pointed to a small drawing of a cathedral toward the center of the map. “And Taurus is a bit beneath there.”
The man led Seungkwan over to the counter. Seungkwan set down the maps and pulled out his coin. “How much for them both?”
“That’ll be seventy-six silvers.”
“Seventy-six silvers?” Seungkwan balked. “That’s robbery!”
“I’m afraid not, kid. These are some of the best quality maps around. Made by hand with genuine leather. These maps last for lifetimes with the proper care.”
Seungkwan still wasn’t convinced but shuffled through his pocket to pull out the necessary change. The man grinned when he slammed them down on the counter. “A pleasure doing business with you, little lad.”
Seungkwan huffed as he pulled the two maps away from the counter and secured them around his waist. “Thanks.”
The other two boys were still browsing the shop. Hansol followed Seungkwan as he left the shop with a sharp frown on his face. The shopkeeper turned to glance at Dino, who was holding a miniature globe in his hands. “That’s two gold.”
Dino slowly placed the globe back on the table, his eyes wide. “Cool. Thanks.” He quickly followed the other two out of the shop.
“So what now?” Dino asked, jogging a bit to catch up with them.
The older two exchanged a glance. They had been spoiled with carriage rides for the past two days, and neither Seungkwan nor Hansol were all too keen on getting right back on their feet.
“I think I remember seeing a library on the guild’s map. Maybe we could start there?”
The library wasn’t hard to find, but the boys were surprised by the sheer size of it. Just past the library doors was the directory: a giant book that was as thick as the length of Seungkwan’s forearm when closed and the width of a common foul’s wingspan when open. The directory contained an alphabetical listing of all the books and where they could be found in the library, divided by topic and subtopic. It was an old magic-based system that self-updated each time a book was added or moved.
Seungkwan was afraid he’d rip the large, thin pages as he turned them over. His finger scanned across the page as he searched through the category listed FAUNA.
“Someone write these titles down.”
Dino reached over and grabbed a piece of parchment and a graphite pen from the pile beside the giant tome specifically set there for this purpose. He scribbled out the titles and locations of four books Seungkwan read aloud.
“There’s four of these and three of us. We each take one and whoever finishes first takes the last one?”
“Sure.”
Dino, who was already in possession of the book list, quickly memorized the name and location of the first book. He then handed the list to Seungkwan, who memorized his just as quickly and went off into the rows of shelves to find it.
Hansol, who had never been in a library before, was now in possession of the list and was suddenly reminded of the fact that he could not read. Jeonghan had taught him the alphabet and basic pronunciation rules, but there hadn’t been many books in the house for him to practice with, and he could hardly remember much of what he had learned. His head was beginning to hurt as he looked at the small black letters that crowded the page.
He turned back to the list, slowly sounding out each syllable in the title under his breath. Maybe if he could read the title, he could ask a library worker where it was. Plus, Jeonghan had told him it was important to always practice reading aloud whenever possible.
“The Cave of…,” he squinted. “Mee-rack-le…? Mi-ruh-kles. Cave of Miracles. Yeah.” Hansol nodded, proud of himself for retaining at least a few of his reading skills. Now, the challenge was finding someone who could guide him to the correct location. They hadn’t seen anyone since they’d come in, and Hansol was beginning to wonder if anyone worked here at all or if it was merely run off of magic alone. He searched between shelves and around corners. He passed Dino, who appeared to have already found his own book and was flipping through it with a concentrated expression. Hansol didn’t bother interrupting him.
“Hansol!” Seungkwan whispered loudly.
Hansol turned to see him waving from a small alcove hidden behind two tall shelves.
“Are you looking for The Cave of Miracles? I think I found it”
Hansol nodded, relieved. Seungkwan handed him the book.
“It turns out these two books are both children’s fairytales. I don’t think they’ll be much help, but we should read them anyway, just in case. They’re short, anyway.”
Hansol took a seat on the floor beside Seungkwan and examined the book in his hand. The front cover had an elementary drawing of a man peering into a dark cave, and a pair of eyes peering back. Hansol flipped through the first few pages and was relieved to see that they consisted mostly of pictures so that he could follow along without struggling to read it.
The story started off with an image of the man holding a hammer and standing in the middle of a smithy. The next page showed the man kneeling beside the bed of a young girl.
Hansol flipped the page.
Underneath the drawing of a moon, the man and a few others travelled out of their village. The man spotted a cave, inside of which a dragon was lying in wait. The next page showed a close-up of the man’s fearful face and the dragon’s terrifying expression. The two exchanged words that Hansol didn’t bother to read.
He flipped through the next few pages.
The man continued to visit the dragon many times at night, bringing gifts and companions with each visit. All the while, the girl was still stuck in bed.
The next image of the man beside the girl’s bed had a new character: a weary-looking man wearing healer’s robes and a heavy frown. The man stayed beside the girl’s bed all night, staring out the window at the bright white moon in the distance.
Hansol could only assume that the man then did not visit the dragon for some time, as on the next page, the dragon was pictured crying on the floor of his cave. The tears were painted a vivid red.
Hansol turned the page.
The man stood at the entrance of the cave, and the dragon lay inside. Its head rested in a puddle of its own red tears. The man’s visit with the dragon ended with him collecting the red tears into a clear vial. The man crafted a necklace in his workshop. The vial lay empty beside his workstation. The man returned to his daughter’s bedside one last time, clasping the necklace around her neck.
The last page had an image of the man and his daughter walking down the street together, holding hands and smiling. She wore a beautiful red necklace around her neck.
Hansol closed the book. So maybe just looking at pictures hadn’t been as helpful as he had hoped.
Dino appeared from around the corner, carrying a book in his hand. “There’s nothing useful in this one. Did you guys find the last book yet?”
They both shook their heads. Seungkwan stood and put his book back where he had found it. “Let’s look for it.”
With all three sets of eyes looking, the boys found their last book, The Huntsman’s Almanac Vol. 126 quite quickly. It was located on a short shelf surrounded by other volumes of the same almanac. The book was far thicker than any of the three before it. Its pages were yellow and worn, and the book was held together by a loop of twine. Dino, who had found it first, undid the loop of twine and began looking through the old almanac. Each listing included the name, classification, intelligence, and speed of the subject, as well as a detailed drawing and a short description.
As Dino turned through the pages, Hansol could spot creatures that he recognized. There were animals his father had taught him about as well as animals he had encountered on his own hunts. He and Seungkwan both huddled over Dino’s shoulder, looking at each page that passed.
“There!” Seungkwan stopped Dino. “Keunyong. That’s the original name for the dragons.”
Even if they hadn’t recognized the name, they surely would have recognized the image of the fearsome creature from seeing its likeness woven on old-fashioned tapestries and painted onto clay vases.
“Keunyong,” Seungkwan read from over Dino’s shoulder. “Reptilian. Mastery: N/A.”
“The Keunyong, commonly known as the dragon, is a species of aerial reptile often found living in dark caves or dense forests. A feared and competent predator, hunters are advised to avoid entering conflict with these creatures. A dragon will not attack unless provoked; if one finds themselves in the presence of a dragon, it is advised to leave the area quickly, without startling the creature.
With tough meat, hollow bones, and rough scales, dragons prove to be nothing more than a troublesome challenge, unable to provide food or materials for the hunter. However, recently there has been a surge in dragon hunts due to the belief that dragon’s blood contains potent healing abilities. This has not been proven.”
Seungkwan stopped reading. “This isn’t anything like what I learned in school,” He frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, first of all, we were taught that dragons were creatures of the light. They got energy from the sun; there’s no way they’d live somewhere as restrictive as a cave or dense forest. And we definitely weren’t taught that dragons were dangerous creatures, either. We were told that they were a highly intelligent species native to the Islands. They were there first, and people inhabited the Islands later. They said dragons and people coexisted peacefully, but as the humans continued to propagate, there was less and less room for the dragons to live. When the islands became too crowded, the dragons came down to the Mainlands, where they were worshipped as gods.”
“People don’t hunt gods.” Dino snorted.
Seungkwan ignored him. “There’s about a hundred different almanacs from a hundred different years on this wall. But according to the directory, this is the only one that mentions dragons. The dragon hunting trend must not have lasted very long. That couldn’t’ have been what wiped them out.”
“Well, it said that dragons were peaceful unless provoked, right? Maybe once people started hunting them for blood or whatever they started fighting back, which led to more of them getting killed,” Dino suggested.
“I don’t think so.” Hansol shook his head. “It would take a real maser hunter to take out a dragon. Likely more than one, if they had no previous experience with dragons. There’s no way they’d be able to wipe out the entire species in one season.”
“Then how else could they have died out?”
Hansol shrugged. “There’s plenty of reasons for a species to die out. Maybe they just weren’t adapted to life on the mainland. If what Seungkwan learned in school is true and dragons were originally peaceful creatures, maybe they started living in caves to avoid having to kill the hunters. And maybe the lack of sun was what eventually took them out.”
“Is it really that different down here?” Dino asked Seungkwan.
“Not so much that it would wipe out a species as evolved as the dragons. If humans can survive down here, dragons should be able to, too.”
“So, they’re not dead?”
Seungkwan shook his head. “Not according to the Island’s teachings of them. What were you two taught about dragons?”
“Not much. What I did learn mostly agrees with what we read here. We were never told anything about them coming from the Islands, or about them being worshipped.”
“I was homeschooled,” Hansol answered after Dino. “My parents never taught me about dragons.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know they even existed?”
“I knew they existed; they’d always show up in the stories that my dad would tell us. But they were predators, not prey, and dad only taught us about the creatures we hunted and those that lived in the outskirts near us.”
“Well one of us is wrong.”
Before he could respond, Dino’s stomach rumbled.
“Hungry?” Hansol asked, throwing a pitying glance his way.
Dino looked down at his stomach. “Yeah, a bit.”
“If you’d like,” Hansol began. “there’s a lot of forest outside of the village, so I can find us something to eat? It won’t be as good as something you’d find at an inn, but it won’t cost us anything.”
“How will we cook it? I can’t say I remember much of what Joshua taught us about how to cook.”
“Between the three of us, I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“Joshua?” Dino asked.
“He’s Hansol’s…,” Seungkwan trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
“He’s my brother. He usually did the cooking at home.” Hansol gave a lopsided grin.
“Oh. Well, I can come with you. I can’t hunt but I can look for edible plants. I’d feel bad if you did all the work.”
“I’ll stay here and see if I can find anything else. And make sure I know how to read these maps correctly,” Seungkwan suggested, already eyeing the rest of the shelves around them. “I’ll take a look at the other almanacs, too, just to make sure there wasn’t a mistake in the directory.”
“Maybe try to find us someplace to stay for the night, too?”
“I’ll try,” Seungkwan waved Dino off. “Now go. This is an unfamiliar area and it’s not safe for you two to be going through the woods at night. Your dad made us responsible for you and I don’t want to know how he’d react if we let you get hurt.”
Hansol readjusted his bow on his back as he stood. “Let’s go.” He smiled at Dino.
Seungkwan turned to the wall of almanacs and sighed. One down, One-hundred forty-nine to go.