Wielder Of The Dragon Flame

Chapter 42

 Flora asked once the laughter had died down a bit. 

"You said you got letters from your butler? That's nice that they wrote."

"Yeah." 

Asta said, touching the pocket where he'd stored the letters, feeling their slight weight against his chest. "Gregor was my family's butler for decades," he wrote about what's happening at the mansion. My half-brother Cassian officially became clan leader a few nights ago. There was this whole ceremony with all the major clans."

He tried to keep his voice neutral, but some bitterness must have leaked through because Flora's expression softened with sympathy.

"They also wrote about how they're doing." 

Asta continued quickly, not wanting to dwell on Cassian.

 "They got dismissed from the mansion after I was sent here,Cassian didn't want anyone loyal to me staying around, I guess. So now they're working as day laborers. Gregor , Helena, and Marcus,they're all doing hard physical work despite being older, despite having given decades of service to my family. But they're surviving. They're managing. And they wanted me to know they haven't forgotten about me."

"That's actually really touching." 

Mira said, and there was no mockery in her voice, just genuine appreciation.

 "Loyalty like that is rare. You're lucky to have people who care that much."

"Yeah."

Asta agreed quietly.

 "I am."

Flora turned her attention to Jabber then, her expression shifting from amused to curious.

 "What about you, Jabber? What did your family write?”

Jabber's entire body went rigid. His eyes, which had been fixed on the ground during the entire conversation, somehow managed to drill even harder into the flagstones, like he was trying to bore through the rock with sheer force of will.

The silence stretched. Flora's smile began to falter, uncertainty creeping into her features as she realized something was wrong.

"Jabber?" 

She prompted gently. 

"Did you...?"

"I didn't get any messages." 

Jabber said in a low tone that was carefully and deliberately flat. Each word was precise, controlled, like he was handling explosives that might detonate if he wasn't careful. 

"There was nothing in my portal."

The change in atmosphere was immediate and obvious. Flora's face fell, her earlier good humor evaporating. Mira's expression shifted to something between pity and anger,anger at the injustice of it, probably, not at Jabber himself.

They both looked at him with those concerned and sympathetic gazes that Asta knew Jabber would hate. The kind of looks that said we're sorry and this is unfair and we want to help but don't know how. The kind of looks that made you feel even smaller and more pathetic than you already felt.

Mira recovered first, her natural straightforwardness coming to the rescue. She stepped closer to Jabber and reached out to clasp his shoulder firmly,not gentle or pitying, just solid and present.

"Cheer up, man."

She said, her tone matter-of-fact rather than syrupy with false comfort.

 "There's always next time. Maybe your family's letters got delayed, or maybe they had some emergency that kept them from writing. Don't assume the worst."

Jabber's jaw tightened, but he managed a tiny nod. 

"Yeah. Maybe."

They all knew it wasn't true. They all knew that after four months of nothing, this wasn't about delayed mail or emergencies. But sometimes kind lies were necessary, and Mira's matter-of-fact delivery at least gave Jabber a graceful way to accept the comfort without feeling patronized.

"So." 

Flora said, clearly trying to move past the awkward moment and give Jabber some breathing room.

"What do you guys think they want us to do now? Since they cancelled squad training today, I mean. Do we just have the day off, or...?"

Asta opened his mouth to say he had no idea, but before he could get the words out, the amplified speaker system crackled to life again with that horrible screech of feedback.

Everyone in the message portal area winced and covered their ears. Some creative cursing erupted from various corners of the room.

Then the same male voice from earlier began speaking, loud enough to rattle the stones:

 "Attention all laborers. Attention all laborers. Everyone is to proceed immediately to the laborers' gathering quarters. Old Man Kael has an important announcement. I repeat, proceed immediately to the laborers' gathering quarters."

The speaker cut off with one final crackle.

For a moment, everyone in the portal area just stood there, processing. Then movement started,people closing and locking their portals, gathering their letters, beginning to drift toward the exits that would lead them to the gathering quarters.

"What do you think he wants to talk to us about?" 

Mira asked, looking at Flora like she might have insider information despite having no more access to the higher-ups' plans than anyone else.

Flora shook her head, her brow furrowing with thought.

 "I don't have any idea. But cancelling training and calling everyone together? That's unusual. Must be something important."

She turned to look at Asta and Jabber, her expression becoming more focused, more determined.

 "Come on, guys. Let's get going. If we want to actually hear what he has to say, we should head over now and get a good spot before the entire labor section tries to cram into that space."

"Good thinking." 

Mira agreed, already starting to move.Asta glanced at Jabber, who still looked pale and withdrawn, but who gave him a small nod. Together, the four of them joined the general flow of people leaving the message portal area and heading toward the gathering quarters.

The corridors were packed now,it seemed like everyone had gotten the announcement simultaneously, and everyone had the same idea about arriving early. The crowd moved like a sluggish river, people jostling for position but mostly staying civil. 

Every now and then someone would push too hard and get a sharp word in return, but nothing escalated beyond grumbling.Asta found himself walking between Flora and Jabber, with Mira slightly ahead breaking trail through the thicker parts of the crowd. 

His hand kept unconsciously touching his pocket, feeling the letters there, drawing comfort from their presence. Gregor , Helena, and Marcus hadn't forgotten him. They still cared. That had to count for something.

Beside him, Jabber walked in silence, his face still that careful blank mask, but his hands were clenched into fists at his sides, knuckles white with tension. Asta wanted to say something comforting, something that would help, but what could he say? That it would get better? That his family would eventually come around? Neither of those things might be true, and Jabber would know he was lying.

So instead, Asta just stayed close. Shoulder to shoulder, close enough that Jabber would know he wasn't alone even if words failed. Sometimes presence was all you could offer, and it had to be enough.

They finally emerged from the corridors into the large open space of the gathering quarters. It was the same room where they'd formed Ember Watch yesterday,was that really only yesterday? It felt like weeks ago already.

The space was filling rapidly, people spreading out to claim their spots. Some gathered in small groups with their guild mates. Others stood alone. A few sat on the ground, clearly exhausted from the morning's rush.

Flora led them toward a spot roughly in the middle,not so far back they'd struggle to hear, but not so far forward they'd be under the direct scrutiny of whoever was speaking. A good strategic position.As they settled into their spot, Asta's eyes were drawn to the raised platform at the front of the room.

 Old Man Kael was already there, standing with his characteristic slightly stooped posture, his weathered hands resting on his walking stick. His cloudy eyes swept across the gathering crowd with an expression that was impossible to read.

And standing beside him, arms crossed over his chest, was the higher official who had punched Jabber yesterday. The same man who'd burst into their room demanding they get up, who'd sneered at Jabber's quiet response, who'd sent him flying into a pillar with one brutal strike.

Asta felt his jaw clench automatically. He glanced at Jabber and saw his friend had gone even more rigid, his eyes fixed on that official with an expression that wasn't quite fear but wasn't quite anything else either. Just a kind of blank readiness, like he was preparing for another blow.

"Easy." 

Asta murmured, quiet enough that only Jabber could hear. 

"We're in a crowd. He won't try anything here."

"Maybe." 

Jabber whispered back, not sounding convinced…