More hours had passed since Anemone’s arrival at the Bombyx-Mori Nursery. The coldness in the air almost faded as she walked around the other fae. Their smiles were not the source. Each of them still avoided direct eye contact or sneered as they passed by. Instead, it was from the steam that sizzled from their bodies. Overcoats were almost nonexistent among them, and gambesons were even fewer.

  “Only those who used Vulcan-Ars could be so bold.”

  When Anemone activated her Sight, she saw red glimmers inside their cores. Into the upper branches they flew, laughing, after turning their heads to the side. As Anemone bounded up the branches, they flew with fluttering wings and alighted gently on the one above her. She huffed while they all had pep in their voices. Anemone turned her head as well. She did her best to keep her chin up as she caught her breath.

  “Lucky for me, slime trails aren’t the only way to hunt. The Sight has me covered.” She smirked.

  She hopped up one more branch and then stopped at a hole in the tree’s trunk. It was transparent to her. Hidden within the trees were two cocoons. Thanks to Aronia, Anemone knew larvae usually left behind trails before they cocooned. But now that was not her only tool. After gripping two hidden cocoons together, she extracted them.

  “Yuck,” she gagged. “I only enjoy the eating part of this.”

  Her skin crawled because of the squishy yet firm sensation. A slight slosh from the contents caused her stomach to churn, a sensation at odds with the silk’s softness. Other fae’s distant wingbeats reached her. Anemone turned around, leaning against the tree behind her. She scanned their big, beautiful wings. The way the colorful scales clashed against the black lining of the wings made a knot form in her gut.

  “The only thing you have going for you are those—those darn things!” Anemone paused. “Those darn things…I don’t have….”

  When they flew back down, their wings caught all her attention. Their vibrant purple and yellow shone where the sun could not fully reach. Those bold, rich colored multiscale wings filled her mind as she clenched the cocoons in her arms. Her eyes darted away, and she followed. The stinging feeling of the wind brushing her face made her flinch as she jumped. Next, Anemone descended the tree’s flank, landing on a branch below. From above, she could hear other fae yelling at each other.

  “From the sound of that, I’d say they are struggling to find just one cocoon.”

  The sight of distress on their faces as they probably scrambled around put a smirk on her face. With both pupae in one arm, Anemone kneeled. Just looking at the next branch made her swallow. It was hard not to rub her knees. Even with her Ars equipped, preparing for another jump took a second, despite her doing it often. Taking a deep breath, she dropped again. The wind whistled by.

  Moments later, Anemone was on another level. As she landed on the branch, her legs tucked, and she rolled out into a tumble. Next, she descended three more branches. Upon landing, she overheard an argument happening below. Despite the distance obscuring the sound, she leaned in. Pressed her finger to her ear and drew runic symbols. She cast an Ars on her ears to increase her hearing.

  “Arcane-Duo: 1st Tier: Hagalaz—Uruz.”

  Two tailors were debating on which uniform style was superior: the mesh method or sap-pressed silk uniforms. Anemone leaned into the heated debate, almost falling off as she listened to the passion in their voices.

  “Sap-soaked cloths make better layers for gambesons, YOU TWITT!” one yelled.

  “Are YOU mad?! Do you know how STIFF that is? Might as well use boiled leather or metal!” the other retorted.

  “OHHH and those Equus hairs are better!?! It’s not thick enough!”

  “And SOME sap is HIGHLY flammable! Think resin, for fuck’s sakes. What good is that with Vulcan users everywhere!?!”

  “Emphasis on SOME!”

  Tailors shouted between themselves, while Anemone kept returning downwards. A chuckle escaped her lips, finding the discussion rather silly.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Why did the way matter? It was still a lightweight, handy choice compared to metallic armor.”

  Walking past them, she quickly tossed the cocoons into a pile with the rest. Right after, she dryly washed her hands and gagged. Although she had been doing this for some time, she still hated touching anything involving insecta, unless she ate it. Before long, her stomach made a noise.

  “Now, I really want some Cocooze.” said Anemone

  “COUGH!”

  “Might as well visit an apothecary, too.”

  A loud cough from a nursery attendant nearby caused Anemone to flinch. As the cold season approached, inevitably, others would fall ill, and she was among them. Beyond antihistamines or antitussives, one hopes for any remote possibility of Vulcan-ease. If the Apothecaries did not have it, maybe Quarz would. He had worked with Spriggan to get her grimoire despite Tir-noNog’s embargo. If anyone could find some, it would be him.

  That would just make me a double criminal

  Anemone sighed. Upon her return to the tree, she overheard the nursery attendants whispering. Both wore caps that covered their hair and long aos-si ears. Even with scarves wrapped around their faces, you could hear the muffled distress in their voices. The only noticeable difference between the two was their height. Anemone slowed her steps and listened.

  “Did you hear about the Formica-hunter?!” the taller one fussed.

  “I heard about them from my siblings.” The shorter sh’fae stated. “She told me they found some strange plants near the barrier.”

  “Yeah, apparently, they can infect other insecta. Hopefully, none come near the bombyx sacks!” The taller one jerked her head back.

  “Yuck! The last thing I want is that stuff in my food.” The shorter sh’fae shivered.

  “Hey, as long as the barrier doesn’t shrink past Coldwater territory, we’ll be fine.”

  “Better safe than sorry. ‘Prepare as if Dragon’s Rain has come again!’ As my apa said,” The taller sh’fae shrugged.

  “Dragon’s rain? That reminds me of my grand… he talks about that Prismatic fire night thing.”

  Anemone folded her arms, thinking about whether what they said was crazy or not. Back in the Academy, she learned that there were carnivorous plants like the Drosera. They had sensory organs on their toothed leaf pads. Once anything touched it, it snapped closed like the jaw of a dragon. However, they did not infect insecta. Anemone stroked her chin, pressing her lips tight.

  “Ugh… I should know this! It’s those fungi with a long name.”

  She displeasingly shook her head. Although its name was at the tip of her tongue, she could not recall that fungus’s name. Then one of the other fae’s words cut through her thoughts.

  “Dragon’s Rain, my ass!” a voice said. “That damn barrier can hardly stop a mere twenty gallu.”

  “Back in our grand's day it took an army of dragons to shake the barrier. Now, level three threats are something to fear. What even is that?” The yellow-winged fae nodded.

  “Trash! That’s what it is! In just two generations? It's absolute garbage.”

  “And now we even have to worry about those black feathered rats.”

  “Don’t get me started on the Tengu!”

  Her mind stopped focusing on that name. Instead, it drifted to another thought. The only two moments the barrier failed: Dragon’s Rain and the Night of Prismatic Embers. Before she was born, there was a Draconic leader who led one hundred dragons to rain down their rage upon the lands. Spriggan had told her how they had almost destroyed everything. This event transpired during Dagda, Medb’s supreme rule. That moment in history was the highest threat level they had ever had: four. Historians know it as Dragon’s Rain. Dragon’s Rain caused many aos-si to lose their lives because of the dragons’ immense power.

  Soon after, another aos-si joined the group. They also added their input on the barrier’s weakening. Then the sh’fae with red wings began complaining to the yellow-winged fae. Anemone sat near the base of a tree. As they continued to speak, she listened. The conversation began by comparing the threat of Gallu-utukku to dragons. However, with today’s barrier, an assault of sixty dragons is a threat level of four. If half of them were Gallu-Dragons? Forget about it. Superiors would likely call this excessive. Gallu-utukku’s rage boost meant fifty monsters reached threat level three. That would send ripples through the barrier. And that thought made Anemone shiver.

  Dragon’s Rain resulted from a pact between dragon-kind. It was much like the Treaty of Three Crowns, but among all dragon-kind and later the tengu. With Tir-noNog being the easternmost kingdom, it was the first to be attacked. The kingdom’s survival hinged entirely on the vast number of fae. Both Albion and Albrecht arrived late. Then, the battle’s tide turned.

  This event facilitated the collaboration between dragons and tengu. In exchange for some eggs and scales, Tengu had protected dragon eggs. And with the dragon population already dwindling, the dragons needed the tengu’s support. The Dragovian Treaty was official. They fled into the skies above in the Floating Isles. Now they were only murmurs among aos-si kind. Yet, they were still a major concern. A ravenous juvenile might descend, devastating the outer woodland ecosystem. And that vastly affects Tir-noNog’s way of life.

  “They are right to worry,” she thought. “If anything affected the bombyx-mori, we’d lose almost everything.”

  Bombyx-mori were more than a staple food supply; they were a precious commodity. It would cause more than a significant amount of damage to Tir-noNog’s economy. Soon, Anemone’s thoughts ran in circles until someone else crossed her mind again. She rose, returning towards a different tree, seeking additional silkworm cocoons.

  Hopefully, Aron is okay.