Conjunction

"You speak as though you have a choice," Kadal scoffed, crossing her arms as she watched him inspect the wall. "Fire and thunder cannot rend rock."

"That's not entirely correct," he replied. "If I had a black powder charge, I bet I could create a breach. They've been used to assault fortresses in a similar way. Looks like there's no mortar. This structure is entirely self-supporting. If I could just pop out one of these blocks, I don't think it would collapse..."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Kadal asked skeptically. "Do you have a spell that can bring down a mountain?"

"Perhaps," he replied, shrugging off his pack. He fished inside it, retrieving that massive, leather-bound book, setting it on the ground as he began to leaf through its yellowed pages. Kadal waited as he prepared his ritual, her tail batting against the sand as she grew increasingly impatient.

"Take a few steps back, would you?" he said as he waved her clear. "If this whole thing comes tumbling down, I don't want you to be in its path."

"You are serious?" she asked, uncrossing her arms and retreating a short distance as she glanced up at the wall warily. Surely he couldn't really bring it down? Calling down lightning was something that she could understand, even stealing life to heal one's injuries, but what force could breach a barrier that had been erected by the Gods themselves?

He lifted that stave of his, gripping it tightly with both hands, beginning to whisper under his breath. It looked like such an innocuous weapon. It had no sharp blade, it was not a club or a hammer, it was more akin to the sticks that young warriors used to spar. In spite of its appearance, she had felt its bite, she had seen what terrible forces it could call upon.

As she watched, something odd began to happen. Water started to drip from one of the stone blocks, forming rivulets across its pocked surface. It was one of the lesser blocks, but that wasn't to say that it was in any way small. It was almost as tall as she was and just as wide, cut into a vaguely rectangular shape. Before long, its every pore was bleeding, as though a freshwater spring was burbling inside it. After a minute, the flow suddenly stopped, Kadal watching the moisture begin to evaporate as the sun baked the wall. Caden did not break his intense concentration even for a moment, a sparkling layer of frost beginning to spread across the bronze figurehead on the end of his stave as he chanted, covering it entirely. It extended to the stone, too, icy fingers slowly covering its surface. There was a tremendous cracking sound, fissures appearing in the immense block, spreading through it like a cracked eggshell.

"What are you doing?" she wondered aloud, risking a step closer to take a better look.

"A sorcerer must have an intimate understanding of the forces that he wields if he is to make effective use of them," he began, waving the staff as he kept his eyes fixed on the stone. "Let me tell you something about this type of rock. It might appear unbreakable, but limestone is porous, like a giant sponge. It's full of tiny holes that let water pass through it. Using hydromancy, I can summon water from the moisture in the air, and fill every last one of those little pores."

"But how can water crack stone?" she demanded.

"Do you know what happens when water freezes? It expands," Caden explained. "Using cryomancy, I can turn the water in the rock to ice, which creatures pressure enough that..."

He gave the wall an experimental tap with the end of his staff, then drew it back, his feet sliding in the red sand as he braced himself. With a startling yell, he swung with all his might, the impact shaking a shower of dust from the ancient structure. The fissures spread further, fragments of stone falling to the sand below. He hit it again, and again, his blows striking with the force of a hammer. The wood should have splintered in his hands, the staff shouldn't have the weight or momentum to hit so hard, it defied all logic.

Kadal watched in awe, both impressed and frightened by his show of strength. His furry head barely reached her chest, and he claimed to be no warrior, but he had strength enough to outdo any male in the tribe. Strength enough to outdo even her. It had to be some kind of magic, surely, but that made the sight no less impressive.

The block crumbled into fist-sized fragments, the structure around the shattered stone holding the wall aloft, resulting in a perfect hole that led through to the other side. Caden planted his staff in the sand triumphantly, wiping his brow before gesturing to the breach.

"After you," he said breathlessly.

She stared at him for a moment, then snapped out of her stupor, making her way over to the hole. She had to crouch a little to fit through, brushing some more errant fragments out of her path, but she quickly emerged onto the other side. Kadal turned to look back at the towering megalith, watching her companion stoop to retrieve his book before following after her.

"You look rather pleased with yourself," she muttered.

"What can I say? I find the practical application of the natural laws to be very satisfying."

He passed her by, marching off into the corals, Kadal cocking her head at him. The longer she spent with this strange creature, the more he seemed to surprise her. She had never met someone who was stronger than her, least of all a male. As the weaker sex, they were generally smaller and weaker than the females, less capable. While he was certainly short, nothing about him was weak.

She had to know more...

***

"How did you learn to do these things?" Kadal asked, Caden sitting on a reef as he took a drink from his waterskin. He offered it to her, and after hesitating for a moment, she shuffled closer to take it from his hand. She didn't retreat this time, leaning against the rocks beside him as she drank.

"Magic, you mean?" he asked. She swallowed a mouthful, then nodded, returning the waterskin to him. "Years of study," he continued. "I was chosen to become a sorcerer by a guild scout when I was just a child, and my family sent me to live with my Master, where I began my training."

"Your family sent you away?" she asked, her frill fluttering with surprise. "Did they not want you anymore?"

"No, it's not like that," he replied hastily. "I was born into a simple farming family, they produced food for the kingdom. Becoming a sorcerer would afford me far more opportunities than continuing the family business, so they made the decision that they thought would most benefit me."

"How long have you been away from your family?" she asked.

"A long time," he sighed, fastening the cap of his waterskin. "I'm not alone, though. The Master has taken good care of me, he taught me everything that I know."

"He is like...a Shaman?"

"I suppose you could say that," Caden replied with a nod. "He's very old, very wise, and he's a prestigious member of the guild. It takes decades, maybe hundreds of years to forge a sorcerer. The amount of knowledge and wisdom required is astronomical. I've read thousands of books from cover to cover, I've pored over incantations and spells, I've memorized the histories of entire kingdoms. Even so, I'm barely considered a novice."

"How can you say that after the feats I have witnessed?" Kadal asked, her scaly brow furrowing.

"Magic isn't just about blowing things up," he chided. "It's the pursuit of knowledge, of understanding the world and its processes so that they might be harnessed and controlled. Believe me, my Master can do things that I can't even imagine."

"And how did you learn to fight?" she asked eagerly, leaning closer.

"Oh, is that what interests you the most?" he chuckled. "Very well. I hadn't picked up a staff until about a month ago, when I set out on my journey. Before then, I had never even seen an offensive spell, and I knew little of the battlemages. Such weapons are only granted to sorcerers when they have demonstrated the restraint and wisdom to wield them, but my case was somewhat...different. My Master was too old to undertake this journey, I had to go in his stead. It was a matter of utmost urgency and secrecy. As such, I was armed with a staff, and trained as much as time would allow. That's why I keep telling you that I'm no warrior, I had never been in a real fight before I met you."

"I-impossible!" Kadal snapped, rising to her feet. He flinched away from her as she spun around to face him, alarmed by the red frill that had erupted to frame her angry face. "I have trained to be a warrior all my life, I devoted my every waking hour to hunting and sparring, and you mean to tell me that you had never even been in a scrap before!?"

"Not until we crossed paths, at least," he said apologetically. "Tell me about it," he added, trying to keep her talking in an attempt to diffuse the tension. "Life in your tribe, I mean."

She seemed to calm somewhat, averting her eyes as her frill flattened back down against her slender neck.

"I was the largest of my clutch, even when we were hatchlings," she began. "I was already participating in hunts by the time I was old enough to wield a spear. I loved the thrill of the chase, I loved the praise that my tribe heaped upon me when I returned with enough meat for everyone to share. I liked nothing better than seeing them fed and happy." She sat back down on the rock beside him, her tail trailing off into the sand. "In my tribe, the more accomplished one becomes, the more responsibilities they are afforded. I am...was responsible for organizing the hunts, for protecting the village, and for carrying out the will of the Gods if need be."

"By will of the Gods you mean killing travelers?" Caden asked.

"You speak as though it is something to regret," she shot back. "If you must know, intruders are rare, and my skills have only been called upon a handful of times. Usually when a more organized force attempts to penetrate the Coral Sea."

"Sounds like you have a lot of responsibilities," Caden said. "Isn't there anyone to help you?"

"I shoulder those burdens willingly," she insisted. "It is an honor to be sought out in times of need, to be relied upon."

"Why did you say was?" he asked. "You used the past tense when you talked about your responsibilities. Did you get demoted for losing that fight or something to that effect?"

"No," she replied, rubbing her upper arm as she glanced back at the towering wall in the distance. "But how can I be relied upon after such a failure? Defeating you was to be my greatest accomplishment, I was chosen by the Gods themselves, but the culmination of a lifetime of dedication resulted in...nothing."

"Come now," Caden said, his tone reassuring. He wanted to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he was afraid that he might lose it. "One cannot go through life expecting to never fail, that would be absurd. Not even the Gods can attain perfection. If they could, I would have no need to come here in the first place."

"Why would they ever trust me again?" she lamented, her head drooping.

"Because making one mistake doesn't invalidate all of the things you've done right," he replied. "You're probably imagining that they're as disappointed in you as you are in yourself, but I'm willing to bet that's not true. You might think me some kind of powerful battlemage, but I still make mistakes all the time. I used to lie awake at night worrying that my Master would send me back to my family, that he wouldn't want me to study under him anymore, but he never wavered. He always judged me by my potential, he didn't keep a tally of every time I forgot an incantation or melted a hole in a desk by mixing the wrong chemicals."

"And what if all of my achievements up until now were nothing but chance?" she demanded, glaring down at the sand.

"You can't lose confidence because of one failure," he sighed. "When you fall, you pick yourself up, and you keep going. You learn, you adapt, and you try again." He realized what he had just said, hastily correcting himself. "Not that you should try this particular thing again, that is. Maybe just take the loss on this one..."

"Why would you try to comfort me?" she asked, turning her head to glance at him. "I am your enemy."

"You're not my enemy," he replied, shaking his head. "Enemies have cause to hate one another. I don't hate you, and I don't get the impression that you hate me. Circumstance pitted us against one another, that's all."

"Maybe you are right," she muttered, "but that does not make us friends."

"Yet you keep tagging along," he replied, Kadal shooting him an angry look.

"Purely because I do not trust you," she snarled. "I am still uncertain of your intentions, and if I cannot stop you, then I must keep you in my sight."

"And what would you do if I turned out to be as evil as you fear?" he wondered, pressing her as she shifted her weight uncomfortably. She didn't have an answer for him.

"Hey," he added, changing the subject. "We haven't stopped all day, we should find a place to rest and eat. I have more salted pork."

"I can feed myself," she snapped, rising from her place on the rock beside him.

"I don't doubt that," he said, watching her tail draw furrows in the sand as it whipped back and forth in a way that came across distinctly angry. It seemed that he had touched a nerve, as if all this talk of failure had made her feel rather helpless.

She stalked off into the corals, Caden calling after her.

"I can't wait around for you!"

"Do you think I cannot follow your tracks, clumsy creature that you are?" she called back as she vanished around a reef. "I will find you later!"

Caden hoisted his pack onto his back and lifted his staff, shrugging his shoulders.

***

It took a few hours for Caden to find a suitable place to make camp, another shallow cave in one of the reefs that provided shelter from the harsh sun. He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to miss Kadal's company already, as surly as she was. Maybe it was just because he had been traveling alone for so many weeks. He had left ample footprints, so if she was a hunter worth her salt, she shouldn't have any trouble finding him again.

He took the opportunity to heal his feet and refill his canteen while he waited, brushing up on some of his spells. As much as his stomach was growling, he wanted to wait for his companion to return before he started eating. There was no small measure of comfort to be found in sharing a meal, and it might help temper her sour mood.

With his renewed perception spell, he sensed a life form approaching, his hand moving to his staff as he saw that it had humanoid in shape. Although he hadn't encountered any more hunting parties since his fight with Kadal, he couldn't be too careful...

He was relieved to see that it was indeed her as she appeared at the mouth of the cave, lowering his weapon, Kadal sparing it a wary glance. When she was certain that he wasn't about to throw a bolt of lightning at her, she tossed something on the ground. It created a splash as it landed heavily in the red sand, its lifeless flesh wobbling, Caden grimacing at the sight of the thing. It was an animal that must be native to the Coral Sea, and he could only have described it as a turtle with no shell. It wasn't the most appetizing thing that he had ever seen.

Kadal seemed pleased with herself, chirping something at him, her voice nothing but hisses and snapping teeth.

"What was that?" he asked, the reptile cocking her head at him in confusion.

Oh, the translation spell must have run its course. They were hearing one another's language as it truly was once again. He gestured for her to wait, then turned to his spellbook, locating the right incantation again. It didn't take long to cast, Kadal seeming to understand what he was trying to do, as she didn't flinch away when he pointed his staff at her.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," she replied. "I was afraid that something had gone awry for a moment."

"It lasted almost three days, not bad. So, tell me what this horrible thing that you've brought me is," he said as he pointed to the dead animal.

"Horrible!" she repeatedly dismissively. "Let me tell you, outsider, you are lucky to be presented with such a catch. Besides, who said that I intended to share its meat? Wait," she added, glancing around the cave. "Where is your fire?"

"I can't make a campfire out here," he scoffed, "the smoke would serve as a beacon to draw your friends straight to me."

"You really must be a novice," she laughed, her frill fluttering. "Do you not know how to make smokeless fire?"

"Considering that I'm a scholar and not an outdoorsman, I feel no shame in admitting that," he replied. "Can I assume that you're about to show me how it's done?"

"You are as helpless as a hatchling," she sighed. "Wait here."

Caden shuffled over to the mouth of the cave, watching as she crouched, beginning to dig in the sand just outside of it. Using nothing but her scaly hands, she excavated a hole that was maybe a foot wide and a foot deep, lining it with rocks so that the loose sand wouldn't fill it in. She vanished to collect some more suitable stones, returning with an armful, examining them before placing them in her hole. She began to dig a second, smaller pit a foot away from it, Caden watching with interest as she repeated the process. Finally, she pushed her arm into it, bridging the two openings and using more rocks to create a small channel between them. The structure looked relatively stable, Caden giving her a quizzical look.

Next, she went off to find some kindling, which took the form of bundles of desiccated plant life rather than dead wood. They looked like clumps of dry moss, or some kind of small sagebrush, Kadal placing them inside one of the pits that she had dug.

"I can light it," Caden volunteered, lifting his staff. She gave him a staunch shake of her head, producing two pieces of flint. She began to strike them together, creating a spark that took root in the bundles of dry brush, quickly blossoming into a bright flame. Kadal crouched by the empty hole, blowing into it, Caden seeing the fire intensify with each puff. To his surprise, there was almost no smoke coming from it, just a few white wisps that were quickly carried away by the breeze.

"There," she declared, standing back up and dusting off her hands. "Fire without smoke. Now, fetch me the prey."

Caden hesitated, not knowing where to grab the thing. He reached down gingerly to grip its stumpy rear legs, grimacing at the texture of its cold, leathery skin. It was far heavier than Kadal had made it look, and he had to drag it through the sand, his companion watching him with a disdainful expression on her face.

"I watched you destroy a block of stone with naught but a stick, yet you can't lift that?" she chided as she watched him struggle.

"This thing weighs as much as a good-sized sheep," he huffed, finally succeeding in dragging it to the edge of the pit. He released it, watching the thing wobble for a moment, its glassy eyes staring out above a beaked mouth.

Kadal leaned down and lifted it by the leg with one hand, her bicep bulging from beneath her scales as she dangled it in front of him.

"How did you even kill that thing?" he asked. "I took your knife."

"With a sharp rock," she replied. "They burrow to escape the sun when it gets too hot, and that makes them sluggish. They're easy prey if you know how to find their dens."

"Now that I know you have access to sharp rocks, I might as well give you a knife to butcher that thing with," he muttered. He made his way back over to his pack, rummaging through its contents.

"What of the one on your hip?" Kadal asked.

"You can't use that one," he said, glancing back at her. "This is the Blade of Umorath. It's an enchanted item, very dangerous."