Drandok is the realm in question so Noah, Lucy, Conrad and I sit at the dining table, studying the illustration that fills the Panorilum … drawn to the mountains framing a space most accurately described as a chamber for captured creatures … Riadek struggling in chains as the Domitus assert their control of them.
It looks pretty brutal, to be honest, the Silverbacks roaring as they whip their wings against the chains … some breaking out and escaping to the skies … only to have their flight limited by the group of Society soldiers who stand in a circle below… emotionless as they struggle to contain a ferocious creature’s fury. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to tame dangerous creatures, but it doesn’t look like it’s going entirely to plan.
“No wonder they never smile,” Noah comments as we study the figures darting for cover as a Silverback trashes out its wings in fury. “Imagine that as a job.”
“It makes you wonder who’d sign up to be a Domitus,” Lucy adds, her slender frame hiding an iron will.
“Witches and wizards with a point to prove,” Conrad says, getting up from his chair to stand right next to the Panorilum. He kneels to study the taming range surrounded by mountains. “Maybe they lost their nerve in the last war, choosing to hide in places like Gilweean instead of stepping into battle.”
“Or maybe they just like violence,” I counter, “and Drandok is the perfect place for them.”
Conrad pauses and turns to me, seeming distant. “It could be another way the Society’s managing potential dangers, Guppy, allowing volatile witches and wizards to let off steam.”
“Makes sense,” Noah adds, joining Conrad alongside the Panorilum. “Give them an outlet to stop their violent tendencies spilling inwards.”
“Avoiding another Erent Koll,” Lucy echoes — everyone present knowing full well how that ended.
“So, when are we going?” I ask, getting a little restless cooped up in The Cendryll. As great as the faculty for remedies is, it’s basically home and who wants to sit at home all day, staring at places you’d rather visit.
Drandok isn’t likely to be a barrel of laughs, but it will tell us more about the nature of the Domitus. Why they choose such a dangerous job, for example, and what makes them so humourless.
“Let’s make it the first place to visit tonight,” Lucy replies, determined to put this ‘duel’ thing to bed.
Duel or no duel, we’ll arrive in Drandok on our trusted Williynx: Night Rangers on a mission to learn the art of taming monsters, while keeping an eye out for the humourless pair who appeared in Poridian Parlour last night.
14
Drandok
Evening falls and we gather on the ground floor of The Cendryll, happy to be alone before our journey to Drandok begins. Conversation regarding the potential dangers of a duel faded after it became clear it was intensifying Conrad’s desire.
All Night Rangers are competitive, to a degree, but Conrad takes things to another level. Part of me thinks it’s linked to losing his dad in the last war and the way Theodore died … sacrificing his life in the final phase to secure the Society’s future.
If I’m being honest, I think Conrad bears a secret grudge towards the surviving malevs who vanished when the smoke of war settled, hoping to find a safe haven beyond The Society Sphere. The vastness of the realms existing beyond the S.P.M.A. makes it relatively easy to hide out for a while, but eventually we track them down, leaving it up to The Orium Circle to decide what the punishment should be.
Sometimes, karma takes care of things, like it did with The Sinister Four: the first bullies I met. They used to run the Society library — known as The Pancithon — flexing their Society clout at every opportunity. Their humiliation of Jacob in our early days here stuck with me, so when they all perished in the last brutal battle, I didn’t shed a tear. Things are very different now, obviously, so we have to tread carefully on our journey to Drandok.
We’ve covered our bases by mentioning it to Casper and Philomeena Renn — the two figures you definitely don’t want to cross in The Cendryll. We might be Night Rangers but they’re legends, and when it comes to a matter of judgement The Orium Circle will almost always side with members who have seen and sacrificed so much.
Casper and Philomeena fit into this category so with the clear sense our journey will be watched by them, we ready ourselves for a meeting with the emotionless group who frequent Drandok.
“Ready?” Lucy asks as we take our positions on the edge of the S.P.M.A. logo, dominating the ground floor of The Cendryll.
With a nod from us all, we raise our arms towards the skylight situated directly above, releasing the Spintz charm. Light streaks of colourful energy float towards the skylight … blue, amber, purple and yellow … until they touch the surface, covering the skylight with a kaleidoscope of colour.
It’s our calling card to the Williynx: our feathered companions who never fail to arrive when duty calls. They neither belong to us nor have to respond to our calls, but as long as our intentions are in the interests of the Society, they always have and always will.
I offer Conrad a smile as our arms remained raised, hoping to see his expression soften: a signal he isn’t looking for trouble in Drandok. There’s something I can’t quite put my finger on about his demeanour ... as if he’s struggling with an immovable thought … that the two figures who engaged in a stare down in Poridian Parlour are connected to us in some way, but how?
The light begins to shimmer above, signalling the impending arrival of our Williynx, and moments later they appear through the skylight … the glass turning into liquid form at the
