The Chained Maiden: Bound by Hope

by Ian Rodgers

  A week’s worth of riding and sleeping on the ground had done a number on her posterior, and Dora eagerly sunk into the clean and comfortable embrace of the inn’s bed with a smile on her soon to be sleeping face.

  She yawned. Dreamily, she wondered why everything was taking on a tinge of silver as she slipped into darkness. Those thoughts soon no longer mattered as she faded from the waking world.

  ∞.∞.∞

  Dora stood in a field of endless gold. As far as her eyes could see, there were golden stalks of wheat. An endless landscape of nothing but perfect crops. Above, silver clouds drifted through an azure sky. A soft wind blew, rustling the stalks and cooling the heat of summer. She inhaled deeply, and her nose was filled by the heady aromas of fresh, healthy soil and ripened grains.

  Eagerly, she frolicked through the field. It had been so long since she’d seen this much healthy plant life. Most of the flora that grew in the Cracked Land was small, tenacious, and as grey as the dust that filled the plains. Only near Annod Bol, where slave-farmers toiled in the soil to grow food for the great city, could green be seen. And even then, it was of inferior quality compared to the farms back in her old home of Far Reach. This wheat, however, put all of it to shame.

  She played. For the first time in years, she let herself have fun. No one was watching, no one was judging. She was alone with herself and her freedom.

  After what felt like hours of spinning, dancing, prancing, frolicking and making merry, Dora felt herself grow tired. She sighed contentedly and lay back amidst the stalks of golden grain in a small clearing. For a while she just lay there in dirt, taking a break. She watched the clouds drift lazily by. She had fun trying to see what sort of shapes they made, an old favorite of hers back when she’d been a girl. However, a thought nibbled at the back of her mind, and she frowned as she continued to gaze up into the sky. Where was the sun?

  Dora sat up, confused.

  “This is weird,” she muttered, then gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. Her voice had been loud. Too loud. Only when she lowered her hands and looked around did Dora realize that besides the sun, there were other things missing. Sounds, for one thing. And the creatures that made them.

  Even when alone in the Cracked Land, there was more sound in the background than just wind and dust. The grunt of a horse’s exertion. The clop of its hooves. The crunch of dirt displaced by monsters stalking the person idiotic enough to venture out into the wastes alone. The cry of a bird, usually a hawk, as it found prey.

  There were always sounds dancing through the landscape. But here, there was nothing save the rustle of stalks whenever a breeze went through the field.

  And, of course, there was no sun. Dora spent a few minutes glaring at the sky, trying to find it, but there was nothing. The azure sky was illuminated through means beyond the norm. And it was starting to freak the half-orc out.

  “This is a dream,” she chanted to herself and she looked around. “Just a dream. Only a dream. It can’t hurt me.”

  There was a rustling sound in the grain not caused by the wind, and Dora tensed, cursing her big mouth and loose lips. “Don’t tempt fate, Dora, it just makes the gods eager to prove you wrong,” she sighed, staring warily at the golden wheat as it swayed and parted.

  Instead of a horrific monster or a farm animal, what popped out of the wheat stalks was an amazing sight.

  A fox the size of a hunting hound, whose body was made entirely of opal. Its crystalline fur shimmered with a million colors as it peeked out at Dora with eyes like mirrors. It yipped as it caught sight of her and emerged fully from the grain field and stood in front of the green-skinned Healer, scrutinizing her.

  “Oh, my! What a beautiful tail!” Dora gushed as she caught sight of the fox’s hind quarter.

  And what a tail it was! Rather than fur, it was a rainbow of fire that flickered and flowed almost like water. Dora could feel the heat radiating from the magical tail, but somehow it did not harm the crops around it. The opal fox yipped again, this time with a tone of pride in its voice.

  “Yes, it’s quite lovely, and I… wait, what did you say?” Dora demanded, staring at the foxy creature.

  “I could have sworn I heard you say something. Like, something in Common. I mean, I heard your bark, but there was… something underneath it?”

  It emitted a laughing bark at the half-orc’s perplexed face, before sauntering over to her. It rubbed up against her legs like a feline, before trotting off deeper into the wheat field. It paused before entering the land of endless grains and turned its head back to stare at Dora.

  “You want me to follow?” she asked cautiously. It nodded, and Dora bit her lip in thought before striding forward. She felt no malice or maliciousness in the creature’s intent and decided to follow its lead. Besides, it might escort her out of this strange dreamland.

  As the two walked deeper into the field, strange sights began to pop up around her, before fading away with every step they took.

  A mountain made of gold that burned white-hot on the horizon. A palace of brass pipes and whirring gears that floated above the clouds. Another palace, also somehow flying in the sky, but made from the clouds themselves. A tree, fathomless in size that reached into the sky and pieced the heavens with a million branches, each larger than a forest. Three glowing banners depicting scenes of victory and valor held aloft by ethereal creatures of light and purity. A crown made of wings soaring through the sky. A thousand times a thousand white unicorns with golden horns prancing and frolicking in the fields.

  And then, finally, five ivory towers that rose from a city made of purest white marble. Two, capped with gold, the other three capped in silver. Dora’s jaw dropped as she stared at the sight to which the opal fox had led her. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Then, she pinched herself.

  Still the city of white remained in her sight. It did not fade like the rest of the sights the mysterious creature had led her past.

  “The Marble City?” Dora whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the miraculous sight. The fox nodded and continued to walk towards it.

  Dora’s knees shook and gave out and she fell upon them, unable to stand any longer in the presence of the divine city.

  “The Marble City, home of the Divine Family,” Dora uttered breathlessly.

  Scriptures and holy texts all spoke of it. A city within the Heavens where the gods of mankind resided, and the souls of the pure dwelled alongside them. Angels patrolled the walls and the spirits of the deceased lived in resplendent homes without wants or needs. Here, in the ivory towers, each member of the Divine Family held their courts. It was these palaces where Paladins and Clerics of the Divine Family sent their minds and souls when they prayed to commune with their respective deity. The Marble City was a place impossible to touch or reach by normal means, for the city existed deep within the Aether, hidden in a place no living being could reach.

  And here she was, a half-orc slaver, kneeling in front of a place she had never imagined she would see.

  She frowned and looked closer at the city. Was it just her, or was she nearer to the city than she’d been moments before? The walls seemed awfully close, and a lot bigger than they’d appeared when she first spotted them.

  “Dora? Is that you?”

  The Healer’s heart stilled in her chest. “Mom?”

  She got off her knees and looked around wildly for the source of the voice. “Mom? Mommy, where are you?!”

  “Dora! My precious mint leaf!”

  She whirled about to face the cry, and tears began to slide down her cheeks, unbidden. There, emerging from a gate made of platinum and studded with countless pearls, was a young woman in a Healer’s robe with flowing golden blonde hair.

  Dora choked back a sob of joy as she recognized her mother, and ran towards her.

  “Mommy!”

  Suddenly, everything flickered. She staggered and stared around her in shock and fear as the sky darkened and cracks and motes of light and dark erupted around
her. Turning to look at her mother, she tried to run towards her, but found she was no longer able to move.

  Her mother too seemed unable to close the distance, even as she ran towards her daughter, tears streaming down her face.

  “No! No! Wait! I don’t want to wake up! I don’t want to leave!” Dora screamed, hands reaching out desperate for her mother.

  “Please, just let me hug her one last time! Please!” she begged. But if anyone was listening, no one answered, and the ground tore open into a yawning darkness, and she fell, screaming for her mother.

  ∞.∞.∞

  Dora sat up on her bed, a strangled cry on her lips and tears staining her face. She placed her head into her hands and wept silently for a moment.

  “Dora?” She jerked in surprise when the muffled male voice called out to her.

  “Y-yes?” she called out, wiping her eyes clear with the back of her hands.

  “Ain and I found this great place that serves this dish called ‘sushi!’ It’s from a region of my homeland, and I know you’ll love it!”

  For a moment, the half-orc sat on her bed, trying to organize her mind after the shock it had just gone through. Eventually, though, she rose from it and strode over to the door, opening it.

  On the other side, a familiar elf and human waited for her. Their smiles turned into looks of concern when they saw her bloodshot eyes.

  “Is everything alright, Dora?” Ain asked. She nodded mutely.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a bad dream,” she said, and walked past them. The two friends shared a look but remained silent and simply led Dora out of the inn towards food.

  Chapter 10: The true nature

  “Are you sure you’ll be fine here alone?” Enrai asked Dora for what felt like the thousandth time. The Healer rolled her eyes at his incessant nagging.

  “Yes, I will be. Of course, if you’re really concerned, you could just stay here and not go off for a trip to Annod Bol?” she pointed out.

  The Spellsword and Monk shuffled their feet awkwardly and the half-orc snorted. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Weeping Outpost is safe enough, and as long as we don’t do anything foolish, we’ll remain honored, and untouchable, guests thanks to my connections with Reed. Plus, Captain Sherfield seems to be an honest man. For an Enforcer, of course.”

  Enrai nodded begrudgingly at that. Sherfield truly did seem to be one of the more noble people they’d encountered in the Dread Land so far. Still, he was starting to rethink leaving Dora alone in a town used by slavers as a rest stop.

  Dora picked up on his hesitation and frowned, before making a shooing motion with her hands. “Go on, you two. I told you I’d be fine. I’m a big girl who can take care of herself. Not a hapless damsel in distress.”

  “Fair enough,” Ain said with a small chuckle. He then turned to Enrai and nudged his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go. If we want to head to Annod Bol and back in one day we have to leave now.”

  The Monk nodded and followed after the Spellsword to Weeping Outpost’s gate. They left, and headed to a more isolated area before activating their magic. One thing that was the same in the Dreadlands as it was in the more ‘civilized’ realms of the Domain and Distant Qwan: Never use high-level spells within the border of a settlement. And never fly in and out of a settlement, using magic or otherwise, without prior permission. It was just rude, otherwise.

  Once they were far enough away from the Outpost, the pair engaged their spells. Enrai grew wings of dazzling orange and red fire that carried him aloft into the sky. Ain wrapped himself in a crackling aura of sparks and weak lightning bolts, and he was soon moving so fast he became a blur on the horizon.

  Dora watched them leave, their dust trail causing a few distant merchants and travelers to cough and swear loudly. She smirked at that before heading back inside the Outpost, keen on exploring it. She’d only caught a glimpse of it last night when Enrai and Ain had escorted her to dinner, and most of that was a blur thanks to her mind still reeling from the wretched dream she’d experienced.

  Now she was determined to explore the place and take in the sights. She wasn’t expecting much in terms of tourist attractions, but seeing the sights wasn’t the Healer’s purpose. She wanted to gather information on the Sprawling Jungle and talking to the merchants and inhabitants of Weeping Outpost was the best way to do so. She could ask more detailed question when the Greysliver Caravan arrived, but at the moment she was limited to the people inside the walls.

  First stop: a food stall for breakfast. The merchant was selling salted nuts she didn’t recognize, and a few roasted roots she did know stuck on sticks.

  “Two potatoes, please,” she requested from the vendor.

  “Eight copper,” was the reply. ‘Expensive,’ she thought, but she paid it anyway. Dora happily took the two skewered tubers. Potatoes were a food from Drakon that had caught on like wildfire across the world, but more so in the Cracked Land than anywhere else. It was one of the few things capable of growing in the parched, desiccated soil that made up one third of the Dreadlands.

  “Heading south to the jungles for the first time. Any advice for what I can and cannot eat down there?” Dora inquired politely of the merchant as she nibbled on the roasted potatoes.

  “If you don’t like meat, you’re going to go hungry,” the man behind the stall said bluntly. “Farmland is rare down there, and most of the edible plants are fruits. Orcs do know how to make a damned good barbeque, though. They have magic hands when it comes to meat.”

  The vendor narrowed his eyes at her. “Seems odd a halfy wouldn’t know this, though.”

  “Born outside the jungle. My father never looked back after he left it,” Dora stated simply. The merchant just grunted and ignored her, his interest in the conversation drying up.

  Dora moved on, aware that she’d get no more information out of the man. Instead, she headed down to the docks in search of one of the salt processing workers. Since their goods went to the Sprawling Jungle more often than not, it made sense to question them about what went on down there.

  “Do you know why salt is worth so much down south? Why so much of what we make ends up down there?” one of the salt makers inquired. Dora blinked, surprised by the question. All she’d asked was why so much salt was needed by the jungle-dwellers.

  So, she slowly shook her head in the negative. The salt maker scoffed, folded his arms across his chest, and then gave her a look she knew heralded a lecture. She did her best not to groan.

  “The jungle is stupidly hot. More than that, it’s humid. Which means humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes will be sweating like pigs down there,” the man explained. “And when we sweat, we lose not just water, but salt as well. So, in order to not die of dehydration, salt is absolutely vital.”

  Dora nodded slowly. She already knew that thanks to her training as a Healer. That did raise one question in her mind, however. “Orcs don’t have that problem, then?”

  “Nah, lucky bastards don’t have as many pores as humans or other humanoids do,” the salt maker stated. “Don’t sweat as much as a result. Something about their skin retains salt and moisture, too, by reflecting heat or some such, but I’m not a hoity-toity scholar, so I dunno more than that.”

  The half-orc politely ignored the somewhat racist term of ‘humanoids’ to describe elves, dwarves, and gnomes, and simply bobbed her head as she processed this new information. She’d never healed that many orcs before. Scarrot never got hurt or sick, at least not since she’d joined the Menagerie, and he did not deal in orc slaves.

  For Dora, this information was important. She knew she sweated like a human. A side effect from her mother’s half of her parentage, no doubt. She’d never noticed any differences as a result. She was curious if being half-orc would matter much in the jungle in regards to keeping her alive. Knowing the reason salt was so valued in the Sprawling Jungle was worth having to sit through the next ten mi
nutes as the salt maker droned on about ‘the wonders of salt, I tell you what!’

  ∞.∞.∞

  The lecture on salt lasted far longer than Dora had expected or wanted. By the time it was over, it was almost noon and the half-orc dragged herself away to find something to eat. Preferably something without an ounce of salt in it.

  She managed to do so by stuffing herself with fresh fish, caught straight from the Lake of Tears. The stall vendor she bought the grilled fish from was quite helpful. Far more so than the first market stall vendor or the salt maker.

  “…and another thing! Make sure you pack some bug repellant! Those nasty vermin will drink you dry if you let ‘em! And another thing! Be careful when trying to bathe, especially in a river! They have these hungry little fish called ‘piranha’ that will gnaw you to the bone if you’re not careful!” the grandmotherly vendor declared, waggling a skewer at Dora who nodded politely and continued to absorb the knowledge. “And another thing! If something is brightly colored, it’s probably poisonous! Just like a clown!”

  “I wasn’t aware clowns were poisonous,” Dora commented, amused by the old woman’s rants.

  “My ex-husband was a clown! And they’re as toxic as they come!” the vendor shouted sternly. “You think you know a man, but then he comes home with some other woman’s make-up on his face! The very idea! And another thing…!”

  As strange and opinionated as the old woman was, she was a veritable font of information. If you could cut away the fact from the rant. Dora repaid her worldly wisdom with a free check-up, healing some arthritis and a weak hip.

  “Oh, such a kind young girl,” the elderly vendor gushed as Dora’s Healing magic washed away her aches and pains. “You know, my grandson is single. You’re just at the proper age to settle down, eh?”

  “Um, that’s generous of you, but I don’t think I’m ready to do that just yet,” Dora said with a cough and a blush. “I still have things I need to do.”

  “Ah, wanderlust. I had it too when I was a girl! Ran away and joined a circus!” the vendor said, sighing as she delved into her memories. “That’s how I met my ex-husband. I was the bearded lady, you know.”