The night was chilly, but the skies remained clear. We had set up a fire and unrolled our blankets close by. Before long, I had slipped into a dreamless sleep.
I was shaken awake and sat up quickly. “Duha?” I said, regretting the dumb, half asleep sound that escaped me.
“Relax, it is just me,” Cathy said. “I, uh, have been having some bad nightmares the past couple of nights.”
“Memories still coming back to you?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she answered. “I figured it was only a matter of time before they started up in this body and I...miss having you there to help me through them.”
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Can I just...” she started playing with her fingers, “lie beside you? It would only be for tonight.”
“Of course you can,” I said, lying back down. “And if you keep having nightmares you can keep doing it. We’ll figure out a way to stop them.”
“Thank you,” Cathy said, dragging her blanket to position herself behind me. “I think I just need to let go of my past. I have a new life now and I’m...different to what I used to be.” She lay back down and I felt her body press up against mine. “This doesn’t change anything either. I’m still tough.”
“I know you are,” I replied sleepily.
“I could still beat you up,” she continued.
“I don’t doubt that,” I said.
“I’m still a scary Demon,” she pressed.
“Cathy,” I said, “go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she said.
The rest of the night passed uninterrupted and when I woke up, Cathy was wrapped around me tightly and sleeping soundly. It was a shame to wake her but we needed to get moving again. She smacked me when I shook her but she sat up in a sitting position and we started getting ready.
The day of travel started out looking good, but clouds quickly filled the sky. We picked up our pace in the hope of making it to the forest before any rain began to fall. The sight of the trees rising up on the horizon brought a renewed strength and we pressed on as the first drops fell from the sky. By the time the rain was falling in force, we had broken the treeline and were on our way deeper into the forest.
Cathy laughed excitedly. “And here I thought it didn’t rain around here.”
“It was bound to happen eventually,” I smiled. “Summer is over.”
Cathy took off her gauntlet to wipe away the water from her eyes. “Alright, where to? Do you remember how to get to Tanoba?”
“Sort of,” I answered. “Depends where we ended up.” I took a quick look around at the claustrophobic forest then turned to Cathy. “Plan B?”
“Sure,” she said. “Let’s go find Fawna. I can’t wait to see her expression now that I am in a different body.”
“That’s right,” I said. “They can see right into the soul of people. Now I’m excited to see their reactions.”
Under the cover of the trees, the rain was lighter and easier to deal with. My plan was to simply wander in the general direction of the Nao city of Tanoba and get picked up by a hunting party. All Nao could feel my presence in the forest thanks to a bonding ritual a couple of cycles ago. It was a shame it didn’t work both ways though.
I reached out with my mind and focused on finding their energy. It didn’t take long before I picked up a few Nao minds hurrying towards us. I told Cathy to stop and we waited for the hunting party.
The Nao moved gracefully, gliding over the forest floor at unbelievable speed. When they needed to move, they didn’t waste a single moment. I wasn’t expecting them to be in such a hurry to greet me.
Huntress Fawna stopped in front of me while the two others stayed further back to watch over the area. Fawna was about to say something when she stopped and stared at me. She looked towards Cathy then back at me, mouth still open like she didn’t know what to do with it. Naos are not very good with expressions, but at that moment she had become an expert at showing shock.
“This is an interesting development,” she finally said.
“Yeah, I’ll explain later,” I said.
“Good, I am glad you have returned. Something important has come up and the Mistress needs to speak with you immediately,” Fawna explained.
“Of course, lead the way,” I said concerned.
Fawna turned to Cathy and studied her. “Stick close until we understand what to do about you, Other Half.”
“Fair enough, but you better start calling me Cathy, Tree Hugger,” Cathy replied.
“She’ll be fine,” I told Fawna.
Fawna nodded and in a flash, turned around and started running in the direction she came from. Cathy and I immediate took off after her and Cathy’s legs glowed blue as her magic helped her match the speed of the Nao. I was left far behind shaking my head at the two.
Already tired from the trip here, I wasn’t ready for the open sprint through the forest and fell very far behind. Cathy made the joke of carrying me the rest of the way and I was tempted to see if she had the guts to follow through. When the forest began to thin out, we came to a stop by a tree that reminded me of an inverted ‘L’. This was my memory marker for finding the Nao village.
I stopped beside Cathy and hunched over to breathe heavily, the heavy pack of supplies jingling as it slipped off my shoulders. My lungs burned from the run and I coughed a few times while sucking in some air. “Next time,” I started. “We walk.”
“Time is important,” Fawna responded. “We do not have much before things get worse. I thought you would be able to handle the journey.”
“It’s been a long couple of days,” I replied. “It’s starting to wear on me.”
“We have some Telu Vine Water,” Fawna offered. “It will help restore your energy.”
“And it can give you some nasty heartburn,” I said, picking up the pack from the ground. “No, thank you.”
“Oh yeah, I remember the stuff,” Cathy said, twisting her face in disgust. “Boy was that a rough night.”
“Very well.” Fawna nodded then turned to look past the inverted L tree. “Watusa Donari Kabu.”
The ancient magical words cut through the Spirit Plane and the air distorted as the trees disappeared, giving way to the beautiful clearing that housed the Nao village.
“Welcome back, Kairu,” Fawna said.
“Good to be back,” I smiled.
Chapter 21
The Nao village of Tanoba was the only village I knew about in the entire Szwen Forest. If they were hiding other towns somewhere, they never told me about it. During my time here, I had found ancient ruins and temples but nothing in their history that explained them. Even as a good friend to their race, I was still not allowed to have their full history. I always got the edited version.
Looking at the village, it was understandable why they would only need one village. The entire Nao population was just twenty-five. They had no need for any more. They were peaceful guardians of an ancestral forest. It only took a couple of their Huntresses and their reputation to keep people out of the forest so they didn’t need a standing army. It was one of the reasons I always loved coming here. The closeness of the community made it feel like home.
Fawna led us through the tree grown houses to the large temple in the centre of the village. The villagers looked happy to see me until they looked through my soul and towards Cathy. Wary of the unknown, they stared at us in apprehension. Cathy was just keeping her eyes forward as we walked. She probably felt the fear in them and was trying to maintain a little peace until everything was sorted out.
When we entered the temple, the Nao Spirit Well greeted us. The Well had been the central point of fascination for me during my trips to the village. It served as the Nao race’s anchor to the Physical Plane and was where the Nao would cast off their earthly bodies and return home or form a new body to begin a new life.
The life span of a Nao is one hundred cycles and then they return to the Well so another can take its place. Each soul serves its
time and retains the memories of past lives in preparation for future events. If there is a drought, their best farmer can be brought back to life. If there is need for battle, their best warriors can be brought back to fight. The Naos are as close to immortal as a species can get.
Describing the Well itself was tough. It was more of a giant spring in the middle of the temple. It glowed with the pale blue souls of the Naos and when Cathy and I approached, the souls gathered along the edge, drawn to our magic. Fawna nodded to us and left to find Mistress Carlia.
“Can’t you feel it?” Cathy asked softly.
“Feel what?” I asked.
“The Spirit Plane,” she answered. “It’s calming.”
“Is it like the distortion in Archanion?” I asked.
She shook her head. “That felt more like a wound. Like the Spirit Plane was bleeding out of it. This is more natural. More...right.”
I nodded and continued to stare down at the Well. The water was indeed calming but not to the level that left Cathy looking like she would give up a life of fighting to become a monk. I would have to tease her about it after we left.
Fawna returned with a taller Nao wearing a horned headdress and wolf pelt. Her vine work wrapped around her waist, climbed up her stomach past her breasts and split to go over each shoulder. I didn’t need to see her back to know the vines continued down her back and legs to her ankles.
“Mistress Carlia,” I smiled and bowed slightly.
“Kairu,” she said sweetly. She turned to look at Cathy then back to me. “It truly is something you have to see to understand.” She turned back to Cathy. “Welcome, Cathy. I trust the others have been treating you fairly.”
“I haven’t been attacked yet so I’ll call it a victory,” Cathy answered calmly.
“We are familiar with your energy as we are with Kairu’s,” Mistress Carlia responded. “It is just...different to see a soul split up between two people. The longing you two must feel to be whole again.”
“To see a soul split up’?” I asked. “Is that why Fawna called Cathy, ‘Other Half’?”
“Yes,” Mistress Carlia started. “We know you two as one soul. Looking at you now is like looking at one half of a soul. Have you experienced any sort of pain in absence of one another?”
“I think there has only been one incident, but it wasn’t for long,” I said. “I did miss having her remarks in my head for it though.”
“Oh, man,” Cathy said, putting her palm on her face. “What did you do?”
“I already told you everything,” I said to her.
Mistress Carlia smiled. “At least your relationship has stayed the same. But we should get down to business. Huntress Fawna, I am sure, has informed you that I am in need of your assistance.”
“And she has told you that I have something to say as well,” I guessed.
Mistress Fawna nodded and stepped closer to me. “Yes, she has. Show me what you have seen.”
“Be gentle,” I replied.
Mistress Carlia’s eyes glowed white and I felt my body jerk as visions of memories passed by my eyes. Everything passed me too quickly to understand and before I could get my bearings, it was over and someone caught me before I could fall to the ground. I looked up at a smiling Cathy.
“You alright?” she asked.
“Not something you can get used to,” I replied, getting back up to my own two feet.
Mistress Carlia’s eyes returned to black and she looked thoughtful for a second before stepping back to join Fawna. “Interesting,” she said. “I believe our goals are one and the same.”
“I’m all ears,” I said.
“A little while ago, we had felt a magical disturbance through the Spirit Plane from the direction of Ghanlar,” Mistress Carlia started. “I sent out the Huntresses to investigate and they reported a strange camp on the outskirts of the forest. They could not investigate further, but the magical disturbance was coming from the camp.”
“So you need me to investigate the camp?” I asked.
“Yes,” Mistress Carlia said. “With your memories I have concluded that it is the same device your Desroche is using to control the Evenawks.”
“Are you certain?” I asked in shock.
“Yes, the waves and ripples it causes are an exact match to your memories of the original device,” Mistress Carlia answered.
“The original device must not have great range,” Cathy said. “He wouldn’t have been able to march across Archanion to Balendar if he tried.”
“Explains the lack of immediate attack,” I added. “The army must have become difficult to manage when he tried to send them out. He would’ve needed to be with the army and use his magic to maintain order.”
“Not the most effective battle strategy,” Cathy said.
“I see what you mean by this helping us both out,” I said to Mistress Carlia.
“We needed you to fulfill your duties either way, Kairu,” Mistress Carlia pointed out. “Assisting you was unexpected, but welcoming.”
“Still,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I am not done yet,” Mistress Carlia said. “The Sisters and I have been working on a way to disrupt and destroy the magical disturbance.” She turned to Fawna and nodded. Fawna left the group and headed off to the storeroom. “We created a staff that will handle the problem, but sadly that is its only purpose. You will not be able to attack anyone with it but it will be able to stop Desroche’s machine in Ghanlar as well.”
“Thank you,” I nodded. “I am glad I came back here to check up on you guys.”
“As am I, Kairu,” Mistress Carlia smiled.
Fawna returned with a tree branch wrapped in vines and flowers. She presented it to me and I could feel the power in the wood. It was finely crafted and a lot of work had gone into making this staff for me. The flowers gave it an uncomfortably feminine quality though.
“That’s a very pretty staff,” Cathy said, shooting me a playful look.
“Thank you,” Fawna said. “The flowers were my idea.”
Cathy chuckled. “You have very good taste.”
Fawna smiled.
“I appreciate this,” I said, placing the staff behind me so it was between the pack and my back.
“We request you leave immediately,” Mistress Carlia said. “I will send a group of Huntresses with you. The camp contains many enemies, but if you can lure them into the forest, the Huntresses will occupy them so you can destroy their control device.”
“A solid plan,” I said.
“Yes, it is the same one you will use to attack the Evenawk capital,” Mistress Carlia smiled.
“Are you stealing my ideas now?” I asked playfully.
“I have not said that,” Mistress Carlia said confidently. “Please be quick though. I have reports that the device does odd things to the Huntresses. Some that have spent too much time scouting it have reported strange aggressive thoughts and blanks in their memory. This has made the others uncomfortable so I need not stress the importance of destroying this device.”
“Agreed,” I said. “Before I go, is there anything I can get to help restore some energy?”
“I’ve got plenty of Telu Vine Water?” Mistress Carlia asked.
“Pass,” I said.
*****
The walk to the edge of the forest was much calmer but no less exciting. Mistress Carlia had given me some berries to help restore some energy and I had been feeling fantastic since. Never have I felt so alive and noticed how beautiful the world was around me. The trees were perfect, the flowers were perfect, the sky was perfect...
“Isn’t today wonderful?” I asked Cathy.
“Okay, you need to relax,” Cathy said. “Here have some water.”
I took her super smooth flask and enjoyed the cool, crispness of the heavenly water. “Wow,” I said dreamily. “You were right. That was great.”
Cathy chuckled. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” I answered. “I just fe
el better. Less tired. Tiredless, if you will.”
Cathy laughed. “I guess the berries aren’t good for Human consumption.”
“They were tasty. Like licking honey off of a salt block.” My eyes went wider in shock. “We should go get something to eat.”
“We can’t, sweetie,” Cathy said, throwing her arm over my shoulders. “We have a battle to fight.”
“They’re not going anywhere,” I said, waving dismissively. “We could totally grab some dinner before we fight. Why are you holding me?”
“So you don’t wander off and get hurt,” Cathy answered sweetly.
“Aww,” I said, resting my head on her shoulder. “You always look out for me. That’s what I love about you. You’re so caring.”
Cathy chuckled. “That’s great. Here, have some more water.”
I straightened myself up and took another drink of water. It was still amazing and I started to wonder why I didn’t just drink this stuff all the time. Cathy had to remind me twice to drink. I should be figuring it out on my own.
The Nao Huntresses stopped and started rubbing their heads. They took a couple of steps back and joined us. I smiled at the weird face Fawna had when she looked at me.
“What’s wrong with his eyes?” she asked Cathy.
“Can’t handle his berries,” Cathy answered.
“What’s happening to my eyes?” I asked in a panic.
“Nothing, sweetie, drink your water,” Cathy said.
“Right,” I said, bringing the flask to my mouth.
“We are coming up to the camp,” Huntress Fawna said. “We will set up around here. Any closer and it starts to hurt the head. You will need to draw them in.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, handing Cathy the flask. “I got this.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Cathy said, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Relax,” I smiled. “I’ve got an idea. Everyone be ready.”
The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 Page 17
