The Awakening

by Joe Jackson

  “The heat doesn’t bother them at all,” Starlenia answered. “The nights are actually more dangerous to them, if the temperature drops severely and their homes haven’t captured enough heat. Well, let’s not dally. We should put as much ground behind us as we can while the sun is down. By the Great Spirit, it’ll be back up before we know it.”

  They set off at a fairly brisk pace, and Galrinthor, though unaccustomed to being walked at night, managed to set the pace without the weight of the knights’ armor. Leighandra estimated it would take a few days to reach Phoenix, but she hoped they’d either come across the seal or perhaps a caravan or tent city before then. Anything to get them out of the sun without forcing Yiilu to do something drastic.

  If only we could stop the world turning until we reached our destination, she mused.

  ~ * ~ * ~

  The wind was relentless, whipping across the dunes from west to east, and ironically, the group began to find itself cold. Fortunately, the rings they had received from Karinda could protect them from that to a degree. Without a word being exchanged, Max gave his ring to Audrei, and they shared a brief kiss without breaking stride. Audrei, in turn, gave the ring to Alissiri. Leighandra wished they had received a couple of extras. After all, didn’t Karinda expect there to be seven of them? Or did she truly believe Vo’rii was the seventh? Or was the gathering of seven something she realized after the fact?

  All told, they were able to keep a good pace, but having slept outside of their normal schedules didn’t prove helpful. Everyone got tired, their bodies wanting to return to the typical sleep pattern they knew, and their pace became more and more sluggish as midnight came and went. As expected, the humans had no trouble seeing, thanks to the brighter gibbous phases of the two white moons and the reflective sands of the dunes. It wasn’t like daylight, but it was at least as useful as what Leighandra had conjured during their travels using her arcane song.

  “It is moving,” Yiilu said suddenly, and everyone stopped to face her. She had the jade seal in her hands and was turning slightly side to side. “It is moving westward, as though it, too, is headed toward Phoenix.”

  “Maybe we’ve caught a break,” Delkantar said. “Assuming we can make it there safely.”

  “Perhaps, or perhaps it spells trouble. Did Leighandra not say the seals were guarded by powerful entities?” Max asked. “Could it be another dragon? And if so, what does that mean if it is headed to Phoenix?”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Galadon countered. “We didn’t have to fight Fireblade, so let’s not assume we’ll have to fight this being, or that it’s inherently dangerous or evil.”

  “No, you are correct,” Max conceded.

  Yiilu continued to check the seal’s pull every so often, but they became convinced their mark was headed to Phoenix. They continued as well as they could during the night, contending with the wind, whipping sands, unsteady footing, rolling dune sides, and inadequate sleep. When the eastern horizon began to lighten, they found the deepest valley between dunes they could and waited upon the druidess to do her work.

  She worked fruitlessly for near to a quarter of an hour before she pursed her lips and shook her head. “It is too deep. We may be stranded here under daylight. By the Earth Mother, I pray I have not led you to your deaths.”

  Audrei walked up behind the druid and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I believe in you, my friend. Beseech your Earth Mother again.”

  The elf smiled at the luranar woman’s touch and set to uttering her prayers to the Earth Mother once more. A rumble sounded beneath them, and then a thunderous crack split the air as a crevice appeared, draining sand from the area. The companions moved away, but soon the two edges of the crevice buckled in opposite directions, revealing an overhang and a shallow cave beneath. Audrei gave the druidess’ shoulder a comforting squeeze and then made to follow Delkantar into the depths of the sun shelter.

  “How do you do that?” Yiilu asked.

  “Do what?” Audrei returned.

  “Work your power through me?”

  The luranar woman looked confused. Being the sudden center of attention didn’t help. “I don’t know what you mean. I… I don’t have power. I’m not a priestess, not in the way you reckon things. Nor am I a sorceress, or a druid like you.”

  “No, no… you have some sort of magic about you,” Yiilu countered. “Something about you calms my thoughts, soothes my doubts, and allows me to tap deeper into the Earth Mother’s power than I normally could. Are you certain you are not connected to nature in some way?”

  Audrei looked at Max, and he shrugged back at her. “I just have faith in you, that’s all,” she answered, tilting her snout downward. “I didn’t mean to offend.”

  “Offend? You misunderstand, my friend. I am not criticizing or complaining. I think there is a magic about you that even you do not realize.”

  Starlenia poked her head back out of the cave-like structure. “This goes far deeper than it looks. It’s not exactly cool inside, but it’ll keep us well out of the sun, and is large enough to shelter Galrinthor as well. Yiilu, any chance you can tap water down inside?”

  “I cannot imagine so; not in this place,” she said. “However, I made certain to stock our jugs and skins as much as possible before we left the grasslands.”

  Galadon had a devil of a time getting Galrinthor to enter, but once he did, the knight was able to convince the horse to lie down. Leighandra was no horsewoman, but she knew getting a charger to lie down for an extended period was no easy feat. The entrance was on the south side, but they only needed to cover the opening slightly to keep the sun from angling in at all. It was still warm within, and Max and Audrei began to pant lightly after a time, but it was much less dangerous than trying to make camp up above.

  “Is the Earth Mother a deity, or is she merely the embodiment of nature itself?” Audrei asked, running her hand along the shaped stone wall of their shelter.

  “Both,” the druidess answered. “We think of her as our deity, but this very world we stand upon is a part of her. That is why it responds to our call and prayers to her and allows those of us closely attuned to reshape and harvest her to see to her children’s needs.”

  “It’s amazing.”

  “Should we bother keeping watch?” Delkantar asked.

  “Will anything sizeable other than shakna-rir be moving through the desert?” Starlenia asked. “We may just want to keep one person awake at any time. We can take shorter watches that way, and everyone will get plenty of rest.”

  They went with that plan and set back south toward Phoenix when night fell again. The nights were still a bit shorter during these autumn months, but thankfully, the seal continued to pull in the general direction of the city. They kept up their pace better the second night, having gotten proper rest and making sure they ate and drank sufficiently. Yiilu repeated her fashioning of shelter the following day, and after a few days they reached the outskirts of Phoenix, well ahead of Leighandra’s educated estimate.

  The city wasn’t that large, but it served as a waystation for caravans and other travelers making their way deeper into the Khalarin. The center of it was comprised of stone buildings, the architecture something unique to the shakna-rir so far as Leighandra had ever seen. She thought she had seen something similar before, but she couldn’t put her finger on where. The outer edges of the settlement were a tent city, where travelers, caravaneers, and possibly even some of the residents chose to live in more nomadic structures.

  Armed shakna-rir sentries marked the group arriving after nightfall. Even armed and armored as the group was, the guards didn’t pester them. It was a tense few minutes as they watched the cloaked form of the medusa among the others, but the more open nature of the rest of the group seemed to ease the guards’ suspicions. The friends stopped to check the pull of the seal one last time. It still directed them straight into the settlement. Delkantar tapped Yiilu on the shoulder and gestured to the far side of the city, and the druide
ss made her way farther south with him. The others continued into the city and found a single large inn at its center.

  The inn was quiet in the evening, most of the patrons apparently having gone to bed. A few shakna-rir sat alone or in pairs at the long, curved bar, nursing drinks or chatting. There was no hearth, yet the inn was still quite warm inside even during the night. Leighandra moved to one of the walls and touched it; it was radiating a pleasant amount of heat, as if dispersing the warmth of the sun it had soaked up during the day. It was amazing.

  Yiilu and Delkantar joined them after a short while. The friends gathered around a wide circular table and ordered water and meals. Once the server moved off, Delkantar sat forward. “Let me guess: The inn is mostly empty because its prices are extraordinarily high?”

  Starlenia laughed. “I could get us a discount.”

  “Let’s not cause any sort of trouble while we’re here,” Galadon said dismissively.

  “Who’s causing trouble?”

  “The seal is pulling here,” Yiilu said. “We circled the city and then worked our way inward, and who- or whatever has the next seal is here, in this building.”

  Max dipped his snout toward Starlenia. “Give it to her. She is the best at going unseen. She should be able to find this person and keep nonchalant enough that they should not realize she is even looking for them.”

  The druidess passed the seal to Starlenia under the table, and the rogue excused herself to step outside.

  “Wait, where is she going?” Max asked.

  “You didn’t think she was going to walk around inside to figure things out, did you?” Leighandra asked with a little smile. “She’d best be careful if she does any climbing, though; the moons remain swollen and the land is bright. The guards will see her if she does anything foolish.”

  Starlenia came back in moments later and sat down at the table. “I found them, but I’m not sure it makes any sense,” she whispered.

  “What do you mean?” Leighandra prompted.

  “Well, you said these things are guarded by powerful beings. Now I know there’s things out there that can shapeshift and whatnot, but I can’t say I find a teenage boy all that powerful or intimidating.”

  “What are you talking about?” Delkantar chuckled.

  “It’s pointing to someone in this room, and there’s precisely one person here carrying a bag large enough to hold another seal,” the rogue answered, nodding toward a young shakna-rir male sitting alone at the bar. “On the off chance it’s a shapeshifter or something more dangerous than it looks, I can try lifting it from his bag when he’s not paying attention… or if someone wants to run a distraction for me.”

  Max held a hand up. “Perhaps a more diplomatic solution is called for?”

  “Fine, go talk to him.”

  The paladin rolled his eyes and sighed through his nose as he started to rise. Leighandra got up first, though, and patted the luranar’s shoulder as she made her way to the bar. She was ready to offer to buy the shakna-rir youth another drink, but saw that he, too, was drinking water. The chronicler took him in curiously, from the backpack that said he hadn’t checked in for a room yet, to his dusty clothes and green skin, to the unkempt, long brown hair and red eyes that were common to the shakna-rir. Starlenia’s assessment was on point: the young man didn’t even look as dangerous as a schoolyard bully.

  “Hello,” Leighandra said, surprising the youth.

  She startled him and the teen fixed the chronicler with wide eyes, but then he calmed down considerably. “Yes?”

  “My companions and I are new to the Khalarin. You look as though you travel through it extensively. I was curious if you would consider acting as our guide?”

  The shakna-rir teen turned to look at the rest of the group. “Where are you headed?”

  “Perhaps as far south as Awlsaber. From there, we thought to sail back around to Flora or even Dira Ch’Tori. We obviously wouldn’t expect you to leave your homeland…”

  “Truthfully, I was looking to do just that,” he said in a low voice. “Why are you headed to Awlsaber? Strange time of year for outsiders to be in the Khalarin.”

  “Our knights were interested in seeing its arena, and perhaps testing their mettle within.” She held out her hand. “Leighandra Evenstar, chronicler of Solaris.”

  “Oh, um… I’m David,” he said as they shook. His grip was light and uncertain.

  “Why don’t you come sit with us? We can introduce ourselves and see if you wish to go with us to Awlsaber and beyond.”

  The teen picked up his pack as he rose, and followed Leighandra back to the table, where he pulled up a chair to sit between her and the druidess. He glanced from face to face, and Leighandra didn’t even have to look at him to know what his expression held. The teen leaned forward to try to get a better look under Alissiri’s cowl when he saw her greenish, clawed hand. If he got a glimpse, he kept his thoughts and reaction well-guarded.

  Starlenia’s mannerisms told Leighandra all she needed to know: This was the person they were looking for, which meant everything about him, right down to his name, might be a lie.

  “So, you folks are going to Awlsaber?” he prompted with a nervous chuckle.

  “No,” Max answered, and Leighandra glared at him. “Not unless we must. I am Auremax Talvorus and this is my wife, Audrei. These are my friends: Delkantar, Galadon, Starlenia, Yiilu, and Alissiri. You have already met Leighandra. And who are you?”

  It was interesting to watch Max address the shakna-rir youth as if he was a child, when in truth, they were probably close to the same age. The chronicler was still a bit miffed that Max had let his honest nature override her charade, but she left it to him to proceed as he saw fit.

  “David… my name is David,” he answered. “If you’re not… are you leaving the Khalarin, though? Why did you lie to me?”

  “Doubtless for the same reason you have lied to us,” Max said, keeping his voice low.

  The young man hunched over slightly and made a gesture toward the others still seated at the bar. “I haven’t lied to you, sir; my name is David.”

  The luranar prince tilted his head, and then looked at the others in the room. After a moment, he turned back and said, “Yes, we are likely headed back to Solaris, unless we receive news that will require us to go to Awlsaber. I apologize for the confusion.”

  “May I travel with you?”

  “Something you have is coming with us, one way or another,” Starlenia answered.

  “You’re after the stone,” the teen whispered. “She said the stone would lead me to safety. Will you take me with you if I give it to you?”

  The companions exchanged glances. “Yes,” Starlenia said. “And we’d better get out of this city as soon as possible. We’re being watched.”

  “Damnit,” Galadon grunted. “Let’s arrange for rooms and try to slip out in the night.”

  “Room,” the shakna-rir youth corrected. “These are communal chambers, so we can all share one large domicile.”

  “Del, you and Starlenia see to getting us a room. And no discounts,” the knight said, and had to fight off a smirk when he met the Okonashai woman’s eyes.

  Leighandra saw no sign that the people at the bar were watching them, but she trusted in Starlenia’s instincts. The innkeeper led them upstairs and to a large, open room, just as David had suggested. There were couches, futons, and sleeping mats all over the place, allowing for caravaneers to share the costs of the high-priced rooms.

  Starlenia immediately began checking the balcony doors and the windows, leaning out on the sills to see if there were eavesdroppers. She shut each when she was satisfied, and then stood before the taller shakna-rir youth with her arms folded over her chest the same way Max did when upset. “Spit it out, kid, or we’re going to take the stone and leave you here.”

  “I need your help,” he said, looking to the knights foremost. “You two are paladins, yes? Have you heard the news out of Aurun Ch’Gurra in recent months
?”

  “Not reliably,” Max answered.

  “The queen was murdered and a usurper now sits on the throne of the empire. My name is not David… it is Lion. Lion Tumureldi.”

  Leighandra gasped. “Are you the prince?”

  “We have no princes,” he returned. “But my sister was the princess, and should now be the rightful queen, but has been driven into hiding. I stayed as long as I could to aid in secreting her away, but I, too, was forced to flee. When I left, Mistress Talbett Krissas gave me this stone and said it would lead me to safety. I don’t know if she meant you or its relentless pull toward the southeast, but I have followed its guiding tug for weeks. I have barely avoided capture to date and had to turn back to the city here to rest. Our people may not mind the heat, but we are not immune to traveling the desert ill-prepared.”

  Delkantar snorted. “Avoided capture by who?” he asked.

  “The usurper and her priestess. They want me so I can tell them where to find my sister and end the Tumureldi line. I… I don’t even know if they’ve killed my father yet. Everyone in my family is in danger if they haven’t fled the capital.”

  “Slow down,” Leighandra said. “Where is your sister?”

  “She’s in hiding, and I will not divulge where until steps are taken to put her back on the throne,” he answered. “If you can get me safely out of the Khalarin, not only will I give you this stone, but I will see that you are handsomely rewarded when the rightful queen takes her throne.”

  “Save your handsome rewards,” Max said dismissively. “If we can put your rightful queen back on her throne, that is both our duty and the best way to find an ally strong enough to help us deal with the true threat to these lands. For now, though, please give the stone to Yiilu and let her see if it leads her southeast as it did for you.”

  Lion drew forth the second jade seal from his pack, and the companions all crowded around to see it. “Do you know what this is, or why it leads southeast?”

  “It is one of the jade seals that open the Temple of Archons,” Leighandra muttered as she stared at it. “It leads southeast because that’s where the third stone must lie. Yiilu, look: This one has a different marking than the first.”