by Joe Jackson
“I just said he has a lot of secrets. He’s a lodestone for trouble.” She paused, let out a single huffing laugh, and shrugged. “On second thought, so are the rest of us. If he’s dumb enough to want to come with us, let it be on his head.”
The companions laughed at that, and Audrei rose and went over to Alissiri. She spoke with the medusa for a minute in the luranar tongue, then guided her over by the fire and put a wooden spoon in her hand. The medusa began to stir the pot, and Leighandra was surprised to see the woman actually smile. Was Alissiri glad simply to have something to do and not feel like a piece of luggage? Once again, Leighandra cursed the language barrier.
“How well does she understand you?” she asked.
“Our dialects are a little different, but I can get all my points across using metaphors and such when I need to,” Audrei answered. “Why? Need me to ask her something?”
“Just curious if there are many like her where she came from,” Leighandra said. “I feel like we ignore her a little too much, and maybe should make her feel less alone among us.”
Max smiled and gazed at his wife, and Audrei began to chat with the medusa while they prepared the meal. Leighandra marveled at how congenial the two seemed, especially when one considered how close Audrei had come to being killed by the medusa. Audrei didn’t seem to see a medusa at all, and now that Alissiri knew the companions meant no harm, she started to relax a bit around them. Something the medusa said shocked Audrei enough that her ears stood straight up and her snout dropped open.
“What is it?” Leighandra prompted.
“Oh, just… we keep assuming she is from Mehr’Durillia, but she says is from another world entirely! A place she calls Irrathmor. She says her people aren’t very populous there, but they are part of the greater society and not seen as outsiders or trouble.”
“Fascinating!”
“Can you restore her sight?” Delkantar asked, and Leighandra raised a brow in his direction. It was a strange question, considering he didn’t think Audrei was truly a priestess. And even if she was, while Leighandra had heard of priests restoring sight to the blind, that didn’t normally include those who’d had their eyes torn out.
Audrei seemed to have the same reaction. “No. As I told Yiilu, I don’t wield magic.”
“What about the circle in the graveyard?”
“I asked the Lord to protect us, I didn’t use magic.”
“Are you sure?”
The luranar woman sighed and turned back to her cooking. “I don’t wield magic. So, no, I can’t restore her sight. If I thought I could, though, I would.”
“Even knowing she could turn you to stone?”
Audrei stood and faced the ranger. “She could have killed me back at her cave. She had her sickle to my throat, completely at her mercy. She could’ve killed you and Starlenia, too, but chose to use a sleep toxin instead of simply murdering you. Maybe I just have too much faith in people, Delkantar. I don’t know. But I believe in forgiveness, second chances, and that most people, given the opportunity, will do the right thing.”
He cocked a half-smile. “I don’t think you have too much faith in people, Audrei. I just don’t think you have enough in yourself. Whether you’re a priestess or not, wield magic or not, you’ve got something special inside you, and we’ve seen it a couple of times now when you work with Yiilu. All I think is that maybe you should try stretching the boundaries of what you think you know, and what you think you can do. Now, if I go check on our squire, you’re not going to piss in my dinner bowl, right? After what you just said about forgiving?”
The luranar woman laughed and chased him out of the tent with her wooden spoon. She began to sing again when she returned to the cooking. Whatever she was intoning in the luranar tongue drew the attention of Alissiri, and the medusa smiled again.
When Delkantar returned, he had Lion with him, and the squire looked haggard from all the work he’d been asked to do. That, Leighandra mused, and the fact that Galadon’s charger had more personality than a lot of theater troupes. No doubt the horse had put the young man through the proverbial wringer to see if he was a worthy friend. If Leighandra had ever seen a horse with more discriminating taste, she couldn’t remember.
“We discussed the prospect of keeping you on as my squire even once we have left the Khalarin,” Max said. “If you wish to remain with us, we would welcome you as a companion.”
Lion looked from face to face, though his gaze lingered on Alissiri longer than most. “As I mentioned last night, Lady Talbett told me the stone would lead me to safety. Seeing as it led me to you, I feel inclined to stay with you.”
“I wonder if this plays against Lady Karinda’s placing importance on there being seven of us,” Leighandra mused.
“No,” Starlenia said and waved her hand dismissively. “Look, she said it herself: We’re not fulfilling prophecy. There’s no recipe to follow like we’re cooking one of Audrei’s suppers. At this point, the only thing we have to follow is this next seal. Otherwise, we need to just take things as they come.”
“Well said,” Galadon agreed.
“And for now, I’ll happily take a bowl of Audrei’s stew as it comes,” Delkantar laughed.
“I told you she’d spare us from your cooking,” Starlenia said, and the ranger gave her a light shove.
~ * ~ * ~
“Awlsaber: The Jewel of the Coast,” Lion said when the port city came into sight.
With the shakna-rir youth leading them, Leighandra had found travel through the desert far easier. Once they had proper equipment and Yiilu was able to start drawing limited amounts of water from the ground, it nearly became pleasant. It still wasn’t a place Leighandra would ever want to live – and rarely visit, if she was honest – but Lion’s knowledge and enthusiasm let her see a bit of its charm.
Now, they stood on a rocky precipice overlooking the coastal city of Awlsaber under the light of the moons. “It’s a rather strange name though, isn’t it?” Leighandra asked.
“What do you mean? Oh, nevermind. You’re thinking of it as being a human name. It’s not human; it’s rir.”
“What does it mean, then?”
Lion blinked. “Jewel of the coast…”
Leighandra rolled her eyes and began walking toward the city, doing her best to ignore the scattered chuckles of her friends. She turned back to look at Alissiri, the better to gauge how others would see her when they entered the city. Audrei had wrapped the medusa’s hands and face completely, giving the impression that she might be an albino or perhaps even a leper. It made sense: make people assume she had to keep covered for some reason, and hope no one insisted on asking questions.
If they do, I’m going to end up spinning more than tales of old human legends…
She turned to regard the shakna-rir teen. Audrei had given Lion a haircut, and she made “alterations” to his clothing to make him look more common than the desert dust could. Despite being a fugitive, the young man’s equipment was obviously of high-end make. It didn’t necessarily say he was of royal blood, but it did make him stand out more than a common set like Delkantar’s old armor would have. On that note, they were planning to buy him more common-looking gear in the city.
“I’m just glad we got through the desert without encountering any dragons,” Lion said as he turned back to look over the expanse behind them.
“Do you have many among the lands of your empire?” Leighandra prodded.
“Enough. Doomfire – one of Fireblade’s children – lives in the mountain range south of Aurun Ch’Gurra. And I think there’s a blue dragon that lives somewhere near the great Oasis at Eschik-Sirondo. There may be others, but the desert is a vast place, and I don’t think they’re usually inclined to bother people unless they’re bothered first.”
“I wonder what the blue dragons are like.”
“Animalistic, from what I’ve heard,” Delkantar put in. “Reactionary, territorial, and very dangerous. Think Hastucilliara without the per
sonality.”
“Hastu-who?” Lion blurted.
“Fireblade,” Starlenia clarified. “Come on, let’s not stand out here looking like bandits.”
The night was still fairly young, and Leighandra was looking forward to a proper bed and getting back to a normal activity schedule. The stone still pulled southeast, but now it was pulling more east-by-southeast. That seemed to eliminate the possibility that the next one was on Askies, though it was still possible. Either way, it meant they had to commission a boat or ship to take them to their destination, which could get pricy with a party of nine – not to mention a charger. If they weren’t sure of their ultimate destination, she couldn’t imagine how steep the price might become.
The guards at the gate stopped them as soon as they saw Alissiri. “Whoa, what’s with the wrappings?” they demanded. “And the wolf?”
“The wolf? That’s Max. Don’t mind him, he won’t bite,” Starlenia said. The guards turned impatient gazes on her, and she closed her mouth.
Audrei gestured toward the medusa. “She is an albino and must be protected from the sun and the desert winds at all times.”
“Not much sun this time of night,” one of the guards grunted.
“Yet the desert wind still blows, and the sands are harsh upon her fair skin.”
“The wolf is my companion,” Yiilu answered in turn to distract them. “She will cause no more trouble to you than would a well-trained service animal. Keeta, Vo’rii.”
The wolf sat and offered a paw-shake to the guard, who laughed and shook with the well-trained wolf. Thankfully, the companions were waved through without further inquiry. Had the guards put questions directly to Alissiri, that could have caused problems. Upheaval in the capital city certainly pointed to the possibility of unrest in all the cities, but somehow, that didn’t appear to be the case here. Leighandra was looking forward to escaping the empire altogether, that they wouldn’t have to worry about it until they were ready to do so on their own terms.
They passed through most of the city, though there weren’t many people about at this hour but for some revelers outside the taverns. Awlsaber was a beautiful city even under the moonlight, though it was a tad eerie at the later hour. Gone were the sandy dunes and rocky crags, replaced by the appropriately-named Jewel of the Coast. The arena drew the attention of most of the group, larger than anything they’d seen in their lives. Starlenia located an inn near the docks without being so close that it promised low-lifes, ruffians, or a seedier element.
The group filed into the common room until Max stopped Lion at the door. “Where are you going?” the luranar paladin asked.
“Aren’t we going to get supper and arrange for rooms?”
“We will handle that. You are to see to Galrinthor. Make certain he is fed and watered, tend to the tack and saddle, give him a rub down, and if they will spare you the water, give him a quick bath.”
“Why do you always make me do these things? He’s not even your horse!”
“Because,” Max said, grabbing him lightly by the collar and escorting him back over to Galrinthor, “humility is the first lesson any aspiring knight must learn. I washed my father’s horses when I was half your age, and tended to his things, and – if you knew anything at all about my father – I did it all without complaint. If you do not wish to do these tasks, that is fine, and you may still travel with us. But it will not be as my squire.”
Lion snorted and walked past the luranar prince and into the inn. Max let forth a sigh but didn’t follow him, and Leighandra watched the inn door close on the disappointed paladin. She was tempted to go say something to Max, but she left him to his thoughts and went with the others to a table.
Starlenia arranged for their rooms and meals. The friends settled in and began to eat, and no one said anything to Lion about refusing Max’s task. It wasn’t until they had all finished supper and Max finally came into the inn that the shakna-rir youth seemed to have second thoughts about his decision.
Max was stripped down to his trousers and was thoroughly soaked. He walked over to Galadon, who was chewing his lip to keep from laughing, and said, “Just so you know, that horse of yours is beyond mischievous.”
The knight started laughing, and Audrei stood up and started to pat her husband dry with some of the serving towels. The innkeeper brought larger bathing towels when he saw the state of the luranar paladin, and Max nodded his thanks. He was smiling by the time his wife finished with helping him dry off, and then even more broadly when she kissed the end of his nose.
“Why did you do that?” Galadon chuckled. “The stable hands would’ve taken good care of the old brute, I’m sure.”
“I promised you that your horse would be tended to,” Max said as he took a seat.
“Well, now Galrinthor will be able to say – or whinny, I suppose – that he received a bath from the prince of the luranar.”
“And that he gave me one in turn.”
“Wait, you’re…,” Lion started, then closed his mouth and left the table.
“That boy’s got a lot to learn,” Starlenia muttered, watching him retreat up the stairs.
“And plenty of time to do so,” Max added, and he leaned back as the innkeeper put a plate of hot food in front of him. After thanking the man, he continued, “Let us not be too harsh on Lion. As I said, we were all of that age and, presumably, temperament at some point.”
“But he’s finished as your squire?” Leighandra prodded.
“That is his decision, and I cannot make it for him.”
“Well, you’ll at least appreciate that you and Audrei have your own room here,” Starlenia said with an exaggerated wink.
Audrei leaned into her husband and he smiled, but there was no elaboration. The luranar woman spoke with Alissiri briefly, and the medusa nodded. “Yiilu, are you all right sharing a room with our guest?”
“Certainly, so long as she is comfortable having Vo’rii in the room. They do seem to get on well enough.”
“Aye, and she’s already agreed to that,” Audrei said. “Well, it may take some time to fall asleep with our schedules disrupted, so once Max finishes eating, we will be retiring for the night. In the morning, are we going directly to the docks to try to find a ship?”
“Let us handle that,” Starlenia said, patting Delkantar’s shoulder. “The rest of you get a good night’s sleep, then go get Lion some more common apparel, and we’ll come get you when we’re ready to go.”
They stayed around the table to keep Max company while he ate, and Leighandra made notations in her journal about Lion’s mistake. She scratched out a little image of Max with his fur and ears all disheveled in the wake of Audrei rubbing him down with the towels. After a contemplative moment, she captioned the image: Don’t make the luranar wash the horse.
~ * ~ * ~
“I owe you an apology,” Lion said as they walked to the docks. “Had I known you were the prince of the luranar…”
True to her word, Starlenia was able to secure passage for them. By the rogue’s account, it had taken some hefty negotiation and – as Leighandra had mused – quite a price to find a ship that would take them where they needed to go. Fortunately, the rogue managed to find a supply runner on its way to Flora, and the captain had agreed to go slightly out of his way to help them find their destination. How Starlenia had convinced him without mentioning the seal or where they were headed, Leighandra wasn’t sure. Just as mysterious was how the rogue kept paying for all these things, but after Starlenia got their survival gear in Phoenix, Leighandra thought perhaps that was something better left unasked.
The captain suspected the group would be headed to a haunted island called Senkiro’s Solace. Leighandra had heard tales of the place, but the stories were often conflicted on where it lay. She had been consulting her notes and books to see if she could find anything about it, but she had to pause when they left the inn to go board the ship.
“No,” Max said, stopping. He held a finger up and wagg
ed it once in the young man’s face. “This is not about me being a prince. This is about respecting others, honoring your word, and serving your fellows. I do not ask you to do these things because I am a prince or Galadon was once a king, but because I am trying to teach you humility, respect, and honor.”
Lion turned a wide-eyed stare at Galadon. “You’re a king?”
“Pay attention to what Max is saying, boy,” the knight grunted. “We two may be of royal blood, but we went through similar training when we were younger. If you have any interest in becoming a knight or even a paladin, these are the building blocks upon which you can make a life of service and honor.”
The shakna-rir teen looked down. “I’m sorry.”
Max put his hand to Lion’s shoulder until the young man made eye contact again. “Look me in the eye when you say that,” he demanded, and Lion complied. “If you wish to start again, you may. Galrinthor will likely not appreciate being on a ship. He will need a steady hand and a calming presence to aid him.”
“Say no more,” Lion said, straightening up. “I’ll stay by his side the entire voyage. And Vo’rii’s as well, if she needs me.”
Yiilu smiled. “Vo’rii will likely be at the bow of the ship, nose to the wind and sea spray the entire time. I doubt she will require much entertaining.”
The companions chuckled and continued along. They were welcomed onto the two-masted coast-running ship without too much fuss. The sailors weren’t expecting a horse, much less a wolf, and even less a pair of luranar and an albino, but the captain got his men in line before they could make a scene. Leighandra led the way as the companions went down below to get settled in and out of the way of the crew.
Leighandra had never been a fan of sea travel. One of the drawbacks of being a storyteller was she knew too many stories that ended in disaster or terror. Tales of shipwrecks, sea monsters, and people being marooned on haunted islands kept shaping her thoughts and daydreams. The fact that they were headed to an island that was believed to be haunted didn’t help, either. She tried to keep her mind off of such thoughts by sharing stories with her companions about their possible destination.
