Techromancy Scrolls_Westlands

by Erik Schubach

  I finally blurted, “You knew the kids would stow away and you said nothing?”

  She defended quickly, “We did not know if this would come to pass. But just in case it did, Great Mother Ranelle had the blade commissioned, and our finest weapon smiths took months to complete it, then it was passed from band to band, all of the touched blessing it with all that they had. We may have gone a bit overboard.”

  Celeste finally spoke as she squinted at our daughter admiring the blade, the magiks seeming to reach out to her in a mist. “You think?”

  Then it was my wife's turn to question. “So you are telling us that not only you and the Mother's knew the girls were going to risk their lives here, but all of the Mountain Gypsies did, and nobody thought it pertinent information for us to know? Even if it might not come to pass? She's our daughter.”

  Even with the gravity of the situation, I felt a smile quirking at the corners of my mouth. It did my heart good to see the vehemence of Celeste's love for our daughter. She made such a wonderfully magnificent mother bear. She may think that she is naught but a killing machine, but I know the depth of her compassion.

  Sylvia had the good grace to look sheepish as she asked, “Sorry?”

  We glared at her for a few silent seconds, everyone around us especially Sara, who would have known of this, didn't even breathe until Celeste squeezed my shoulder gently and said to her, “Fine. But we will remember this...” Then she added with a smirk, “Sister.”

  The entire cabin sighed in relief as I stared at my daughter sheathing her blade. Dru looked overly amused at the whole thing.

  Bex called out, “Secure the doors. Raising anchors.”

  Everyone went into motion. I stopped Misty when she started wrapping the blade again, shaking my head. I wanted something different for my daughter, but she had always been set on following in Celeste and my footsteps. She had wanted to be a knight her entire life.

  I exhaled loudly in resignation as I took her blade from the silk, shaking my head speaking toward Sylvia in accusation, “No... you cannot be seen without it now.”

  “It would be an insult to the People if a Mountain Gypsy Femeie de Sabie is in public without her blade.” It seems fate had something to say about my hopes for my daughter. But then again, she was who she was, and this was part of her now.

  We braced our legs as the Outrider shimmied while I wrapped the belt around her waist, and secured it to her hip. Why was she growing up so fast?

  We all moved excitedly to the windows as we started to rise as the propellers whupped up to speed. Bex called out, “The outer marker in two hours people.”

  We hadn't been in the air for more than thirty minutes, when Bowyn called out, “There's something down there.” He was lowering a spyglass from his eye as he pointed. Bex slowed the vessel and lowered us as those of us with spyglasses pulled them out. I pulled mine from the ever-present tool pouch slung over my shoulder. They were my father's tools before me.

  Celeste took the glass first, in our usual pattern, then she exhaled loudly and spun her finger in the air. Bex started climbing again as my wife handed me the spyglass, a guarded look on her face. I scanned the barren land below us when something white caught my eye. I swung back then a sadness filed me as I realized what I was looking at.

  The desiccated remains of a horse. Normally it would have been stripped to the bone by predators, but there were no predators out here. Then I voiced what the others knew. “His horse... he had traveled the last twenty miles through the wasteland on foot.”

  That would have taken a couple days at least. He had almost died in the process, but the man was strong, determined. He had lived to beg help for his people. I stood a little taller in respect for the man and prayed to whatever gods there may be, that one day he would awaken to rejoin us.

  I wouldn't let the girls look through the glass as we continued on. I noted Sara marking the location on a large scroll with a gridded map which started at the West Weigh Station and extended into nothingness.

  We traveled in silence, Sara noting things on the map we could see below that were beyond the trail blazed by our ancestors, Alexandru pointing out prominent features for her.

  There was even a river of fire to the far north in a fissure in the very Earth itself. I snickered, at the thought of a serpent of fire. I think Verna was thinking the same thing since she chuckled under her breath and looked pleased with herself.

  Then we started slowing, our altitude dropping to fifty feet above the terrain as Bex called out, “Outer Marker.” We were cast into shadow as the other two vessels slid in on either side of us, the three ships hovering above a twenty-foot tall stack of stones, the bronze blade of King Jerome the Resolute resting at the top, pointing west, into the barren landscape.

  Beyond that point lay the unknown for Sparo.

  We stared at history yet again. Then we turned to Sylvia when she gasped. We followed her and Dru's gaze. At the base of the cairn, were two mounds of rock. It was odd, they were side by side and maybe six to eight feet long and...

  I could feel the blood drain from my face as I realized I was looking at two graves. The man had buried two of his fallen there, before trekking on alone. How many had died trying to reach us?

  Sarafine exhaled loudly, then with almost vicious intent she marked the map at the outer marker. Alexandru growled under his breath at her side, “There will be two more...” Sara just nodded slowly as the big man crossed his arms over his broad chest. That's when I realized what they knew... it had been a Greva, sent out to seek help, and just one of their number survived.

  It felt was fitting that they were laid to rest by a monument to tell the world that we had been there, that we had existed because they too had existed.

  My heart heavy, I whispered to the graves as the propellers started whupping back up to speed and the Outrider began moving out of the shadow of the other airships, “You are remembered.” I felt a small hand slip into mine, and I hugged my daughter to me as we started our trek into that great unknown.

  I was oddly happy she was there at my side.

  Chapter 7 – Greva

  We flew low and slow at the start of the journey by Sara's request. I stood by the Gypsy, fascinated while she used a device that had a spyglass in it, as she deftly scribbled out the landscape around us in the empty grids of the map before her. Maybe thirty miles out, she started filling in the mazes of canyons in an expanse of jagged stone and twisting canyons, punctuated with thermal vents and an occasional fire serpent. It was like the Earth itself had been broken in that area.

  Celeste was shaking her head and speaking with a reverence I rarely heard from her, “Without this vantage point, it could have taken the Cristea weeks to get through this area with all these blind canyons and ravines in this area.”

  Sarafine's face creased, and she called out, “Stop,” as Dru started to point something out to her. Bex brought us into a hover as she pulled out a spyglass. I followed suit and handed mine to my wife.

  Celeste muttered, “Horses.”

  Our Gypsy sister nodded.

  I looked through the spyglass to see the desiccated remains of two horses. “What is that beside them?”

  Alexandru said, “A stone marker, the Altii call the stacks cairns.”

  Sara looked from the window to the map she had expertly filled in thus far. It looked like a finger extending into the emptiness.

  She tapped a little trail of symbols she had marked along the way. “They were marking their passage, possibly for others to follow in case they did not succeed.” I nodded in understanding.

  Celeste spun a finger in the air and Bex started our floating caravan back into motion. I swallowed as I realized now why we were flying so low and I dreaded what we would find. As Dru had said earlier, there would be two more.

  I looked hesitantly at Sara, and she was studying me sadly as she saw when that realization dawned on me. Then she supplied in her rich alto voice, “I will know their names.” Sh
e was tapping the map on the grave markers by the outer marker. This gave me some sense of relief. I hadn't wanted these men to just be nameless and faceless. They had given all that they might find help for their people, and that should not be forgotten.

  I glanced at the girls as they stood staring down at the fractured Earth. I caught the ancient gypsy tune, Great Mother Muriell and the Grevas, as they started singing in mere whispers.

  They stood in fives and braved the fire.

  The Grevas bold, in times so dire.

  One by one they gave their soul,

  That others may live, and the stained did boil.

  Back to the embrace of Father Stone,

  whose whispering voice did call them home?

  In the end victorious she,

  one Great Mother in a blood-red sea.

  The People saved from those so vile,

  she stood with blade, if just a while.

  Forever... will the Grevas live.

  Remembered all...

  for all they did give.

  They stood in fives and braved the fire.

  They stood in fives...

  and braved the fire.

  We were all mesmerized by the haunting tune which came from such innocence. I wiped a tear from my cheek and was awed that children so young understood why we needed to mark these brave souls passing.

  I moved to their side and froze when I caught some motion. Something was weaving in and out of their fingers where they held them splayed on the brass rail. I blinked at the little creature that looked to be a mouse, but with ears as large as its head, and back legs half the length of its body. I had never seen such a creature in my life.

  I whispered carefully, not wanting to surprise the animal and have it bite the girls. I did not want to risk the brain fire that some wild animals carry. Though this little creature did seem enamored with my daughter like all other beasts. It was something about her buried elemental nature magic that seemed to call to them. “Misty. What is that thing?”

  She looked back at me, her smile fading at the serious look on my face, and that of the others who were taking notice because of my tone. Then she looked a little frightened and opened her hand wide, the little beast scurried to her palm, and she closed her hand around it and brought it to her chest protectively. “It is Bitsy. We found her at the Weigh Station.”

  This brought Bowyn and Verna quickly to their feet, their eyes wide like mine at the mention of life this far out.

  Celeste said expectantly, “Misty?”

  Our girl blushed and looked downcast as she opened her hand. The little rodent looked around then stood tall on those oversized rear legs. I could tell it was fighting its own instincts to run and hide over its desire to be with our little beast charmer.

  I have to admit that it was actually adorable for a rodent. Misty addressed our immediate concern as Celeste moved toward her with an upside down glass. Our baby was really good at reading us as she blurted out, “Ingr already checked her for brain fire. She says she's not sick.”

  Sylvia was behind the girls before any of us realized she had moved. Blankets of silky mists draped over them as the most skilled healer of the People checked our children and the little creature. The mists fell away like layered veils, and Sylvia looked much relieved as she just gave us a nod.

  Misty said, “The poor little thing had a broken leg, so Ingr fixed it with her magik. She's really sweet and doesn't eat much, can we keep her, moms?” She was pouring on the puppy-dog eyes, and I could feel all of our determination to cast the thing out the window ease. If it wasn't sick, it was really cute and... hey! I narrowed my eyes at the amused looking girls. They were playing us like a fiddle.

  Alexandru looked inordinately amused at the whole production as he sat aloofly at the table, near the windows.

  I muttered almost against my own will, my daughter knows she is my weakness, “We'll see.”

  It wasn't lost on any of us that she had just told us that Ingr had healed it. She, like our daughter, still hadn't ignited, yet she was already able to use some of the healing magiks she would possess. I noted Syl's chest had puffed up a little in pride when Misty said that.

  Then as Celeste put the glass over the rodent-like Bitsy on Misty's palm, we all leaned in as it ran around the perimeter of its glass prison. What an intriguing little thing it was.

  My Lady whispered, “The Weigh Station?”

  I swallowed. If it were true, then there really was life returning to the barren wastelands like the scholars of Hell's Gate were suggesting. I glanced around, but everyone gathered had that same look of wonder on their faces, telling me that they had never seen its like either.

  Bex was clearing his throat and stretching his neck. We all chuckled, and I nudged Misty. She screwed up her face at Celeste, then took the glass off her palm and scurried over to her favorite uncle. She held Bitsy up for him to look at. I could see a million thoughts going through his head as he seemed to catalog everything about the tiny beast.

  He whispered, “Fascinating.” Then he looked up and chuckled. “There really are things in the world smaller than our Laney here.”

  “Hey!” I shook a fist at the grinning man as the others chuckled at my short expense.

  He smugly went back to steering the vessel like he didn't fear my smiting list. They all just think because I haven't started working my way down the list that no smiting shall occur. But just wait one day...

  Sara made a quick hissing, ticking sound, calling the girls over like the adults of the Mountain Gypsies often did. She sat at her spot at the maps again and started sketching something above the map marker for the Weigh Station. She put a prompting hand out, and Misty held the beastie up. I moved over to watch Sara sketch the rodent with great skill. Then she asked in a serious tone, “What is it? It is customary for the one who finds a new species to name it.”

  Misty's eyes widened excitedly, and she looked at Ingr who slid up beside her. They did that talking with just a look that all mischief makers seemed to possess. They nodded in unison, and Misty turned to Sara and blurted out, “Bitsy Rock Hopper.”

  Sarafine hesitated, sat back in her chair and cocked an eyebrow as if to ask, “Are you sure?” When the trouble twosome nodded enthusiastically as Jace prodded at the rodent with a piece of straw, Sara got a mischievous grin on her own face as she nodded and said with finality as she scribed the words by the sketch. “Bitsy Rock Hopper it is.” She marked the date and Misty and Ingr's names by it.

  Then Misty held open a pocket on her tunic, and Bitsy scurried up her arm and down into the pocket. I sighed and knew any lecture I could give them about wild animals would fall upon deaf ears. I wondered how mother had done it. How had she raised Jace and me, when we were just about as bad as the girls.

  We moved to the windows, me ruffling both girls hair in the only reprimand I had in me for them harboring such an adorable stowaway when Jace made a soft distressed noise.

  He was pointing, his face too serious for someone who hadn't reached majority yet. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and reached into my tool pouch, handing my spyglass to Celeste as she motioned a halt with her fist in the air. Bex was already pulling us into a hover.

  My girl passed the spyglass around the now somber group. We had reached the far end of the broken earth. And there at the entrance to the labyrinth, were two cairns and another grave, the remains of a horse two or three hundred yards away.

  Sara marked the location, her lips drawn in a tight line. I stared at the grave, the little voice in my head stating the obvious. There will be one more. The tune of Great Mother Muriell and the Grevas playing hauntingly in my head, the melody forever associated with the innocent voices of the girls now.

  I pointed and asked, “Why two cairns?”

  Celeste made a whirling motion with her hand then pointed down, and Bex started lowering our altitude as the other two mammoth vessels slipped past us, and taking station like we were protecting the spirit of the falle
n.

  Then she wiggled her fingers at me, and I absently dug in my pouch and handed her the strongest lens that the Gypsies had gifted me. As she took it from me with a soft smile, I blushed at how in tune we were with each other.

  She muttered something and then said, “Syl?”

  Sylvia took the glass and pushed up one of the pivoting windows. Heat and dust blew in as she leaned and peered through the spyglass. She spoke back toward Sara. “Two cairns, one looks newer. The larger is toppled, half buried in sand, it has been there much longer than a mere year.” She hissed with a sharp intake of breath.

  Then she lowered the glass and handed it to me as she closed the window and said, “Crescent moon and inset star.”

  That was the crest of the Cristea. Why did that affect her so? The Greva was from that band. Then I stiffened. She said that cairn looked much older. I slid to her side and then looked down myself again as I asked, “Do you think this was left by the original explorers, to mark their passage?”

  She was nodding then I narrowed my eyes and furrowed my brow in confusion. “Whey haven't we seen them the whole way then?”

  I was surprised when Bex answered, “They'd be farther south.”

  Verna caught on before me and said, “Ahh, they hadn't journeyed from Highland, they didn't know it existed, they left from ancient Wexbury.” Dru was nodding at her, his dark curls bobbing about his shoulders.

  Ver looked to Celeste and shrugged. I could see it in my mind now and nodded then supplied, “When they emerged from the labyrinth, they may not have found the next marker, so the remaining men headed to the eastern point of the compass, and wound up at the Highland west Weigh Station after finding the Outer Marker.”

  The others nodded, and I glanced at Sara, who had been furiously writing and marking the map. She looked up and nodded once to us. It was time to head on.

  Bex started our caravan in the sky moving again. It was only thirty minutes later when we found the last grave after following multiple sets of cairns that pockmarked a winding path through the hazards below. We paid silent respect to the fallen, then the airships took to the sky while Sara dutifully filled in an astonishingly accurate map of all we could see from our new cruising altitude with input from Verna and Alexandru.