“Maybe.”
Movement at the front drew Trista’s attention. Aslara rose to her feet to grab Duvessa’s hand.
“And?” said Aslara.
The old woman smiled.
“They’re here. They’re following the rains. The times of plenty are drawing near,” said the life listener with a smile. “A three-day journey to the northeast. The valleys there, past that region’s Taori—that’s where you’ll find them.”
It was all they required. Smiles broke out across the room as one of the huntresses stepped outside and called out the good news. The joyous cheers of the Minai rose up among the huts as the news spread through the village.
Those huntresses who had not fit inside the hut gathered to receive the blessed markings on their faces, after which the hunting party set out toward the northeast. Several sha’cara joined them, as well as a group of desert tibu that would carry their kills back to the village.
Duvessa’s raven guided them for half a day before returning to the village, after which Dalkeira took over as their eyes in the sky. She flew together with one of the other sha’cara, a beautiful golden-feathered eagle. As first huntress, Shiri led the group in front, with both striped hyen’sta roaming ahead of her, following any scent trails they found.
Now the rains had arrived, the Red Plains completely transformed in a matter of days. Grass and other plants shot up out of nowhere. The low shrubbery sprung to life, sprouting new leaves on every branch, and within no time at all there was little left of the red earth as green took over the landscape. Water, collected in shallow pools, filled with activity as dried frog and fish eggs—buried beneath the earth—hatched and started entire new generations of life. The pools merged together to form larger lakes. Streams flowed together to form creeks and then rivers. Everywhere, the flows of life transformed the earth.
The further north they traveled, the more animals they encountered. Water birds of all sizes appeared to feast on the newly-arrived abundance of food, and to build their nests. They were joined by other species, like the large gray animals with their long legs, featherless heads and large, double-billed beaks. They chased down frogs and snakes as they emerged from the mud—and, according to Dalkeira, were quite tasty themselves.
But Trista was most impressed with the Pillars of Life. When they reached the first Taori, she saw it was completely transformed from the barren, white tree into a giant with thick, dark green leaves. Its canopy cast a shadow of a hundred feet across the land now that leaves crowded the branches. Among them ran the vines, now filled with large, flat leaves and colorful flowers that gave off a wonderful, sweet and seductive smell. And between those flowers and leaves hung the bloodfruit. They had become enormous. Most had doubled in size, absorbing the freshly fallen rain. They sat invitingly between the long thorns of the trunk. If Trista had not known any better, she might have tried one, if only to see what they tasted like.
“Most plants close their leaves during the day as the sun trails the sky, but not the Pillars of Life. Their leaves are thick and strong, able to withstand the strength of the sun while the rains are here. And it will rain every day now,” said Aslara. “The animals that journeyed north during the drought are on their way back, following the rain clouds. These birds are just the start. We’re hunting bigger prey, of which we’ll see plenty very soon.”
“It is marvelous to see so much green. The island and desert were nothing like this,” said Dalkeira from high above, where she was playing ‘follow the leader’ with the eagle. “The sky is filled with sparkles. There is water everywhere. It rises up from the ground and comes together high above. It will not be long before a new cloud is born.”
“That’s funny,” remarked Trista. “I never expected clouds to be made from water off the ground. It seems the goddess can touch the sky after all.”
“It happened at sea as well, perhaps even more so. I wish you could see it—it is unlike anything in this world,” said Dalkeira.
“I did. The lifedream, remember?” said Trista.
She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She gazed up and saw Dalkeira’s silhouette circle the sky. The dragon moved playfully through the air, her stomach temporarily filled with smaller snacks. As she followed Dalkeira’s movements, the sunlight hit a certain angle, almost blinding her. But as the glare hit her eye, Trista swore she saw a column of sparkles floating toward the sky, with the dragon circling around it. Uncertain of what just happened, she shielded her eyes from the sun to get another look, but there was nothing there.
“Decan seemed alright with you leaving this morning,” said Aslara, unaware of Trista’s internal conversation.
The leading mother led Thulai by the reins, the animal calmly carrying their travel equipment.
“What? Oh, yeah. He and some of the children were going to help Lasjika get relocated today,” said Trista. “He’s adjusting. And I think he’ll find his place soon. If only his nightmares would go away.”
“They’re getting no better?”
Trista shook her head.
“During our travels, he often slept restlessly, but since we stopped in the village things have only gotten worse. It’s like events have caught up with him now we’ve stopped moving,” she said. “During the day, you barely notice anything's wrong. He’s his chatty old self. It’s like he has two faces. His day face, which beams with happiness and playful curiosity; and his other, filled with terror and tears.”
“When we get back, he should talk to Duvessa. Perhaps there’s something she can do about it. She tends to be good at that stuff,” said Aslara, before moving further along as someone called her name.
For three days straight they were constantly moving, only stopping for small breaks to eat or sleep. Trista thanked the goddess for the weeks of rest—and the training—as they had given back much of her strength and stamina. It had been a long time since she felt this good, even if the days of walking were long and tiresome.
It was late in the afternoon of the third day when the next Pillar of Life announced itself across the now grass-filled plain. Above her, Dalkeira, who was soaring the warm air currents with ease, trumpeted and flew ahead to check things out for their arrival. It would be their rest stop for the night.
“That’s strange. I thought those mountain geese always flew north this time of year,” Raylan heard Peadar remark.
“They do. They’re late breeders” said Ca’lek. The dark-skinned scout looked up. “But I think that particular group has passed us four times already since this morning. See, the front and rear bird are both pure white—very uncommon in this species. Probably a family group, but it’s like they’ve completely lost their way.”
“Could they be on their way to the southern mountain point?” asked Raylan, exiting the stables after putting one of their horses away. He looked up to see what they were talking about.
“Not likely,” replied Peadar. “My master always taught me northern mountain geese nest near the same rock formation where they’re hatched. Like it’s engraved into their heads.”
All three men watched the arrow-shaped formation make its way south. The River’s Hill Inn, their home for the night, offered a nice view of the valley below. Behind them ran the river they had followed since leaving Azurna. In front of them, the first of many fields of grain within the Crescent Moon Massif lay before them. Beyond it, the large mountain range dominated the horizon. It would not be long now, perhaps a few days, before they would spot Shid’el in the distance.
Despite a wet morning, it had been a beautiful afternoon. Small clouds drifted above the valley; their shadows crawling across the yellow landscape. Raylan had not minded the summer rain; it was even quite pleasant, not at all like the cold, chilling rains they had up north. Besides, he had a feeling the wet riding of the day had helped convince Richard to stop their convoy at the inn. Raylan more than welcomed the luxury of a normal bed after their constant travels these last few weeks. The group had not encountered any
more problems since they scared off the bandits, and Richard had been pleased to see them make excellent time on their way to the capital.
Along the way, Richard had made it a point to stop and inform the villages about Azurna’s difficult situation. According to him, it was an official request from Lord Algirio, but Raylan wondered more than once if it was not a form of guilt.
Now, the setting sun slowly colored the sky a deep orange. The first star would soon come out. Behind Raylan, Ca’lek stroked his horse’s neck.
“Are you certain we can’t keep going? She looks absolutely fine to me,” said Ca’lek to Peadar. “The sooner we get there the better, no?”
“No, we can’t,” said their animal specialist. “These horses are near exhaustion. We’ve been riding almost three days straight since our last stop. They need rest. Were it not for the unfortunate lack of horses at this inn, we’d have swapped them out and kept going, but now I must insist on a night’s rest. That way, we’ll travel twice the distance tomorrow, rather than just continuing without any sleep.”
A horse put its snout in Raylan’s back. It smelled the hay inside the stables, and was eager to join the others for the night.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” said Raylan to the animal. “Why don’t you two go and eat supper? I’ll finish up here and sit with Galirras for a while, have my supper after.”
“You sure?” said Ca’lek.
“Yeah, go. Just save me some of that stew and a jug of ale,” Raylan said with a laugh.
“Thanks, Raylan,” said Peadar. He ran off.
“Guess the horses weren’t the only ones hungry. I’ll make sure he leaves some for you,” added Ca’lek. He slapped Raylan’s back before disappearing as well.
Raylan finished putting the horses away and headed for his friend, but not before he raised a bucket of fresh water from the inn’s well.
“You fancy a bit of a scrubbing?” said Raylan in his mind to Galirras.
He hobbled with bucket in hand over the tiny path behind the inn, which led to a more isolated meadow. Normally, a few cows lazily grazed there, but tonight it functioned as a nicely sheltered nest for Galirras to sleep in.
The dragon raised his head sluggishly. He had been snoozing after a very satisfying meal. The innkeeper had sent one of the servant boys to go with Raylan and purchase a nice fat cow from a local farmer. There was still plenty of big game for the dragon to hunt, but for once Raylan did not feel like explaining—in detail—to the local population that Galirras really meant no harm; and, if the angry mob pressed on, that the dragon was officially under the king’s protection. Of course, this was not entirely true, but it was close enough to the truth for Raylan to use it as a last resort to keep things calm and under control.
Who would have guessed a large flying dragon could cause so much panic in the hearts of the common folk? Perhaps that was why Raylan felt in such a good mood. No angry or scared people meant that nobody had shown up to voice their complaints at him or the group.
Raylan allowed himself another smile. He did feel good; much better than he expected. Perhaps the distance they put between themselves and Azurna had helped. He even looked forward to seeing his home soon, despite the news he brought. Their traveling for the last few weeks, though at a high pace, had been pleasant; the weather was warm, the food plentiful, and he and Xi’Lao continued to improve their communication as they both struggled to come to terms with their own grief. The memory of his brother lingered in his thoughts. He pushed it away, not wanting to bring down his mood.
Thankfully, Galirras provided distraction. The dragon lay on his back as Raylan reached the meadow. One of his wings lay stretched across the ground.
“You may proceed,” rumbled Galirras’ voice.
“Well, aren’t you a spoiled little dragon.”
Galirras raised his head.
“Admit it. You enjoy it just as much as I do when my scales shine in the sunlight.”
The dragon’s eyes swirled playfully. Though the days on the road were long, the quiet time had done the dragon well. All his wounds had healed and he had little to complain about. They had spent time together in the air every single day, though Raylan spent the majority of the time riding his horse so as not to isolate himself from the group.
“What do you think will happen when we arrive at Shid’el?” asked Galirras after a while.
Raylan wiped sweat from his forehead. Tail, back and wings were done, which left the chest, claws, neck and head.
“I don’t know. I guess once they see you they’ll have no choice but to believe us. They’ll probably order a war council. The first thing to do is send out scouts to find the Stone King’s army. Once we know more precisely what their goal is, they can come up with a way to stop them. If we can stop them.”
“Well, I will fight if we must. I would rather not see any more of our group hurt,” said Galirras.
“Me neither, but you can scarcely take on that entire fleet by yourself, can you? There are just too many.”
Raylan scrubbed strongly behind the spiked comb that ran across the back of the dragon’s head. Galirras let out a sigh of enjoyment as he pressed into the sturdy brush.
“I’m worried the entire Aeterran force might not be enough to stop the likes of Corza and his men,” continued Raylan.
“But we have come by so many people here already. Surely Aeterra has more people than we saw on those boats?” said Galirras. He rolled back onto his feet and lowered his head to give better access to Raylan.
“More? Perhaps, but not in one place. And it takes time to pull together such a large force, not to mention move them. And you’re talking about farmers, shepherds, fishermen—men who work, not fight. These won’t be trained men, even if some might have been drafted years ago. Even if we could rally every man and boy in the kingdom, get enough to outnumber our enemies two to one, and convince them to fight, it would still be difficult to take down such a large force. Every trained Doskovian soldier is worth at least five armed farmers in skill.”
“So why do we not ask the emperor for help when we meet him?” said Galirras.
“That was my idea as well. I’m hoping Xi’Lao will be able to assist us with that, but first we must get there. Which means we have to go to Shid’el and convince the king and council that this is really happening, so they’ll allow us to get help from the emperor while they prepare our own forces. It’s a logistical nightmare.”
“Assist with what?” asked Xi’Lao, emerging from the tiny path leading into the meadow.
“To ask your emperor for help in what is about to come,” said Galirras, without much tact.
Xi’Lao was silent for a moment.
“I fear that might prove…difficult,” said Xi’Lao, stretching out her sentence doubtfully.
“But it might be our only chance to gather an army large enough in time. We’ll need those forces to join with Aeterra—and any other capable force we can find, for that matter,” added Raylan, baffled. “Why wouldn’t he help us?”
“The emperor,” began Xi’Lao, searching for the right words. “He is not fond of working with other people. He believes those who are outside of Tiankong will corrupt our way of life. Perhaps if his son were to rule, things could be different. But that won’t happen for many years; the emperor’s bloodline is known for its vitality and long life.”
“But we need equal numbers if we want to have any chance of defeating the Stone King,” said Raylan.
“Not necessarily. Our history is filled with battles in which a smaller force was able to outwit and defeat a much larger enemy,” said Xi’Lao, before adding, “But the number of men is not the biggest problem, is it? They do not have men alone; the ghol’ms are the real threat. If we do not come up with a way to take them out of the battle, it does not matter how many soldiers we can gather.”
“You’re right there. Galirras can’t take them all down.”
Raylan sat and let out a deep breath.
“You
’re done, little one.”
The topic had left little of his good mood. The stars already lit up the sky, but at least it stayed pleasantly warm. Tomorrow, they were to ride out at first light again. They should probably head in and lay their heads to rest, but both he and Xi’Lao sat quietly against Galirras’ flank. Raylan scratched the dragon’s nose, deep in thought. His arm buzzed lightly along his scar. Ever since he saved Xi’Lao on the castle’s plaza, his arm had felt…off. Not his own. The feeling was not always there, but sometimes he noticed a numbness from the elbow down, like the feeling one gets after sleeping on it wrongly. Tingling, yet numb.
After Azurna, whenever he was alone, Raylan had attempted to call forth his own power over the wind, without success. He tried again later with Galirras nearby, but still nothing had happened; just that unpleasant feeling. Like something gathered on the inside, but could not find its way out.
Raylan pinched the bridge of his nose. All these unanswered questions gave him a headache. He felt Xi’Lao staring at him and met her gaze.
“What?” he asked tiredly.
Xi’Lao shook her head.
“Nothing. Your brother used to get the same expression when he tried to come up with solutions he could not see yet. I am certain if he were here, he would do everything he could to make it work.”
“Well, I could certainly use the help.”
“I have been thinking myself,” said Xi’Lao, “about when we return to the Empire.”
She looked at him.
“The dragon archives and the grand masters; they might have information that could help us fight the ghol’ms.”
Raylan brightened.
“That’s right,” he said with a little more enthusiasm. “You told us about the grand masters being experts at using life energy, right? Do you really think they can help?”
“That is my hope. Or that there are scrolls in the dragon archives that hold information about moving stone,” confirmed Xi’Lao. “It is just that…”
“Just what?”
Both Raylan and Galirras looked at her as she hesitated.
Wavebreaker (Book II of the Stone War Chronicles): Part 1 - Trickle Page 54
