by Reece Dinn
'We're approaching Kamitas, Sabu,' said Koma.
'Keep going.'
Both Koma and Barren shot her a look. 'What?'
'I don't want to stop until we reach Olsap. Keep going,' said the Monster without looking at either of them.
'But the trobaam and burma need to rest, Sabu. They'll collapse otherwise,' said Barren.
'They'll rest when I say they can rest.'
'Sabu, be reasonable,' said Koma.
'I'm not entering that city. My mother will have sent word to them by now, no doubt. They'll have orders to bring me back to her. I'm not going back.'
'Why would they?' asked Barren.
I knew it. I gods damn knew it. She didn't get permission.
'Sabu?' said Barren. 'Why would your mother have sent word to bring you back?'
Lerama is going to beat her to a bloody pulp for this. Stupid, idiotic bitch. Yet, she'll punish her even more if she's away for an even longer time. 'What she means,' said Koma, speaking before the Monster could respond, 'is that when they hear of what happened at the village they'll be forced to take her back to Denistas. The Saban wouldn't want her daughter travelling the roads at such dangerous times.'
'That doesn't sound...'
'That's what I meant,' the Monster said, perking up. 'She worries too much. She has eyes and ears everywhere, you know. I don't want to go back. We can't go to the city. We'll push on.'
'But they need to rest,' said Barren.
'They can rest when we're past the city.'
There was a knock on the window on the Monster's side of the carriage.
'I'll let them know.' Barren opened the window and poked his head out.
Great. I've condemned myself to continue on this trip. Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut? Lerama better punish her severely for this.
'Thank you, sweet Koma,' the Monster whispered, smiling sickly at her.
'It's okay.' The sooner this is over the better.
They camped beside the road after nightfall. Kamitas was a distant speck of light on the horizon behind them.
Koma, the Monster, Barren, and the grebbin stayed in the carriage, the rest of their entourage slept outside, close to the carriage. The others fell asleep soon after they'd eaten the little amount that Barren had managed to, but before they'd left in a hurry. The villagers had just told him to take what he wanted and go, but he'd insisted on leaving some money behind for them.
Koma however couldn't sleep at all, not in such close proximity to the Monster, or the other two for that matter, especially the grebbin. Who knows what it'll get up to once we're all asleep. She spend the night staring at the grebbin while listening out for signs of the mist returning.
After five more days of bumpy riding, sleepless nights in farmsteads and villages, the repeated squeaking of the grebbin regaling its sole story, and Barren's lectures about Shadar, they finally sighted the Nissip Mountains where the Olsap plateau resided.
Bolmadas lay in the shadow of the mountains. It was said the city had one of the most beautiful temples in the whole of Predemagda, dedicated to Salchai, the God of Light. A temple that glowed brightly with all the colours of a rainbow in the sun, like a diamond.
'We'll visit it on the way home,' the Monster said. 'I just want to see my father.'
Barren leaned forward, his eagerness clear on his face. 'The Koku-bier of Bolmadas will be a much better guide at Olsap than I. I've only been a handful of times. He's...'
'You'll suffice, I'm sure,' said the Monster. 'Keep going.'
The Nissip mountains weren't composed of the same white rock as the mountains all over the rest of Predemagda. They were the dark browns and blacks that mountains normally were, with snow covered tops. All the mountains in Benigrada were said to not be white, a sign that they were unrighteous, the Predemagdans said.
They're nothing like the mountains back home. The ones back home are either covered in jungle, or in the red dust of the ash left in the wake of dragons' fire.
'How deep into the mountains is this plateau?' Koma asked Barren.
Barren appeared to be startled that she was even talking to him. Now that I think about it have I even spoke to him once on this trip?
'Half a day's walk, depending on our pace. It's not a steep, or particularly difficult climb up,' he said.
At least it gets me out of this carriage. 'Hmmm.'
'Are we likely to see any Benigradans up there?' the Monster asked.
'Possibly. We'll have the Saban's Guard and the Koku-swords with us though. We'll be safe.'
What if that thing is up there? There'll be no escape if it comes for us. Those rifles might not even harm it. That bullet beam didn't actually touch it. It scared it away, but that doesn't mean it'll scare it again.
It was approaching nightfall by the time they reached the foot of the mountains, Bolmadas in the distance behind them. They decided to camp there and begin their ascent at first light the next day.
Another night camping on the road. I do not approve. Never thought I'd want to be in my own bed in that small room back at the palace. Looks like luxury now.
The Guards removed their armour and the male one ventured out into the nearby field to hunt something to eat, seeing as they hadn't stopped for supplies in Bolmadas. The Koku-swords were untroubled, happy to simply sip from their flasks.
'As long as we have our water we shall be fine,' they said.
Barren didn't seem to share their sentiment. Guess he hasn't had to fast in a long time now. Still, he said nothing. I don't particularly fancy fasting either though.
The Monster stretched her legs, walking around the outside of the carriage.
Koma took in the cool evening air. Even though it hadn't rained in days everything still appeared lush and wet, save for the dry road. It was a welcome relief to not be in close proximity to anyone else, most of all that grebbin. She glanced back inside the carriage. The grebbin was stood on the carriage seat staring blankly ahead of itself.
Rifle fire wailed and a short time later the Guard returned dragging some strange, green feathered creature along by its tail, the creature bigger than he was. The girl Guard rushed over to help him. Koma was shocked to see how muscular she was. She was dressed in sweat stained brown trousers and a white vest that displayed her deeply muscled upper body. Her physique was almost as big as the Socrae-al's. No wonder she can walk around all day in all that armour. She wasn't a pleasant woman to look at, her flat, stretched face made her look like someone had hit her hard with a shovel, and her short, black hair and small breasts made her look like a boy. She was no less ugly than all the men around her though, and much prettier than the Monster ever would be. The two Guards dropped their catch on the side of the road and then the man set about plucking the feathers from it, while the other one began gathering firewood. The driver sat on top of the carriage watching whilst eating a dregi fruit, its juices running down his chin and onto the black cloak that covered his body.
Koma's stomach grumbled as she watched the Guard pluck feathers from the carcass. 'Is that a mastapane?' she asked Barren, who too was watching the Guard's work.
'Yes it is. I'm surprised they were able to shoot it. Mastapanes run very fast and have considerable strength. If they hadn't had their rifles they'd have been in trouble. Thankfully they generally know better than to come near humans, so they stay away from the roads and settlements. Not always, unfortunately.'
When the mastapane was plucked, skinned, and butchered the Guards made a spit, put the meat on it, and got the fire going. They'd severed the head from its body and left it on top of a nearby rock. The mastapane's yellow, lifeless eyes stared at Koma, making her nervous. Its head was similar to a lizard's, only feathered. Even body-less it was intimidating.
The Monster was rolling around inside the carriage like a spoilt child. 'How long is it going to take? I'm starving,' she whined.
'Patience is a virtue, Sabu,' said Barren through the carriage's window. 'Shadar teaches that the world d
oes not always provide immediately, that to benefit from the elements, and the workings of the gods, one must learn to wait. Our needs will be met in time. Until then we endure.'
The Monster rolled her eyes and flung herself onto the seat beside the grebbin. For the love of the gods, please do not make that thing speak again. The grebbin fell forward and hit the floor of the carriage with a thud. The Monster screamed. Barren leaned in and prodded the little, blue furred creature. It didn't move.
'I think it's dead,' he said.
'How can it be dead?' the Monster shrieked.
Barren's eyes widened. 'We didn't feed it the whole time. Now that I think about it we barely gave it any water. The little thing starved to death, or died of thirst.'
The Monster shrieked again.
Koma rubbed her ears. Will you stop that?
Barren rolled the grebbin over. Its eye gazed lifelessly up at the carriage ceiling. He closed the eye, then picked it up by one of its legs.
'What are you doing?' the Monster cried.
'It's dead, Sabu. We must return it to the world.'
'By doing what?'
'Give it to Rudai's cleansing fire.'
The Monster clambered out of the carriage. 'Yes. We should bury it, then fill the top of the grave with water. But before we do we need to cut out its heart and brain, like you do in funerals. Koma, you and I can eat it's heart.'
A little bile entered Koma's mouth. 'What?'
'There's no need, Sabu,' said Barren. 'Rudai's fire is sufficient enough.'
'How?'
Barren sighed, coming up with a good lie to tell her, Koma suspected. After a couple of seconds thought he said, 'because grebbin are less complex creatures than humans. It requires less precision to return them to the world.'
'Oh. Oh okay. That makes sense,' said the Monster.
Only if you're an idiot.
Barren took the grebbin over to the fire, the little creature bobbing up and down in his hand, and threw it on. The grebbin lay on top of the flames for a moment before being consumed.
The mastapane was delicious, the meat juicy, tender succulent, and flavoursome. It was the only enjoyable thing about that evening for her. That and the death of the grebbin.
Sleep eluded Koma, again. She spent the night thinking about the purple mist, and of mastapanes attacking the carriage. She longed to go for a walk, but dared not venture outside of the carriage until the break of day. She spent the evening curled up against the wall away from the Monster, who was sprawled out over most of the seat. Barren took up all of the other seat as he slept on his side, his robes hanging loosely from his body, revealing patches of skin that looked sickly in Lorelai's faint green light shining through the cracks in the curtains.
As soon as she saw sunlight break through the cracks in the curtains Koma clambered out of the carriage. The remaining two Koku-swords were up and ready. They were sat cross legged, facing the rising sun, lost in prayer, meditation, or whatever it was they were doing. Being scions of water, shouldn't they be like, I don't know, pouring water over themselves?
The girl Guard was awake, polishing her rifle. She nodded to Koma when their eyes met, and Koma forced herself to nod back. She didn't want to approach her however, the woman wouldn't have bathed since that village. Neither have I, but I haven't been sweating all day, and have barely been to defecate. She walked past, leaving her to polish her rifle in silence.
In the daylight the mountains appeared smaller, especially against the overcast sky that hung high above the peaks of the mountains. The climb didn't look so bad, certainly not the chore she'd been expecting.
'Yer worried 'bout havin' ter climb, pretty girl?' the girl Guard asked.
Koma glanced back at her. 'Don't be ridiculous.'
'Spendin' all that time inside that carriage, all pampered an' stuff, makes me wonder whatcha made of.'
I've endured far worse than you'll ever no, you primitive. 'I'll be fine. You just worry about keeping us safe, yes?'
'Aye. Don't worry, pretty girl. I'll keep yer skinny ass safe an' pretty,' said the Guard.
Call me pretty girl again I'll stab out your eyes and feed them to you.
By the time the sun was way over the horizon the others were awake and up on their feet. Despite having slept all night Barren looked haggard. So did the Monster, but she always looked awful, even with make up on. Barren didn't join the Koku-swords in their morning prayers, if that's what they were. Instead he washed his face with a splash of water, then drank the rest of the bottle. They only had three bottles of water left in the small carriage hold at the back. Two of them were for the trip up to the plateau.
The girl Guard roused her companion with a kick to his groin, which caused him to wake groaning, holding his nether regions.
The group all ate what was left of the mastapane before they left for the journey up into the mountains. The meat was cold, but still tasty, filling enough to satisfy. When the Guards had donned their armour, and the Koku-swords had finished their prayers, they set off, leaving the burma tied to the carriage in the care of the carriage driver, and his two trobaam. They told the driver that they'd be back by nightfall. He'd grunted in response, seemingly uninterested.
The road narrowed as it began to ascend into the mountains, weaving around the feet of two mountains, then rising up the side of the right hand mountain, the ground to the left of the trail too steep and rocky to traverse.
The clinking of the Guards' armour echoed through the mountains, destroying what would have been blissful silence.
Not long after they'd lost sight of their camp the Monster began to complain, destroying whatever vague hope Koma had had at a peaceful journey.
'How long is this going to take?' the Monster asked Barren.
'It's half a day's walk, I told you,' he said.
'I want to be there now.'
Learn to fly then. Practise by throwing yourself over the edge and see if you can stop yourself hitting the ground.
'Remember what we spoke of last night, Sabu?' said Barren. 'About patience? This is another test of that. The gods will aid us, hastening our journey only if we show we can be patient.'
I thought your gods didn't intervene directly in your affairs? Or are you just lying to her to shut her up?
The road dropped back down the mountainside and into a thinly grassed valley with a small stream running through it from far up ahead that disappeared around the side of another mountain to their left. The ground in the valley was wetter, and spongy to walk on. The mountains on either side of the valley were even lower than the ones they'd already traversed. Their peaks didn't rise high enough to be snow covered, one even had grass running all the way up to its peak.
The group washed their hands and faces in the stream. Koma sighed with relief at the feel of the cold water on her face. She plunged her head beneath its surface and gulped down as much as she could, until her stomach was ready to burst. She longed to bathe in it, but there was no way she was exposing herself in front of these savages. None of them looked like they were going to bathe either.
The journey up the valley quickly wore down Koma's stamina. The ground soon changed from spongy to wet, sticky mud that her sandals repeatedly sank into. I should have packed boots. Or they should have brought some for us.
The male Guard saw the Monster struggling in her sandals and hefted her onto his shoulders, although the additional weight meant that he now struggled to walk through it too.
'We'll move off the valley floor,' said Barren, whose sandals and feet were caked in mud. He pointed to the edges of the valley where it rose up into small mountains. The wet mud turned back to the spongier ground further up the rise, to all of their relief.
The valley floor, which had been rising gradually, rose much more sharply as they neared its end. The stream entered the valley from around the left hand side of the rise, between a gap where the rise met the edge of another mountain.
A flicker of light above where the rise fell away
on the other side made Koma stop in her tracks.
Another one, this one more distinct. It'd been a multicoloured light, bright, gone in a flash.
'What's up, pretty girl?' the girl Guard asked.
'I saw flashes of light up ahead,' said Koma.
'I did too,' said the male Guard.
'It's the beginning of Olsap's influence,' said one of the Koku-swords, walking by them. 'Its power is more concentrated on the plateau, but it stretches further out from it.'
No one mentioned lights. They probably should have, considering what we've recently been through. She sighed. There'll be a light show to watch at least.
There were more flashes of light as they climbed the rise. The closer they got to them the more beautiful they became. There was a wide spectrum of colours within each flash, each one dazzling to look at. There's nothing like this back home, I'll give the savages that.
As Koma crested the rise something became amiss.
She glanced around. The other side of the rise dipped down into another valley, this one shallower than the last. The ground looked drier, due to the lack of a stream, and the grass was shorter and paler in colour.
A warm, tingling sensation within her mind made her jump. She felt exposed, like her innermost thoughts were suddenly visible for all to see and hear. There was an eerie presence within her mind, strange, yet familiar. Panic set in.
'What's going on?' the male Guard asked as he crested the rise behind her, looking panicked too.
The Monster reached the top and shrieked. 'What's going on?' she cried, looking around frantically.
The girl Guard appeared uncomfortable too as she crested the rise, Barren and the other two Koku however remained calm as they reached the top.
'Don't be alarmed,' said Barren. 'What you are feeling is the energy of Olsap, where the physical and spiritual realms meet.'
'Spiritual realm?' asked Koma.
'It's a simpler way of saying “the realm of the elements”.'
'Ah.' That's not what this feels like though. Not that I'd know what it is supposed to feel like. But this is different. I can feel something in my head. Like I'm being examined from the inside. I've felt this before.
