by Joe Jackson
Dinner gave way to the lighting of a massive bonfire in the central pit, and soon many of the czarikk began painting each other with festive, colorful markings all over their bodies. Males and females painted each other, and as each one’s body painting was finished they began a dance around the fire. Not all of the tribe took part in the painting or the dance, but a score danced and the others sang in their beautiful language, a chorus of voices filled with joy but tinged with pain. Kari watched as male and female alike danced past her and Erik, spinning, stomping their clawed feet, throwing their heads back in elation, and joining the others in singing the joyous exultation.
Kari felt her heartbeat quicken as her eyes drank in the bright light of the fire and the intoxicating motion of the dancers. She wondered at the display: her love of her profession and dedication to her own lord never once drove her to any sort of emotional release. She had known nothing of Sakkrass, but watching the czarikk, she learned that he was benevolent. In learning of a new race and its customs, finding that their patron was a loving one was always a positive first step. So many of the primitive humanoid races in the far reaches of the world bent knee to those that reveled in war and destruction; to find a people whose deity reveled in song and dance gave Kari a warm feeling.
Kari felt her heart swell and she closed her eyes for a few moments as the veil of her past split again. She remembered dancing around a fire when she visited with the elves, and though that had been a different type of dance and celebration, her participation had made her feel as though she belonged among the elves. When she opened her eyes, she was near-mesmerized by the dancing flames and reptilian bodies. She stood, removed her armor and her clothing, and waited patiently while two czarikk females approached and began to silently paint her body. The reptilian women seemed to enjoy painting her nude form, and they traced designs up her legs and across her breasts, down her arms and even across her face, back, and wings. Once they were finished, Kari stepped into the steady stream of dancers and began to flow along with them.
Kari danced among them for hours until the fire began to burn low, and little by little the dancers left the circle. Eventually most of the tribe returned to their homes to sleep, leaving only Kari dancing around the dying fire. Oshasis had retired to his own teepee, but Savarras remained with Erik until Kari’s performance came to a close. She was covered in sweat when she returned to the log where the two males sat, and she took up her swords before returning to the fire pit.
She knelt before the fire and held her swords inverted with the tips to the ground before her, and Kari lowered her head. “Zalkar!” she called, her voice echoing in the night. It had been some time since she'd sworn the Oath, but the words flowed from her lips effortlessly. “I ask of you the right to vengeance on behalf of these people. Fill me with your strength and make me an instrument of justice: grant me the power of your avatar that I may strike down the demon that has caused these people harm.”
Kari stood up and turned to face Erik and Savarras, and she crossed her swords before her. Zalkar’s symbol, the Sword of Truth and the balanced forces of Justice and Mercy, drew itself across her chest in light blue and then pulsed once before it faded into the blackness of her skin. Savarras sat agape, stunned beyond words though his mouth began to move. Erik regarded Kari with a gaze that clearly said he was impressed, and he nodded in recognition that her prayer had been answered.
“What have you done?” Savarras finally managed when Kari moved to pick up her clothing and armor.
“I have enlisted the aid of my deity himself in our cause,” she answered, her smile one of confidence and comfort. “Would you prefer we sleep out here near the fire?”
The czarikk shaman was still shocked by what he had witnessed and by her words, but after considering her for several moments he shook his head. “No. No, you may have the use of my home this night,” he said. He looked off into the darkness on the far side of the village. “My mate and I…we have not shared a tent since our egg was destroyed. It is forbidden for male and female to mate until the rites of cleansing are performed over the dead. However, if Sakkrass is not displeased with us, then the rites are merely a formality. I will go to my mate, and leave you two to take our home.”
Kari sniffled but did her best not to cry when it was the shaman who was in pain. She squatted down and touched Savarras’ face lightly, still unsure if it was taboo to do so. He didn't shy away from her touch, but met her eyes. “I am sorry for your loss,” she said, to which he nodded in thanks. “Go to your mate; she needs you.”
Savarras rose to his feet and touched Kari’s face in return as she stood. “My tent is the one beside our chieftain’s,” he said. “Goodnight to you both, and rest you well.”
Savarras moved off into the darker portions of the village, and Kari looked up to see Makauric’s glowing eyes watching over her. She waved for Erik to follow and moved toward the tent Savarras had indicated. Kari was surprised that the brys had not come down from his tree during their stay thus far, but attributed it to him wanting to stay out of sight to ease the tension in the czarikk village. Kari entered Savarras’ teepee with Erik behind her, and found it spacious and warm, decorated with trinkets and charms that hung from its wooden supports. Its floor was covered with animal skins and furs. It was clearly the home of a holy man, and was accordingly clean and efficient.
Erik undressed down to his loincloth, piled his armor and his weapons neatly near the doorway, and lay down on the surprisingly soft nest of furs and hide blankets. Kari lay down beside him and touched his face lightly, and she kissed him chastely on the side of his snout. Erik smiled and looked at the painted designs that adorned her naked body, and his eyes returned to meet hers, searching. “That was amazing,” he said simply.
She searched his eyes in return for a few moments, and she blew out a calm sigh. “It took me back to another life, when I traveled among the elves,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure what came over me. Watching the fire dance…it was like it awakened something in me, something that’s been asleep since I came back. Maybe it was the shock combined with the moment…I don’t know. I just know I feel more alive, I guess you could say. It’s like I’m connected to this world again, rather than just walking on it.”
“And now our god’s strength rests in you,” he said. He was impressed, and made no attempt to mask it.
“We will not fail these people, Erik. I swear it.”
In the depths of his glowing blue eyes, Kari could see his confidence was the same. He touched her face lightly and kissed her forehead. “I know,” he said. “Tonight that sylinth feels a chill, and the shadow of death closing over it.”
“I have to ask you one thing, though,” Kari said. “I know you’re not fond of Makauric; I’m obviously not fond of brys myself. But he’s helping us, so try to be polite to him.”
Erik chuckled but conceded her point with a nod. “I will,” he said. “I was caught up in the moment a little, as you were. It won’t happen again.”
Kari was satisfied with his answer and the expression on his face that said it was genuine. With that the two fell asleep among the warmth and security of the czarikk village. The jungle was quiet around them, and Kari slept soundly throughout the night.
Chapter XI – Uncertainty
The journey to Tingus was uneventful, and the crew of the Coastrunner seemed anxious to get their half-demon passengers off the ship as soon as possible. Unlike Captain Galdur and his crew, the sailors of the smaller vessel lacked the courtesy or accommodating nature Aeligos and his companions had gotten used to over the length of their previous voyage. It led to a very boring and tense trip, and the group passed most of the time reading in their hammocks, as they didn’t want to be underfoot on deck. They arrived in the port city of Tingus after a little more than ten days, and when the ship docked around midday, the half-demons and their two human companions were the only ones to disembark. The ship left port again immediately after, on its way to Northport.
> Tingus was quiet for a port town, and only a few other ships were in its sizeable harbor when the group disembarked. Unlike the other ports they had visited on their journey, Tingus wasn’t built on a hill, but instead extended into grassy plains. The docks themselves were clean and well-maintained, and there were armed, uniformed guards stationed at the end of each pier while others patrolled. It gave Aeligos hope that the city wasn’t as rough as Flora was reputed to be, or as unwelcoming as Riverport had been. At the very least, the guards were of varied races, from human to terra-rir to shakna-rir, which said the city wasn’t likely a bastion of Gaswell sympathizers.
The Silver Blades received many a strange stare from the locals when Aeligos led his siblings and two human companions to the nearest inn, but he shrugged it off as curiosity. The closest inn to the docks was a three-story hotel called The Sand and the Strand, and Aeligos motioned for the others to head inside. Aeligos lagged behind and scanned the docks and piers in both directions to see if anyone was watching them. Other than the dissipating curious glances of the guards, there didn’t appear to be any obvious trouble. He nodded to the nearest passing guards, who returned the gesture, and Aeligos stepped inside with his siblings.
The inside was spacious and cheery, with the windows left open to let in the smell of the ocean breeze, and the pleasant aroma was augmented by the scents of baking bread and roasting meat. There were several dozen other patrons within, and each spared the large group a glance, several eyebrows rising in surprise before they returned to their own conversations. Like the guards, the patrons were of many different races, which reinforced Aeligos’ initial assumption. Aeligos spotted a couple of empty tables near one of the front windows and motioned for his siblings to push them together and sit while he approached the innkeeper.
The proprietor was shakna-rir, and the green-skinned rir looked over the approaching half-demon with a measured, red-eyed gaze. His hair was dark brown and a little longer than shoulder-length, tied back in a high conservative tail. He made busy polishing the bar as Aeligos approached, but when the dark male drew close, the innkeeper stood up straight and smiled. “Welcome to The Sand and the Strand,” he said with the soft, flowing accent common to the desert peoples. “Ieyok Melurasti, at your service. What can I do for you this fine afternoon?”
“How many rooms can you spare?” Aeligos asked, and he slid a couple of gold coins the innkeeper’s way.
Ieyok picked the coins up and dropped them in a bucket on the shelf behind him, which to Aeligos was a telling gesture. “We’ve more than enough if your friends would like one apiece,” the innkeeper said.
“We’ll take seven, then, if you please,” Aeligos said. He looked around the common room for a few moments before returning his attention to the host. “We could also use seven ales and seven meals. How’re things in the city, calm?”
“How long do you plan to stay?” the shakna-rir male asked.
“Tonight and tomorrow night,” Aeligos answered, and he leaned forward on the bar so that he had to look up slightly to keep the innkeeper’s gaze.
“Rooms, meals, and drinks for seven over two days will cost seven gold,” Ieyok said. He reached under the bar and pulled up seven simple iron keys. “You may take the third floor to yourselves; all but the back left room.”
Aeligos produced seven more gold coins and placed them on the bar while the shakna-rir began filling tankards from a tap behind him. Aeligos picked up the keys, deposited them in a pocket of his cloak, and waited for the barkeep to finish pouring the drinks. He looked around the common room again; none of its occupants were staring at him or his companions, and he breathed a silent sigh of relief. He was more accustomed to doing reconnaissance work on his own, when he could use minor magic to alter his looks to better fit in and didn’t have a large, conspicuous group with him.
The shakna-rir turned back around once he finished filling the last tankard, and he scooped up the gold coins and put them into the same bucket as the first two. “Things in town have been very calm,” Ieyok said. “Not much in the way of trouble or even gossip on the wind, except of course for the situation in the west.”
“Oh?” Aeligos asked, feigning surprise. “Something going on in your homeland?”
Ieyok shook his head. “No, no, I suppose you folks are newcomers to the island?” he asked, though he didn’t wait for an answer. “General Braxus Gaswell is raising an army in the west and threatening to push all but the terra-rir from the island. The consensus seems to be that it’s a lot of posturing and wind, and I haven’t heard of any serious responses to the ‘threat.’”
“Oh, I see,” the dark male said with a nod. “How far to the west are your people?”
The shakna-rir’s brows rose momentarily. “Thinking of visiting the desert?” he asked with a short, grunt-like laugh. “I didn’t think your kind liked it out there, despite your heritage. It’s about three days around the bay to Dune, or about a week to the kingdom seat of Kulthon at the base of the mountains. Even if you don’t pass through Dune, it’s best if you head west once you’ve passed the bay until you come to Dune Road, which will take you to Kulthon, if that’s where you’re headed.”
Aeligos straightened up. “Great, thank you,” he said. “Do you have women here?”
Ieyok fixed him with a curious stare for a moment, but then shook his head. “Not for the purpose you’re asking,” he said. “I’m sure you can find one at any of the taverns around town. But to be honest, I try to keep mules and such away from my inn.”
“Understandable,” Aeligos returned. “Is there hot food for us?”
Ieyok nodded and gestured his guest to the table where his companions sat. “Of course; I’ll have one of my serving girls bring meals right over,” he said.
Aeligos returned to the table, took a seat beside his sister, and looked over his group. Serenjols and Typhonix both looked bored, as though they were half-tempted to go out looking for trouble just to have something to do. Sonja was studying the other patrons in the bar, likely trying to detect any undertones of fear or anxiousness, and Aeligos was thankful to have her vigilant assistance. Grakin looked tired: he was sick a couple of times during the trip up from Riverport, and Aeligos suspected Kari not being around might have had something to do with it.
The two human teenagers looked excited, and Aeligos reminded himself that it was their first time away from home, and that everything – no matter how trivial to their companions – was going to seem new and exciting to them. It also occurred to him that the group was going to have to take the time to have armor made for them and make sure that the weapons they had were of suitable quality in the event of a battle. Since they grew up on a tropical island that only received metals by the graces of Captain Galdur and similar supply runners, it was unlikely their weapons were of good quality.
Sherman noticed Aeligos’ stare and smiled. “Something on your mind, sir?” he asked.
He didn’t show it, but Aeligos was shocked to be called 'sir' by anyone. “We need to get you two armor and some better weapons,” he said, and the twins agreed. “I don’t mean to pry, but is there anything I should know about you before we undertake an overland trip?”
“Such as?” Sherman asked, rubbing a hand through his facial hair, which was much more unkempt than it had been when he joined them on Salkorum.
“Anything that would make our trip longer or inconvenience the rest of us, absolutely anything at all,” the dark male said without pause, and the two shook their heads. “Good. We move quickly, so when we get you armor, you’ll want to take into account speed, comfort, and how well you’ll handle it while crossing the desert. We’ll be in town at least until the day after tomorrow, or as long as it takes to get you youngsters outfitted. Ah, and here come some meals.”
One of the shakna-rir barmaids brought over roasted chicken and pork with greens. After a few trips back to the kitchen, she had served them all and the friends enjoyed a hot lunch. Aeligos gave a subtle gesture to keep th
e reason behind their presence a secret as much as possible, so they kept the small talk mostly about the quality of the food or sightseeing in the city. Aeligos assigned them to pairs: he partnered each of the humans with one of his own siblings so they could be watched closely, and he left himself as the only one not paired with anyone else so he could get some snooping accomplished. He passed out their keys so they could get situated before they went out to see the city, and Aeligos warned them to stay out of trouble and not leave their partners while they were out and about.
Aeligos entered his room and stowed his travel pack inside the wardrobe, and then he checked the window’s security briefly. It was a locking window with latching shutters that would allow a double layer of protection if he deemed it necessary. Satisfied that no one would be breaking into his room through the window without a lot of work, he turned and looked at the rest of his temporary abode. The rooms were set up simply but furnished with quality goods, and as Aeligos looked over the bed he squared his jaw and sighed. It had been an uncomfortable ten days aboard the Coastrunner, due in no small part to Eryn’s absence. As much as her profession and her unapologetic pursuit of it annoyed him, her absence was what really hurt. He couldn’t deny the fact that he loved her; not in quite the same way as his brother and Karian loved each other, but deep down he knew he did. He and Eryn were so good together, both in bed and outside of it, but only until they began to speak of the future.
