by Joe Jackson
Just as the innkeeper told him, it took them three days to reach the city of Dune by following the road out of Tingus. The bay was on their right the entire time, and they took the northern fork when the road split from its path into the heart of the desert. The farms extended for miles and miles outside of the port city, and once they passed the edges of the cultivated lands they found wide expanses of grazelands for livestock. The landscape only began to change once they drew within a day’s travel of Dune, where the plains began to give way to a dry, rocky and sandy expanse.
Dune itself was barely a city. It was a transition and stopping place for caravans and travelers more than anything else, and was comprised of a good mix of humans, shakna-rir, and terra-rir. It was smaller but busier than Tingus, with structures built of adobe and sandstone, and painted white or left the natural color. There were numerous wells throughout, which suggested a large amount of water far beneath its sands and rock, and there were vegetable gardens and even a few fruit trees. The Silver Blades expected a fairly barren city but found a jewel instead, and were pleased to find that the terra-rir population held no sympathies for Gaswell or his crusade.
The Silver Blades remained in Dune for only a couple of days before they were able to accompany a caravan headed into the heart of the desert empire, on its way with trade goods from Northport and the continent of Dannumore to the north. Using Typhonix’ status as a demonhunter, they signed on as guards but asked for no pay, which got them easily approved. The caravan left the city without delay once dawn broke on the third day, and soon the group was on its way to Kulthon.
Aeligos wasn’t sure what to expect from the shakna-rir queen. The desert peoples tended to be militaristic and even a bit warlike at times, but the fact that they had not made any move to counter Gaswell’s threat left him to wonder. He’d hoped that the young shakna-rir woman he’d met in Tingus would be able to tell him more, but neither she nor Ieyok was able to tell him anything he didn’t already know. Something about the whole situation struck him as quite odd, and he wondered if it was just his experience with Seril’s tactics during the Apocalypse that made Gaswell’s more patient approach seem out of place.
The rogue took the point for the caravan and advised them when to slow and let him go ahead to scout out dangerous-looking areas. Wherever dunes piled on both sides of the road to form a natural bottleneck, he rode on ahead to make sure that no bandits or marauders awaited them. He wasn’t sure how common brigands were in the hot, unforgiving wastelands of the desert, but Aeligos wasn’t one to take chances, particularly when he was expected to help keep his hosts safe. He was quietly thankful that they encountered no trouble on the first day of the journey, and that his precautions proved unnecessary.
The temperature dropped considerably at night, and the group bundled up under the wagons, staying close to conserve heat. Aeligos shared a blanket with his sister, and the two lay on their sides face to face so they could speak, voicing their concerns for both the road ahead and their impending work in the shakna-rir capital. Sonja hadn’t said anything to him about his work in Tingus, but he was able to tell by her expression that she “knew” what he’d been up to when he came back before she retired to sleep.
“What do you think we should do when we reach Kulthon?” Aeligos asked her. “No one seems particularly concerned with what Gaswell is about, or eager to go and start a fight with him, and he hasn’t mobilized at all. I’m left to wonder what it is we’re even doing here.”
“Well, our most prudent course of action will be to let the shakna-rir do the talking,” she said. “We should see what their intent is: how they plan to react either to the current situation or to Gaswell’s imminent first attack on a neighboring city. They may be slow to move now, but once actual fighting breaks out, I doubt the shakna-rir will remain idle for long.”
“That’s what worries me,” he said. “We’ve been tasked with preventing a war, but how exactly are we expected to do that? We’re too few to take Gaswell down by force even if we use covert means, so what do Erik’s superiors really expect? I think at the very least we’re going to need allies to take the fight to Gaswell. If I know history as well as I think I do, he’s not going to disperse without first testing the strength of his army.”
“We can only do our best,” Sonja said. “Erik’s superiors don’t want a war to break out, but if we can’t stop that from happening, then we do the only thing we can: try to make sure the right side wins.”
Aeligos nodded. “I hope he and Kari finish their other duties quickly. I’m fine with leading this bunch to carry out diplomacy and explore, but I’d rather Erik were here and in charge when there’s going to be fighting.”
“You’ll do fine, if it comes to that,” she said. “Erik trusts you with our safety, and for good reason. How you behave when you’re on your own time, that’s another matter entirely.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sonja didn’t bother keeping her voice down; it was a safe bet the others were all listening to their conversation anyway. “Don’t lie to me, Aeligos. If you’re going out to have sex, then say so. Don’t tell me you’re going out to gather information and have me worried for your safety when you’re out satisfying yourself. That’s not fair.”
He sighed but didn’t deny her words; she didn’t understand and he wasn’t sure she or the others ever would. “I didn’t think you’d like it,” he said.
“I don’t,” Sonja answered, her red eyes sparkling even as they glowed in the darkness. “But I like being lied to even less. I don’t have to like what you do or who you choose to do it with, but honestly it’s not my business anyway. But as I said, I don’t appreciate sitting up at night worried because I think you’re out probing the shadows of a city for answers.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. It was easier to ask forgiveness than permission, as they said.
Sonja nodded, and then a slight smile came to her face. “Was she cute?”
Aeligos chuckled but shook his head. “She was pretty, but also just coming of age, so I walked away,” he said. Sonja beheld him curiously. “I know you probably don’t understand, but sleeping with experienced women…they know what it is they are and aren’t getting into. A young girl like that doesn’t, and I wouldn’t do something like that to her, or her father.” She held his stare evenly but said nothing, and he touched the side of her snout. “It’s why if any man slept with you and then was gone with the sunrise, I’d find him and cut his throat.”
Sonja was clearly shocked by his declaration. “You’re right, I don’t understand,” she said. “But it helps to know that there is at least a rhyme and reason to the way you behave.” Aeligos sighed and fell quiet, and the two went to sleep among the droning of the other members of the caravan and the quiet whisper of the wind.
Sunrise came early and the caravan got back underway, and continued its trek for three more days along the sandy but well-traveled road. The desert heat was oppressive, but most of the group was able to sit inside the wagons while they traveled and didn’t have to wear their armor. Out of the sun and without the extra weight upon them, the heat seemed not much worse for the human teenagers than the normal climate of their tropical home on Salkorum. Aeligos continued his vigilant scouting, and guided them all the way to the seat of the shakna-rir empire without incident. He was shocked when the caravan master paid him for his vigilance, and Aeligos took the offering of gold coins graciously. It was an odd day for him to take another man’s money without a card game or a good deal of subterfuge taking place.
Kulthon was a massive city, much larger than any of the Silver Blades expected. Its outer edges stretched onto the arid rocky plains of the desert, while the heart of the city rose up into the foothills and the crook of the mountain range. The mountains extended from east to west and then curved around to the north, and the shakna-rir capital was nestled defensively into the elbow. Its back was securely against the base of a titanic peak and the city was surrounded b
y a wall in the front, while still more dwellings sat outside the wall. Aeligos had heard of the defensive structure of Aurun Ch’Gurra – the capital of the shakna-rir kingdom on Terrassia – and wondered if it was as impressive as the sight before him.
The caravan slowed to a stop outside the city proper, and the Silver Blades bid their gracious hosts farewell and made their way in. The lower section of the city, out on the arid plain, was comprised almost entirely of residences: flat-roofed one-story homes made of adobe and sandstone like their counterparts in Dune. Like in the smaller city, there was an abundance of gardens and wells, and the group even came across a fountain in the first circular plaza, though it was dried out. The roads were dusty and unpaved, though relatively well-kept, and each home seemed to have a rain barrel in addition to their access to the local wells, which the companions found odd.
Just as Ellena had suggested, Aeligos and his siblings received few stares as they entered the city. Aeligos took in their surroundings and studied the people as well. The shakna-rir were dressed simply in bright, light flowing clothes. They were naturally impervious to the heat of their preferred homelands, and wore their clothing as much for modesty as to protect themselves from the elements. The people had a simple look about them, but their expressions spoke of contentment stemming from the security of a strong kingdom.
Aeligos looked to the west, where he could see that the sun would be cut off early. The skies likely remained light well into the afternoon and early evening, but the high peaks would shade the city. It made him evaluate the homes around him a second time, and he took note of the glass windows that the shakna-rir had become famous for crafting, as well as the stone the homes were built from that likely trapped heat during the day and slowly released it at night. He gave a smile for the peoples’ ingenuity that allowed them to thrive in a place where others would simply perish trying to carve out a life.
They passed through the lower portion of the city along a main road to one of the broad iron portcullises that led into the walled upper city. The portcullis was raised, and a squad of scimitar and spear-armed guards stood two to a side and watched the traffic passing into and out of the upper city. They glanced briefly at the approaching half-demons, but Typhonix touched Aeligos’ shoulder, stepped to the forefront, and laid his dog tags over his chest. The guards gave courteous nods when Ty saluted them, and they allowed the group to pass without question.
The upper portion of the city was far more heavily populated, and the homes and buildings were constructed of the same materials as those of the lower section in most cases, though there were a few made of wood and brick. Many of the buildings were also two or three stories, and the wide streets of the lower city gave way to narrower, shadier roads in the upper district. The streets here were made of carved stone, and as soon as Aeligos’ feet touched them he could feel what he suspected: the stones stored and gave off heat in turn to keep the city and its cold-sensitive residents warm at night. The plazas of the upper city were shopping centers with general stores, taverns, and inns cornering the alternating square and circular intersections. Aeligos found a respectable-looking inn called Desert Wind and led his companions in. They were able to get several rooms, but they paired up to conserve funds, and Aeligos bid his companions stay and have something to eat and drink while he explored the city. He exchanged a wry smile with Sonja and they both laughed, and the others joined in soon after.
Aeligos made his way farther into the city and was surprised at how homogenous the population was. While he fully expected it to be mostly shakna-rir, instead it was almost entirely shakna-rir: since leaving the caravan he’d seen very few people of other races. He wondered if it was the heat or if it had something to do with the shakna-rir and the way their kingdoms were organized and run. Ultimately he guessed it was a combination of the two: humans normally adapted to even the most inhospitable environments, but the rigid and matriarchal order of the shakna-rir may have made it more trouble than it was worth.
Aeligos continued up a steep road that was clearly for foot traffic only, and he saw other roads cut into ramps up the mountain to allow carts and animals to make their way up more easily. His road led to a second wall with an open portcullis, though there were more guards and they halted his approach. Looking through the portcullis, he could see that it safeguarded the royal palace and a few other buildings that appeared to be temples or homes to the nobility.
“State your business,” one of the guards said. He rested his hand on the hilt of his scimitar, though Aeligos could tell that it was a formality and not a threat.
“Is this the way to the palace?” Aeligos asked, and the guard nodded curtly. “How would one go about requesting an audience with Her Majesty?”
“What is the nature of your request?” the guard prodded.
Aeligos looked the guards over briefly, and they clearly did not appreciate his appraising glance. It told him a lot in only a few seconds, though: he noted that the guard speaking to him was an officer and not just a nosey grunt. “I am here at Zalkar’s request,” he said after a few moments, and the officer’s brows knitted suspiciously. “Two of my brothers are demonhunters and were sent here to the island on official business. As my elder brother is busy taking care of something else for his superiors, he entrusted me to come speak to your queen.”
The guard studied the half-demon before him for several minutes, holding him under a blazing red-eyed gaze. Aeligos didn’t so much as twitch, but met the officer’s stare evenly. Satisfied that Aeligos was telling the truth, the officer nodded. “Continue up the road to the front door of the palace and inside, and then ask the guards within to direct you to the chamberlain’s office. He will listen to what you have to say and decide if you are deserving of an audience with Her Majesty.”
Aeligos thanked the guard and was saluted crisply as he headed through the portcullis and into the palace district. The area had much larger buildings than the upper city and was cloaked in shadow even early in the afternoon. The main road circled around to the north and then northeast to a second gate, with the palace on the outer edge and the temples and dwellings on the inside. He paid little attention to the temples and homes, and made his way to the massive castle with its sky-tickling towers and beautiful stained glass windows. A pair of guards opened the wooden double doors at his approached, and Aeligos continued inside.
The entry chamber was not what he expected. It was a spacious but sparsely furnished foyer with many doors leading off in every direction and staircases leading up to a second level on both sides. The floor was covered in an intricate, eye-catching carpet of crimson and gold, and suits of elven plate mail stood at attention around the perimeter, which he found curious. There were two guards inside the doorway dressed in finery with ceremonial rapiers at their belts. They gave the newcomer a couple of minutes to survey the beauty of the entry chamber, and once his eyes turned to them, they greeted him. After a short conversation, Aeligos was led upstairs and to the chamberlain’s office.
The chamberlain’s office was efficient, with only a couple of well-stocked bookshelves, a beautiful polished-wood desk, a crimson plush chair in which the chamberlain was sitting, and a pair of similar chairs in front of the desk. The chamberlain was middle-aged, his hair cut short and layered in such a way that suggested he was too busy with palace details to worry about grooming. His red eyes regarded Aeligos only briefly before he gestured shortly to the chairs across from him, and once the half-demon had taken his seat, the chamberlain put down his quill and sat back in his chair. He studied his guest for a minute before speaking, and his voice was clear and strong when he did. “Half-demon?” he stated as much as asked. “We don’t see many of your kind out this way. What brings you to Her Majesty’s palace this day?”
Aeligos didn’t respond immediately, but instead leaned forward and extended his hand across the desk. After hesitating for only a moment, the chamberlain shook it. “My name is Aeligos Tesconis,” the rogue said. “My older brothe
r is a demonhunter under orders from Zalkar, and part of those orders is to weigh the intentions of the kingdoms here with respect to Braxus Gaswell. He asked me to come and speak with your queen while he sorts out another matter for his lord.”
The chamberlain weighed Aeligos’ words for a moment before he bobbed his head appreciatively. “That’s probably the best reason I’ve heard for anyone to see the Queen in quite some time,” he said with a muted smile. “I am Haicer Dorsereldi, chamberlain and advisor to the Queen. I’m sure I can arrange an audience with Her Majesty based on what you’ve said. I know the situation in the southwest is becoming of concern to the warlord, so the Queen will be interested to hear what you have to say. However, Her Majesty is a very busy woman, so it may take some time before she can give you her attention.”
“I understand,” Aeligos said, his brow furrowing slightly. “I hate to waste your time, but I’m curious…every other shakna-rir I’ve met here on the island has a surname ending in –asti, but yours ends in –eldi. Did you come from Terrassia?”
Haicer’s smile broadened. “Very perceptive,” he said. “My great-grandparents moved here from Aurun Ch’Gurra after they were married. You are correct: the bloodlines here carry the –asti ending, whereas those from Terrassia carry the –eldi ending. It relates to the matriarchal lines that are the beginning and source of our empires.”
“Interesting,” the dark male said. “How long to gain an audience with the queen?”
“Give me just a moment,” the shakna-rir male said. He turned to one of his bookshelves and pulled forth a large tome bound in red leather. He flipped to the place marked by its leather thong and began studying the pages, and then he flipped two more before his mouth tightened into a line. “I can put your petition before Her Majesty this afternoon, but she wouldn’t be able to see you until three days from now.”
