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Rojuun

Page 35

by John H. Carroll


  Chapter 23

  In the morning, Jarrrn brought his sister, Marrraa, who came up to Jarrrn’s nose in height and had a rounded face much like Yrrraa. Instead of the robes others wore, she wore leather armor colored different shades of brown and grey that would blend in with the rocks of the caverns. There were numerous pouches and weapons on it and she looked well geared for any battle.

  Jarrrn gestured to his sister. “I leave you in Marrraa’s capable hands. She will take you into the tunnels to hunt sstejj after breakfast. I must go back to Puujan to deal with urgent matters.” With a nod, he left.

  “Hello, humans. I am the Weapon Master. The safety of Garrrn Dwelling is my responsibility, as is the training of new recruits.” Marrraa’s eyes were a few shades darker blue than her brother’s. “You appear to be capable enough, I suppose.” She frowned at Liselle and Vevin as though not sure that they were capable. “Let’s get our breakfast.”

  She led them to a large dining room where other Rojuun were eating. Most were adorned in robes, but a few were dressed in leather armor similar to Marrraa’s. They all turned to look at the humans entering the room. Some pointed and whispered, while others just stared.

  Marrraa led them to an empty table. Two Rojuun girls served them. After serving the food, they stood staring at the odd strangers until Marrraa shooed them off.

  Breakfast was a meal of plants and meats the companions didn’t recognize, but tasted good. The humans studied the Rojuun as much as the Rojuun studied them. Neither group seemed bothered by the fact.

  Toward the end of the meal, Liselle broke the silence. “Marrraa, I thought the Rojuun were used to humans, but I get the impression nobody here has seen one before.”

  Marrraa shook her head. “Only in a few of the larger cities are there any humans.” Her voices weren’t as melodious as Yrrraa’s, but they were pleasant. “Here, on the frontier of Rojuun society, we have to do most of the work ourselves. We are delighted to know a servant race exists to care for our needs as we expand out into the world.”

  “So no one here has seen humans before. Now I understand. We’re not used to Rojuun either,” Tathan said.

  “Of course. You are honored to be in our presence.” Marrraa nodded. “Breakfast is finished. It is now time to show you where the sstejj attack us from.” They left their plates for the girls to clean up.

  Marrraa escorted them down another hallway to the main entry of the dwelling. The doors to the entry were made of a rough, waxy wood. Tathan ran his hand down the face of one, admiring the etched designs covering it. Both doors were painted amber with highlights of dark green. Everything the Rojuun touched was turned to art in one way or another.

  “This door faces north,” Marrraa told them. She pointed to a large tunnel off to the east about a thousand feet away. “The main caverns of Juulla are down that tunnel. Most Rojuun cities are built within a series of caves around one or more primary caves. Families often build dwellings in smaller caves around the main city. This is Garrrn Cavern of Juulla, meaning it belongs to the Garrrn family in the city of Juulla.”

  Tathan got his bearings. Knowing compass directions helped. He should be able to find his way back from that point on. “Thank you for explaining that.”

  “Certainly, I think it is important that you understand our ways as much as you are able. It will make it easier for you to get along.” Marrraa refastened the straps on one of her pouches to secure it to her belt better. “We will be going through a tunnel on the far side of Garrrn Cavern.” She pointed with a free hand toward a tunnel on the west end of the cavern. “It leads to wild, unexplored areas, many of which are overrun by sstejj. It is there that I will lead you.” She led them in that direction.

  Garrrn Cavern glowed like moonlight. Because light came from the bioluminescence of the plants in every direction, no shadows were cast. It took the companions some time to get used to the differences.

  Plants of different shapes and sizes were everywhere. Tathan was surprised to see manicured trees that glowed with the same light as the moss and plants.

  The air tasted different. Cool moisture filled his lungs when he breathed in. The temperature was pleasant while a breeze delivered alien scents from native flora and fauna.

  He stopped to take in all the new sensations. It was disorienting to handle everything at once. The earthy taste of the air was the thing that threw him off the most. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled.

  The others were looking around at their surroundings. Predictably, Liselle was caressing and smelling the flowers. Each one leaned toward her, wanting her to pay attention to them over the others. Some had fragrant perfumes while others had no aroma at all.

  Sir Danth held out his hand to a bird whose body glowed green while its wings were shades of lavender. When it landed upon his gauntlet, he appeared to be surprised.

  Marrraa stopped to let them orient themselves. “That is a daliit. They feast upon insects like the uulifly.”

  As she spoke, the bird flitted away after a glowing red bug that darted past. There were small creatures all over the place. Every single one glowed in different shades. Tathan had to shut his eyes for a moment to rest them from the riot of colors.

  Vevin listened to the sounds of the cavern. It didn’t stop him from dancing of course. Tathan absentmindedly labeled it the listening dance. Being underground changed the dynamics of the sounds. It didn’t echo as much as he expected due to the plants and moss covering most of the rock. At the same time, the sound had nowhere to escape.

  It was hard to distinguish each individual sound. There were different noises made by the animals; flapping wings, bird chirps, insect buzzing, chattering from various small mammals that scurried about. Added to all of that were the voices of Rojuun. It sounded like someone was playing pipes, while other Rojuun sang melodious songs.

  “I am told that when Rojuun first see the sky, it is overwhelming. It takes a while for one to gain their bearings,” Marrraa said. “I expect the same is true of humans who visit underground.” She gestured for them to follow.

  They walked casually along a curving path of stone pavers. There was a footbridge over a small river flowing from the outer wall of the dwelling down to a good-sized lake. The water was crystal clear. The fish and plant life within also glowed.

  Liselle paused on the footbridge. “Mistress Marrraa, the water comes from inside of the dwelling. Does the river begin from within, or does it pass through?”

  “The dwelling was built over the river. Many Rojuun dwellings have rivers or natural springs within them. It makes it easier to get water and is visually pleasing. This river enters the cavern from a wall on the other side of our dwelling.”

  “It is beautiful down here.” Liselle leaned on the railing. “The plants around the dwelling look cultivated and cared for.”

  “Everything is grown in beautiful patterns and is pleasing to the eyes. Even our homes are works of art.” Marrraa gestured toward the building.

  It was made of stone, rising five different levels in height, filling the heart of the cavern. It was rounded in most areas showing no seams, as though they had taken the rock itself and shaped it. Braces extended from the building to the top and sides of the cavern. In many ways, it resembled a colorful cocoon or wasp’s nest. There were windows with glass panes. The Rojuun had glass in all of their windows, unlike human lands. The dwelling was painted a number of colors much as Rojuun houses in Puujan had been. It seemed more natural on this building somehow.

  “How many Rojuun live here, Mistress Marrraa?” Liselle asked.

  “There are eight hundred twenty one members of the Garrrn Family and four hundred eighteen members of other families that live here. The Garrrn Family has a number of dwellings in other cities as well, though we are far from the largest family in Rojuun territory.” Marrraa resumed walking. “This is a good place to live an
d will be even better once the danger is removed.”

  The companions followed her down the path. Liselle smiled the whole way, holding her hands out for plants to touch her fingertips as she passed.

  Upon reaching the large tunnel a short time later, they paused to look down its length. It was thick with luminescent plants, though they were not manicured or maintained. In the distance, the tunnel curved to the left.

  “This tunnel goes for about two miles, all of which is safe. At the end is a gate that keeps the sstejj from entering. They hover around the gate, trying to claw and bite through it.” Marrraa gestured angrily. “The abominations cannot resist the smell of Rojuun. They howl at the gates with their eager cries of hunger.” A look of fury crossed her face and her cats-eye pupils narrowed to dark blue slits. “They have broken through twice. The last time they were able to kill twelve before we drove them off. Seven of those who died were children. Sstejj like to feed on the young . . .”

  “It is appalling that the creatures would kill your children,” Sir Danth proclaimed. “As such, the purveyors of this evil must be dealt with harshly. Let us see to these sstejj that we may make them pay for their misdeeds.”

  Marrraa wiped a hand over her face to remove the suffering. “I like you . . . Sir Danth isn’t it?”

  “At your service.” He bowed. “Let us go now to the gate if you will.”

  The tunnel sloped downward. The air was cool and the breeze Tathan had felt in Garrrn Cavern flowed around the party from behind.

  After traveling about a mile and a half, they heard a discordant yelping. There was also a new smell in the air, like mold and slime mixed with mud. In the distance, iron bars covered the entrance of the tunnel. Closed doors in the middle were large enough to let four people through at once.

  The horror was on the other side of the gate. Numerous yelping, snapping creatures were crawling on and around the gates. Their snouts were cruel and vicious as they bit the bars.

  “Those are sstejj.” Marrraa continued walking as though there were nothing to fear. “They will become very excited when they catch our scent.”

  The sstejj were just as described, with thin bodies and stony, jointed legs. They crawled over each other trying to get through the gate. As the party moved closer, the monsters began to scurry.

  About fifty paces away from the doors, Marrraa stopped. “They feel our footsteps through the ground. You can see by their thin bellies that they are hungry.” Her voices were deadly calm. “We will kill the abominations, yet more will replace them. They hunt us constantly. They will even pass a smaller, tastier creature to feast upon Rojuun.”

  Tathan looked thoughtfully at the crowd around the doors. “It’ll be a fight to get past the gate without letting any through.”

  Most of the bars had teeth marks on them. Some were bent. The monsters gnawed on them even more ferociously with the party so close. Stony legs clawed the air through the bars, trying to get at the party.

  “We can kill them through the bars. It will take a while to do, but we should be able to thin them out enough to make it,” Sir Danth said.

  Marrraa flicked the fingers of her two right hands. “Getting them away from the gate isn’t a problem. The problem is that more always follow. Wait here a moment.” She walked forward until she was fifteen feet away from the gate.

  Sstejj screeched hungrily at her presence.

  Marrraa gestured with all four arms in hypnotic movements. Speech emanated from her throat much like the words Jarrrn Garrrn had used during teleportation.

  All spells used magical energies from the air, earth, water or any other thing that existed around the caster. All life gave off excess energy that could be manipulated for spells as well. Evil wizards could pull life energy from living things whereas good wizards would use the energy in the air to make a person better. There were many ways to perform magic. Some people could take specific elements of energy and manipulate them while others would just grab power from the closest source available.

  When an individual cast a spell, that energy gathered around them in a casting wind. When releasing the energy, it would blast past the user from behind as though they were being hit by a gale of wind. The more it looked like the caster was being hit by wind, the stronger the spell. It was a good gauge for warriors to use when determining whether or not to run away. Many young wizards died when casting a spell that used more energy than they were able to channel. Others lost their minds in the casting.

  The companions could tell that the spell Marrraa was casting was especially powerful by the amount of energy flowing around her. An intense look of concentration dominated her face. When she released the spell, magical wind ripped past her. She braced her feet and bent her knees as it dragged her forward.

  The result of the spell was phenomenal. Tendrils of icy mist rushed from her outstretched hands. The creatures screamed in agony as the tendrils sliced into their bodies. Wave after wave ripped through the sstejj near the gates. A few, dazed by injuries, stumbled away.

  As the last of the spell evaporated from her fingertips, Marrraa fell to her knees. “That will keep them away for a short while. If you humans intend to betray us, then this would be the time, as I will be too weak to defend myself for a short while.” She did not look back at them as she spoke, but stayed on her knees waiting for whatever they might do.

 

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