Ethira

by J D Evergreen

  Before long, we are both enjoying a pleasant if quiet meal. I finish the last of my food and set down the rock I had been using as a plate. “It feels weird without the others here.”

  “It seems I have also grown accustomed to traveling in a large group and all the noise that brings,” Lexa agrees as she, too, sets down her makeshift plate.

  “Do you think the others are okay?” I ask.

  Lexa looks at me. “I am sure they are. Each of them is extremely capable, and together there is much they can overcome.”

  I hold my hands out to the fire. “I suppose they weren’t kidnapped by goblins.”

  “That is true,” Lexa replies as she places a wide piece of bark into the fire and sits back on her heels.

  I pull my hair free from its tie and attach it to my wrist. “Do you really think all this will help prevent others from identifying me so quickly?”

  Lexa’s eyes linger on the freshly freed hair and pokes the fire with a short stick. “You have some distinctive features that will be difficult to hide from bounty hunters, but this should stop regular creatures and humans from recognizing you.”

  I eye the furnace. “Surely changing the color of my hair will not be enough?”

  Lexa shakes her head, “Probably not. You tend to wear your hair in a high tail, even the representation of you showed that. If we braid your hair and leave most of it down, it should change your initial appearance, at least for those who do not know you well.”

  We settle into silence, and mostly, I just watch the fire crackle. Lexa shifts beside me and says, “Earlier in the prison, you said the crystal woke me?”

  I lift my hand to where the necklace is hidden in its secret pocket. “Yes, I don’t know how, only that I woke before you and some my wounds were healed. The only reason I could think of why it happened to me and not you was because I still had my necklace. When I put it into your hand, it shone brightly and you awoke.”

  Lexa puts down her stick and brushes off her hands. “May I look at your newly healed wounds?”

  Surprised, I hold out my arm, and Lexa carefully takes it in her hands, inspecting the pink skin.

  Lexa inspects my cuts, her hands gently running along the length of my forearm. “These are the wounds you got from the landslide?”

  I turn back to the fire and try to concentrate on anything except the way Lexa's hands seem to create a wave tingling along the length of my arm.

  I clear my throat. “They are. When I awoke, I didn’t have any magical injuries that I could see, but when I used the crystal to wake you, I got this.”

  I gently pull my arm from her hands and lift my sleeve and show her the long blue line.

  Lexa's eyebrows furrow. “It would seem there is a different impact for magic used subconsciously as opposed to magic used deliberately.”

  I pull my sleeve down to help mute the blue light, and I rub over the sore spot as the fabric agitates it. “It would help a lot if there was someone who actually understood this, instead of us just figuring it out as we go.”

  Lexa reclaims her stick and pokes at the fire. “There is no sense wishing for things we do not currently have. What we have now is time, and we should use it to rest. You sleep first, I will keep watch.”

  I awake to find Lexa patiently crushing charcoal in a makeshift bowl with a rounded rock—most of it is already a fine powder. I rub my eyes and lean forward to pick up the last stick of charcoal, and it takes a surprising amount of strength to snap it. I look over at Lexa's fine black powder. She must have been working on that for ages.

  Lexa looks up at me with a smile. “I see you are awake.”

  I yawn and stretch. “That I am.” I eye the broken balooga seeds next to Lexa and notice the way the flesh has been squeezed. I point at it. “What happened to that?”

  Lexa pauses to follow my finger. “I squeezed the raw flesh to get out the oils. We will need it for the charcoal paste.”

  I leave the camp and walk a polite distance to relieve myself. When I return, Lexa has mixed the charcoal with the oil to make a rather impressive black paste.

  I sit in front of her and Lexa begins working it through my hair, taking care to spread it evenly. I close my eyes at the pleasant sensation. I cannot remember the last time someone touched my hair like this. Once all the charcoal is gone, she begins to braid my hair tightly from both sides and weaves them together at the back.

  She ties them together with small lengths of sinew she keeps in a small pouch on her belt for her own hair. “These hair ties should not come out unless they get wet, in which case you will probably lose the dye to.”

  I nod as Lexa's hands drop into her lap, and I turn to face her. “So, no long baths then?”

  She gives me a small smile and reaches forward to tuck some of my more wilful hairs behind my ear. “I am afraid they are out of the question.”

  I detect the way her voice has deepened, and my eyes dart to her lips as if that will somehow provide answers.

  For a moment, we sit close to one another. My heart thumps in my chest as I try to understand the impulse I have to lean forward.

  “What did I tell you?” a voice breaks through the silence. “I knew I could find these two before Nathanial.”

  I jerk away from Lexa and spin towards the voice to find Melissa marching her way towards us, Melissa gives us a wave and turns back to face the others. “Tash, you won’t believe it, they really have been braiding each other’s hair.”

  Tash's footsteps crash through the undergrowth, and she comes to stand beside Melissa, gaping at us. I turn back to Lexa and whisper, “I don’t understand.”

  Lexa wipes her black hands and a wad of dried grass she has beside her. “Back in the rebel camp, young girls would often spend the night at each other’s quarters. Usually, they would do something with the other's hair during that time. Hence the comment.”

  I nod and turn back to the other two. Melissa whistles. “Wow Claire, looking good, that hairstyle is badass.”

  Tash comes closer to inspect my hair. “I like it, but why did you change the color?”

  Lexa rises to her feet. “After we escaped the goblin lair, we discovered that a bounty has been placed on Claire, and images that represent her are being distributed. The goblins had one.”

  “Ooh, a bounty, how much?” Melissa asks as she takes a sip from the water canteen tied to her hip.

  Lexa holds out a black hand to me, and I take it. She turns to Melissa. “Ten thousand gold coins.”

  Melissa chokes on her water, and Tash slaps her on the back. “Ten thousand gold coins,” Melissa splutters. “Are you sure?”

  Lexa raises an eyebrow. “I read the wanted sheet myself.”

  Melissa wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and looks directly at me. “Everything that knows the meaning of gold coin will be looking for you.”

  I give her a weak smile and point at my hair. “That’s why we were hair braiding.”

  Melissa looks over my shoulder at Lexa. “It was a good idea. Have you thought about the scar that runs through her eyebrow?”

  Lexa shakes her head. “I have, but this type of thing has never been a specialty of mine.”

  I look behind Tash. “Where are the others?”

  Melissa waves her hand dismissively. “We split up to look for you and we are supposed to meet back at the weird rock in three hours.”

  “Two now,” Tash pipes in.

  Melissa starts towards me. “Good, that gives us an hour. Do you have any more of that charcoal?”

  An hour later, we march out of our little campsite, following Tash and Melissa towards what they have dubbed ‘the weird rock.’ Melissa has drawn in some of my eyebrow with charcoal, covering the scar that runs through it, making it less noticeable. Tash collected some dirt similar to my skin color and showed me how to make it a paste and how to apply it over the rest of the scar.

  It wasn’t perfect, and anyone who looked too closely would notice something amiss, but from a distanc
e, the group of women assured me I could be easily mistaken for someone else.

  So, now in a small pouch that hung from my belt are all the necessary materials for my disguise. Aside from my hair braids, I don’t like the changes. The charcoal itches, and the dirt paste has to be reapplied regularly.

  I look at the others. They have done a lot to help me, and I should be grateful.

  I walk behind the group and pull the necklace from the pocket in my pants, twirling it in my fingers as Melissa fills Lexa in on everything we missed during our forced separation.

  I haven’t had a chance to tell Lexa what the goblins said about the magic of the cavern failing. I am not sure if I believe it myself. It could just be the random bragging of a goblin claiming to know more than he does, which is quite common.

  But there are elements to his story that make me wonder, and not for the first time, how a cavern as big and vast as Shadowsoul could exist.

  The roof in places is so high it can’t be seen. I have travelled a fair distance, and in that time, I have only seen two potential sites for the sort of columns that usually provided support to a cave. The mountains at the rebel base and the mountain near the pass where Lexa and I were captured.

  Surely, they are too far apart to hold up a cavern this large? Is it possible this place was created and supported by magic? If so, then by whom? If it was Darkmor, certainly he must be able to fix it himself or he wouldn’t need me for some ritual.

  That must mean this place was created by someone else, a greater sorcerer than perhaps even Darkmor. My musing only leads me to more involved questions and even fewer answers.

  I have finally resolved to tell Lexa about this when Melissa announces, “The weird rock is just around this cluster of trees.”

  We wind our way around the group, and I get my first look at this weird rock and my immediate reaction is an agreement with their chosen name.

  The rock is vibrantly orange, almost the color of rust, and easily twice as tall as me. The whole thing is shaped like a screaming face. One eye is carved into the rock face, boasting a large pupil and a shallow hole, the eye on the right side is significantly smaller and the hole is much deeper. It is like this whole face was designed off the pre-existing holes.

  I gape at the confusing image before me. “How could that possibly be natural?”

  Lexa puts her hand on my lower back and gently guides me towards the rock. “Erosion perhaps?”

  Melissa shakes her head. “Nope, something carved it this way.” She points to a series of deep ridges around the eyes and mouth of the rock. “These marks were made by tools.”

  I move closer to the rock and inspect the deep ridges, looking up at the horrifying face. That face is going to appear in my nightmares, the only way it could be worse if it was lit up by eerie light.

  It seems oddly familiar. Turning my head to the side, I study it from a different angle.

  “Claire, what are you doing?” Tash queries, coming to stand next to me.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. I’m getting a major sense of Deja Vu.”

  Melissa snorts and twirls a knife in her hand. “Have you seen many people with jagged teeth and uneven eyes lately?”

  Melissa's words jolt a memory, and eagerly I dig through the small pouches attached to my belt. I unloop the bag that had housed the fake Elmaras, hiding the rings and coins from the greedy goblins.

  I rummage through the pink-stained bag and pull out a small tattered piece of leather and hold it up to the rock. The twisted faces definitely match.

  Lexa comes to stand beside me, and she too looks between the rock and the drawing in my hand. “Where did you get this?”

  I hand the square of leather over. “It was in the pouch with the coins and the rest of the things we found with the skeletons in the cave.”

  “With the other note?” Lexa asks as turns the square over and squints.

  “Yes,” I reply.

  Lexa announces, “There are words here.” She holds the strip up to the light of the flaming torch Tash is holding and reads out, “Choose right.”

  I wait, but nothing further comes. “What is right?”

  Lexa raises her eyebrow. “That is all that is here.”

  Melissa takes the square from Lexa to inspect it herself. “What is the point of going to all this trouble to say something meaningless?”

  Lexa approaches the large rock. “It was not meaningless to them. This note was placed into the same pouch as their mating rings and their last remnants of home. This note holds significance, we just need to figure out how.”

  Tash paces back and forth. “Okay. Well, do they want us to do what is right?”

  Melissa shakes her head and joins in. “It’s too ambiguous. Everyone has a different idea about what is right.”

  I am so focused on the pacing women that I don’t realize what Lexa is doing until she is halfway up the rock. “Lexa,” I call out. “What are you doing?”

  She expertly scales the sheer rock and peers into the right eye of the face. “I believe the note was meant to be taken somewhat more literally than we first thought.” She readjusts her grip, so one hand is free. “There is something in here.”

  Melissa shakes her head. “Don’t put your arm in there Lexa. A hole that size could have any number of nasties inside it.”

  Lexa shakes her head. “I do not believe so.” Without another word, she shoves her arm in the hole, right up to her armpit. Tension pounds in my head.

  Lexa tugs at something and huffs. “It is a tight fit.”

  After a few more moments of struggling, Lexa manages to work her arm and a small wooden box free from the hole.

  She easily scales back down the rock and jumps the last few meters, a wooden box clutched in her hand, intricate carvings twirl across the surface.

  Lexa holds the item out for everyone to see. Slowly, I take it from her hand and turn it in my fingers. There is a line across the surface and the suggestion of hinges. I attempt to open the little box, but the lid holds fast.

  When it doesn’t budge, I take a closer look. “There is something written here.”

  “May I look?” Lexa asks. I nod and hand her back the box.

  Lexa peers at the writing. “When six become one, I come undone.”

  Melissa’s eyes widen. “How do you make six become one?”

  “By killing five,” Nathanial's deep voice rumbles from behind us.

  Lexa tucks the box into one of her pouches. “Surely the meaning is not one as crude as that.”

  Nathanial shrugs. “That is the only way I can think to make six into one.”

  Lucas comes to stand beside Melissa and gives us a big grin. “Yay, you found them! And they are even still alive.”

  Melissa nods with pride. “Without your help, I might add.”

  Nathanial's eyes narrow. “We found an illegal trader.” He grins and adds, “Without your help, I might add.”

  Chapter Ten

  Miss Q

  Lexa raises an eyebrow. “You actually found a Quelton?”

  Nathanial nods. “She is waiting by the side of the road up ahead for us.” He pauses and adds, “I’ll warn you now; she is a cranky old Quelton, and she said we shouldn’t bother returning unless we could be sure we had something of interest for her.”

  Lucas runs his hands through his hair. “She threatened to bite me when I asked her what she was willing to trade.”

  Nathanial lets out a gruff bark of laughter. “Actually, the old fuzzball might not be that bad after all.”

  I look between the faces of the group around me. Everyone seems to follow Nathanial's words just fine. Quelton

  Lexa pulls her leather shirt straight and brushes off some dirt. “What do we have of value?”

  Melissa scrounges through a pocket. “I have the coins we took from the dead guard back in Ethira.”

  “How many?” Lexa questions.

  Melissa draws out her hand and reveals ten gold coins and four silver. Lexa
picks up a gold coinage and inspects it. “These will be of some value, but the exorbitant prices the trader will likely have will reduce the potential of these.

  “The coins.” Nathanial and I say in unison.

  The group looks at us like we are crazy, but I dig the coins out of my pocket and hold out the three large silver coins engraved with the image of a phoenix and the word Solaris.

  Lexa's eyebrows furrow and Nathanial offers, “These coins are scarce and collectors will pay hundreds of gold coins just for one.”

  Lexa smiles. “Excellent. At no point is the trader to know how many of these we have.” I nod and hand the bag over to Lexa.

  Nathanial grunts in approval and leads us through the mass of balooga trees. We hike for almost fifteen minutes before we stumble across a road with three large parked wagons and a group of humans.

  I pull at my shirt as sweat dribbles down my neck, and I wipe my chin. “When did it become so hot?”

  Melissa wipes her face beside me. “We have to be near a lava field.”

  “A lava field?” I question.

  Lucas runs his hands through his hair. “Red hot liquid that will turn you into an overcooked pile of char that even a goblin would turn down.”

  “Oh.”

  Lexa gives me a small smile. “It is okay. They are still pretty far away.”

  I glance at the female humans off to the side of the road step away from butchering an animal to point to us. “How do you know?”

  Lexa rolls her shoulder and loosens her leather vest, revealing the dark blue tank top underneath. “Because the temperature is still bearable.”

  I reach for Lexa's hand, and she turns to face me. “Maybe I should stay here?”

  Lexa looks over my appearance. “You should come. This will be an excellent test run to see if anyone is familiar with you. Besides, bartering with traders is a skill you should learn if you are going to stay with the rebels once this is all over.”