“Don’t ya dare, ya ass hat. Ya still owe me! Ya hear me!” Liam grunted as he turned Reven over, cradling the bard in his arms, backpack and all. His chest was in no better conditions than his back, bleeding and filthy with dirt and rock that Liam began to carefully pick out. The phoenix tattoo on the man’s chest was a bloody mess, making Liam pause a moment. He knew the tattoo well, a brand of sorts used by the nobility of the now-fallen Phoenix Empire. Liam shook himself of the thought and refocused on Reven. He paused long enough to dig through his sack, pulling out a squat little blown-glass bottle with dark green liquid inside of it. He pulled the stopper out with his teeth, feeding the bard the contents of the bottle. It was Power that worked through science instead of the strange energy that made magic possible; Power that would heal some of Reven’s wounds. There were too many for the liquid to work completely, but it would be better than leaving the tirsai bard half dead.
When Reven stirred in Liam’s arms, he looked down, hope giving him a slightly renewed vigor. Reven groaned but did not wake.
“Don’t do this t‘me, Rev,” Liam whispered. “Not you, too. Who’s gonna look after Ajana when we get back? She still needs ya, mate. An’ we’ve got a treasure t’find still or tha’ ass in the leather skirt’s gonna sell her fer pieces. Please…”
Liam sighed, letting his head fall back. He shifted uncomfortably, the thick leather straps across his back rubbing against the sores and cuts he received climbing down the hole. Ajana had found Reven huddled in a side alley somewhere in Pulani, a year before they shifted their sights to Kalaegh. He’d been so bloody intoxicated that he’d been arguing with a bird, telling the ‘reven’ to go away, to hear Ajana tell it. The man remembered absolutely nothing of a life he had prior to meeting Ajana - not a name or homeland, or even how he’d come to be in Pulani at all. The absurdity of the situation had played on the woman’s heart strings and the crowing word stuck as the man’s new name. She’d brought him home like one might bring home a lost kitten. Not one to ever tell Ajana "no", Liam allowed her to keep Reven even helping her nurse him back to a semblance of health and sobriety. Eventually, Reven became part of their two-man team, bringing in revenue as a highly paid bard or escort. He did all right at thieving, good for fetching things or quick runs in and out of a place they should not necessarily be, but his talent was for music, so that was what they used. Loathe as Liam might be to admit it, most of their income came from Reven. He was an asset that Liam simply could not afford to lose.
“C’mon, mate.” Liam sighed again, lifting his head back up to take a better look at where they’d
landed. That was when he saw her - a woman huddled behind a large fallen rock that partially blocked the southern exit. Slowly, the woman stood, naked as the day she was born, with locks of bright red hair that fell well past her waist in wild wisps and curls. She was as filthy as Reven, more so if that was even possible, with a frightened deer look about her. Liam just stared at her, eyes wide and blinking - that is, until she moved toward them.
“Don’t,” Liam warned, pulling a pistol from its holster at his back. The woman stopped, audibly swallowing her fear and took a step back.
“Roe,” Reven groaned, using Liam’s last name. He was not expecting Reven’s voice and nearly dropped the pistol as a result. “Is that a naked woman standing in the corner?”
“Yeah,” Liam chuckled with relief. “Yeah, actually, it is.”
“Oh…” Reven said, falling back into delirium. Liam shook the other man a little, repeating his name a few times in a vain attempt to rouse him. He looked back up at the terrified woman and finally let the pistol come down, keeping it out where it was clearly seen. Eventually, exhaustion took over and his eyes drifted shut in fitful sleep, one arm cradling Reven, the other holding the pistol.
***
“Liam.”
The thief-taker jerked awake, pistol up and aimed at the wall instead of at something useful. The naked woman with long hair was still there. In fact, she scrambled back away from them as soon as Liam opened his eyes.
“The naked woman is still there,” Reven croaked.
“Yeah, Rev,” Liam sighed, dropping his hand. There was no point in keeping it raised; the poor thing was too terrified to do anything but stare. She crouched near the bright blue river, so that it created a halo of neon colors behind her and made the wisps of tangled hair glow around her face.
Reven sat up slowly, aided by Liam’s strong arm. The thief-taker shook his arm out, feeling it tingle clear up to his shoulder.
Reven rubbed his temple with the heel of his palm, wincing a little as he cracked his neck and made sure all his limbs were still functional. It hurt to breathe and every bit of him felt like he’d been rolled over by a behemoth, but he was alive. That counted for something.
“You don’t have to cower, we’re not going to hurt you,” Reven said to the poor girl that looked upon them with terror and confusion.
“She’s not said a word since we got down ‘ere,” Liam added.
“Probably because you keep waving that pistol in her face. I wouldn’t talk to you either.”
Liam made a face in response. “Oi, what’s tha’ then?”
He gestured at the river of molten blue behind the girl, directing Reven’s attention to it. A natural warmth radiated off it, the cave glowing in soft blue light. Reven felt it pulsing, heard it ‘sing’ a terrifying song and shook his head out. He didn’t like that song.
“Node,” the bard answered absently. “They… give the planet life. It’s where magic comes from. Sort of. It’s complicated.”
“Why ya know schite like tha’ but can’t remember yer dammed name?” Liam threw back as they both got to their feet, Reven leaning heavily on the staff he still had nearby. The tirsai man opted to ignore the jab, leaving the question unanswered as he collected what few intact supplies he had left into his torn-up sack. Not that he had an answer. Some things he knew, some things he didn’t. His left leg for example: the scars on it and the way it pained him – especially now – told him it was injured but he did not know how or when the injury ocurred. He knew things, random things, like what a Node was or how to make certain potions, and could speak many languages fluently but burnt anything he tried to cook despite exhaustive lessons from Ajana and Liam. His mind was a maze of holes and thoughts that often plagued him inside, like the outside of him plagued him now. He groaned with pain. His head spun, threatening to bring him back down to the ground but finally acquiesced some balance.
He wore no shirt, his tunic gone somewhere and his trousers full of rips or holes. The girl stared up at them, crab walking back to her hiding spot behind the large rock.
“You don’t have to do that,” Reven repeated. “I said we wouldn’t hurt you; I meant it. Do you have a name?”
She did not answer, slowly standing instead so that all her naked, albeit filthy, glory was open for the men to see.
“She’s really naked, isn’t she?”
She did not answer, slowly standing instead so that all her naked glory was open for the men to see.
“She’s really naked, isn’t she?”
“Yer such an idiot,” Liam sighed. He removed the tunic from around his waist, moving forward to hand it to the girl. She recoiled instantly. Liam only shook his head and set the tunic down on the rock instead. “Put it on. Otherwise he’ll keep starin’ at yer ladies.”
“I will not!”
“Shu’ up,” Liam said, grabbing Reven by the elbow. “We’ve got a treasure t’find.”
Reven continued to argue while Liam dragged him into the southern exit. It was darker than they’d expected it to be, with a stench that made Reven’s stomach roil. Liam went so far as to press the back of his hand to his nose but kept going, tripping up over fallen stone or things that cracked beneath his feet.
“Any time ya’d like t’offer a light would be great, ya know,” he hissed at Reven.
“You have my snapping hand,” Reven quipped back. Liam ma
de a vexed noise and released him. A clear crack of Reven’s snapping fingers echoed through the narrow tunnel, each fingertip lighting up with an orange-blue flame. Liam merely glared then continued onward. They kept his secret, Liam and Ajana, but the fact that he had Power at all galled the thief-taker. The illumination helped, though part of Liam wished it were still dark. He made the mistake of looking down to see broken bones and chunks of something that might have once been an animal - or a person.
“You’re scared,” Reven said from behind him.
“Why?”
“I really wish you’d not do that,” Liam snapped. One of Reven’s strongest Powers was empathy;
Liam knew that, but he did not have to like it. It always made him uncomfortable to know that Reven knew what he was feeling or worse, thinking, for the bard did that better than the thief-taker - - and could do it at will.
“Roe?” Reven persisted. “Look down,” was all he said.
“Oh, that’s fun,” Reven said, now seeing the same thing Liam saw.
“That from one of yer dragons, ya think?” Liam continued. He should not have asked, for he suddenly had visions of being chomped to bits by a giant winged lizard.
“I’ve never actually seen one,” Reven admitted. “Let alone what they eat.”
Liam only sighed, shutting his eyes briefly. That was entirely unhelpful.
“Let’s just get this over with,” he said, pulling the pistol out so that it was at the ready. Not that such a weapon would do any good against something that made such a mess. He let the light guide him, peering into the far shadows for any sign of a threat or something that might sparkle. Blessedly, they got the sparkle.
“Wow…” both men breathed out as they stepped into a large chamber. It was like stepping into a story- book tale. The walls of the cave were worn smooth by water, time, or workmanship that neither the thief-taker nor the bard could place. Faded runes decorated four fat pillars that disappeared into the blackness above them. All around were piles upon piles of riches from stacks of coins to polished wooden chests that had somehow avoided the ravages of time.
“This is not going to fit into our sacks,” Reven said, scratching his head with his free hand. “And there’s more than one red jewel…”
Liam snorted, gawking at everything around them. Reven moved to one of the chests, pocketing a few coins here or small jewel there before cracking the lid open. He flinched as a bright blue gem gleamed at him, making him feel suddenly dizzy and nauseated. His head hurt more and more. There was a voice that would not quiet itself, the ‘song’ that it sang practically a shrill screech in Reven’s skull almost in warning. Still, if it was a jewel they sought, then a jewel he would grab, warning or no warning. He tucked the staff against his shoulder and grabbed the jewel, instantly regretting it. Pain rushed his mind with loud wailing that made him believe his brain might start to ooze out his pointed ears. He shut the lid and stood up so fast that he fell backward, landing on Liam.
“A’right there, mate?” the other man asked. Reven groaned, sinking to his knees for a moment. The lights in his hand grew brighter, flickering wildly above Reven without their anchor to keep them steady.
They caught the sparkle of the gem that the bard tried to retrieve and cast wicked shadows across piles of coin that the thief-taker heavily contemplated over the jewel. Not one to leave a good treasure behind, Liam took both, stuffing coin and jewel into his sack before checking on Reven. “Oi - look at me.”
“I’m fine,” Reven said which was a clear indication that he was anything but fine. Reven frowned, squeezing his eyes shut and stumbling in a half circle once he stood upright again. He focused on things further in the dark just to make sure his eyes were still working while Liam continued collecting treasure into his sack. Two large yellow orbs floated in the darkness, their bright light marred by a single dark line down their center. At first, Reven was uncertain what the orbs were, squinting and peering to force more focus out of his blurring vision. Then, the orbs blinked.
“Drake,” he said, eyes widening as his stomach sank to the muddy floor.
“What?” Liam said, looking up from the pile of treasure he was stuffing into his sack.
“RUN!”
He gave Liam no time to argue, adrenaline surging through him so quickly he swore he would start to fly. He grabbed Liam’s wrist and charged back the way they’d come. It did not take long for them to clear the open cave with the blue river and the cave girl - the girl!
Memory caught up to him too quickly, slamming his feet to a halt and then whirling him around to go retrieve the poor thing before she was swallowed whole by a giant, angry lizard.
“Where ya goin’!?” Liam hollered.
“NAKED GIRL!” Reven hollered back. She had not moved, blessedly, watching them with wide eyes. “This is not where you want to stay, I promise!”
He explained as he dragged her along behind him. She squeaked but made no other noise or argument, running with her tangled hair streaming behind her. Liam had already gone ahead, leaving Reven to charge after him.
“Move faster!!” Reven heard, following Liam’s voice in the dark. While falling had not been pleasant, it was certainly faster than fighting their way through narrow tunnels and twisting corridors to where they’d started. Cresting the mouth of the cave felt like breaking free of some terrible force - - that is, until they heard the roar of the drake crashing through the cave behind them.
“We pissed it off! Move, move, move!!” Reven commanded, pushing Liam and dragging the naked girl.
“Maybe ya’d like t‘o somethin’?!” Liam suggested, falling behind as Reven ran.
“Can’t! Need to focus!” Reven hollered, legs practically flying over rock and tree. The stifling heat made it harder to breathe and the air made it seem like they ran through thick mud. Some of that was the actual mud caking onto his boots.
“Then focus!” Liam cursed, grabbing Reven’s free hand. “I don’t wanna be eaten!”
Part of Reven wanted to throw back a smart remark but it would not help. Liam would only sock him in the shoulder or chide him or something equally annoying. He needed to focus. He needed to clear his mind and visualize his destination and not worry about the mauling beast chasing after him.
Focus, focus, focus, FOCUS!
I’m here, Beloved, allow me to help!
GO AWAY! Reven barked to the intruding voice in his mind. Now was not the time for specters to take his attention. He ignored the voice, ignored everything else until his mind was clear and he felt the sharp tug behind his navel that signaled a teleportation. It was a very dangerous thing to do, especially with multiple people and, as far as Reven knew, he was the only one that knew how to do it at any useful distance. There were port stones that did the same thing or Port Circles in the larger cities, but those required months of work to create and were spelled to a single location only. The details were neither here nor there. The spell ripped Reven and, presumably, Liam and the cave girl, from one spot and dumped them face-first into the rocky shoreline of Manau not too far from the pier. Sea water and sand rushed into Reven’s nose as he landed. He rolled and coughed, choking on the tiny grains of sand and droplets of water until he could breathe well enough to speak.
“Well… that was unexpected,” he coughed. “Everyone intact?”
He heard the sound of retching and rolled in that direction, watching the poor girl heave into the ocean.
“Oh… that… that is entirely my fault. I should have given you, uh, some warning…” he said, rolling to his side.
“You should ‘ave,” Liam grumbled. “An’ we left all tha’ beautiful treasure behind. Yer lucky I’ve got deep pockets an’ pay attention t‘all the schite ya drop!”
The poor girl, however only looked at Reven with a pitiful face and promptly passed out onto his chest.
“That’s fair,” Reven said, patting the girl gently before falling onto his back, totally exhausted.
Chapter Three
> A tantalizing song echoed through dark, cool hallways to her ears. The crooning tune relaxed her tense muscles, set her mind at ease, even offered peace to a terrible confusion that gripped her like a vice. There was nothing familiar to her. There was no cave, no beautiful neon blue river of Power, no sanctuary; no Malek.
Malek where are you? She thought, eyes closed as she leaned against a wooden door frame. Why are you not here with me?
Even as panic tried to seize the breath in her lungs the crooning song that echoed from further down the hall calmed her. The resonance of it drew her out, her hands holding to the wall as she moved toward the sound of the song. Thin runners lined bamboo floors beneath her feet and a scent of spice filled her nose. Sunlight streamed through open windows at the far end of the hallway but was not strong enough to reach her. Motes of dust floated in the beams of light, as mesmerizing as the crooning song coming from the end of the hall.
She inched ever closer, her toes reaching out before the rest of her with each careful step until she stood at an open doorway. There were no actual doors, only strands of beads or silk sheers meant for privacy. She heard the sound of water and felt the Power of the song being sung. Daring to be bold, she peeked around the edge of the doorframe into the room beyond. The olven man that had taken her from the cave sat at the edge of a small pool with a copper-skinned woman leaning against his lap. He washed her back gently with a sponge while singing to her, the whole of her skin a patchwork of bright pink scars and open wounds.
She stared openly at the atrocity done to this other woman, practically feeling her pain. But, for every stitch of discomfort that echoed to her heart, the song washed it away as she knew it did for the copper- skinned woman. The olven man’s Power went beyond mere Resonance of a bard; he drew on the Power that she knew, the Power of the Nodes. He was an arcanist.
“You don’t have to hide in the doorway,” he said suddenly. She squeaked in response, ducking away so quickly that the beads hanging in the door-frame created a clattering sound that disrupted the peace in the hallway. The olven man said nothing more, returning to his song. When her heart stopped slamming against her ribcage, she allowed herself to peek into the room once more.
Ashes to Embers Page 2