by Joe Jackson
Audrei smiled, and then the two of them began to fill the tunnels with soothing song.
Chapter XVII – Relentless Pursuit
“They’re calling it The Underdragon,” Yiilu said, breaking through her thoughts.
Leighandra looked back from the window. “Is Max still arguing with the city council?”
The elf nodded and stepped up to the window herself. She looked down over the crowd on the streets below. It had taken only hours for word of the dragon and its death at the companions’ hands to spread across the city. Now that their story had been confirmed, the friends were already something of local legends. The innkeeper was downstairs doing his best to keep the crowds out of his establishment if they weren’t there to partake of his services, so he was indirectly sparing the friends from the common people’s attention.
“He is furious with them,” the druidess said at length. “And I find I cannot fault him. To me, it was disgusting enough to find one forgotten, rotting body down there. But then we found the skeletons, and the dragon… how many people did that vicious creature devour without this city’s rulers even noticing? Or, worse, did they notice and simply never care?”
Leighandra couldn’t argue; she felt the same way. “I just hope he remembers we need to ask them for aid when the time comes. It won’t do much good to alienate the city now, although… I suppose if we’re of this much interest to the people, the wants of the council may be irrelevant when that time comes.”
“Indeed.”
The door to their private common room opened, and Audrei strode in. She moved up by the window and wrinkled her nose at the sight below. “Much as I appreciate having helped these people, this attention is making me nervous. Surely our enemies will have little trouble locating us when we are so conspicuous to the public.”
Leighandra sighed. “Exactly. How is Starlenia?”
“Recovering well. She may be ready to travel in the next couple of days. I believe the most severe of the injuries left is to her pride.”
“That would fit what I understand of her,” Yiilu agreed, turning away from the window. “The seal’s pull is fixed to the southwest, so at least it does not appear to be moving. On the other hand, it is rather irritating that it seems to be leading us in a circle.”
“Better that than leading us up to the fures-rir lands…,” Leighandra countered.
“Endurance is one of their defenses,” Audrei said, straightening up. “Nevermind the feat of strength wresting this last one proved to be, and consider that most would not have the will to hunt them all across such distances.”
Lion knocked before entering the room. He peeked in around the door at the three women and then bowed his head. Vo’rii loped over and gave the young man a hip bump of approval, and he managed a pained smile. “Galadon wants to be out of the city tomorrow,” he rasped. It was still painful for him to talk, even after the priests of Tigron tended to his ribs. “Too much attention.”
The ladies exchanged glances and nodded. Audrei prompted, “Do you feel well enough to ride?”
“My ribs are still sore, but you did a remarkable job,” he returned, rubbing his hands up his sides. “I think the soreness is as much from being laid upon as from the cracked ribs.”
“Let’s get to packing, then,” Audrei suggested. “Leighandra, I will handle your things, if you wouldn’t mind going to check on Starlenia? I think… I’m not sure, but I have a feeling she tends to be more tight-lipped around Max and I, as though she’s afraid to offend us. I’m not sure if it’s because of Max’s reaction when she called me a bitch, but…”
“I can do that,” the chronicler agreed, and she made her way from their common room and down to the inn’s first floor, the main commons. She’d noticed Starlenia’s quieter nature around the married couple, too, but hadn’t quite put her finger on the exact reasoning yet. The rogue calling Audrei a bitch had certainly stirred Max’s protective nature, but he didn’t hold a grudge or ever mention it again. It must have been something else that made Starlenia mindful of talking with their luranar companions, but what?
Starlenia was sitting at the inn’s bar, clutching a tankard with one hand, two other empty glasses standing close by it. Leighandra was surprised to find her drinking alcohol after the injuries she’d suffered, but didn’t want to say anything provocative. She approached and sat down beside her companion, and she asked the innkeeper for a drink of her own. After a couple of silent minutes, Leighandra glanced at her friend.
“Galadon would like us to leave tomorrow, if you feel up to it,” she prodded. Starlenia shrugged. “What’s wrong?”
The Okonashai woman blinked slowly and turned to meet Leighandra’s gaze. “You mean aside from the fact that I almost died yesterday? That we all almost died yesterday?”
“Yes, aside from that,” the chronicler answered. “That was hardly our first scrape with death. And, sorry to say, I doubt it will be our last.”
“What am I doing here?” Starlenia asked. “The day I met you all in Solaris, I went with Max and Galadon because I thought I might be able to find things out for them, move about in the shadows unseen, watching, listening, and scouting. Not fighting ghosts and dragons and whatever else. I don’t have magic or power like the rest of you. I don’t think I’m much help to you lot anymore, and maybe it’s better if I go home and don’t weigh you all down.”
Leighandra scoffed. “Magic and power? What, you mean like setting my blade aflame or stringing up arcane lanterns? My usefulness to this group has always stemmed more from what I know than what I can do. I don’t mind, as that’s my place and a function I’m proud to serve. I may never ride a horse like Galadon, wield a sword like Max, or cast forth faith like Yiilu or Audrei, but I have my place and it’s an important one. Delkantar has no affinity for magic that we’ve seen, but he knows how to read tracks and trail signs, guide us safely through the innate dangers of the wild, and that’s his function and he’s proud to serve it.”
She laid her hand on Starlenia’s shoulder to keep her from interrupting. “Your role has been to figure things out faster than the rest of us; act as the voice of skepticism when we fall into agreement too easily; to root out secrets, help Delkantar with his scouting, and even aid Max and Galadon in combat. And who knows? The fact that you carry that dagger may be indicative of something important that only you can do.”
Leighandra picked up her tankard and took a sip. “I understand it’s easy to lose heart when you’re badly wounded and feel outmatched by what we face. But you’re not alone in those feelings, Starlenia; I don’t think there’s a one of us who doesn’t feel overwhelmed by what we face. Individually, none of us are prepared for these trials, but together? Together, we slew a dragon, and have captured four of the six seals.” The rogue held her stare, and Leighandra raised her eyebrows. “It hasn’t been easy, my friend, but we’ve done things no one else has.”
Starlenia reached down and ran her hand along the hilt of the bone dagger. “Great Spirit, the lot of you even talk better than I do,” she grumbled. She cocked a half-smile as she looked back down into her tankard. “Is Max still trying to get us thrown out of the city?”
“He’s been giving the city’s council a piece of his mind for some time now,” Leighandra answered. “Or maybe he’s leveraging aid from them by using this charge to guilt them.”
“Some Christian!” Starlenia laughed, but she sobered up in an instant, and her mouth tightened into a line. “Did… did Audrei really heal me?”
The chronicler nodded solemnly. “Max and Galadon helped, and Yiilu used some of her berry salves, but I think Audrei has found something within her that she can wield now. Max said something about her being a royal priestess; perhaps it has to do with her becoming queen? I don’t know enough about their people or their faith. But she seems to have tapped into divine power the same way as any other priest I’ve seen. I’m curious to see how much she can do.”
“I’ll bet she is, too,” the rogue sighed. “I
guess I owe her my life.”
“She’s going to tell you that’s not how it works among friends. So perhaps just say thank you and leave it at that.”
“Where we headed next, any indication?”
“Based on the pull, if we’re lucky, to the town of Tribuchy to the southwest. It could be that it leads farther southwest than that, though.”
“Everything in circles,” Starlenia grunted, but then she sat up straight. “But then, maybe that’s the point. Great Spirt, maybe that’s the whole damned point!”
“What do you mean?”
The Okonashai woman took a last sip of her drink and then nodded toward the stairs. “Come upstairs; I’ll tell you with the others.”
They ascended to their private commons, and found Audrei and Yiilu chatting lightly, everyone’s bags packed neatly beside them. Leighandra raised a brow in appreciation of the speed of their efforts, but didn’t say anything. The last thing she wanted to do was distract Starlenia if the woman was about to open up a bit.
“Circles,” the rogue said. “Well, wait. I suppose first I should thank the two of you for keeping me alive. Despite everything I might say, I’m not all that eager to get my name written in the Book of the Dead, so I appreciate it. I… I appreciate you.”
“You are most welcome, my friend,” Audrei said, and Yiilu’s smile echoed her. “Now what is this about circles?”
“Old folk tale, parable, proverb… however you want to call it. The shamans among our people still tell it from time to time. I don’t want to bore you with details, but–”
“Oh, nonsense! Do tell,” Leighandra interrupted, and she took a seat beside her friends. “You know me: I’m always interested in picking up new stories that the common people won’t know, especially from other nations and cultures.”
“Oh, fine, fine,” Starlenia huffed. She waited while Lion entered and took a seat at Audrei’s gesture to be quiet. “I’m afraid I’m not the storyteller Leighandra is, but I’ll try to at least give you the basics. The parable goes something like this…”
“A young man among our people was coming of age, beginning to take notice of women and interested in becoming a man, and so he was told to undertake a walkabout. In a walkabout, a young man makes a circuit of the outer edges of our lands, a good distance from home, without friends, animal companions, or anything else save his clothes, a waterskin, a knife, and his choice of either bow or spear. So the young man took up his spear, left home, and traveled to the eastern edge of our lands.”
“Over the course of a few weeks, he completed the walkabout, circling the outer edge of our land until he reached that eastern spot again, and then he returned home. The chief elder asked him what he had seen and learned. The young man complained of the heat, and the rain, and how difficult it was to hunt when he was tired and hungry and his feet hurt all the time. The elder asked if there was anything he had actually learned while on his walkabout. To his credit, the young man did say he learned to appreciate a good roof over his head, a good meal on his plate, and the comforts of home and family.”
“The elder sent him to do the walkabout a second time. The young man protested, but if he wanted to be considered a man among the people, he had no choice. So off he went, treading out to the eastern point, and this time, he made the circuit in only a fortnight. Once again, he returned home and faced the elder, who asked what he had seen and learned. This time, the young man spoke of the bounty of our land, the beauty and richness of it; the patterns and signs that told him when to be ready for the weather; where to find his quarry; and where to lay his head at night for both safety and comfort.”
Leighandra smiled as Starlenia fell into a storytelling rhythm, and continued, “The elder asked him to do the walkabout a third time. The young man was confused and a bit insulted, for hadn’t he proven that he’d learned a lot? But again, he had to heed the wishes of the elder, and off he went. This time, the young man completed the walkabout in only a week. When he returned, the elder asked him what he’d seen and learned. He told the elder that he had seen smoke on the horizon to the south. He spoke of the grasslands turning a strange color early in the season, and of the desolation in one area that seemed to be caused by an insect swarm. He mentioned the people he saw living out on those fringes, avoiding the comforts of the village. And he told the elder that at night, when he stood under the stars, he sometimes doubted the Great Spirit.”
“He expected to be tasked with a fourth walkabout, but the elder confirmed him among the people as a man. The elder praised him for taking only three circuits to complete the journey. As it turned out, most young men took as many as five, six, or even more circuits before they’d seen what he’d seen, and learned what he’d learned. On his first circuit, he saw only himself: his wants, his needs, his pains and discomforts. On the second, he gained a broader perspective, but still only looked inwards, seeing things that directly and immediately affected him. But on the third, his eyes were opened and he began to look outward. He saw the threats of war, famine, pestilence, and anger, and it caused him to question his faith.”
Starlenia made an impatient gesture. “I still don’t know what exactly I believe, but when I told Leighandra the seal was leading us in circles, it occurred to me, and then I remembered the parable and the significance of the number three that Max had mentioned. Three times through the circle of the walkabout, that was what it took for the young man to have his eyes opened. And once he did, he saw the broader picture: He appreciated his home and his family, the land and its people, and he came to watch outward and worry about how to protect those things. In all of this, he questioned his faith, and that was what set him right with the Great Spirit.”
“How so?” Yiilu asked.
“The Great Spirit isn’t like most other gods as we reckon it,” Starlenia answered. “Most people… they have their gods and they serve them and never question them. The Great Spirit wants to be questioned. It wants us to seek, to delve deeper, to never stop searching for the truth it contains. It’s not interested in rituals and ceremonies; it wants interaction, even if that means we feel doubt at times. I don’t know, maybe I’m just babbling. But now I see a bit of what my people believe in all this, and after the incident with Max and the gnolls, the numerology, the symbolism, and the… the angel…”
Starlenia stopped and her eyes welled with tears. “What is it?” Audrei asked, rushing forward with Yiilu and Leighandra.
“It’s you,” Starlenia answered. “The angel, Audrei: It’s you.”
“What are you talking about, my friend? I am no angel, and I witnessed its appearance just as you did.”
“I can’t explain it,” she stuttered. “But when you had your hand on me, I… I don’t know, maybe I was dreaming? But I didn’t see you, Audrei; I saw an angel. I saw a being cloaked in light with its hand upon me, telling me everything was going to be all right and to have faith. And for the first time in a long time, I do.”
Audrei embraced the Okonashai woman, and Leighandra and Yiilu put their hands on the rogue’s shoulders. Lion came over slowly, as if afraid to inject himself into the circle of women, but eventually he laid his hand on Starlenia’s shoulder as well.
“I felt manipulated for so long,” the rogue said with a sniffle. “But now I think my eyes are open after enough times through the circle. This angel… it’s been laying these breadcrumbs to bring all our people together, the same way Kalamaris did when Arku invaded. I guess, in a way, we are being manipulated, but it’s not prophecy. We’ve got some angel doing the same thing Max’s father did, making it possible for Max to follow his father’s footsteps, and to lead us all in the process.”
“What’s going on?” Galadon asked when he, Max, and Delkantar entered the commons.
“Starlenia has had an epiphany,” Leighandra said proudly. “And the three of you missed the best story I’ve never told.”
“Is everything all right?” Max asked, regarding the tears on their faces. “Are you well, Starlen
ia?”
She rose and faced the luranar king. “Thanks to your wife, yes.”
Max smiled at Audrei, but he turned back to Starlenia. “Do you feel well enough to take to the road tomorrow?”
“No,” she answered. “Tonight. Let’s get the hell out of here before something realizes all the attention we’re getting. We’ll go under cover of night, the better to keep that crimson… erm, idiot from spying on us.”
Audrei snorted, and even Yiilu joined her in a little laugh.
“And we head southwest?” Delkantar prompted the druidess, his fingers fiddling with his shorter – but salvaged – dreadlocks. The beard was a total loss, but if Leighandra was honest, she thought he looked better without it.
“Yes. Toward Tribuchy, I believe. Hopefully no farther than that.”
“What could possibly be in Tribuchy?” the ranger wondered. “It is little more than an old logging and trapping town that grew into a bit of a city.”
“As long as it’s not another dragon,” Starlenia laughed, but she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Amen to that,” Lion added.
~ * ~ * ~
They left Emerald City behind them, riding off into the night for several hours until they were a safe distance from the city. Leighandra felt worst for Max, Galadon, and Lion, who stayed awake extra late to see to the horses while the women bedded down. They didn’t ride throughout the night, traveling only far enough that it was unlikely pursuit would find them before the sun rose. Once the light of day was upon them, there would be less trepidation over who or what might have chased them from the city.
Leighandra slept fitfully, her dreams still marred by the horror of the battle with the dragon. She had come to the conclusion that its “captivity” in the underground room, no matter how cavernous, was what let the companions defeat it. To face such a beast in the open, where it could take to the sky and rain fire upon them, or else crash into them and reduce them to paste was something she didn’t want to consider. It was a point of pride to have defeated a dragon in combat, but it was something she never wanted to attempt again.