The Rokkaia Chronicles

by Rhys Thomas

  “Wait something just crossed my mind- something you said, Marisa how do you know I was injured in that fight? You were unconscious the entire time.” Silence hung in the air between us and Marisa’s gaze wavered. “You weren’t, were you?”

  She paused considering her words. *No, I… I wanted to be sure that you would do whatever it took to survive,* her voice now focused solely across our bond, instead of projecting for Ariana to hear as well. *Imagine my surprise when you struck first, not that I should be surprised considering what you’ve been through,* she thought to me with mental cringe.

  My jaw clenched in a blend of frustration, confusion and irritation, *no more fucking games, okay. All I could think about was you getting hurt or taken from me during that fight. Next time you feel the need to test me give me prior fucking notice, please!* I thought to her exasperatedly and pinched my eyes as they pulsed with a dull ache.

  Marisa shrugged out of Aria’s embrace, jumping over to the bed and sat leaning into me. A part of me wanted to yell at her for being deceiving but I couldn’t sum the will to.

  I rubbed my hand over her head, and she cooed at the attention. Her rumbling purr rolling up her chest. “I’m sorry, Ariana. I just got defensive at the thought of her being taken from me.”

  The scout smiled shyly at me, which was odd. So far, she had been nothing but confident and deadly in poise. Now she seemed like putty in my hands, a willing mould. I blinked at the dark undertone of my thoughts and shook them away.

  Her cheeks heated slightly, and I realised I had been staring into her violet eyes for a while now. “Marisa said you were bringing up some breakfast?” I asked, to fill the silence. She nodded silently and moved off her chair to grab a wooden tray with a few plates and cups settled across it. We ate our bowls of porridge with blueberries and drank our mugs filled with the sharp bitter aroma of black coffee, or as it was called on Viria, xhant.

  I smiled sadly as we left the room behind, shutting the door and locking it. I turned, “got everything?” I asked the scout and she gave a look like I was stupid for even asking.

  We went downstairs and paused as we arrived in the commons room; as we came upon a crowd of people sitting around. they each exuded an almost palpable aura of menace. None of them chatted, ate or drank. They just sat there, and then I noticed a familiar dickhead standing amongst them.

  I shot a quick look towards the bar and saw that Catherine and her husband Lenard were thrust up in chairs against the back wall with gags wedged firmly in there’s mouths. The couple looked angry, defeated and terrified.

  “Ah, captain. Come to see us off?” I said amiably. The man sneered as he heard me, I did a quick count of all of the men in the room. There was no women present in the bunch—obviously being too smart un-like these dullards. There were twelve of them, all between the ages of 15 and 20.

  Though most had the leathery age beaten skin of countless hours working outdoors, so really their age could be anything.

  “I- the village. Have decided to stop allowing outsiders to dictate our lives. So, we’re taking them back,” He spat at me and his posse rumbled in agreement. “Starting with you,” he chorused.

  “Seriously what the fuck is your problem?” I sat down in an empty chair and sent a thought to Marisa, she agreed reluctantly with what I told her. But a display would sure stun theses idiots, I hoped.

  Jessel moved to come around the table I was sat at when Marisa unfurled herself from beneath her cloak and let out an ear piercing ‘rrrrhhhheeee.’ The sound like was like of a hissing raptor and it crackled and bit the air frostily.

  Everyone fell back away frightened. I was completely deafened by her screech and had to hide my wince.

  Marisa ended her cawing by rustling her feathers and flaring her wings wide as perched menacingly on my shoulder. It was cute as heck and may have scared the shit out of me if she wasn’t the size of a small dog.

  But the flighty chicken just looked like an aggravated bird after falling from its nest. I scanned the gathered people as they plastered themselves against the walls, tables and each other.

  I stood as my hearing came back in a rush. Calmly turning in a circle, I made sure to make eye contact with everyone. “So, this is how you want to play it then?” I said as Marisa flapped her wings quickly punctuating my words and the hidden threat.

  “Let me. Make myself. Perfectly clear,” I started sweeping the room till I came back to Jessel. He looked worn and dirty, dark lines and bags sagged heavily under his eyes. He’d been drinking a lot and his skin was almost pasty and slick with sweat and alcohol.

  The silence in the common room was only broken by the insistent scared breathing and the occasional flap of Marisa’s wings. “If you come for us—you’ll die—no doubt about it. But somehow; I suspect that your good captain won’t really heed my words, will you?”

  Shaking my head and sighing I continued. “So why don’t we clear the air between you and I, captain. You want our equipment. So, why don’t you come and take it.” I finished and raised my hands invitingly, my most charming smile plastered in place. “Well, come along captain what’re waiting for?” I asked him when he didn’t move.

  His eyes snapped from Marisa’s hungry and feral grin to my happy and eager face. Collecting himself with a hard blink, as those around stared at him in shock realisation of what he was about to do. He firmed his features into a cool calm expression and took a tentative step towards us.

  The instant his foot left the ground I sent my command to Marisa and the dragonling took a great gulping breath that ended with her chumping down on the fire trying to escape. Lurching and arching her neck as she bathed the ddistance between us and Jessel with whoosh! as a foot-wide funnelling stream of fire growled out of her tiny mouth.

  I heard the guard captain squeak and scream in fright as everyone else threw themselves for the exit, trying to escape the barrage of flame.

  Marisa’s fire didn’t even touch any of them, just singe a few hairs as they screamed and tussle each other. Once the fireworks were over and Jessel was gone, lost in the panicking crowd as they blocked themselves in a fight for escape.

  I had only taken three steps forward towards the crowd and a few seconds later the Inn was quiet and practically barren. I turned back to where Catherine and her husband had been tied against the wall.

  Ariana, in the distraction had moved to the couple and cut them free, staying a safe distance away.

  Catherine Horrigan eagerly embraced me tightly to her as I came closer.

  The hug was like of a proud and affectionate grandmother. Feeling an odd sense of familiarity with the older woman, I hugged her closer though gently so. She smiled up at me, her features gentle and motherly. I cleared my throat and took a tentative step back from her; smiling.

  “Well, it seems Melancholy has certainly been entertaining. Not at all like the name suggests,” I said wryly.

  She me gave a boisterous laugh and patted my arm, her husband going moving around and cleaning up the mess. “Well I guess this is us seeing ya go then dears,” she said to us and I nodded.

  “I would’ve loved to have a taken a bath as well. I absolutely stink, but we must be off anyway. My companion tells me there may be a settlement about a day’s journey from here.” I shot a glance at Marisa. Her feathery scaled head gave me an imperceptible nod.

  It had been one of the few things we’d discuss as I ate breakfast this morning. “Yes, I do believe there is. Though what it’s called, I couldn’t tell ya. I packed ya some ration’s from our supplies, for ya troubles.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Horrigan, I’ll never forget your kindness to us.” We said our goodbyes with gruff nods, hands shakes and hugs.

  As we left, I took a last glance at the Inn, it’s sign now swaying in the thick breeze, signalling a change in the weather.

  We moved at a brisk pace; it was disconcerting how every other house would close the shutters of their windows after giving us a fearful glances.

 
I was half-expecting the village gate to be barred and shut, but they stood invitingly open with no one on watch. The eyes of the local populace though could be felt as they watched our backs leave, never to return.

  *Which way then chick?* I thought to Marisa and she tiredly swung her head to our left and gave a small nod.

  She seemed tired after her display, so I let her rest. “Well Aria, you ready for an adventure?” I asked her with grin.

  Her eyes slowly slid to mine, her perfect lips lifting at the edges, “as long as it’s exciting. I guess I’ll keep you company,” she grinned, and I gave her a thoughtful nod.

  Chapter Nine

  The rest of our morning moving into the afternoon was spent trekking up the seemingly continuous sloping terrain. In some areas the tree and neighbouring forests were thicker, then they would give way to clearings and sparser woods.

  The whole while I kept wondering at how quiet it seemed.

  I wasn’t exactly a nature expert, but I had expected the forests and smalls creaks we came across to be occupied with life and sounds. Yet all seemed freakishly quiet.

  Marisa sprang into the air to survey our surroundings, and with shared sight; I did as well. We spotted a dried-up gully not five minutes walks up ahead of us.

  A glint of shining metal in the forests leafy floor gave me pause and I mentally asked Marisa if she could hover for a second as I focused on what had caught my eye but as she did, I couldn’t see it again. Blinking away shared sight I focused on Ariana, “there’s a dried-up gully not far from here,” I told her when she looked to me. I paused then, as I accessed my feelings. Something had been gnawing at me since we left Melancholy and started further north. I dropped my voice to a whisper, “something doesn’t feel right though.”

  “Ambush maybe?” Ariana suggested, but my instincts felt curiously tepid on the idea of it being an ambush.

  “I don’t know. Let’s keep an eye open though,” I frowned. The ground was more packed and slicker with dew, and often hard with frost, which made moving at an angle a pain in the ass as we had to trample over thick wet roots and rocks.

  We approached the dried-up gully shortly after seeing it, we fanned out; keeping about 10-12-feet of distances between us.

  Aria having more experience and her training as a Valakharian ranger meant she was more suited to leading us than me. I followed behind, being careful of my footing and staying low.

  A gap of about ten feet spilt between us as came the edge of the gully. It was as if the earth had been rend open and now looked like a dirty, leafy, forest maw in the ground. Small spots and recesses of water where a few showers of rain had frozen over.

  Our side of the gully was on a higher rise and after a dismissive wave from Aria; saying she could see nothing that screamed an obvious ambush, we moved across to the other side. “What’re you looking for?” Aria asked over at me and I shrugged.

  “I’m not entirely sure, honestly. Something metallic maybe? It was reflecting light at Marisa while she was flying over.”

  *What about you chick, see anything?* I sent to Marisa. She was uncommonly quiet as she glanced about sniffing the air. I was down in the maw of the dried gully, noting the numerous snapped and felled trees at the base. I moved over to the other side and started climbing.

  *Al something died here recently, maybe a day or two ago. The scent is faint, yet now its carried on the breeze sweeping from the north towards us.*

  “Marisa’s got something,” I shouted over to the scout and a second later she jog down the gully and up to join me.

  “What did she find?”

  “Unsure—but she said something had died here quite recently about a day or so.”

  “I don’t see signs of a scuffles or blood for that matter,” Ariana replied with a frown. “I don’t smell anything either,” she added cautiously.

  *Whatever died here was taken further afield, the air currents are blowing downwards and blood tinges the air with it.*

  I was about to reply when my foot crunch onto something metallic with a clink, I was about to bent over and see what it was but as I removed the pressure of my weight. A line snapped up from the ground in front of me, wiring off into the distance where it twanged, went taut then something fell from the tree, weighed down. A noose of wire then snapped tightly over my heel and foot and suddenly I sailing upside down by my leg.

  “Wow, H-hey!” I shouted. Hanging there like I was ready to be plucked—or gutted. Then I heard what sounded like the distant clanging and clink of tins as they rattled and clattered on a far-off unseen line.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I exclaimed and shook my head in disbelief, I looked about frantically as my cloak fought against my face, luckily the first fingers breath of my sword sheaths offered enough resistance to prevent them from falling out of their scabbards.

  Looking down and quickly realised I strung about ten in the air. The line holstering my foot was attached to a thick tree limb overhead.

  I could hear cute giggling and turned about fearful, as an image came to be in my mind of some giant one-eyed woman wearing a fur skirt and a thin scrappy bikini top too small to hide the wide puffy nipples on her enormous breast. She licked her thick lips with an equally thick tongue and stared at me with hunger.

  The thoughts were both weirdly arousing and unnerving. But the giggling came from the terrible duo. Marisa was perched smugly on Ariana’s shoulder, as the scout laughed; she leaned on her axe and I couldn’t help scowling at them both.

  “Well, you going to help me or are you going leave me for whoever set this trap up,” I hissed at them, frustration bleeding through my clenched teeth.

  “Okay, okay, yeah. let me just...” she replied, and I narrowed my eyes at Marisa.

  “And you chicken? Are you going to help me,” I said speculatively.

  She looked away and gave me a one shoulder draconic shrug, though I saw the corners of her wide mouth rolling upwards into a grin. *I’ve no idea what you mean my love.*

  *When you return to your human form, we’re soo going to talk about punishments,* I replied archly and heard her purr in satisfaction at the back of my mind.

  Ariana managed to contain her giggles long enough to move over and follow the wiring to the weight that fell from the tree a few yards away. When we heard an echoing, sharp splitting crack! That made the forest canopy and floor shake dully.

  We paused numbed and praying that a rock- a very, very big rock had fallen somewhere nearby. When it came again, Aria looked up at me and we both nodded in understanding.

  *Should I fly?* Marisa thought to me, but I sent the equivalent of a head shake.

  *We don’t know what this is. I’d rather you stay by us that go into the sky just to be shot down or something,* I sent reliving the instant she had narrowly missed the arrow outside Melancholy. “Aria find cover, I’ll cut myself down,” dropping all pretence of playtime.

  She spun and searched about frantically, Marisa head and body jarring with the scout’s movements. The vibration and pounding that grew closer to the point that quakes were rippling up through the tree and connecting with the wire holding me suspended, jarred me.

  I felt the weighted great thumping footfalls as I bent at the waist, snatched my falchion from the scabbard at my hip and folded in on myself stretching up my body to hack at the wire.

  As I sawed through the wiring stringing me up, I caught sight of Ariana and Marisa running back into the gully and making for the other side where the ground was higher.

  My sawing away made it so that I kept spinning in disorientating circles. “Come on, come on. YES! Oh shit!” The edge of my blade swept through with a harsh twang! as the taut wire repelled back towards the tree limb above.

  I other hand fell and managed to bring my feet around and under me to land on my heels with a thud reverberating up my legs, spine and neck. “Argh,” I groaned but could feel the earth pumping under the thunderous melody of giant steps. Even with my body having mirac
ulously healed itself, I still felt positively achy from last night’s ordeal.

  I could hear frantic whispering hisses and knew them for Aria and Marisa.

  “Oh, fuck.” I wheezed and tumbled into the dried-up gully and crawled-sprinted around the banking edge where Aria caught my arm and hefted me up with her surprising strength. We breathed heavily with excitement and terror, for a brief instance I just stared into her stunning violet eyes. There was a warm friendliness to them as they reflected my own face, but I knew those eyes could become steely at the first sign of trouble as they were now.

  We were a delicious breaths width apart when we heard the collective groan of several trees nearby followed by a cascade of snaps and leafy thumps. Which I could guess belong to roots snapping.

  With an unspoken agreement we rolled slowly away from each other and quietly crawled to the raised ledge of the gully. Marisa much to my relief was already crouched low with her head slightly raised so that she could peer across. Or should I say, across and up. Because on the other side from us now stood a figure. A 15-foot-tall grey skinned humanoid. It was hunched over in a crouch taking deep huffing and growling breaths.

  We could only see its extremely thick and broad muscular back which was about four feet across. Hazy waves of heated air combatted the chilly climate as they wafted up from the giant-beings mouth.

  A sudden stark clarity sizzled through my brain as I noticed the surrounding trees passed the gully, further along were about fifteen to twenty feet tall and sparse in limbs and leaves. They were spindly things that smelled like pine but coloured with the muted grey of a birch tree. Dark tumorous ridges spotted their trunks flanks and the grey skinned giant seemed to blend easily with these trees.

  It’s forearms were the width of my chest and bulging with thickly corded and veiny muscles. I shot a glance at Ariana and saw the same wide-eyed look I probably held.

  The hulking grey giant heaved its huge head, wispy tuffs of hair frizzed out of its head in patches. I couldn’t help but get flashes of the evil giants from the BFG animated movie, as Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant try to sneak passed the bigger carnivorous giants. By the set-up of the trap this ugly grey slab made, meant it yielded some intelligence.