“You seem preoccupied.” Liostro said to her as they trudged through the endless reddish dunes.
“I have a lot on my mind.” Rose replied cryptically. She had not come to a decision about telling them yet, it was too soon. As she walked her eyes closed and she reached out to Nina using her blood and magic. She could feel the young elf over the vast distance. Using what Leonidus had taught her she pushed a little bit of magic into the connection. As she opened her eyes Rose felt the link establish itself. Rose could see an image of what Nina could see superimposed over her own view of the world. It was disorienting enough that she stumbled. Nina was locked away in a dark cage made of metal and stone. Even though it was bright outside she couldn’t see anything. Talisbane lay nearby on Nina’s lap resting but still alert.
“Rose?” Liostro quickly rushed to help her, holding her up by one arm. “Are you sure you’re well to travel?”
“I’m fine I just got a little dizzy.” Rose waved him away and continued walking and used her mental link to attempt to converse with Nina. At first she could not hear anything; slowly the noises around the small elf came into being. There was a low droning that caught her attention along with a sifting noise not unlike sand being shuffled around but in large quantities. It was muffled but she could also hear voices not far from the prisoner. “Nina can you hear me?”
“Rose? Thank the watcher I’m glad to hear your voice!”
A sliver of emotion slipped through the connection and Rose could feel her fear mixed with a slight burst of relief. Rose attempted to calm her via the tentative link. “We’re coming for you Nina, don’t worry.”
“Please hurry. I heard the men say that we’re only a week’s travel to the city and they said they’re going to give me to that shriveled up old relic Rahknand!”
“That’s impossible! They only left yesterday.” Rose was visibly shaken, she knew at that rate they would never catch up to Nina. Her mind was racing trying to devise a way to speed their travel. “I’ll find a way Nina. The link is draining I cannot sustain it for long.”
“Hurry Rose, I’m scared.”
“I won’t leave you to him.” Rose replied as she dropped the link and gritted her teeth to keep from crying. Her mind began crawling through the information she had been force fed the night before. Using the power of the death eater she could morph her body into another form; a flying creature perhaps, but that wouldn’t help Avreel and Liostro. “Nina’s captors have speed on us; I think they’re using some sort of craft or animal to travel the sands.”
“How do you know?” Liostro inquired with an arched eyebrow.
“I can speak to her through our bond.” Rose hid her eyes from his knowing gaze using the hood of her desert traveling clothes. She did not want to answer questions just yet. “I can speed myself along but I don’t know how I would do the same with the two of you. I’m open to suggestions.”
“I am a foreigner to this terrain; I have only seen it in dreams and visions. I find the sand cumbersome and itchy; it will play hell on my hooves.” Avreel replied sounding the part of a spoiled noble for the moment. “In the endless dark we would use varraks or golantha wyvrens.”
Avreel could see she had lost them so with a sigh she explained. “Varraks are gigantic lizard-like creatures that can walk on walls. They are irritable though. They’ve been known to rip limbs off of their riders if provoked. Golantha wyvrens are dragon-like creatures with two legs and wings. They’ll carry riders if educated properly but they too are rather petulant and expensive to train.”
“Without access to horses or camels or something of the like I have no suggestions. The nearest place we could get a dune sifter fast enough to catch them is days away. If the need is dire enough go ahead and we’ll catch up.” Liostro paused for a moment and looked at Rose. When she wouldn’t meet his eyes he hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “Be careful.”
“I love you.” She said quietly, as if a large audience was watching them. In her heart she knew that there wasn’t much chance of walking away from this confrontation. It was heart wrenching and she wondered if Liostro knew the truth of it. Before she could turn away Liostro embraced her tight and forced his lips against hers. Resistance was futile even when Avreel made a gagging noise behind them.
Once they parted she smiled and clasped hands with the fiery tempered elf. When she was pulled into a rather startling hug she returned it whole heartedly. “I have to go before I start crying.”
Rose turned away from them and spread her arms wide. On the ship while she was fighting Liostro she had used the power on instinct to morph her body around and intercept his blow. Now that she knew how to control it she imagined herself as a Farrak-Nar, it was a bird she had seen firsthand in the forest of the elves. The sensation was pleasant and felt liberating to an extent. Before she knew it she was standing about waist-high to Liostro with golden feathers, a long curved beak, four wings and eyes, and a fanned-out tail. So as not to get sand in her feathers she took off quickly but awkwardly and hovered there for a moment before departing.
With her heart heavy she headed in Nina’s direction as quickly as her wings could carry her. She learned quickly that the bird apparently could sustain flight without much flapping using air currents and up drafts. Once she was airborne it took significantly less energy to fly. The hot sun did not feel so bad on her back and the strong winds were a little cooler up this high so the contrast was quite agreeable. Her eyes were keener in this form and in the distance she could see a plume of sand stretching skyward and since it was in the direction she was heading she knew it had to be Nina’s captors.
Endless sand in every direction met her and caused the day to drag onward. All the while minutes bled into hours and the hours eventually turned into night. Since she was alone it would be dangerous to stop and rest so she used a bit of magic and the extraordinary bird’s odd body shape to continue on while catching short naps between air currents.
~~~~
Not far from the outskirts of the city Rose had landed and morphed back into her original form, it would not do to fly over the city’s wall after Nina’s captors. In her desert clothing she walked slowly toward the only gate into the city of Rahkshas. On the southern side of the city she could see the Ironback Mountains stretching out in two directions, southeast and southwest. The city itself had been built at the base of old ironjaw where the biggest concentration of ore had been found. That was how the sorcerer lord had made his money. Near to the entrance to the mine was the old sorcerer’s palace. It consisted of a multi-leveled ziggurat with a palatial home situated on the top of it; just the sight of it was daunting. Rose had lived her entire life within the boundaries of this city but she had never seen it firsthand. She doubted her reading habits had prepared her for what was going to happen inside but she had to rescue Nina so she swallowed her trepidation and increased the pace of her stride.
Once she reached the walls she noted that the base of it seemed to be rooted in stone as well. It had most likely the work of the sorcerer lord or his apprentices. Rose thought back to the strange sorcerer that seemed to have control over the earth itself and smiled, his abilities might come in handy after all. Once she was within shouting distance of the gate she heard a guard above call down to the guards below behind the door. Rose was too busy looking up at the wall; it had to be at least twenty feet or more high.
“State your business.” The guard at the top of the wall called out to her.
Knowing just a little about the city would at least help; she found it odd that the heavy gate was closed during the day. At night it was too dangerous to open and she had heard tales of travelers dying just outside the walls because the guards would not open the doors for fear of the creatures prowling the evening sands. “It was my understanding that the doors of Rahkshas only closed at night.”
“The norm would stand true if not for the coming celebration, state your business or turn away. Failure to do so will visi
t harm upon your person.” The guard replied almost off-handedly, sounding uninterested. “Now if you please your business?”
“I have business with Pasha Mara’shanalar, a private transaction.” Rose lied perfectly by using the name of her former master as a ploy. She hoped it would work; it would be difficult to sneak into the city while the guards roamed the walls.
For a few minutes everything was silent then slowly one of the large doors opened and revealed a quad of guards standing at attention. The leader motioned for her to step forward with one hand and moved aside when she entered the city. “I am Captain Northmund; we shall escort you to your destination, your name?”
“Trader Nalfys.” Rose half-lied as the guard inspected her person and belongings from a safe distance.
The lead guard arched an eyebrow and motioned toward her with his chin. “Throw back your hood if you would Seraf Nalfys.”
Rose did as he asked and several of the other people in attendance, mostly guards and a few outgoing travelers, all stopped to give her at least a glance. “May we proceed Captain? I have business to attend to before the day is out.”
Once they were on the way Rose put her hood back up to avoid the stares of the people around her. She was frightened. It had not been her intention to return to the pasha’s estate. She knew that it would be easy enough to slip past the guards if she needed to escape but being one naarabian in a city of mostly humans and a smattering of other races she would stick out like a sore thumb.
She let herself be pulled out of the stupor and take in the sights of the city around her. The buildings were almost all made of the same substances. Most of them looked to be sunbaked mud brick and stone. From the look of it limestone and sandstone were predominant. The primary construction method of the city’s better standing buildings seemed to be a post and lintel style. It was just like the books had said, though they had lacked in mentioning the squalor of the lower ward.
All around her people bustled here and there going about their business, many of them smelled of more than just desert and sweat and her nose was protesting even as she thought about it. At one point a group of children with distended bellies and hungry eyes stepped out of a nearby alleyway to pester the guards and their charge. The guardsmen quickly ran them off but Rose couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow as she spotted a halfling swiping one guard’s purse and disappearing back into the crowd of like-sized humans.
She applauded the diminutive humanoid for his interesting, and effective tactic as they moved on. Here and there people were hawking wares from stalls to the all passersby and everything from food to goods to slaves and other exotic trade could be had. At every turn a new sight or smell greeted her. If she weren’t so nervous she would have enjoyed finally seeing the city she had been tethered to for so long. Once they were out of the lower ward they climbed a long stair upward toward the second tier of the city which was positioned at the top of a large rock plateau. When they crested the top of the walled district she could see it was sectioned off in two areas. One of which looked like a high profile residential district and another that was primarily higher class shops and a large open-air marketplace that was bustling with activity.
She did not have to speculate as to their destination, the guards led her toward the high profile part of the city past buildings made of brick and stone and decorated with carvings, statues and other paraphernalia. Each one seemed grander than the next as they approached the edge of the district and the beginning of the palace grounds. A large white multi-tiered structure loomed before her and the guards at the gate wore a familiar mark upon familiar armor adorned with hardened leather plates. The gate guards bowed as the city watch passed into the courtyard of the large home and beyond through the large metal-and-stone door that would take her right back into the one place she had never wanted to return to.
Once they were inside of the building she turned to the Captain and smiled sweetly. “I can manage from here Captain, thank you for the escort.”
“The escort was not for your benefit Seraf Nalfys; we must verify your business and the business of every other traveler before allowing them to go on their own way.” He replied sternly while taking pains not to look at her.
Her mind began working through the possibilities of escape. She also needed information on the group of people that had entered the city a mere couple of hours before she had been admitted. “I saw an odd group of travelers entering the city a while before I arrived, were they escorted too?”
“I’m sorry I am not permitted to divulge any information on the business of other travelers.” He replied tersely.
“Are you always this tense Captain?” Rose brushed her hand across his shoulder in a playful manner, all smiles.
The Captain cleared his throat and glanced her way. “I’m on duty Seraf.”
“Off duty then, would you buy a girl a drink?” Rose eyed him in a side glance and tried not to grin too much. Manipulation was something she did not like to practice but she desperately needed to find Nina or get entrance to the palace. He was not a bad looking human by their standards and he had a long scar across his face and throat that gave him a rather rugged mien. Several of his junior squad members snickered a little and tried to put on a good game face as to not invoke his wrath.
Once the captain had gathered his composure back he nodded his head. “If you wish Seraf, I frequent the Ale Pot Loaded in the lower ward after duty.”
It was a short order to enter the plush throne room of the large home and Rose was all too familiar with its layout having entertained the pasha’s guests here many a night. She even recognized a few of the guards on duty. Of the two thrones only one was occupied and to her relief it was Maudette that sat in the room and the pasha was nowhere to be seen. The raven-haired woman was a welcomed sight. Rose’s hard skipped a beat a little. Her adopted mother was just like she remembered. An older woman but still beautiful with blue eyes and painted ruby-red lips, apparently she had escalated to more than just a trophy wife if she was running the day-by-day affairs of the house while the master was out.
The captain stepped forward and dropped down to one knee before the woman sitting on the plush seat. “Pasha Mara’shanalar this traveler said that she has business with your house. I request verification to leave the Seraf in your charge.”
“Speak your business.” Maudette said almost imperiously, Rose could have smiled at the act.
“I have been away a long time but now I return hoping to implore your assistance mighty pasha.” Rose replied to her as she threw back the hood of her traveling cloak to reveal her face and the subsequent grin. “I hear the hospitality of your house is legendary.”
“Rose! By the scouring sands we were so worried about you.” Maudette almost leapt from the throne and rushed over to Rose and enveloped her in a mutual hug that had the both of them crying with a mix of relief and joy. Turning back to the startled quad Maudette addressed the captain directly. “Captain you may go.”
“At your leave my pasha.” He bowed and the four of them left quickly.
Wiping tears from her eyes and smiling broadly she held Rose out at arm’s length. “We have catching up to do; you must tell me all about what happened.”
“I would love to stay but I am on a mission of dire importance.” Rose eyed the guards for a moment and leaned in to Maudette. “Can we move to a study?”
“Of course.” Maudette took her by the arm and led her out of the large garish room and down a side hallway into a small study adorned with shelves of odd baubles and trinkets the pasha had collected over the years.
To her surprise Rose felt the presence of magic in the room and shifted her eyes into the mystic spectrum. A small glass orb in the corner of one shelf caught her attention. Once her former matron had closed the door behind them Rose walked over to the shelf and picked up the magic item, toying with it as she analyzed its properties.
As she turned around Maudette gasped in surprise. “What?”
“Your eyes!” She cried in an almost frightened tone.
“I’m sorry!” Rose willed her eyes back into the normal spectrum so they would not be black and held out her hands trying to calm the woman. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
“If you say so.” The older woman sat down warily and motioned for Rose to join her. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“It would be hard to condense the story down so I may as well tell you the entire thing.” Rose began at the beginning with Nina helping her to escape and Leonidus teaching her magic. During the story a servant she did not recognize brought them sugared dates and dragon’s tongue, a fruit gleaned from cacti. She noted the look of trepidation on the matron’s face at the mention of magic but she continued. Rose began telling her about the journey with the elves, being taken underground and through the city of blood, all the way to her confrontation with Leonidus and Nina. Once she was done she waited for Maudette to respond and when silence was the only thing forthcoming Rose feared the worst.
Maudette shook herself from the shocked stupor and sucked in a deep breath. When she let it out she smiled a little at the corners of her mouth. “You have had quite an adventure out there in the wide world my little desert Rose. Your mother would be proud of you.”
“My mother?” Rose echoed, looking surprised.
“I fear I have not been truthful to you but I beg a chance to explain myself. She placed you in my care before she ran. I knew her only in passing from a previous stint with the elves.” Maudette smiled when Rose looked shocked. “You’d be surprised to learn that I was fairly handy with a blade in my day. It is time I told you my story in return.”
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