The Raging One

by Lexy Wolfe

  As though drawn by some unheard call, Vodani of all ages emerged, lining the road, offering respectful bows to the two Swordanzen who rode side by side. The nearer the group got, the more excitement rippled through the Vodani population. At the edge of the town, they dismounted, the Desanti who had accompanied them taking the drizzen to return to First Home, save for the two belonging to the Githalin Swordanzen.

  Once Almek arranged with the Vodani captain who would take them and their horses back to the mainland, the group waited at the main tavern. Far cooler outside than in, they sat in the open air shielded by a heavy tarp overhang. The pair of Desanti sat apart from Almek and his students, shoulder to shoulder as they calmly drank the cups of water brought to them.

  Skyfire glanced over at the Vodani still hovering outside, chattering to one another as they pointed to the two warriors. He bumped her shoulder lightly to get her attention, speaking more fluently in Swordanzen since his bonding to Kailee. "Doesn't it bother you? Having all their eyes on you like this?"

  Storm shrugged indifferently. "I have been stared at all my life. When I sense no ill intent, I ignore it." She eyed the water in her cup with a sigh. "It will not be as benevolent when we cross the Great Water. We will be the Outlanders."

  Skyfire reached for her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Then we will be an oasis of sanity among them." She could not help but laugh, returning the affection, raising her cup to him.

  Seated at a table further back from the Desanti pair, Almek and the rest of his group sat together, keeping an eye on the two Swordanzen. Mureln glanced over at Ash, who had returned to his silent brooding since they had departed the Rumblelands. The bard followed Ash’s unwavering stare towards the Desanti pair.

  Intrigued, the bard carefully avoided baiting the Illaini Magus. "It is good to see her smiling. Like a heavy weight has finally been lifted from her shoulders." When there was absolutely no response, the bard reached over and poured wine, putting the cup in front of the mage, who ignored it.

  Taylin leaned closer to Mureln, whispering in his ear, "I thought he was ill tempered before." She flinched when Ash turned his hard look on the healer, hiding behind Mureln a little.

  Mureln patted Taylin's hand, giving Ash a disapproving look. "Seriously, Ash, you're going to start drawing attention if you don't stop staring daggers at everyone."

  The mage snorted in response, but shifted in his seat, taking up the cup of wine to sip. He looked down at the liquid critically. "This is extremely bitter."

  "Aye, it is. But there isn't much in Desantiva that isn't bitter." Mureln gave Ash a sidelong look. "And yes, I am talking about you, too." Only the clenching of his teeth and tightening of his hold on the cup reflected the Forentan mage's emotions.

  A young Vodani boy trotted up to Almek's table, bowing deeply. "Lord Almek, the Wave Dancer will be ready to depart soon. But we are having some... ah... troubles with the drizzen." He glanced towards the Swordanzen and said, "That drizar has nearly gored everyone who tries to get near him! And he keeps protecting the female so no one can reach her, either."

  Looking amused, Storm pushed herself to her feet, Skyfire following her lead. "Allow me to assist. The drizar gets nervous around other people."

  "Lady Storm, if that is nervous, I sure hate to see what angry is!" the boy said emphatically.

  The local Vodani once more stopped whatever it was they were doing to gather near the docks as Storm led the way to the Wave Dancer. Several men and women stood around the drizar and drizzen pair, but not near enough for the angered beast to reach with paw or horn. Skyfire's calmer mount was no less dead set against walking up the narrow plank to be put in the hold with the rest of the horses.

  The drizar was in an attack stance, snorting and striking sparks on the dock's stone surface with his sharp, metal-clad claws. The gleaming bronze caps on his horns were slashes of reflected sunlight as he swung his head about when one of the sailors tried to get near him.

  Without a hint of fear, Storm approached the beast, making soothing noises to him. No one could hear her words, but the change was profound. Ears turned forward, the drizar went from murderous madness to sedate. He lightly nibbled on her shoulder affectionately as she pet his neck. Turning, she started up the wooden walkway.

  The drizar did not even hesitate, bounding after her, making the board bend threateningly, springing to the deck beside his human. The female drizzen followed Skyfire, wary but obedient and far more sedate. The Vodani, delighted, cheered the spectacle. No doubt, Mureln told the others as they followed the drizzen, the stories of the first Swordanzen taking to the seas would be all over Vodanya before sunset.

  "I suppose it takes an animal to talk to an animal," Amelana muttered under her breath. She gasped in pain, looking at Ash who glared at her a long moment before releasing the merciless hold he had on her arm, shoving her forward to board.

  Having reassured the crew that the pair of reptilian mounts would sleep for days once they had their fill of food, Storm and Skyfire emerged from below deck. They walked to the side of the ship opposite the dock, looking down into water deeper than any within the Desantiva territory.

  Skyfire recognized the change in Storm, going to her side. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he whispered reassuringly to no avail. She shook her head sharply, fingernails digging into the wood.

  "Is there a problem?" Ash joined the two, hands tucked in his magerobe sleeves. Though he spoke to them both, his eyes were only for Storm.

  Skyfire looked between the two before he finally stated in a low voice barely audible to the Forentan. "A Swordanzen cannot show fear. We have... never seen water so deep as this, Lord Ash." He flicked a glance at Storm's hands. "She cannot let go of the rail."

  Ash considered Storm, noticing her cheeks had darkened as Skyfire explained her weakness. Turning his back to the water, the mage leaned against the rail, crossing his arms as he watched the crew begin to prepare to set sail. After a moment, he looked at her, lightly touching the back of her hand. "Storm. Relax."

  "Easy for you to say," she hissed through gritted teeth. "You can probably swim like a fish and breathe water."

  Ash blinked at the outrageous, childlike accusation of water breathing. Unable to help himself, he smiled faintly, crossing his arms again. "Actually, no, I cannot swim, nor can I breathe water. I should probably learn someday, but there hasn't been any need."

  Storm looked at Ash sideways for several heartbeats. "You are annoying." She closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and wrenched her hands off the rail. Muttering something in Desanti, she stalked down to her cabin below. Ash glanced at Skyfire curiously for a translation.

  "You do not want to know." Reflecting his own nervousness, the Desanti man glanced at the water uneasily. "It isn't physically possible anyway." Clearing his throat, he excused himself and followed Storm, ducking the doorway leading below decks.

  Chapter 48

  ONCE the ship was underway, things quickly fell into a routine with the Vodani sailors. Their passengers kept to their small cabins until later in the evening when the ship's cook had the evening meal prepared. As the group settled at the table to eat, Emil looked around curiously. "Where be our Desanti? I wanted t' see if we could convince Storm t' dance again. Ow!" He glared at Emaris. "M' ribs are not made fer yer elbows, ye lout."

  Amelana smiled sweetly. "Oh, I doubt we'll see the Desanti at all. They've been in their room since we left." She leaned on Ash, slipping her arm through his. "Making all sorts of uncivilized noises." Pushing Amelana off his arm, Ash gritted his teeth but said nothing, reaching for the wine skin and a mug.

  "It's called vomiting and if you would prefer our Swordanzen to vomit into your lap, I am sure they would be happy to oblige you, Journeyman," Taylin said acerbically, emphasizing the rank and earning a dark look from the Forentan woman. "Perhaps you can demonstrate what civilized vomiting is like sometime, hm?" After Amelana turned her nose up and looked away from the healer, Taylin turned to Mureln and A
lmek, irritation yielding to concern. "I am worried about them. Neither seemed the type to... hide away like this."

  Mureln chuckled, his easy going demeanor reassuring to the other two. "I will go check on them. They will feel better once they get some fresh air." He pushed himself to his feet, leaning close to Taylin to brush the back of her hand, smiling as he turned away when her cheeks colored.

  The bard paused outside of the Swordanzen's room, listening. Nodding to himself, he knocked on the door. "Go away," Storm called curtly.

  "Sorry, can't do that." Mureln pushed the door open and walked in on two of the most miserable people he had ever seen. Closing the door behind him, he reached down for a small stool. "Trees are not as green as you two," he quipped, though his voice held the tenor of worry.

  Rolling her eyes up in exasperation to regard Mureln, Storm rested her head against the wall. "I know you would not come to gloat over our misery." Swallowing hard, she put her head back down on her arms. "What do you want?"

  "How do you Vodani endure this constant moving and the smell?" Skyfire asked mournfully. "Kailee's tail, my stomach."

  Mureln sat on the stool between their narrow bunks. "Not every Vodani born endures the waves gracefully. We learned a few tricks over the generations. Here." He reached for Skyfire's arm and pressed his fingers at his wrist.

  After a few moments, the Desanti man blinked several times. "I feel... better." He looked at his wrist. "What did you do?"

  Mureln smiled a little. "There are certain pressure points that help with the sea sickness. Once you get your sea legs, you'll feel better." He knew better than to reach for Storm, simply holding his hand to her and waiting.

  The young woman eyed him warily, glancing at Skyfire and back before relenting and offering her hand to the Vodani. She sighed in relief and offered the man a grateful smile. "Thank you."

  Mureln waved off their gratitude. "I would not suggest eating anything more than bread and watered down wine until you have fully acclimated to the ship. Getting some fresh air would help, too."

  The Swordanzen woman stood and stretched gingerly. "I would like to see the sun again. Now that I do not need worry about ending up curled in a corner like an abused animal trying to keep my stomach inside." She grinned at Skyfire. "We should explore... Just this room alone! Have you ever seen so much wood in one place, Skyfire?"

  Mureln chuckled and shook his head as he left them. "Amazing," he murmured to himself. "How two hardened warriors could possess such unblemished innocence..." His smile faded as he realized a problem, looking back over his shoulder a moment. "They are little more than children. Two dangerous ones headed to lands hostile to their people." After he rejoined the others, he reassured them the two desert folk were fine and would likely be seen more often in the near future.

  Almek considered the silent bard as the others chattered amongst themselves. "Mureln," he said quietly in Vodani. "Something is bothering you."

  Glancing to see if any of the sailors were nearby, and satisfied there were none, Mureln looked back to Almek. "Do you realize how young our two Desanti are?"

  "Everyone is young to me, my friend." Almek and the others looked up as the sailors delightedly welcomed their Desanti cousins when they appeared, drawing the pair over to their tables. The two looked surprised but amused as the Vodani chattered to them in Desanti, asking for stories. Skyfire deferred to Storm, who obliged the sailors. Her audience sat raptly attentive as she settled into the storytelling. "She's pretty good. Perhaps she should train as a bard," Almek teased.

  Mureln arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps. And I should take up needlecraft and sew pretty flowers on your robes," he replied drolly.

  Almek snorted then laughed quietly. "You are a most irreverent student." The bard merely winked, knowing the Dusvet Guardian appreciated not being set apart or on so high of a pedestal. They both watched Storm, Skyfire leaning on the wall behind her, an ever protective shadow. "Sometimes it is hard to remember precisely how few years they have seen. They act more mature than some elders I have known."

  "I do not think it is so much a matter of the number of years they have seen, but their sheer...inexperience," the bard stated, trying to find the words that did not make the Desanti's flaws seem a criticism on them.

  Almek looked from the two Desanti to study the Vodani bard's profile. "You're worried about them."

  "I am... and I'm not. I'm not sure who I am worried about more," Mureln confessed. "Them, or those who might try to take advantage of their naïveté. They are children of the Raging One. Their hearts lead before their minds. Gods, you've seen Storm's temper already. Our master mage has certainly borne the brunt of it often enough." He shook his head. "I worry about the first time someone tries anything that comes across as even vaguely threatening or challenging, whether it was intended that way or not. The mainland does not take kindly to minced idiots." He paused. "Deserving or not."

  "Point taken. I will speak with them privately." The two looked up when the sailors suddenly burst out laughing, chuckling as Storm hit Skyfire in the arm for a peculiar expression he made. "You are right," the Guardian admitted. "A child’s innocence with a warrior’s experience is a dangerous pairing to leave unbridled."

  Chapter 49

  DAYS passed and the two Desanti not only acclimated to their new environment, but thrived, eagerly learning everything they could. One of the older sailors took Skyfire under his wing, teaching the young man how to climb rigging and handle the ropes. The speed he took to sea craft earned him the admiration of the seamen.

  Storm, much more reclusive, kept more to herself. When she was not picking the brains of the captain or helmsman, she was often seen climbing the ropes, walking along the rails, or perched on one of the highest cross beams on the masts, staring out into the distance.

  During the evening meal of the twelfth day at sea, Storm was missing from the gathered. When asked, Skyfire shrugged and pointed upwards. "She has been up there all day today. She’ll be back down when she’s ready." He grinned widely at Almek. "I learned better than to interrupt her when she gets in these moods."

  "It would be helpful if she were here." Almek broke off a piece of bread to eat with his stew. "There is a great deal to prepare for after we make landfall. I would prefer we start making plans sooner rather than later."

  Mureln offered a cup of mead to Taylin with a great deal of flourish, the woman accepting with all due solemnity before dissolving into quiet giggles. The bard looked over his shoulder at Almek. "I confess, Almek, I have to agree with Radisen—forgive me, Skyfire. Storm lives up to her name and I need all my fingers for my craft."

  Looking bemused at all the deferment to Storm's temper, Ash pushed himself to his feet, firmly detaching Amelana from his arm. "I will inform her you wish to discuss plans for when we reach the mainland, Master Almek."

  "But Ash- Master Ash," Amelana corrected herself when Ash leveled a dark, critical gaze on her, "you have barely eaten anything. Can't it wait? And you were going to give me lessons after—"

  Ash replied distractedly, "I am not hungry, Journeyman. We’ll continue your lessons later this evening."

  Almek reached out to catch Ash's arm, his grey eyes filled with concern. "Do not rush her too much," Almek told Ash in a low voice. "There is time enough for planning if she is too unready." The mage merely nodded, hurrying to leave before anyone delayed him further.

  The mage emerged onto the deck, taking a deep breath of the clean sea air gratefully. Squinting, he looked up to see where the Desanti woman was this time. He spotted her sitting atop the furled top gallant's crossbeam. Removing his outer robe and boots so he wore only his tunic and trousers, he scaled the ropes with the ease of a lifetime of having lived in the high trees of Forenta.

  Storm glanced over when he reached her, then turned her eyes back out to the horizon. "I can understand why you dislike the mess hall. It is unbearably close with so many people." He settled on the beam on the other side of the mast, looking at her. "M
aster Almek was seeking you." Still, she stared out into the distance, silent. "What are you doing up here?" His voice held only uncritical curiosity, which finally elicited a silent response. He followed her finger when she pointed to the distance. After a moment, he could see small figures rising and falling against the horizon. "What are they?"

  "The Vodani call them whales." Her voice barely carried over the wind. "The captain says they are animals that are as big as this ship. Some bigger! And there are smaller ones like them they call dolphins." Her eyes never wavered from the animals, her expression impossible to read. "There is so much life in the Great Water. But the sailors say it can feel as lonely and desolate as the desert. I cannot believe the Vodani cannot see how filled with life it is."

  Ash looked at the whales briefly before giving Storm his complete attention. He watched her as she spoke, not interrupting. He waited until her words finally trailed off. "There is nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed. There are many things you are not used to," he told her, finally drawing her attention away from the horizon. "I felt much the same when I came to your land."

  "There isn’t anything in my land to be overwhelmed by." The acute bitterness in her voice surprised Ash. "Listening to Mureln and the Sevmanen talk, a tiny city in the north has as much life as all of Desantiva."

  "There is more in Desantiva than you realize is there," he countered, surprising her. "And one day, Desantiva will heal from the wounds it has suffered with for so long."

  Storm shook her head, raising a hand absently to brush a tendril of hair that the wind blew loose from its confines. "I will never see that day. Healing will take a very long time, and the scars will always remain." She looked at a very old scar on the back of her arm. "They always do."