Above These Righteous Gods

One: Dangerous Games

Sinethe, Yil'Kimarr

Morning rose and night's chill gave way quickly to the dawn's warmth. Silhouetted in the lee of a low dune stood two figures, the form of a horse and a tall man beside that. High on the bare backed animal sat another, fitted with a shape more slender than her well built companion. No clouds could be seen rolling across the shockingly blue sky, and little moisture could be found in the grains beneath their feet. Silence stretched across the lonely plains of sand until a deep, confident voice broke through the air without hesitation.

"You can be out of our lands within a day, or you can move along the border and remain safe for a week or more. The choice is yours. The city lies along the length of much of the river, it won't be hard to find - but he will. You know what to do."

She nodded, then faltered. "The city…"

"It is no different than a village here. Bigger, yes, and the threats come from inside, not outside. You will have to rely more on your wits than any strength of arm. And if worst comes to worst…" he nodded to her waist. Two daggers were sheathed there, one coated in a fatal poison.

She nodded again and drew in a shuddering sigh, closing her eyes and trying to calm her nerves. Such an important mission for her first time in the city… she savored the hot, relentless sun as it beat down, knowing that soon it would be covered in clouds and this fresh air would be thick and dank. A light breeze tossed a few wisps of her dark hair and swirled the sand at her horse's feet. The mare stomped a hoof and snorted into the empty expanse of the desert. His touch lingered on the fine creature's withers.

"You are ready then," he stated, allowing no room for disagreement. She set her mouth in a firm line.

"Yes."

He hesitated, then drew a thin piece of parchment, tightly rolled, from one of his deep sleeves.

"This message. Take it."

She obeyed without a word and tucked it into her own cloak. It was a garment that was suffocating her at the moment, but would be needed for later days.

"Do not read it," he continued. "Bring it to Seri."

Her breath quickened. The name was familiar, one of her brothers, who had been gone for many moons on some task - unknown to any others.

"If you do not find him… burn it."

"Yes." She would do what he asked. There were no others options… this was the way they lived.

"Hiye!" She gasped as a yell and a slap on the rump of her mare send the horse bolting away, almost leaving her behind. She regained her composure quickly and adjusted her position, determined to ride hard and long, and be in the outskirts of the desert before the sun reached it's peak in the sky. She felt the rolled parchment grate against her chest and smiled in spite of herself - in spite of the danger that lay ahead, in spite of the fact that soon she would be away from her beloved dunes and bruising her feet on the unforgiving cobblestones - for the moment, galloping across the flat expanse of hot earth, she was free.

Gaiven, 'Boots' to those outside the desert, made his way back to the village slowly, meandering along, enjoying the blazing sun as it beat down on his broad shoulders and dragging his feet in the hot sand. He crested an especially high dune and turned, shielding his eyes with one hand and scratching his leg with the other. A small cloud of sand moved quickly north. Gaiven's expression did not change but he nodded slightly, pleased with the girl. Her family had served him for decades and her brother had been a trusted man for years. He had seen the cool indifference that had separated her from the other giggly young girls at a young age, and had known that she would be a good choice to work as a female assassin.

She had proven her skill and earned her stay on many occasions, mostly in venturing into Qui, his land's neighbor to the west. Posing as a skilled female warrior had given her opportunities that no masculine fighter could ever come upon. Sending her into the city had not been an overnight choice, for months he had been searching for the right person for the job. Her previous experience and ability to adapt would help her to blend into the city's society, her upbringing as a woman of his lands would help her keep her business her own, and her connections to Seri would ensure that he got Gaiven's note, which was an important one.

Gaiven turned away and folded his arms into his sleeves, satisfied with his decisions and confident that the plan would go through. But it all depended on her - Ria, and a few plants inside the city's gates that would help her on her way and warn her of any unexpected danger. Gaiven's eyes found the lump of darker brown in the distance and he started back once more, looking forward to the stew that he knew one of his wives would have prepared for him. He had barely gone ten paces when a young man emerged from the curve of another nearby dune and jogged up to join him. Gaiven continued walking and spoke up without missing a beat.

"Very good, Kaj, I didn't even see you."

Kaj bowed his head and bit back a smile, trying to remain stoic faced like Gaiven, but he still felt a tingle of pride slip down his spine.

"Ah, but you didn't look, sir," he answered right away. "Else your sharp eyes would have picked me out in a moment. But I am getting better."

Gaiven nodded and Kaj felt pride swell up in his chest again. He decided to take a stab at conversation.

"Was that Ria you were sending off?" He asked timidly, for though Gaiven had brought him along to keep a look out, there was no telling exactly how much he was supposed to know - or when to keep his mouth shut. But Gaiven just nodded, still not making eye contact or breaking stride.

"Yes. A task in Continn."

Kaj's eyes widened.

"The city," he breathed.

"Her first time," Gaiven agreed. "I trust her," he added simply.

"Oh, I would too," Kaj agreed quickly. "She's mighty pretty," he added wistfully. Gaiven chuckled.

"Perhaps," he said. "But don't get your hopes up. You know they never marry."

He was speaking of those few women that because successful assassins or fighters. If they weren't killed in action and were lucky enough to return home, few ever considered taking up a husband - and few men wanted them. They were too strong, too willful and independent from their stints outside of the desert.

"Well, yes," Kaj admitted. "But…"

"You must be scouting out a girl of your own anyway," Gaiven started again. "They're probably throwing themselves at your feet."

"Well not yet," Kaj said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Ah. You just wait. Enjoy these days of freedom while you can."

Kaj laughed quietly and Gaiven smiled. The village loomed larger as they approached quickly, and the sun rose higher in the sky and threw out more heat.

"When is Presa due?" Kaj asked after a few minutes of silence.

"In a little over a moon," Gaiven answered with another smile. "Her first."

Presa was Gaiven's newest, and youngest, wife. Rumors of the young girl's beauty had traveled far across the desert, bringing Gaiven from his usual residing place to the very far east of Yil'Kimarr to see her - and he was not disappointed. For nearly a year now he had remained near the great river that separated their lands from the eastern forest of Ashren, and though he enjoyed the time it wouldn't be long before he made his way back west. Yil'Kimarr was a vast territory, and he was constantly on the move to keep in touch with its people, settle disputes, and fend off danger the best he could. He was expected to stay in Sinethe until Presa's child had been delivered. Until then, Kaj tried to hang around his leader as much as he could, soaking up the wisdom and experience that he had to offer, and jumping at the chance to learn something from one of the greatest men in the desert's history.

Both men entered the village deep in thought, and parted ways without another word. Gaiven met up with Rei in the center of the village and updated him quickly on Ria's mission and departure, then hurried into his roomy hut to visit Presa.

But the stew was not on the table like he had hoped, instead he saw it still cooking over the fire outside. About to bark at his wife for her laziness, Gaiven's sharp eyes noticed something. The soup was not simmering or in the midst of being prepared - it was done, overdone, bubbling and about to boil over. Gaiven quickly took the pot off of the fire and strode into his hut, ready to voice his displeasure. His eyes scanned the space for her familiar curvy figure, with no luck. It was then that he looked to the floor near their mattress and saw her, sprawled on the floor, shaking and sweating, sweat sliding down her brow and her hands clasped over her stomach.

In a flash he was kneeling on the floor, staring into her wildly rolling eyes, totally unsure of what to do. Then she cried out, writhing for a moment, and her hands tightened their hold. Remembering the baby, Gaiven dashed out and nearly dove into the hut of Opri, whom he knew to be the village's midwife. She leapt up and took in the panic on his face with a frown.

Words failed him for a few precious seconds. "Something is wrong!"

Without a word she brushed past him and hurried into his hut, he stood at her door, still in shock, worry etched clearly in the lines of his face. After a moment he shook himself out of his daze and followed her, but to his dismay the door was shut. Already a father of many sons, Gaiven knew better than to interrupt and enter now. With a sigh he turned away and crouched down beside the entrance, his head falling into his hands. King of the Deserts, yes, highly respected warrior and wise advisor, of course… but he was lost. For once, he was helpless.

+ + +

AN: This was written on Tuesday, April 22nd. Didn't have access to the internet until today, apologies. Also apologies for the length, most of them will be longer, but I felt I should get an introduction out there. As many of you who received the CC info know, each of the seven lands in Kalpita (an Indian word for 'imagined') are very, very different, not only in terrain but society. The first few chapters will probably mainly be introduction type stuff like this, and it will get more intense later on. I don't know, I haven't really planned much out. Oh well. You see Boots in the king/leader of Yil'Kimarr, the desert land. So there's one down, eh? Hmm what else… keep reviewing! If you read, take a few seconds to review. It really means a lot to the writer. I get to see who's reading my stuff, at least! If you still ignore the nice purple button, well… hope you keep reading at least!

Shoutouts: Why not?

Raven: Woo hoo, thanks! Your two thumbs up made me think of Hades in Hercueles… you know… 'two thumbs WAY way up!' Ok, no, I'm NOT a Disney nerd, I'm NOT!

Gypsy: Spotclone? Have you been working with Shortie lately? Well stay away from her, not only is she a scary lady but she sucks at Duck Hunt too! Carryin' the Banner, a fine choice. My AIM has David Sidoni (Pie, dur) going "Hi, I'm Michael Bolton, and no matter what anyone says, I am very talented!" every time someone signs on and "WOO!" every time someone signs off! How cool is THAT?

Thumbsucker Snitch: Who started this 'Kezzles' thing anyway? It makes me giggle. I know what you mean, I always have a huge ass grin on my face after reading good fluff… especially Specs/Dutchy. -sigh-

Misprint: A homophobic skateboarder, HOW did you know what I was looking for?! You amaze me even more than that time we were in the Czech Republic and Mr. Ed threw a noodle at Shade… do you REMEMBER that? I mean, really! How can a HORSE throw a NOODLE? I can see a bar of dove soap, naturally, but… a wet noodle? -shakes head- honestly.

Shadies-Hades: Oh you silly hipster, you. Hmm, leather clad Pie with roses, eh? You'll have to do better than that to bribe me… TULIPS, I want TULIPS!

Ireland O'Reily: Oh, I could get used to a world ruled by newsies too. Even if it were dictatorship. -pause- ok, maybe not. I can see it, Pie would be all "bake me this!" and "cover me with this!" and Jake would be "worship my calves! Trim my bowl cut!" Yeah it would end in tears alright.

Crunch: Ahh, don't pass out (cinnamon toast) Crunchy! And speaking of your mini-epic… we want more of this! -shakes fist- Update soon or I'll… I'll… uhh… HAH! Yeah, that's right, you heard me!

StudentNumber24601: You know how FFN does that annoying thing of deleting letters if you have more than two in a row? Well your 'mm (+more letters)' was deleted down to 'M. Medieval newsies.' So… hey! It's like an alphabet book - "M is for Medieval Newsies! N is for… ok never mind."

Ali: I love your e-mail address! And I hope that situation has looked up. -scrunches nose- But we must talk again, now that we've found a way around the evil bell mobile atlantic - whatever - those evil robotic voices! You know… yeah. That was fun. I don't remember anything we talked about. -pause- except for false accusations about me only having one sibling? Hmm…

Sureshot Higgins: Isn't medieval stuff the greatest? If you haven't read Timeline by Michael Crighton, you must. Time traveling novels, bow down before Crighton! -smiles- And, well, I just sent out the CC info, so we'll get ya in.

Polecat: Ooh! Dutchy/Pie, eh? I like! Send 'em over. -grin- Man, but aren't we a bit stupid? I'm an hour away from you all week and we never put operation Attack Sid into motion. -sigh-

Glimmer: I'm still confused by your siggy and Mush pants. That's all I have to say.

HilaryB: Slash is DEFINITELY possible, especially where David is involved. -giggles- Any pairing suggestions?

Klover: Glad you like it! I need a bunch of court members, so that sounds good!

Ruse: Yessah, FFN has nice habits like that. -mumbles- uncooperative little… eggshell…? Uhh… quick, next shoutout!

KMS: Woo hoo! Thanks! Twisted Fantasy IS pretty, well, twisted, isn't it? It's written in sort of a tongue and cheek way, which makes it all the more fun. And look! More! Hoo hah! Enjoy it, who knows when chapter two will -gulp- come… -eye dart- ok, just because I haven't updated all my other stories in a few months doesn't mean I'll lag on this one, right? …guys? Right?

Maya: Yo! My Girl! Ahh I love that movie. (Your.. Erm.. Rhyme thingy made me think of it. Vada! Thomas J! Come baack! Ok sorry.) Vacation has been pretty good, and, uh, I cannot remember your e-mail so leave it next time we talk, aight girl? HA!

Laryn: Yes, yes you do! Bring It On, gawd, that's one of those movies which I could have been perfectly fine seeing once, but ended up seeing like 5 times thanks to siblings, friends, neighbors… etc.

Stage: Rut-kickers ARE good! I thought I had one with Shortie's challenge (which turned into "Summer Nights and Broken Broadcasts") but it was just a fluke… and that made me sad. -pause- right, so anyway. Isn't Chicago spiff? Catherine Zeta-Jones, I already loved her, but that VOICE! Yikes!

Broadway: Where ya been kiddo? Hehe… but thanks! You have been added to the list. -gestures sagely to a grocery list- hmm… wrong list, but you know!

Hotshot: -would like to picture Megan screaming insanely and waking everyone in New England up- But it'd be FUNNY! Glad you like the idea! Two good things can only make a better, right? Well I hope so… And guys are good!

Owl: Grand! Taglines are fun, aren't they? The first idea that I had for the story was the tagline. Then came the characters, plot (heh heh) etc. Well, glad you liked it.

I haven't done shoutouts since the first few chapters of NHS! (Bad idea)