~~~~*** Boy oh boy. . .well this is a nice surprise. It seems we have attracted a bit of an upshot in readers overnight. By my very best guess, I count anywhere from 11-15 readers including the previous 3. 11 people have read the last chaper at least, so I base a good bit on that. I'm no math wizz, I'll admit it.
In any case, I hope those of you who live in the States had a nice holiday. Myself, I was blessed with food poisioning on Wednesday night, and was glad that I had been smart enough to bring a bucket to my bedside before I went to sleep, if you know what I mean. My stomach is still a tad weak. But enough of my misery. I'm sure you are far more interested in the dealings of a certain young lady and the Avatar, eh?
Well, happy Thanksgiving. Dig in, and I'll see ya soon! ***~~~~
"My mother would say I was too young to remember, but Avatar Haurran rescued me once, when I was a very small girl. I had run far from home and gotten myself lost, an he brought me home. My father says is was Uncle Loe who found me, and mother says I was too young, far too young to remember anyway. But I visit his memorial every year, and no matter what my parents say, I still remember his face."
-Fonta
Chapter Nine
A Price To Be Paid
The farmer had Ona, Haurran and their young companion packed into the back of his cart before the dawn, and even as the sun rose they were once again rolling down the solitary road. No one spoke of the conversations of the night prior. For a while, it seemed words had completely departed. Finally, Ona found a harmless occupation to allay the silence.
"What is your name?" she coaxed the small girl once again.
Blank faced, the child merely stared with her large glossy eyes and kept her mouth shut. Ona couldn't tell if the girl was frightened, or simply being stubborn. Her small arms were wrapped (as far as they could reach) around Haurran's waist, his hand laid on her head for comfort.
"My name is Ona. What's your name?"
The girl wrinkled her brow and shoved her face into her keeper's shirt. Haurran shrugged, at a loss.
Frustrated, Ona sat back and tugged her straw hat lower over her eyes. "If we find her mother, I'm going to tell her that she's raised a hopelessly rude child."
"Well, look there. The village," Haurran announced. Ona turned.
The small village came upon them quickly. The farmer guided his cart along the road, past several mud-wall houses and shops as well as a dried fountain, before he pulled up in front of a wooden building slightly larger than the others. Here he instructed his passengers to begin unloading the bags of rice and grain while he ventured into the shop to collect his earnings.
The small girl stood aside while Ona and Haurran hefted the weighty bags. She watched them, until a tall, gangly man saw them from the street and let out a cry.
"Well!" he shouted joyfully. "Look who's turned up! It's little Fonta!"
The man let his bags fall to the ground, then stooped by the young child's side and embraced her. Ona's jaw dropped when the girl reciprocated almost immediately.
"Your parents have been worrying themselves to death over you," the man went on, ignoring both Ona and Haurran's surprised looks. "By the spirits' toes, where have you been child?"
The girl, Fonta as the stranger had called her, cast her eyes down in shame. "I. . . got lost, Uncle Loe," she whispered. Ona was yet even more surprised to hear her speak.
The man pulled on his small beard and shook his head. He clucked his tongue, making a tsk-ing sound that seemed to further reproach the child. Fonta squirmed restlessly, finally turning to Haurran and clutching his leg in desperation.
As her tears wet Haurran's pant leg, the girl mumbled wetly about wandering away from home a day or so before, becoming lost and not knowing what to do. Half her words were lost to incoherent tongue flapping, and most of the rest were blocked by the fabric she held to her face. Little of her story was understood.
The man stood up and approached Haurran, oddly suspicious. "How do you know Fonta, then?" he demanded.
"We found her in a field," Ona explained. "She was lost, and we thought we would try to find her parents in the nearest village. Are you her father?"
The man laughed. "No, not her father. I'm only a friend of her family, though she calls me Uncle Loe. Loe is fine in your case, miss."
Loe turned out to be a traveler, or so he said, who had decided to visit with his old friends while he was passing through the Earth Kingdom. His dark, leathery skin bespoke months of hiking in the sun, through far more treacherous territories than either Ona or Haurran knew of. Loe had barely introduced himself before he began a raucous report of his past adventures, stunning his small audience into wide eyed, frozen captivation.
"Of course, what could I do, half buried in snow like I was," Loe went on, almost poetic in his speech. "I looked to the sky, sapphire blue like I had never seen or would ever see again, and begged the spirits for salvation. The ice wolves were ready to leap, fangs barred to rip at my flesh, and still I prayed. In the end, my devotion was my deliverance, for the moment the wolves pounced—"
The farmer had returned from the shop, his full wallet bulging on his hip. He saw the cart only half emptied, his workers engaged in sidewalk gossip, and let out a furious shout. Ona jumped.
"Get back to work! I have to be back on the road before noon you foolish children," the old farmer grumbled. He looked at Loe and scowled. "And what are you trying to sell to my workers, eh? Off with you vagabond!"
"I'm not selling anything," Loe argued. "And I'm no more of a vagabond than you are a king, farmer." Put off, he took Fonta by her hand and led her away across the street. The child went willingly and without a solitary wail, as if she had completely forgotten her adoration for Haurran.
Encouraged by the farmer's cold gaze, Ona and Haurran hurriedly dragged the last of the bags off the bed of the cart and stacked them with the rest. Once they were finished, the farmer bid them a rather hasty and unceremonious goodbye, and turning his cart around, drove away in a cloud of dust.
"Well," Ona huffed, "I guess that's the last we'll see of him." She looked up, seeing that the sun had a distance to travel yet before reaching its height for the day. "We have plenty of daylight. Do you think we should keep going today?"
Haurran shrugged. "We'll need more supplies. Besides, I want to say goodbye to Fonta before we go."
"You mean of course, you want me to say goodbye," Ona said as they stalked toward where Loe and the small girl had disappeared. "You'll just stand there and look cute, let me do all the talking, as usual."
"You think I look cute?"
"Shut up."
They soon found Loe, sitting with Fonta in front of a small shop, sharing a steaming bowl of broth and noodles. Loe grinned when he saw them coming.
"Hello again! Returned to hear the end of my adventure, yes?" He laughed and clapped his hands. "My! I seem to have forgotten where I left off. Perhaps I should just start from the beginning."
"No, no!" Ona nearly shouted, holding up her hands. "No. Uh, actually Loe, we were kind of wondering if you could help us out with something."
Haurran glanced at Ona, but she refused to look back, so he dropped his questions and knelt down to tease Fonta. The girl giggled, and for some reason the sound made Ona's ears burn. She swallowed and ignored that also.
"You've traveled all over the world, right?" she said, and Loe opened his mouth to spout off another tale, but Ona quickly went on. "So, you would know a lot of lore, I guess. Have you heard anything about purple mist?"
Suddenly Loe's bright eyes darkened, all laughter drained away. "Where did you see purple mist?"
"In the field where we found the little girl, last night." Ona narrowed her eyes. "Have you seen it before?"
"No," the leggy traveler said sharply. His voice was softer when he next spoke. "I've only heard tales. The Breath of Elosi, it is called in darker places. If that is indeed what you saw, it is an extremely rare, and powerful omen. To think, it may have actually appeared in my time. . ."
Ona interrupted, hoping to end Loe's drifting. "Who is Elosi?"
"Elosi, the greatest spirit of guile and trade." Loe grinned again, but without mirth this time. "She is a forgotten being today. Ever since she was trapped in Dai Ten's Kingdom, she has not had the means to demonstrate her presence."
"Dai. . .Ten's Kingdom?" Ona leaned in, afraid of listening ears, but unsure why she cared.
"Usually, I would not speak such an ancient tale without a price," Loe commented, but then he nodded to where Haurran sat with Fonta on his lap. "However, you found my dear friend's lost daughter. What greater price could I ask of you, yes? And yet. . ."
Ona was growing impatient, and was only stalled by her own caution. "What do you want, old man?" she hissed.
"Only that you allow me to be the one to return her to her family." Loe shrugged. "Call me what you will, deceitful, cunning, sly. . ." he shrugged once more, "I like to have others in my debt. Saves me money and trouble."
"Deal," Ona agreed, almost before the man had stopped speaking.
"ONA!" Haurran burst in, his voice riddled with all of the disbelief his face did not show.
She looked directly at him as she repeated, "I said, it's a deal."
Haurran bit his lip and turned away, not cowing, but harboring the argument for later. Ona faced Loe again.
"Tell us what you know," she said.
Loe flashed his teeth in a great, yellow smile, and cleared his throat.
"It is said that Dai Ten was the greatest architect our world has ever known. He lived long before history was scribed, back when the spirits and humanity existed almost as one. It was said that he was favored by the spirits, a jewel in their sight, and that they blessed him with great talent and vision.
"When he was a young man, Dai Ten was said to have been walking alone on a road in the forest, when he was robbed by bandits and left for dead. He bled and suffered for three days, miserable and forlorn, before the spirits finally heard his pleadings. According to legend, it took the spirits of all the elements to heal him. Fire to restore life and warmth, air to restore breath and spirit, earth to restore strength and will, and finally water to seal his wounds and being peace.
"Dai Ten was so grateful for the spirits' mercy and grace that he decided to use his talents build four great temples to their honor. He chose four locations on each corner of the earth, and began to construct four temples of fabulous size and wealth for the spirits of fire, air, earth and water. It is said that each temple took 700 years to complete, and that Dai Ten was given an extended lifetime to complete them. He used only the finest material, the most beautiful stones, the purist wood. Completed, these buildings were more beautiful than heaven, or so the legend goes.
"But then, darkness fell over Dai Ten's creation. Humanity could not manage such a transcendent gift. The grime, poverty, hatred and sin of humans only soiled the grandeur of his resplendent temples. Those who entered could only gawk at the wealth, jealously brewing in their hearts instead of prayers to the great spirits that lived among them. Even the few who were humble, and who saw the temples for what they were, feared to enter. The presence of the spirits was far too great for a human soul to suffer.
"Frustrated and distraught, Dai Ten decided to take his beautiful masterpieces to a place they could not be disturbed, or disturb others. He called upon the spirit Elosi, a powerful and knowledgeable being, to bring his sanctuaries into the spirit world. Elosi agreed, but she too was corrupted by the beauty of the temples. She gathered them from the land with a sweep of her long arms, and took them into the world of spirits.
"But she had no intention of sharing these shrines as Dai Ten had instructed. Instead, she combined the temples into one, creating a place of grandeur to live in. It was her own fabulous kingdom, locked against all others.
"Furious, Dai Ten cursed Elosi, branding her as a spirit of treachery and deceit. As his final creation he constructed a gate outside the palace, a gate that could only be opened from the outside. He sealed Elosi within his Kingdom, forever preventing escape, transforming paradise into a prison.
"To this day, it is said that only the Avatar, bridge between worlds, can open the gate and enter Dai Ten's Kingdom. There, if he brings the proper offerings, he may approach Elosi, and ask for one wish.
"At times, Elosi will steer her prison closer to our world, searching for companionship in her lonely halls. As a result, the powers of the spirits in our world are enhanced and distorted, especially those of the elements. The power of bending becomes remarkably strong, to the point where some who never could bend an element now can, or others may be able to bend more than one. All spiritual connections are exalted to greater levels. The world losses its balance when Elosi is near, only settling again when she is satisfied, and returns to the dark."
"So, there you have it," Loe sighed. "That is all I can tell you of Dai Ten's Kingdom."
Ona frowned, oddly disappointed. "You didn't mention the purple mist at all."
"Ah, a side note, nothing more." He tugged his stringy beard, his eyes shining again. "The Breath of Elosi signals her coming closer. It is only one sign, less harmful than the rest. Others would be the enhancement of bending, so much that people often harm themselves with their own arts. Also, all spiritual connections are stronger than they would be normally, as I mentioned before. Certainly the appearance of beast-like spirits, tempted by the wealth of Dai Ten's Kingdom, is a premonition of sorts." Loe shook his head. "Nothing good comes from this encounter, mind you. Elosi is a vile spirit, and the curse on her palace is great. I fear what will befall our world, if she truely is on her way."
Loe made and unhappy face. He waxed into an exhausted state, the lines on his face showing deeper and harsher than Ona had yet seen them. She looked away, disturbed. From the corner of her eye she noticed Haurran staring to the side, brooding quietly to himself. Though she listened, she couldn't hear a word from him.
"What do you know of this wish Elosi will grant?" she asked after a time.
A strained laugh broke Loe's wide, course lips. "Do not pine for that, child. Certainly, the wish asked of Elosi will be granted, her deceitfulness does not lie there. It is in the price of granting it that she works her duplicity."
"What do you mean?"
Loe squinted at her, as if he was unsure he wanted to say more. Ona cast him a surprisingly harsh glare, and he caved. "I heard tell of one Avatar, long ago, who lost his lover to another man. He found the gate that led to Dai Ten's Kingdom, and brought the proper offerings to Elosi's feet. He wished for a second chance to win his beloved. Elosi granted his wish, but as a price, she told the Avatar that he had to walk around the world, and on his final step he would see his love face to face."
"Did it work?" Ona pressed. "Did he walk around the world and see her again?"
"I don't know," Loe admitted, a bit too gleefully, Ona thought. "I would think that by the time he had finished such a journey, his love would be old or dead. He would never truly receive what he wanted."
Ona fell silent, trying to arrange all the new information. She decided that she had enough to chew on, and that the sun wasn't slowing down while she sat and talked. She had to remind herself that thought the last few days had been peaceful, there were still assassins on the hunt for her and Haurran. No place was safe for long.
She stood up and beckoned Haurran to her with a glance. "Well, we need to reach the city quickly, so we had better be leaving. Thank you for the stories, Loe. They were very helpful."
"Uncle Loe is fine in your case, miss," he replied, and smiled.
Ona and Haurran took their leave then, Ona nearly having to drag Haurran away as Fonta bawled loudly at his departure. She was prickeled by that familar obnoxious feeling the small girl gave her, and with a scowl, yanked roughly on Haurran's arm. He was far too sensitive for his own good.
A few hours later, Avatar and companion walked on the edge of the dusty road, side by side, though no words drifted between them. The sun had only just begun its downward arch, Ona noted. She felt weary anyway, thinking of the long trek that lay ahead.
"Do you think what Loe told us was true?" Haurran wondered. "About Dai Ten's Kingdom, and the wish?"
Ona took her time responding. "I. . .really have no idea. I'd like to believe it isn't true. One less thing to worry about. We've got enough already, don't you think?"
"I've heard of counting blessings. . ." he smiled, and then yawned. "Counting worries seems a little unhealthy though."
Ona nearly scoffed, but caught herself. "I've been thinking about what Loe said too," she said conversationally. "I wasn't sure what he meant about spiritual connections, but then. . .I guess how I can hear you is a kind of connection of the spirit right? I was healed by the Avatar, you are the Avatar. . . in ordinary times, maybe I wouldn't have been able to hear you at all. Maybe, if everything were normal, we wouldn't have met at the fountain, and I wouldn't have tracked you down, and none of this would have ever happened."
Haurran looked thoughtful. "Well, if you're right, and all this," he waved a hand from his forehead toward Ona, "is caused by some palace in the spirit world coming closer, then when it turns around and goes away. . ." he didn't finish, ending instead with a half-hearted shrug.
Ona let him walk ahead so she could be alone with her own musings. She remembered somewhat fretfully the first, the only, argument she had with Haurran, in the forest. She could recall only fragments of what had been said, though the prevailing feelings were still fresh. All that raw frustration, fear, and jealously had been capped and suppressed for so long, and it did not vanish with one outburst. It likely festered still.
Haurran was lonely, Ona knew that much. It was obvious, at least to her. As the Avatar he was alone, but there was nothing anyone could do about that. And how bad was it anyway? At least he would be famous, at least someone would carve a statue to him when he died. Thousands of people died alone without such delusional promises to allay their passing. She shook her head, knowing her envy was poisoning her judgment.
There was more to it than that. Being mute isolated Haurran like nothing else could. Even with the hand symbol language, he could only converse with those who could understand him. There would be no laughing, no screaming, no cheering, no singing for him. Ona knew she was something different that way at least. She had broken the wall of isolation, and she wasn't sure how happy she was about it.
At the same time, she didn't want to think about what it would be like to take that small bit of interaction away from Haurran. To put him back in the dark. It certainly wasn't a pleasant thought, so she pushed it away moodily. Walking under the sun was distracting at least. She looked up, and saw that Haurran had wandered a good way ahead, and was waiting for her to catch up.
She laughed and took her time.
