~~:Review Thank You's:~~

Lady Be: lol, I will tell her you said to update faster. J

DarkAngel33: You didn't read Squire? Wow, that's my favorite in PoTS.

Ladyknight: Yup, I already got 2 flames! Hehehe, I can't belive you're going to Alaska, it gets cold there! Well, I suppose it rains in England but still…

Mae15: I'm updating! Yayayaya!

Atlantis Forester: I know, I hate no being able to log in! ahh! Lia's not perfect, her archery sucks, hmph, I made sure of that. Lol, I want to go to scotlamd! Hmph. They won't let me, they make me stay in England, Whales or Ireland. Hmph

Dark Queen Rhyet: lol, here's more…

Shayley Rain: lol, there is nothing wrong with the nut house! I like it there, it's fun to bounce off the walls. J

FanstasyIsMyLife: I didn't remember sumthing hitting Erikk, maybe it was Lia, I'll go check though!

Peachblossom: Addictive celery you say???? ;) k, I won't be here any more, I will type out upload instructions and e-mail them 2 you today or tomorrow thou!

Superlicea: I know I can't spell… It's a handicap. Hehehe…

White-Wolf: *squeaks* a review! Hehehe,

Skhemet: hehehe, endure the waiting no longer, here is a chappie! *tries to look gallant and fails miserably*

Xirleb70: boy's deserve to be sat on, let no one tell you otherwise… hehehe,

Chapter 22: Traveling

The next morning the two set out for the desert. Corus had gone into deep freeze that night. The snow had turned into ice; Lia could walk on it carefully. Shanti was highly offended. She danced around while Lia mounted, and then successfully threw her off. The eighth time Shanti tried to buck Lia off Erikk growled.

      "Next city, we get you a new horse." He muttered though his coat.

      "Why?" Lia shrieked.

      "You can't have a temperamental horse. Knights are called out in all sorts of weather, snow, rain, and sleet whatever. A crabby horse will hinder you. And you'll die." He said bluntly. "Alright?" He asked.

      "Yeah."

      "We'll have that one sent back. Your dad'll take care of her." He said. Lia nodded and they kept riding. They rode until they reached an inn late that night. Waking a stall boy they told him to take care of their horses.

      Walking into the in a smell of long fermented beer and sweaty bodies washed over them. Men were throwing up and belching. Spittle flew from their mouths. Lia was disgusted; she walked closer to Erikk.

      "We need two rooms, preferably adjoining." Erikk said. The innkeeper got a strange look on his face.

      "Wha'd d'two youngin's wan' w' two rooms?" He asked. Erikk sighed; he was drunk, very drunk. He watched in horror as a man grabbed Lia around the waist. Lia growled and punched the man in the jaw. He hit the floor. Lia leaned down, checked for a pulse, and shrugged.

      "He'll live."

      "K," Erikk said. "Our rooms?" He asked the man.

      "Right, right," He said and pulled out two sets of keys. "Six an' seven, ajoinin'." He said and handed them the keys. "Up de' stairs." He said. Erikk and Lia shouldered their saddlebags and walked up the stairs. With each step, the floorboards squeaked and groaned. Cockroaches and spiders crawled on the walls. Erikk glanced at Lia worriedly. She shrugged.

      They opened the doors; the rooms were dark and slightly damp. A few bugs crawled around. Erikk looked at her.

      "It's only for one night, I'll be fine. Bugs don't bother me." Lia said.

      "Okay, night." He said and walked into his own room. Lia placed her bag on a rickety table and changed into the loose grey breeches she wore to bed. Pulling the sheets on the bed back, she slid underneath the covers. They were slimy and stuck to her legs. She kicked her legs in agitation. Something crawled on her ankle and crunched under her heel.

Shrieking Lia jumped out if bed and grabbed her sword. Pushing back the covers, she squealed again. Erikk burst through the door and looked at her. Lia was poking the bed with her sword.

      "Li?" He asked.

      "There, are, cockroaches, in, my, bed." She said slowly. "My bed! My bed!  My bed!" Erikk bit back a laugh as his squire and friend marched around a dingy room muttering about cockroaches. He knew how Lia felt about her bed, very possessive. Eventually he just left her with her bed and her cockroaches.

~~The Next Morning~

      "So, did ya get any sleep?" Erikk asked as they saddled the horses, Shanti still in a foul mood.

      "There were cockroaches in my bed!" She yelled.

      "Oh, I thought you were past that." He said in an annoyingly sweet, understanding, non-Erikkish voice.

      "I was, and no I didn't sleep." She said fixing a girth strap.

      "Ah, I see. Ready?" He asked as he mounted.

      "Yeah," Lia said as she mounted. She had too much momentum and the saddle slid to the side. Mumbling Lia stood up in the saddle and slid her weight to the opposite side so the saddle was centered. Erikk rode off. When he was farther in front of her, he turned around and looked at her.

      "If you fall out of the saddle tell me." He said she groaned and rode to catch up.

After they stopped for lunch, Erikk was watching Lia sway back and forth in the saddle. As she lurched dangerously close to the ground, Erikk rode up to catch her. He was too late. Lia hit the ground with a resounding thud. She groaned and rolled over. Erikk rode up next to her.

      "Did you break anything?" He asked as he looked at her sprawled out on the ground. He smiled; she was covered in soot. Her normally black hair was dulled grey from the dust of the road. Her clothes had spots of dirt on them.

      "No." Lia moaned. She glared at Erikk as he tied Shanti to his horse, Toki. Slowly, Lia stood up. Erikk quickly grasped her arm and swung her into the saddle. "Hey, I can ride." Lia protested.

      "But can you do it without falling off?" He asked her. Lia shut up. Her body had been trying to fall off all day and her brain had fought it. Sighing she leaned back and watched the world go by. It was considerably warmer today. A few more days, and they would pass by Port Caynn, Lia shuddered at the thought of Port Caynn. Melodius had followed her there, once. Lia guessed she wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

       When they arrived at Port Caynn Lia remembered it was beautiful, lots of Markets and street vendors. At first it had creeped Lia out, knowing Melodius had people there. They spent three days there, picking apart horse dealers. Finally, they found one.

      Tucked away in the back of Port Caynn they found a beautiful black mare. You could see she wanted to run, her muscles moved gracefully under a shining coat. She tossed her head, as if saying yes I know I'm pretty.

      "A right desert pony, she is." The man said. "But she does well in cold as well, had her up north for th' midwinter." He had a southern burr to his voice, dropping the ends of words.

      "How much?" Erikk asked.

      "With th' tack?" The horse dealer asked. Erikk nodded. "A twen'y gold noble's." He responded. Lia nodded and started digging in her purse. By the time, she'd counted all the money Erikk had paid for her and a stable hand was returning with tack.

      "Hey, I could have paid for it." Lia said slowly.

      "Yes but I'm the knight master." He said loftily.

      "You keep telling yourself that." Lia said as she mounted. Sliding around in the saddle Lia smiled, her horse stood still while she mounted and settled herself.

      "What are you going to call her?" Erikk asked. Lia thought about it.

      "Attrie, night wind," She said. Erikk grinned.

      "You have a thing with wind." Erikk observed.

      "Maybe a little," She said grinning as they rode out.

      "I'll have Shanti sent out with the rider group that's in the city. I also sent a letter to your father so he knows she's coming." Erikk said after a moment.

      "Alright."

      "Then we leave in the morning."

~~:~~

      They had been riding through the dessert for three days and a giant sandstorm had blown up. The two were steadily riding through it, heads tucked under layers of cloth to keep the sand out. When they did look up all they saw was sand, an endless entity of blowing whirling sand.

      "I think it's dying down." Erikk yelled.

      "How can you tell?" Lia yelled back.

      "When I open my mouth, it gets in!" He yelled back. Lia grinned. Just then, Chemise climbed out of her saddlebags and started yowling as if she was going to burst. After a few minutes of this shocking behavior, Erikk finally spoke up.

      "What's wrong with her?" He yelled.

      "I don't know!" Lia yelled, looking up she swore. "Erikk, we've got company." She said drawing her sword. Erikk followed her gaze and swore. Hill men, they got to visit the Hill men. There were ten of them, five for Lia, and five for Erikk.

      "Can we outrun them?" Lia yelled.

      "Not in this storm, we'll have to fight." He yelled back. Lia nodded and readied her horse.

      The hill men were approaching fast on their nimble desert ponies. Black burnooses billowed behind him. Long, deathly looking, curved swords where ready in their hands. Lia squinted; they were, glinting green. Lia growled; Melodius had found her and sent men after her. Lia knew she couldn't let Erikk get hurt. She didn't know Erikk was thinking the same thing.

As the first hill men approached Lia, Attrie reared, knocking him off his horse, Lia slashed at his neck as he fell, killing him. One of them grinned and circled her.

      "She wants you dead. She will be very pleased if I bring you to her." He hissed. Lia just frowned and impaled him with her sword. She threw a knife into another's fore head. A man threw himself at her causing Lia to bend over backwards on the saddle. Her sword fell to the sand as the man tried to slit her throat with a very dirty knife. It looked like he hadn't washed it after his last victim.

      Lia swung her fist around to connect solidly with his face, Attrie reared just as she did so and the man fell off her onto the sand. Attrie backed up and trampled him.  Lia grinned; she liked this horse. Lia threw a throwing star into a man's eye momentarily blinding him she cut him down.

      A man dressed in black robes with green trim smiled at her.

      "I am Jakin, head of the desert division of the desert troops. I work for Melodius." He said as if it were some thing to be proud of. Lia grimaced politely, and Attrie bounced her head. "It is doubtful that you will win this fight, so do you want a fast death or a slow death?" He asked a twisted smirk adorned his face.

      "Overconfidence is a sign of idiots who are too busy to learn." Lia said as she attacked. His sword barley met with hers and she quickly disconnected her second from the first and swung for his side. His sword swung for her head, Lia blocked it and thrust her second into his stomach. He groaned as blood spurted out of his gut. Attrie ran away from hiss corpse, carrying Lia away.

      Lia gasped; at sometime, she'd gotten her back sliced. She grimaced as she tried to twist around and see how bad it was. Finally, she gave up and looked at Erikk. He killed the last hill men and rode towards her. He had a few scratches on his arms but nothing serious.

      "Lia, are you alright?" He asked her. Attrie moved so her head was out of the sand. "Goddess Li." He said before swearing. He pulled a wool tunic out of his saddlebag and had her put it on. "Lets get out of this storm; I can't do anything else wise."

      They rode hard, but it was still near sunrise before they got out of it. Erikk quickly cleaned the wound and bound it.

      "That'll have to do for now. C'mon, we'll have to find a tribe." He said, Lia nodded and they continued riding. Late that night, they were surrounded by Bazihr tribes. Lia slumped in the saddle as Erikk explained things to the tribesmen.

      Lia didn't notice but gentle hands pulled her from the saddle and carried her away. All she remembered was falling into a comfortable bliss.

~~:~~

      A day and a half later Lia awoke. Blinking she looked around the tent she had been laid in. It was a rather large tent with a swatch of cloth dividing it down the middle; she guessed that was for Erikk.  Twisting around Lia realized Erikk must have healed her back; it was just stiff now.

      Swinging around, she realized that she had just rolled onto a gigantic rug. Moaning about people who didn't appreciate furniture Lia did a push up and slid a knee underneath herself. Grinning at her brilliance, she stood up, and promptly fell over.

      "Arg, what is wrong with me!" Lia moaned. Erikk, stepped through the barrier in the tent and grinned.

      "Tried to get up didn't 'cha?" He said.

      "Yes, why can't I move?" Lia asked sullenly.

      "Blood loss, you shouldn't try walking till tomorrow. Your body needs to regenerate." He said. Lia moaned.

      "I don't want to regenerate! I want to get up and move!" She yelled.

      "Uh huh, are you hungry?" He asked.

      "Yes." She said pouting.

~~:~~

      Three days later Erikk allowed her to walk. Personally she had thought that she could have walked the day before but Erikk pulled rank on her and make her stay in her bed that wasn't a bed.

      After a week, her old strength returned and she could examine the tribe's grounds. They were extensive, and well kept. Large and small tents appeared in a circle around the central fire, going outward in large rings. There were two large tents, one for the headmaster and one for the Shaman. Another large tent was set up for the bachelors. 

      The camp itself was settled in between an area populated by large pools of fresh water. Small trees grew on the banks of these pools. Some of theses pools were used for bathing, cooking water, and water to wash clothes. Lia found it highly amusing and relaxing. Tonight she promised herself she would go swimming. The water was crystal clean, the dirt settled to the ground and the sand filtered under the desert, wherever that was.

      At sunset, the tribe began slowly moving towards the central fire. After all of the tribe had met there, the fire blazed a brilliant sapphire color that spread over the entire tribe. Lia was shocked. Erikk pulled on her away from the fire.

      "What is that?" Lia asked, looking over her shoulder.

      "Communing with the Voice," He said. "They do it every night."

"Is the Voice their god?"

      "No, the Voice remembers everything they ever do." He said.

      "That still doesn't make sense." Lia said.

      "Maybe yes; maybe no," He said. "We're meeting with the headman tomorrow for breakfast, I'll get you up. Night," He said after he disappeared inside his section of the tent.

Inside her own side of the tent, Lia grabbed a burnoose the bazihr had set out for her.

      Walking back out of the tent she went to the farthest away pond before stripping and sliding down into the water. It was still warm from the day even though the air was cooling down for the night. The water glided over her body, kissing her body. Smiling Lia swam down to the bottom and sat there. Scuttling like a crab across the sand, and then returning to the surface for air.

      Smiling Lia broke through the surface and brushed her hair out of her face. Things were so beautiful in the desert, especially the stars. They were highlighted against the black sky. Lia lived knowing that wherever she was she was looking at the same stars. Sighing she climbed out of the water and pulled on the brown burnoose.

~~:~~

      They stayed with the tribe until the progress came through in the middle of spring. The tribe was sad to see them go and planned a grand feast the night before the morning they had scheduled to leave. The plan was to make them blood members of the tribe. For some reason, they hadn't had it done yet, and the tribesmen said if they left with out completing the ceremony, they wouldn't find their way back. Lia didn't like the sound of this ceremony but was willing to go through with it.

      That afternoon, she was sabotaged and pulled into Zara's tent. Zara was the best weaver in the tribe and had become Lia's friend over Lia's many bouts with the loom. Eventually the loom had understood what she had wanted it do and she had become a half way decent weaver.

Glaring at the all too familiar sight of women in a closed space with her and guarding the exits. Their sticky sweet smiles, honeyed down voices, and the glint in their eye; Lia was surrounded by bazhir women.

      "Yes?" Lia asked testily.

      "I wanted to help you get ready hon," Zara said.

      "And all these other women?" Lia asked while smiling.

      "Extras, in case you ran, or attacked me." Zara said smiling.

      "Ah, I see. How long is this going to take?"

      "Until sundown."

      "Great."

~~:~~

      Exactly at sun down, Lia stepped out of the stifling hot room into cooling desert air. The central fire roared with heat and energy. Calling all of its tribe members to it. Lia walked up to the fire, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

      Erikk walked over to the fire while chatting with the headman. He was in breeches and the traditional open front burnoose. Lia herself had been shoved into a close fitting burnoose that hung around her ankles. Long slits went up to her thighs where a fine chain was criss-crossed over the exposed leg. Bare arms hung out of the sleeveless clothing.

      "You got taken hostage too?" Lia asked smirking.

      "Only a little."

      "So how does this work?" Lia asked nervous about what was going to take place.

      "Oh, they just slice us open and mix our blood." He said; Lia paled even though she knew he was joking. "Don't worry Li, they won't kill us."

      "Intentionally," She growled before the headman stood and the ceremony began.

Lia didn't remember or understand most of the ceremony. She remembered when the headman had slashed Erikk's forearm and blood had flowed out, hitting the ground and mingling with the sand. Then the headman cut his own arm, pressed it against Erikk's arm, and then held both arms over the flame. It roared up over their arms before settling down to a lower height.

      The headman gestured to her and she stepped up to stand in front of the fire. The shining silver bade whipped through her skin, leaving a thin wound with blood sliding over the edges, the wound didn't hurt it was so thin. The headman opened another gash on his arm; the old one had disappeared. Their arms moved together, and the fire enveloped their arms and Lia braced herself for pain. It never came; she could feel an odd energy moving through her body. It consumed her before letting her go. The fire had settled down into embers and as Lia examined her arm out in front of her, only a thin white scar was left, running from her elbow to her wrist. She touched it and found it to be warm still.

~~:~~

      That morning the two riders set of to meet with the progress in Persopolis. Lia had heard all about the king and his champion's adventures in the Black City. Lia wanted to see this city, if ancient evil had lived there then Lia wanted to see it. The two had successfully killed this evil, why couldn't she?

      Three days later Erikk and Lia pulled up to the great stone gates of ancient Persopolis. Lia had never thought a city built centuries ago could be this big. Enormous walls surrounded the city. The city itself was no higher than a city block, but expanded across the desert sands forever. The gates swung out towards the two riders.

      Lia saw that the gates were three or four feet thick. Lia was once again impressed by these people. They had the ability to make what they needed without using northern technology. Persopolis was made without wood or nails, it was made with fire glazed mud blocks: not little blocks either, large, thick bricks.

      As they entered the city, they saw that there were more than just desert people there. Large stallions were locked in makeshift stalls. Carriages and wagons lined the walls.

      "Looks like the progress beat us here." Erikk said.

      "Great." Lia said with dry humor. Erikk smiled.

      "What? Not excited to see all of those nobles in the same place?" He asked cynically.

      "Oh, absolutely delighted."

Hey all u ppls who read this! Hehee, I leave on Monday, my beta should update on that day or Sunday. I would have updated yesterday but ff.net was having issues again. Lol, hope you like this chappie, and REVIEW!

~~:Ana:~~