Disclaimer: I own Zircah. Not Rikash, not Shakith, not Jokhun, not Barzha, not the Graveyard Hag. Do we get the picture yet?
Chapter Eleven: Interlude
She stood in a desolate wasteland of sandstone rubble and charred wood. Her claws clicked as she waded through the mess, her wingtips slipping the larger hunks of stone as she passed them. Zircah looked up as she continued to struggle through the debris.
An old woman with a craggy face like tree bark stood before her. A plain black shift hung from her thin, bony shoulders to her knobbly knees. No creases marked the fabric, nor did it bunch anywhere on her emancipated form. Lines of laughter marked the corners of her eyes, but the eyes of the Graveyard Hag were cold and angry now.
Beside the hag stood a taller, beautiful goddess with blind white eyes. Shakith stepped forward, arms extended toward Zircah in greeting.
"What was this place?" Zircah asked, cowed by the massive destruction that had passed here.
"My realm." The Graveyard Hag murmured softly. "This was Carthak."
Zircah stared about her in mute wonder. Gone were the beautiful structures sculpted from stone and gold, gone was the scent of spice and perfume on the breeze. It its place hung the dry odour of death and fire. It was not within her grasp to cause such awesome destruction. The mighty empire she had witnessed was nothing but broken stone.
You have more power than you realise. Shakith's voice was solemn. Even in the direst circumstance, the roots you twine around your people will hold the course of the will of the gods.
"What is it that you will?"
"I will Carthak to repent or ruination." The Hag said suddenly, smacking a knobbly fist into her palm. Her black eyes burned with anger. "This will be so, as sure as I am the Graveyard Hag. I will suffer only so much cheek from this mortal who for so long spoke me fair."
Ozorne's disrespect is intolerable. Shakith agreed, looking seriously at Zircah. He must be removed, no matter the cost.
"Have you a way?" Zircah asked, brow creased. A powerful immortal she might be, but this was an immense mortal empire to topple, even with whatever 'roots' Shakith spoke of.
There was a long hesitation. Shakith melted away into a thin, wispy man with unnerving eyes of purest blackness. Gainel the Dream King smiled encouragingly at her. "A way has been found, though it may not be at all to your liking."
"How reassuring." Zircah replied dryly.
"Heed the words of the gods." Gainel counselled her. "Do not relent in your search for that which you have held most dear. Be not afraid to ask aid. Fear not pain or suffering, all will come aright in the end, though the path through the darkness and chaos will take a heavy toll."
"That which I have held most dear…?" Zircah wondered aloud. Gainel raised his hands with another gentle smile.
"Words that are not for you have been gifted already. It will do no harm to speak of this to those who have your trust. Your knight awaits. Awake." She did.
*
Rikash circled boredly on a thermal, steel wings beating occasionally to keep him within the pillar of hot air. Since departing the mortal realms from Carthak, Stone Tree nation had lazed for near a week in their home – the Stonemaze of the Divine Realms. The flock had been drastically reduced, but not half as much as the flock of the late Jakaal. Only three of those who had participated in the battle of Dunlath had made it out of the mortal realms alive. Jokhun seemed not to care for their losses, nor for the loss his own flock faced. Rikash scowled as he dropped out of the thermal and glided toward his eyrie in the 'stone tree'. What sort of ruler cared nought for the welfare of his people? Barzha would have demanded the bodies retrieved and burned. Then she would have launched an aggressive counter-attack. Jokhun had left them to rot and fled to the relative safety of a mortal-less land.
Rikash landed and blinked in confusion to see Zircah in the middle of the nest. Was she in his eyrie, of had he mistakenly come to hers? His cheeks heated despite himself at the thought. At least she's not awake yet, he reminded himself. That's something. She had been in this deep Seeing trance for hours. He began to back away, not wishing to become a target for the formidable female's temper.
"Blade of the Goddess…" Rikash jumped in surprise as the harsh voice spilled from Zircah's lips. Slowly her eyes opened, but they were not her eyes. Once again he looked into the eyes of Shakith, Goddess of Seers. "Soon to Carthak you fly, to find both your ruling reason and to chase your soul out from the blackness. A friend of a friend is no enemy to you. When darkness falls, the smallest feather can lift the whole wing into flight."
Zircah's body sagged backwards abruptly, her breathing becoming hoarse as Shakith left her. "…Graveyard Hag?" She murmured breathlessly, shaking her head to clear it. She blinked several times and then finally seemed to focus on him. She stared. "…Moonsword?"
"Uh… I was just leaving…" He muttered quickly, spreading his wings to find his own eyrie. Zircah though fast as he spun to launch himself back into the air.
Your knight awaits.
"Wait." She echoed Gainel hollowly. "Rikash… Shakith spoke to you, did She not?" Rikash turned to regard her carefully, a look of veiled surprise upon his face.
"…I suppose she did." He replied, wondering what it meant. Zircah was silent for several moments. Then she bit her tongue before she rolled her eyes.
"She would, at that." She said softly, a low chuckle escaping her lips. The laughter ceased abruptly as Jokhun swooped suddenly from the sky to land beside them. Zircah felt an immediate loathing for the fact that he was in her eyrie.
"Just the Stormwings I was looking for." Jokhun commented in his trademark condescending sneer. "You will both accompany me through the Gates to Carthak. It appears Ozorne has Tortallan guests, and wants to show off his allies." He took off again.
Zircah looked to Rikash and openly rolled her eyes this time. "Show off his allies? Make an open threat to the Tortallan delegation, more like." Rikash did not even bother to look astonished at her boldness, which made her wonder what she had let slip prior to this day.
"Come on." He muttered, and took off. Zircah stared after him, blue eyes unreadable.
"And so it begins."
***
A/N: I know, I know, it's a horrendously short chapter. *giggle* Sorry to do this. However, you may all be assured that we're getting to the really good exciting bits soon! *mad glee* It's this book and the next that I've most been looking forward to doing a remake of. Ten guesses why. *adores Rikash*
Thanks go to Wyrren Sarrasri… for pestering me, even though she's not had time to do more on her own fic, Lightning Through the Storm. If you're a Zoids fan, go read it – it's very, very good! :)
Thanks also to all my other reviewers, Nogard, Kenta Divina and Undiscovered Actress in particular. ^^ You guys kick!