The dawn at Stone-In-The-Wood was a somber tone. Warriors dragging their feet. Debris being gathered around. The fire that was started was now a smoldering path. In that scorched path was SkekVar carrying an unconscious slave in his arms. He grunted with each effort. When he arrived, he simply set her down and curled up in the nearest spot he could find. Snores were soon heard, startling a few Stonewood Gelfling.
Ghost, SkekMal, SkekTek, SkekEkt (now a Podling), Rian, Deet, Gurjin, Razz and Hup decided to spend the remainder of the night at her small house. Exhaustion drains them of the will to move. Ordon went on ahead to tell Maudra Fara of what had just happened. The slaves clung to the blue Starbird while the white one simply followed the veteran warrior to the village. When it was officially dawn, the large group headed back to the village. Deet holding the chest this time.
"So," Deet said. "How are you going to learn that magic, Ghost?"
Ghost looked at the young Grotten. "I'm not sure. There has to be someone that escaped the floating castle who knows about magic. Right now, I should try to figure out how I was able to bring up an arrow of light."
"Better yet," SkekTek said. "Can you somehow convince-" He was interrupted by a few warbles. On his shoulder was the blue Starbird, only it seems that she has shrunken down to Razz's size. "For the last time, Nova! I'm not your partner! It's bad enough I have her on top of me!" He pointed to Orchid on his other shoulder.
Orchid simply ignored him. She was still rattled by what had happened last night. The energy still swirled in her body. It felt as old as Mother Aughra herself. Maybe even older than that. Orchid only felt strange being Ghost now and needed time to process what happened. While avoiding being stepped on in the process.
Ghost sighed. "I'm afraid I can't help with that. It's clear she chose you for a reason. Until Lazul wakes up, we're on our own." She turned to look at the slaves. "We should give them food and a bath. I'm pretty sure everyone could stand a clean up after everything happened."
Gurjin nodded. "Can't complain here." He sniffed himself. The Drenchen cringed. "I just realized now how much I stink of that awful place."
Ghost looked back at the two slaves that shuffled hesitantly. She walked over to them. Her hands reached out. They flinched, frightened of what would happen to them. She gave her softest smile. "It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." They still didn't move from their spot. She looked over her shoulder. SkekMal eying them closely. "Don't worry about him. He only attacks if he's hunting. He won't hurt you."
"Not unless they hurt my trophy!" The Hunter hissed. He smirked under his helmet slightly. He instantly regretted what he said as Ghost glared at him.
"Not a big help."
Deet walked calmly to her. "Can I help? I'm not familiar with bathing, but I'm willing to give it a try."
Ghost smiled at Deet. "All right then. Help me get some herbs and water." With that, she walked with Deet, Hup and SkekMal. She ignored the grunting snort from The Hunter. Her wings began to itch. How she wanted to fly. Her nose began to take in the scent of the woods. Earthy undergrowth. The musk of Nebrie. The sweet flowers that she loved to collect. Her steps began to skip slightly. A song slowly buzzed in her mind. When she found the first herb, she sang. Her voice was light and sweet like the birds in the trees. She was so lost in her song, her hands grabbing the herbs and flowers. The delicate petals brought life back into her soul. Once she stopped, she saw SkekMal having his face merely inches away from her. His face almost held an intranced look.
SkekMal blinked. He shook himself slightly. Then, he glanced at Deet and Hup. The duo looked away from him. He let out a low growl. "Let's...just get the bath thing over with." He almost lost his breath when Ghost gently touched his arm.
Ghost gave a moment to move his arm around. She pulled away the armor to see that the injury from his time at the castle had been infected. Pus seeping out of the wound. Her hand immediately went to another arm. She even went as far as looking at the injuries on his tail. It was crooked and seemed to have been just as bad as the forearm. "They're infected. Here." She mashed up one of the herbs in her fingers. A silver-green with a strong minty smell. She rubbed the goo with ease before SkekMal would even protest. "That should help." Ghost gave a contented sigh and walked on to the area where the Stonewood would take their baths in private.
Gurjin and Rian grunted as they pushed the nervous slaves to the large, wooden tubs. Next to them were a few cauldrons of heated water. Razz adjusted the tubes that helped the water move into the tubs. Scientist merely did a few modifications from afar while SkekEkt merely watched with the slaves close behind the pale Podling. By the time they were done, the group heard a snorted grunt. All eyes were soon on a very tired and grumpy SkekVar.
The General held the other slave in his arms. His breathing is a little heavy. His eyelids drooped slightly. By his side was Ordon and Fara. "Do you have the baths ready yet? I'm about to lose my arms."
Ghost glanced at him up and down. "This is the first time I've seen you this tired, General."
"I'm not in the mood for your snippy comments!" He was about to advance when Ordon pulled out his sword. The old Gelfling glaring at him dangerously.
Maudra Fara also glared at him. "You're treading on dangerous ground, SkekVar. You may have helped in retrieving that slave, but do not forget we've learned the truth. It's bad enough that we STILL don't know where The Chamberlain is! We only allow you to stay here only because Mother Aughra, the crystal and Ghost need you. If it were up to me, I would have driven you out."
SkekVar grew silent and simply set the slave down. He hobbled over to the nearest tree and laid down. He was asleep in a matter of minutes.
Ghost shivered. Her fingers rubbed against the area where SkekSil had stabbed her. Her mouth went dry. After all that time, she had completely forgotten about him. She looked at SkekEkt who looked away in shame. Her ears heard a growl from SkekMal and a hiss from SkekTek. Her attention went to Maudra Fara. What happened to him? She thought. If he's not buried in the rubble, where is he? Her wings began to turn cold. She was shaking uncontrollably. Then, she felt warm hands on her shoulder. It was Rian and Gurjin. Both of them with remorse.
"We're sorry, Ghost." Rian said.
"We didn't want to upset you." Gurjin sighed. "After learning you were stabbed by the Chamberlain, some of the guards scouted the castle. There was nothing there. Only a piece of his robe."
Ghost swallowed hard. "It-It wasn't your fault. I should've asked that question sooner." She turned her attention to the spout. "Is everything ready?"
"Got the herbs?" Gurjin asked. "Unless you've been rolling around with those jelly legs."
Ghost held up the herbs and flowers she collected. Deet held up her bushel. Ghost let out a laugh. "These jelly legs have saved your behind on more than one occasion! Let's get the water flowing."
SkekTek rolled his eyes. He pulled the level and the water began to rush out. Razz squawked as he was hit by one. He fell into the tub. The Bladewing popped his head out. "Razz ok!"
The slaves stared at the water. They shivered. A little whimper escaped their mouths. Even the cat-like slave began to wake up. A confused look on its face. The stockier of the two loomed over and dipped a paw in the water. It yelped.
Ghost and Deet went over to him. Deet gave a warm smile to him. "It's ok." The Grotten put her hand in the water. She swirled it around. The clear water created fast ripples with each movement. She pulled her hand and waved her fingers. "See?"
Ghost guided the slaves deformed hand back into the water. She moved it slowly. Allowing the heat to sink in. She smiled as her ears picked up a soft rumble. Her fingers began to rub the dirt away. "This will help you feel better. Just climb over the tub." Ghost and Deet lifted with all their strength to get the slave in. Sprays of water hit them as the slave went in. Ghost tossed the flowers and herbs into the water. She turned to the other slaves. "Give it a try."
The other two were also hesitant. The cat glanced over to where SkekVar slept. Then, it took notice of Ordon and Maudra Fara. A sigh escaped before both of them crawled in. They both shivered as the water draped over them.
Ghost picked up the nearest sponge. She soaked it and began to scrub the bulky slave. She tried not to chuckle as Deet picked it up like a childling seeing a toy for the first time. I forgot, Ghost thought. Grottens don't get sponges underground. Plus, Deet is just starting to learn our customs. I shouldn't laugh.
"What's this?" Deet asked. She held out her sponge.
"This is a sponge. We use this to help scrub away dirt and other stuff." Ghost continued to scrub with ease. She nodded when Deet mimicked her movements. The two kept scrubbing until they began to see stone grey skin underneath. However, there was still a lot of space to cover. "We're going to need more sponges."
Ordon sighed. "I'll go get some more." He soon left. His sword tucked away.
Maudra Fara shook her head. She looked back at Ghost. "Razz told me about what happened between you and the Necromancer. I'm sorry we didn't come to you any sooner."
"No." Ghost spoke. "It's not your fault. You were busy with the village. Especially after Nova made a scene."
"Nova?"
SkekTek pointed at the Starbird. "This pile of feathers here." He squawked when he got bit.
Maudra Fara laughed. Then her face went serious. "Apparently, the box held something very important. The guards in charge of it were knocked out. Thankfully…" She sighed. "What was in it that was so important?"
Ghost gripped the sponge tightly. Her mouth went dry once again. "There were some stones...But...They're actually hearts. As well as four pelts. Though I don't know why that is."
Maudra Fara froze in shock. "Hearts?!"
"They believed that removing a heart would spare them of pain."
"Unbelievable…"
"They been trying to remove SkekEkt's as well but they didn't succeed." Ghost turned her attention away as she heard a startled snort. The General being wide awake. Alarmed by this news. "It was because he wasn't whole. We managed to get them back from the Necromancer, but…" Ghost sighed. "Getting them back to their rightful owners is another story."
"Well...At least no one else got injured aside from the Hunter."
Ghost had a moment to change the subject. "Where are the other 'Lords' now?" Those words instantly went sour in her mouth.
"Bathing in a river. Most of them didn't like the ashes on them."
Ghost sighed. "Of course…" She looked at SkekVar. "What about him? How was he able to capture her."
"Her?"
Ghost pointed to the individual. "I noticed that he was struggling to hold her. How was he able to take her down?"
"Ask me when I'm fully awake…" SkekVar snipped. He went back to sleep again.
Ghost sighed. "Might as well just keep scrubbing before we do anything else." She went back to her work. The sponge turned black in her hand. Her eyes focused on the slave. Her emotions being dragged away into a small box. Being locked away before spilling over.
"Would you like any food?" Maudra Fara asked.
Ghost shook her head. "No. Thank you anyway. We had a little bit of food before coming here."
"Ok...Just be careful." With that, the Stonewood Maudra began walking away. She bowed to Ordon as he came by with a large box of sponges. Her face grim. Her eyes glazed over as Ghost's words vibrated in her mind. What did she mean about The Ornamentalist not being whole?
Ordon handed the sponges to everyone. He looked at Rian squarely in the eye. "Don't run out of this one. Ghost needs all the help she can get."
Rian gave a stiff smile. "I'm not planning to. Ghost tried her best to be there for me when I lost Mira. Now, I need to be there for her." He glared at SkekMal and SkekTek. "Especially with these two."
With that, everyone except for the Skeksis began to work on the slaves. Ghost and Deet had to move some flowers around as their burly charge began crying as the water began to turn black underneath the bubbles. Gurjin and Rian had to dodge several splashes as theirs began to flail about. Ordon and Hup wrestled with theirs until a small growl from SkekVar calmed the creature down. All the sponges turned black by the time they were done. They were all surprised by the final result.
"Wow…" Gurjin breathed.
"After all that work...I never…" Rian spoke.
The three slaves stood before them. Free of their chains and muck. Wrapped in warm blankets as Ordon looks for a blanket. The burly slave was bear-like. The armor resembles a mix of a rhino and armadillo. Two ears sat on his head. The other slave was a little less burly. A mix of poison dart frog and star-nosed mole. The third was more cat-like with a bright orange coat, yellow eyes and red tiger stripes. Her ears stood upright with several tufts of fur at the tip.
Razz chriped in delight. "I've heard of clans but only from elders! Finally, Razz sees them without dark and muck!"
"Clans?" Deet tilted her head. Then her eyes widened. "Like ours here in Thra?!"
"Finally." A hoarse voice said. "Something useful."
The group turned around to see SkekSo and the other Skeksis walking up to them. A few guards behind them. Their eyes were more sunken than normal. Their movements were slow like each step had become agonizing to them. The robes were wet, clinging to skeletal limbs. All of them had a grim expression on their faces. Maudra Fara and other Stonewood warriors were close behind them.
The Emperor snapped his head. He gave a wheezed growl. "General! Get up! There's work that needs to be done!"
"A few more minutes…" SkekVar groaned.
"NOOOOOOOOWWWW!"
"Gyaaaaahhhh!" SkekVar rolled onto his feet and rushed over to the Emperor. He huffed. It was as if he ran from Stone-In-Wood to Ha'rar.
Razz took a deep breath. He fluttered over to the Emperor. He perched on SkekSo's beak cover. Head raised defiantly, earning a few gasps of surprise. "Listen good, you rotten stiff-lipped beaky! Razz tried to warn you. Tried warn all of you, beakies. But NNNOOOOOOOO! You disregarded Razz and hissed. Now here you are! Out of castle. Have no way of talking to All Maudra. And have enemies chase you! So only help you now because friend Ghost."
SkekSo glared hard at the bird. "I'm listening...Now." He growled, followed by that of the other Skeksis. However, it didn't phase the Bladewing.
Razz got off him and flew over to the cat-like creature first. "This is a Felidawn. Powerful clan. Make really good armor, weapons and books. Produce fire in their claws. Drew powers from the sun."
"Well that's not good considering we have three," Deet said. "That would make them extremely dangerous to talk to."
Razz flew over to the next one. "This an Earth Croaker. They dig great! Heard that skin gives itchy poison. Even heard stories of houses made out of pure crystal and reeeeaaaaally tall. Not only that, but wear crystal all the time." He flicked his gaze at the Skeksis. "Repelled evil. Elder said. Shame they not here on Thra."
"They sound a little like my clan." Deet said, she smiled. "We normally live in caves and really enjoy exploring them." At that moment, Shield gave a sad warble. Deet turned to the Silk Spitter with concern. "Shield? Are you alright?" She gently placed a hand on his leg.
Razz went over to the last slave. "This is an Flower Weaver. Doesn't look much, but good fighter. Gardener. Loves flowers. Take care of bugs too! Great climbers." The slave simply white flower he held still in his claws.
"They sound a lot like the Spriton Clan," Rian said. He looked over to Ghost. Her outfit turned black from the muck. He even looked down on his own clothes. "Guess now would be a good time to get a bath."
SkekOk tilted his head. A look of curiosity on his face. "Razz, is it? Just how many clans are there?"
Razz was silent for a moment. He preened some of his feathers. Then, he finally answered. "Elder said Eleven. Eleven clans."
"Eleven Clans?!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Razz nodded. "Yes. Canimoon, Felidawn, Earth Croaker, Flower Weaver, Bladewings-Watch it!" He glared at SkekOk. Almost as if he knew that the ScrollKeeper was ready to give a degrading remark. "Wind Leapers, Ice Goblin, Ice Golems, Selkies, Plant Walkers and Starbirds."
"That's a lot…" Ghost said. "Can your Elder come over and tell us more about your world?"
Razz grew silent. He bowed his head.
"I'm sorry." Ghost said. She knelt down and picked up the bird. "It must've been so hard for you." She hugged him.
"Is there anyone else who can give further information?" Maudra Fara asked.
"No." Razz flew up in the air and hovered. "King Neco ordered that all elders be killed. Considered stories, culture and old history poison. Make more bad emotions."
"That's ludicrous," SkekOk protested. "Why did he onThra invoke such nonsense?"
Without warning, Razz shot straight for SkekSo. Before the Emperor could react, Razz snatched his beak cover. The decay was now shown before the crowd. A slight smell of rot hung in the air. "That why. Shadow sickness came out of nowhere in Lifeno, our home. Spreading like fire. Thought sorrow and fear caused it. King Neco banned emotion because happiness and joy would leave to these emotions. Then, got worse. Elders protested when special artifacts burned. Over time, Shadow madness devoured land. Escaped under rule then end up here."
"Did you have any idea what they're planning?" Maudra Fara asked.
Razz shook his head. "No. Sorry. King Neco very secret. Only talks to members of Bone Court."
"Oh gee," Gurjin said with a sarcastic tone. "I wonder why that sounds familiar?"
SkekSo gave a growl. Before he could do anything, a large white shape appeared. It was the Starbird that held the crystal on his chest. A few Stonewood Gelfling sat on it's back. Injured. He silently backed away and waited until Razz gave back his cover.
Maudra Fara and Ordon ran over to one of the Geling warriors as they slid off the giant bird's back. "What happened?" Maudra Fara asked. "What's going on?"
The nearest warrior groaned until he spoke. "We were ambushed. We went back to the castle to see if there was anything we could find useful in the rubble."
"Did you?"
The warrior shook his head. "I'm afraid I have far grim news...It's the Chamberlain." At those words a heavy silence filled the woods. The Skeksis shifted nervously. Rian went to Ghost to make sure she's alright. Even the Starbirds were tense. "What about him?" SkekMal growled.
"He's alive and...He seems to be aiding them! The Chamberlain convinced them to head for Stone In Wood! He knows that Ghost is alive and needs to kill her!"
At those words, Ghost's hearts stopped. Her fingers rubbing against the area where his wicked blade cut her. His shadow almost seemed to loom over her. Her body went cold. Her breathing hitched. Eyes wide. Everything began to spin. She could feel everyone's stare. Ghost glanced over quickly to be sure SkekSil wasn't hiding in the trees. Then, her legs gave out underneath her.
"Ghost! Ghost!"
Ghost's vision slowly began to focus on the circle of heads looking down at her. She let out a groan. Ghost began to notice something strange on her back. A firm sensation that she was held up by a pole. She turned her head to see Lazul had extended his arms. Two of them were deep in the ground. She slowly got back up onto her feet.
"Ghost!" Deet gasped. She held Ghost's hand. The warmth gave comfort to the frightened soul. "Are you ok?"
Ghost leaned forward. Her feet touched the ground. Her stomach churned but not as bad as before. Her hands shook. Tears sprung in her eyes. "No…" She sobbed. "No I'm not…" She let Deet hug her. She soon felt the firm arms of Rian, Gurjin and Ordon embrace her. Ghost allowed her sobs to escape her mouth. Her wings rattled.
Deet rubbed her back. "Let's...go take our own bath." With that, she took Ghost away from the maddened group. Leaving them all standing there in silence. Deet began to help Ghost set up the tubs, water and the herbs and flowers that were left over from the previous baths. To be safe, Ghost hung a few curtains to hide themselves from any nearby male Gelfling. The white Gelfling convinced Lazul to slither off her back and placed him in an additional tub. Deet sighed as the warm water touched her skin while the bathing robe clung to her back. "This is great! No wonder you guys use it so much."
Ghost simply slumped in her tub. The warmth gave her a little comfort. Her torso and back now revealed the jagged scar of where she was stabbed through her own robe. She played with the flowers. The colorful petals danced in shades of pink, white and light blue. She grabbed her sponge. The soft texture gives her a soft sensation to her skin. Smells of sweet herbs tickled her nose. Slowly but surely the strain of the news began to melt away.
"Feeling better?" Deet asked.
"A little…" Ghost admitted. "I thought helping the slaves would make things better and find some solutions. Instead, it just got worse." She looked over to where the Djinn was. A wooden lid covered the tub as he told her that darkness in water helps maintain his power as all Djinn do. She leaned forward and put her chin on her folded arms. "I don't know much about this power I'm wielding and now this 'Bone Court' is now going after three pelts and a chest full of stone hearts."
"Don't worry." Deet assured. "I'm sure you'll figure something out." Deet blinked for a moment. Then, a thought came to her. "Ghost, you keep calling The Ornamentalist, Ekty. Why is that?"
Ghost turned pink at that. "It...was a nickname I've given him when I was a mere childling. He preferred that over mama."
"Nickname?" Lazul poked his body out from the lid. "What is a nickname?"
"A nickname is what someone would call others out of affection," Ghost explained. "Well, sometimes…"
"Sometimes?" Deet tilted her head.
"You probably got some of the nasty names the Stonewood Clan gave you sometimes right?"
Deet nodded. "I remember, you helped me and Hup when we first got here."
"Those are the bad nicknames. I've dealt with them before. Weird eyes. Snow rat. Scrawny. Lord's pet." The last one felt truly bitter in Ghost's mouth.
"What nicknames did the other lords go by?" Deet asked.
Ghost gulped hard. The memories felt like spikes in her head. She took a deep steady breath. The suns turned her body into a few shades of gold. Her delicate wings silver in the light. "With SkekTek, I would call him Blue because he's the bluest of the Skeksis. SkekLach would be called Lach or Cloud. Though he goes bonkers when I try telling someone about how he got the nickname Cloud. Needles was something I would call Ritual Master because he was always fussy about something. Almost as much as Speckles." Ghost gave a laugh. "Speckles is SkekOk. He's the Skeksis with all those glasses on his beak. To this day, I still wonder how he keeps them on." Both she and Deet let out a laugh. "Gourmand was once called sniffles because he would always sniff a plate before eating it. 'Make sure it's attractive.' He said. SkekLi goes by Laughter since he's a jokester. SkekShod's is Shadow due to his movements. SkekSa...Now thinking about...Oceanwalker would've been her nickname."
Lazul turned his blue eye at Ghost. "Didn't you call SkekSil, Silver Tongue?"
At the mention of the Chamberlain, silence hung in the air. Deet glared at Lazul. "Can we talk about him? Ghost just recovered."
"Indeed."
Ghost and Deet froze. They slowly turned their heads. Both let out a shriek. A large shadow of SkekMal stood behind one of the curtains. It was large and imposing. The boney mask gives him the appearance of a ferocious beast. He simply stood there, but his gaze was just as piercing as ever. Without thinking, Ghost threw her sponge at the curtain. "Hunter! Get out of here! We would like to have our privacy!"
"Why should he?" Lazul asked. He moved his eye between the shadow and the female Gelflings. "And what is privacy?"
"More importantly," SkekMal added. "Why on Thra would you give my fellow Skeksis such childish names?"
At that, Ghost blushed. Her ears and entire scalp turned pink. She tucked in her lips. Her body slunked deeper into the water. The floating flowers up to her ears. He heard everything, She thought. Her hands were placed over her eyes. Why?
-(Sometime later)-
Once Deet and Ghost were cleaned up, they joined up with SkekMal. Ghost's ears still burned with shame. SkekMal had heard their entire conversation and she never bothered to pay attention. Of course he would follow her sooner or later. She was a prize to be obtained no matter what she did. Yet...It was nice of him to stay behind the curtains while they got changed. Maybe it was because of Aughra or Lazul. Either way, she still appreciated it. Ghost looked at SkekMal again. Her eyes took in every ounce of his physique. She found herself puzzling for a moment. What kind of face did he have underneath his mask? Suddenly, her thoughts were drawn to the idea of SkekMal bathing in a tub. Wearing a bathrobe. Her face turned a deep shade of red.
Deet turned to Ghost. "Ghost, are you having a fever?"
"No. Why?"
"Because you're red from ear to ear." Lazul answered.
Ghost cleared her throat. Now that she had her bath, she had to focus on the next task at hand. She needed to Maudra Fara and Ordon in the next course of action. "We better get back to the others. We still need to figure out-"
"Absolutely not!" The Stonewood Maudra's voice cut through the trees.
SkekMal groaned. "Great. Another quarrel." He grabbed Ghost without warning. He ran in the other direction. He moved from tree to tree with ease. He ignored the tiny fists that hit his chest. The flailing gives him no trouble. His ears heard the faint wingbeats of Deet chasing after him.
"SkekMal!" Ghost screamed. "Put me down! Put me dooooooowwwwnnnn!"
