Table for Rowan, party of 7? Lol, I crack myself up. :P
I'm sure you've all been wondering how, exactly, all our brokenhearted parents have been doing, yes? They will seem lively now; but I promise, they've been terribly depressed and not at all themselves these last few years. I won't touch on that much today. Mostly, I'll just leave you sassy Annad being sassy. You're welcome.
I'll also leave you a POV I've never used before, and a mysterious new character to go with it, as well as cutting off in the middle of a scene, so that will all be interesting.
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Chapter 3: The Heroes
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The sun had just risen. The Dragon Finlair, Lord of Earth, had greeted the new day with a mighty roar that sounded through the hills and valleys of his place. So it had been every morning in the Arin Lands for as long as the land could remember. It could have been a regular start to an ordinary day.
But the people of Rin knew, somehow, that this day was not like most. Their busiest bakery had opened with the dawn, only to close abruptly five minutes later without explanation or apology. The carpentry, usually alive by now with hammers and saws and the wailing of infants, was awfully still. And some had begun to notice with a sense of unease that their chieftain and their Titan hadn't come around to look in on their friends.
All their usual heroes were missing suddenly. Especially those who had been to the dreaded Zebak Lands and survived. The people who noticed this did their best not to worry; such anxiety was unbecoming of Rinfolk, no matter how things had changed. Still, they wondered at where those six heroes had all gone at the same time, without even saying goodbye or telling a soul where they were going.
That was because there had been little time for long goodbyes or detailed explanations. Rowan had gathered his closest friends and explained what had happened as quickly and simply as he could. They had all agreed at once what had to be done, and that time was frightfully short. They had each taken time to arm themselves, stuff a few useful items in their pockets, and promise their families that they would return. Now, they were standing together in Rowan's backyard, watching a dark, familiar shape hurtling towards them through the brightening sky.
"My heavens, that was fast," Allun commented, shielding his eyes to peer at the shape in the sky. "I had forgotten how fast she can fly. It's been such a long time…"
"The winds are with her this morning," Rowan answered him. "Mithren has made sure of it, ever since she came into his territory. I was given an hour, and she is slightly early – not that there is a problem with that."
Beside him, Marlie hummed thoughtfully and gripped the bow slung over her shoulder. "I remember standing on that hill, with an arrow to this bow, seeing her for the first time and preparing to shoot her down. Of all the ways I expected you people to return, Unos was not one of them."
Rowan glanced sideways at her. Her voice was even, and her gaze was locked impatiently on Unos, perhaps wishing that the beast would land faster. But there was anger, fear, and terrible pain in her eyes, bubbling to the surface after being forced away for two long years. She was only speaking of old memories because that part of the past had ended with triumph and happiness that couldn't be erased. It was something solid and good, to distract from the pain she felt. It was still difficult to see her this way, when she had always been so bold and defiant.
After a long moment of silence, Norriss cleared his throat in his serious way. "We need to think more about our hastily crafted plan, while we still have a moment. It won't be easy, once we are in the air."
"Our plans are always hastily crafted," his sister pointed out. "We never get a clear answer – we've always had to figure it out, one step at a time. I believe we will have to do so again."
The others shook their heads and grumbled in annoyance, unhappy to relive those experiences.
"I have to agree with Shaaran," Rowan said, hating to crush their hopes. "Until a day or two ago, we could have at least guessed at what we might be walking into. Now, we just won't know until we get there. With luck, the new Titan will keep speaking to us, wherever he is, and send us news of what to expect in the city."
"What if he does not?" John asked slowly. "He is only a child, and knows nothing of what's been thrust upon him. He may not be able to do it."
Rowan sighed and squared his shoulders. He had thought of this, too, but had accepted it. There was little he could do about that from so far away.
"Then we will just have to trust that Fate will provide for us," he decided as boldly as he could.
"But will it?"
Rowan peered up curiously at the older man. "Hasn't it always?"
At that, John turned away and stared at the ground, his face still full of doubts and concerns. Rowan couldn't say he blamed his step-father. He had a long list of doubts, himself; but there was far too little time to try to peek around those distant corners. They didn't even have a riddle or a vision to go by. He didn't even have his teacher to give him advice. All any of them could do was take the first few steps before them, and worry about the next steps later.
Star, at least, had the Earth Sigil, he reasoned. With all the trouble she was in, she needed its sight and guidance more than he did. This idea comforted his troubled heart, and he allowed himself a faint smile over it. Perhaps she would have used it to overrun her captors and break free on her own, before he even got there. Perhaps they would arrive in Habaharan to find that Earthen magic had helped the rebels back on their feet, and that a legendary rescue was no longer needed.
Against servants of the Shadow Lord, that seemed unlikely; but it was a nice thought. As with Marlie and her memories, the idea gave him hope, and a distraction from all his anxieties. He had so many…
The sound of running footsteps tore their attention from the horizon. Like a burst of light, Annad came crashing through the backdoor, dressed for a journey, with her own father's longsword strapped to her belt.
"Oh, excellent," she said brightly. "I was afraid I would miss you."
In spite of everything, Rowan felt his eye twitch. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Coming with you, of course," she said smartly, marching to stand with them.
"Where are the twins?" Norriss blurted out when she ignored their shock.
"They're safe with my mother, dear. They're barley walking, yet, so I can't imagine they'll give her much trouble."
She was being so tart, all at once. Aside from an adventure, she was plainly ready to fight for her place in this party. Her determination had dismayed the rest of them; not because they doubted her, but because her eagerness to go back to that dreaded place worried and baffled them.
And Rowan couldn't help speaking this for all of them.
"Several of us nearly died, trying to get you back," he pointed out, his voice rising with exasperation. "Are you really going to do this to us? Haven't we already lost enough?"
Annad turned and pinned him with a glare like ice, her blue eyes flashing angrily. She looked weirdly like their father, and it made his stomach lurch a bit.
"You're not the only one who's lost a sister," she snapped. "Or a friend, or a niece. They're all my family, too. I have as much right to be here as any of you do. Besides, you've helped me so many times – let me be of help to you, for once."
Without waiting for him to argue, she marched with purpose out of the yard and toward the open fields, where Unos had finally landed a little way off. Then she stopped and looked over her shoulder at her family with a defiant smirk.
"Otherwise, consider this: just look at the mere six of you, when you are clearly supposed to be seven. And here I am," she commented, bowing graciously before continuing on her way, leaving the rest to think it over and suddenly feel very sheepish.
"Well, she's not wrong," Shaaran said slowly, as much to herself as to any of her companions. As she strode off after the younger, taller woman, she went on, "I, for one, wouldn't mind her company. Having an extra sword in our favor makes me feel much safer."
It was difficult to argue with that. Rowan still wanted to, if only for fear for the only sister he had left; but Allun and Marlie had already walked off, shrugging between themselves and looking unsurprised. John was following them in silence, clearly annoyed and even more anxious than before, but unwilling to say so out loud. Even Norriss, his brother-in-law, seemed to have accepted this change in plan.
"I've learned to pick and choose my battles," he explained, feeling Rowan's curious stare on him. "We may be married now, but there are simply some things I can't command her to do; staying behind to wait and hope for our return is one of them. In any case, she is right about everything."
"Yes, I know," Rowan grumbled. "I just wish she didn't have to be so smug about it. I thought I was the one with the plan."
Norriss laughed and playfully shoved him out of the yard. "You've gotten too used to being the leader. You need a reminder of where you've come from. Now, let's catch up with the others. Something seems to be happening over there."
Indeed, something was happening. Unos had landed with something alive and wriggling in her mouth. From a distance, it had appeared to be a large fish, or perhaps a young sea serpent; a bite to eat she had snatched in haste from the sea as she had flown in the night. Now she had dropped it on the ground to show off to her family – only for it to hiss and peep with delight at the touch of soft grass, and spread its small wings in the cool morning air.
The whole party stared in complete surprise at the tiny creature, enchanted in spite of all that lay before them. The baby grach peered up at each of them, looking amazed at the sight of so many loving strangers. Then it chirped happily and slithered toward Allun, tumbling around his feet and nuzzling his leg, as though she knew him and was glad to see him.
Never one to mind attention, he knelt to scoop the baby into his arms. "Well, now, who is this?" he asked, mostly to Unos, as if she could answer him. "Is this yours? You've been a busy lady, my old friend. The little rascal knows my face, I think."
At the same time, by way of deep magic, Rowan could hear Unos chiding her child in words he understood.
"No, my Fighter Spirit, calm yourself. It is not our Fox Kith – this is Wind Heart, who is his sire. He is here to help us, as I knew he would be. Now come away with me, my dear. I must find Night's Gift, so that I might leave you in his safe keeping while I am away."
So, Allun had guessed right, as he usually did. The baby thought he was Forley, who she plainly knew and loved. It seemed disappointed to be told otherwise, and sulkily obeyed its mother's command. Once her child was held safe in her jaws again, Unos plodded to Rowan and thrust her great head into his arms, thrilled to see him again.
"You knew that I was coming," she noticed. "I thought you might. Thank goodness. I need your help, Red One."
"And I need yours, Only One," he agreed silently. "Please, tell me what you've seen."
Unos growled in the back of her throat. "I have seen very little. I know that Small Star is in grave danger, and that my mate has perhaps gone to his death, and that the Safe Place is no longer safe. It is filled with fire and smoke, and a smell of evil, and gray men who are not men. Something foul has come there. I did not stay to see what it was – not when my only young needed shelter. My mate and I agreed on this, and so I came as quickly as I could."
The pup squirmed impatiently, and Unos shook it gently until it calmed down again. "My mate and I call her Fighter Spirit. Small Star and Lion Man call her Rebel. You may call her so, too, if you wish."
"Rebel," Rowan repeated out loud, and the pup raised her head at the sound of her name. He scratched behind her delicate spines and said, "I suppose it stands to reason. It suits her."
"Good," Unos said crisply. "Now that you have seen my young, I must leave her safely with Night's Gift, so that we may go with all speed. Where is he?"
"Treasure is where he always is," Rowan told her, glancing off toward the fields. The whole herd of bukshah had been still and anxious ever since Unos had appeared, straining to see the creature they had grown used to and missed. Their one black member stood out among them, bigger, stronger, and most gentle of all, looking with special interest for his old friend.
"Yes, that was a strange thing to ask," Unos answered, stalking away toward the herd. "Where else should he be? He is my good friend, and he will look after my Fighter Spirit while I am away. I am afraid she is not quite old enough for us to part like this, but it must be done. She is strong and brave, like her sire. She will get along well here, until I return for her."
As if their success had already been decided on. It was nice that she was speaking so surely of the future, because Rowan knew that the people around him had many doubts about it. He knew it seemed impossible that their sudden appearance, now of all times, could make much of a difference – let alone against the evil he had described to them. He knew that finding their family in all that chaos seemed a daunting challenge, and that being unable to plan for it was frustrating.
And he knew that not all of them were quite ready to fight for all the Zebak, rather than just the ones who mattered to them personally. As far as some of his friends were concerned, the mission was to find their family, free them, and then escape. Rowan already knew that he couldn't do this. He felt that Zeel and Star wouldn't be persuaded to do this, either, after so much time spent among their own people. In fact, knowing what little he did, he was sure that Alanis, Forley, and Leah wouldn't stand for abandoning their friends, no matter what their parents told them to do.
With no real plan in place to start with, he wondered how wise it was to point this out to his companions. It would only cause problems later, he was sure. But it would also cause problems now, he realized. An idea flashed through his mind of John and Norriss, their nerves already stretched thin, coming to blows over it. It wasn't a vision, but he knew in his heart that it was very likely to pass if he mentioned it.
So he took a deep breath and pushed that problem aside for later. He thought of his new Hallowed brother, hiding for his life somewhere in Habaharan, waiting for him come as he had promised. That had to be the goal for now.
Hold on, Zizi, he thought with all his might. We're on our way. I'm coming for you. I'll find you. I promise.
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As they soared over the silver sea, flashing like liquid metal below them, a terrible thought crossed Shaaran's mind. Not about their hastily crafted mission, just about her family, and which of them had gathered for adventure yet again. Now that she thought of it, they had never travelled together for any good reason. It seemed so unfair, when they only wanted the best for their people. When all they truly wanted was to live their lives in peace.
It had seemed for a long time that they could finally have that wish. Rin had seemed peaceful, indeed, for 18 quiet years. No monsters, no invasions, not even a real cause to go near the mountain had happened in all that time. And then the tragedy had struck and snatched that peace away again. If Shaaran was perfectly honest with herself, she had been waiting for it all those years, unable to believe that her family could be so destined, only to suddenly be left alone forever. It had seemed too good to be true; and an old friend from her childhood had warned her once that such things are usually just that – entirely too good to be real, or even that simple.
A feeling of fondness mixed with the sadness in her heart. Shaaran hadn't seen the woman Zinobia since she had been a girl. But she had been a friend of her grandfather's, even though she had been a Central Control guard, and had always looked after them. She wondered, not for the first time, how her old guardian was doing and what her life looked like now. With a thrill of dread, she prayed that Zinobia had somehow survived the night.
In only a short time, a stretch of land appeared on the horizon. The journey had taken less than an hour, and Shaaran was impossibly relieved that this part of it was almost over. As that land came into view, however, she became puzzled. It was all just empty beaches, far as the eye could see, with the dry, red clay of the wilderness stretching bleakly beyond.
In the distance, they could already see the city of Habaharan sitting in the middle of the desert like a shimmering steel block. Its peaks and spires rose high into the sky over the wall – as did thick columns of smoke and the angry glow of fire.
Unos landed on a deserted beach, seemingly without being asked to, and her riders all stumbled wearily to the sand. As they gazed around at their new surroundings, Shaaran could tell they were just as confused as she was. All except Rowan, who mostly appeared to be full of purpose.
And it didn't take the others long to figure out who had brought them there, either.
"Rowan," Allun said in a dry tone, "be a friend and remind me why we've come back here, instead of to the port?"
Rowan looked at him over his shoulder, attempting pathetically to look innocent. "I hardly think this is the exact same beach as before. One is as good as any other, really," he said, without answering the question.
"But the port is only an hour's walk away from the city gates," Norriss insisted, pointing off toward the south. "A matter of minutes, if we fly. If we go this way, it's a long flight in the blistering heat, and we will have to sneak in, somehow. You've done this before – you should know this."
"I do know this, but there is a problem with that," Rowan answered evenly, though he sounded annoyed, suddenly. "We are expected. The port is swarming with guards, and they appear to be looking west for something."
"How do you know this?" his sister asked, curious as always. "Did you see it?"
"No, Zizi did," he said, smiling faintly. "He has no experience with his newfound power, but he is trying. Visions of what is happening around the city keep coming to him in flashes he can't control. He's shared all he's seen with the rest of us for a while, now."
"So, there is our first puzzle," Marlie said thoughtfully. "To go through the wilderness will take some time and discomfort, but it will be safe as long as we stay in the air. To go through the port would take a few minutes, if only we can survive that long. It's a hard choice…"
"There is no choice," Shaaran said, shaking her head. "If we are spotted at the port, they will shoot us out of the sky at once. There are only seven of us, and there are hundreds of them that we know of. That journey may take minutes, but we would be slaughtered in seconds. It isn't worth the risk."
"Besides, I thought this was a stealth mission," Annad continued helpfully. "We have to keep quiet, and we have to keep out of sight. To be honest, I was expecting to go this way in the first place because of that. And if they are watching for us from the west, so much the better. The city's backdoor will be the last thing on their minds. What's more, we know a way in – we know a few ways in, now that I think of it."
Before she could get anymore excited, John clamped his hand on her shoulder and frowned at her. "All those ways could prove to be just as dangerous. If we are expected, it is very likely the wall is guarded just as heavily as the port. The people who set them there know very well that we are much more than we seem, and that the purpose for our visit is revenge, if nothing else. I doubt they would take chances, just now."
A sense of unease settled over them as they all considered this in silence. Shaaran glanced at each of her companions, guessing at what they must be thinking. Rowan was plainly scolding himself needlessly, because the safest course he could find was still terribly uncertain. Annad and Norriss were equally disappointed and pleased, ready for battle, but knowing the delay and danger it would bring. John, Marlie, and Allun just wanted to batter through all the obstacles in their way and reach their children before the worst befell them – if they even still had that chance. Every second they wasted arguing over which course to take seemed to be draining their strength away.
Shaaran, herself, wasn't sure what to think. All the roads they had to choose from led directly into danger, or at least into the unknown, and there was no way to plan for any of it. They all looked bleak to her, at the same time as they all looked promising. Having nothing of real substance to offer, she kept silent, as she usually did.
After a long stretch of anxious silence, Allun sighed heavily and wandered away. "I am going to light a fire," he announced. "We will make tea and toast, and talk of what else this little boy has seen. It may not be much, but I am sure we can make something of it. We've done well in the past, being led by another little boy much like him. I think we should do so again."
Rowan smiled after him, glad that someone was confident in him. "It isn't much, at all; but it is far more than I was ever given. And Zizi knows quite a lot, for all that he hasn't left his hiding place. It's not a bad place to start."
And so that was decided, and the rest of them tried to settle themselves to wait. Clearly, they didn't want to; precious time was slipping away while they sat on the beach, with the city right in their sight. It was impossible to argue with Allun's reasoning, though. Food and firelight would be soothing, and it would be wise to discus what knowledge they had at hand. Perhaps, in the flashes he had seen, Zizi had discovered a gap in the enemy's defenses that could be slipped through easily. Perhaps, while they waited and talked and ate, the child would see a new vision and report it to his brothers. It was possible that waiting another hour could give them a clue that could save them.
Shaaran remained close to Unos, enjoying having the beloved beast to herself for a moment. Without surprise, saw watched Marlie stalk after her husband to help him look for kindling. John was fiddling with the spare sword he had grabbed in haste, taking a moment to finally test its edge and balance, and making a face over it. Elsewhere, Rowan had walked off with his sister and brother to stand atop the nearby dunes and gaze at the horizon.
"It's so sad and strange to look at," Annad commented, sweeping her hand over the sight of the wilderness. "I didn't really get a good look at it back then – it went by so fast, before I could see it at all. Not that I really wanted to… It seems so dead."
Rowan shook his head. "It's not. This desert is teeming with life; you just can't see it. I've read that that is how it is with deserts. They are like the sea, in that way: full of life that can only exist beneath its surface. I don't care much for it, myself."
Norriss hummed in fascination and nudged him a bit. "How many do you wager there are, lurking beneath all that sand and clay?"
Rowan pinned him with a look. "The ishken, you mean? I have no idea, and prefer it that way. As long as we stay off the ground and away from their sharp senses, they are no threat to us." He huffed a bit and crossed his arms before carrying on in a lower voice, "I know that John would prefer the faster, easier way, as long as both ways are risky and uncertain. I know he is willing to risk that, and I know he wishes to be the one in charge of this mission. How am I supposed to tell him that none of this can be?"
The three of them peeked over their shoulders at the older man, who was still trying to feel comfortable with his own sword and nearly mad with impatience and fear for his only child. He happened to look up and notice them watching him so anxiously, and so sheathed his unworthy sword and marched up the dunes to join them.
"You've told us of your crossing this wilderness many times before," he ventured as boldly as he could. "Must we really cross it again? It seems foolish to me."
Rowan shrugged and didn't meet his gaze. "It certainly won't take mere minutes, but the flight will take far less than an hour. To cross on foot now would be madness. Even if I were to suggest it, Allun wouldn't allow us to try; he would sit on us all, before he let that happen. Neither of us want to relive that, nor make the rest of you endure it, too."
"So, that's just it? We fly across this wilderness and try to breach the wall? If it is guarded as I know it must be, we will be sitting ducks. We won't even have the chance to escape, let alone land in the city."
"In that case, our chances will be just as bad if we try for the port. The only difference is that we will be shot down and killed faster. I know that at least a legion of monsters is waiting there for us, poised to strike at anything that moves. Whether or not the wall is guarded is still to be seen; there is a chance that it is not."
"Especially if the port is guarded to stop us in the first place," Annad put in. Shaaran could tell, just by looking at the back of her head, that her mind was hard at work. "Knowing this queen of theirs, she is counting on that forward assault to kill us before we go any further. She knows that we are impatient with anger and fear for our family, and so she expects for us to go the most direct way we can, storming into it without thinking. It's why she's concentrated so much force on that road, is it not? Even if the wall is guarded, it won't be half as heavily. It will only be as a precaution, since she knows that Rowan is so full of surprises; and even that may be for show. If she is working for a greater enemy, she won't want to take chances against such a powerful and legendary hero. In short, I agree – the wilderness is our best bet right now."
It was difficult for John to argue with all she knew of battles and strategies, since he had allowed and even encouraged her to learn it. Annad had always had a knack for such things, and so had Alanis. If his own daughter had been there, she probably would have agreed with her brother and sister, not her father. Whether he was thinking of this, too, or simply admitting that he was wrong, the ridged way he was standing showed that he was pained.
On a whim, John knelt and picked a stone out of the sand. He turned it over and over in his hand, feeling its size and shape, probably more pleased with its feel than his sword. He stood again and, without warning, threw it as hard as he could into the wilderness.
"What did you do that for?" Rowan demanded, alarmed and nearly yelling.
"I'm curious," John answered coolly. "I'd like to see these creatures, just once."
Seeing at once what he had done, Shaaran scrambled up the dunes to stand beside him, thrilled and frightened at the same time to actually see the beasts that had haunted her earliest nightmares. By the time she joined him, she could no longer see the stone. But she hadn't stood there a few seconds before the hideous form of an enormous insect burst from underground, snapping its pincers and flailing its spindly legs in hunger. It screeched horribly, angry that there was no prey to be snatched, and writhed in fury. The thing had sprung up more than a few hundred yards away, but its size struck terror into her heart. Beside her, her friends were crying out in shock and horror, and even John was pale at the sight.
"I know that sound," came Allun's voice from behind them. "What have you done?"
Shaaran tore her eyes away to see him and Marlie running to meet them, leaving their half-assembled pile of kindling behind. Now all seven of them were standing together on the dunes, screaming and crying out at the paralyzing sight of an ishken cheated of prey. For the first time, Allun surprised her. He fell to his knees in the sand, overcome by what he what he was seeing, and perhaps by vivid memories of the last time he had seen one of these wretched things.
Zeel had been with him, then. He had helped her through flashbacks of her own, that day. It was little wonder it had broken him.
As the ishken finally retreated back into its lair, he pounded his fists in the sand and cursed violently. "I had really hoped we wouldn't have to repeat that," he hissed, cradling his face in his hands as though it had been bruised. "Dammit, man, why did you have to do that?"
For what had happened to her dear husband, Marlie punched John's arm as hard as she could. He was the only one of them ignorant enough to have caused it. "Remind me why we still do things with you," she snapped.
Behind them, there came a sound. A startling sound, causing them all to jump in alarm. It was an unknown voice, chuckling warmly to itself.
"Yes, I know," it said. "They are charming, aren't they?"
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Afterthoughts…
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I hadn't planned to, but I've cut this chapter short. If I don't, we'll end up with another one of those 9K behemoths, and none of us are really for that, I think. This is nearly to 6K already, and no where near the end I had planned, so I'll just quit while I'm ahead.
I'm also a big fan of how I've had to put everyone's name but John's into my new computer's dictionary, as well as convincing it that Rowan can, so, be a proper name with a capital letter. I haven't even gotten to all the other made-up names and weird spellings of perfectly good names yet. It's always a chore with a new computer. XD
