Chapter 6
Two weeks passed where Amira refused to see anyone but her doctors. The scars that now adorned a good portion of her body were sure to fade but they left more emotional marks that she hadn't been able to deal with. Reim had been her safe haven for so long now and suddenly it filled her with as much terror as Parthevia had.
One morning it seemed as though Scheherazade had enough of her moping. She nearly dragged Amira out to the Cliffside by the sea, "I've had about enough of watching you feel sorry for yourself. You went through a traumatic experience but it's time for you to get over it and back out into the world."
"I can't fight for Reim anymore," Amira said gazing out over the sea, "I need to find a new home."
Scheherazade sighed, "I thought you'd say something like that." She placed a gentle hand on Amira's shoulder, "You will always have a home here in Reim if you so desire. But do you have any idea of where you'd go?"
Amira thought about taking Knell to Artemyra, it would sure be a good experience for her; though she had no idea why she felt responsible for the girl. "I'm sure you have an idea?"
Scheherazade smiled, "If you'd be interested, a new dungeon just appeared outside the Katalgo Province on the Dark Continent. I wouldn't wish to ask a favor from you with you leaving us, but it may help both of us out."
"You want me to prevent more innocent lives from being lost?" Amira sighed, "What's in it for me? I've already acquired two Djinn; surely the dungeon is not my prize."
"Heliohapt," Scheherazade commented, "They don't usually let outsiders in, but if you were to show up protecting their people it might lead you to a quiet life. They are quite terrified that one day Reim will set their sights on acquiring their small kingdom so who knows what may happen?"
Amira smiled then. A small kingdom? They don't let outsiders in. Why did she get the feeling it wouldn't stay that way forever? "When can I leave?" finally there was a spark returning to her eyes, on that felt like it had been gone for so long though it had been mere weeks it felt like another life.
The next day she and Knell were out on a ship headed to a new adventure. A new life was waiting, and it was sure to be a fight but it was worth fighting for.
When Amira and Knell arrived the desert stretched out farther than they could see. There was no time for chit chat though, the dungeon was waiting. Sure enough just outside the settlement it was easily spotted, protruding from the ground like an eyesore.
"Well this should be fun," Knell seemed to have become a ray of sunshine in Amira's life, as if she were a completely different person free from her killing days. It was one of the only things that made Amira smile right now, seeing her happy.
"As soon as this is taken care of we can start learning about the locals," Amira promised, "It will be something new for both of us, so let's give it our all!"
If it could be said that one would rush off into a dungeon, well that's just what they did. No hesitation and no fear. It's not like it was new to either of them. But the interior of the dungeon was quite new. Glass covered almost every surface with a glittering quality that almost made it look as though some of it was flowing.
"The beauty of these places never ceases to amaze me," Amira commented.
"This is even prettier than the poison snow," Knell mused.
"Be careful though, the beauty can be deceptive," Amira warned and as if on cue the glass turned to sand threatening to swallow them whole. No dungeon creatures in sight was a good sign for now, it meant if they could escape this hurtle there wasn't anything else they would have to put immediate focus on. If only one of them had more practice with rope, but luckily Amira had her bow. They escaped into the next sort of room with some minor scrapes only to come face to face with a giant sand snake.
It couldn't be cut and it couldn't be smashed, nearly out of options Amira remembered her fire and lightning Djinn, Amaroq. Quick as a flash she'd cut through the sand snake until it was nothing more than shattered glass at their feet.
Knell seemed quite impressed though almost annoyed she couldn't help more. Amira assured her that she helped more than she'd ever know just by being around. By this time Knell had revealed to Amira that she'd been approached by the household vessel and now contained a household metal vessel in her twin daggers. It was the poison cloud that Amira had seen back in Malum's house. The power to make her enemies crumble at her feet was what she'd bargained for. Amira wasn't sure if the thought terrified her or somehow made her a little proud.
After the sand beast they made their way to the treasure room with little trouble. They searched for the particular gem that would awaken the Djinn but found none. Then in a whirl of wind she showed herself.
"Greetings new King's candidate, welcome to my dungeon. I am Nekissaa, Djinn of the Sands of Time." She was a bold blue and sported black cat-like ears and golden painted makeup. "Are you ready for my test?"
"Test?" Amira questioned, "Is the fact that I have acquired two powers not enough for you?"
"Oh contraire," Nekissaa mused, "It is for that reason that I must test you. One so noble shouldn't be afraid of a test, yes?"
Amira sighed, "I came here to keep the nearby peoples safe from unnecessary life loss."
"If you do not want the power of the dungeon then why enter it? You cannot simply wish to spare the lives of the citizens near by; you could do that simply by standing guard." Nekissaa had a point.
"I am but one person, how would I stop a nation of arrogance from risking their lives just by standing guard?" Amira asked.
Nekissaa paused, "So you have no desire to rule? Then why did you obtain metal vessels in the first place?"
Amira thought back, "At first I wanted power to right the wrongs that had been done to me. Then it was a sense of duty to those I held at a higher power than myself. I have no desire for that anymore; I am at a crossroads with destiny to decide my next path and that is why I am here now. I was told through this dungeon my path would become clearer."
Nekissaa looked impressed, "Very well, if you do not wish to gain a power answer me these riddles three. First: The cost of making only the maker knows, valueless if bought, but sometimes traded. A poor man may give one as easily as a king. When one is broken pain and deceit are assured. What am I?"
Amira thought about it for a moment, the cost of something that cannot be sold that is obtained and given freely without cost, and then pain when broken, "A promise."
"Correct. I am born in fear, raised in truth, and I come to my own in deed. When comes a time that I'm called forth, I come to serve the cause of need. What am I?" Knell opened her mouth as if to say something but Nekissaa raised her hand in silence, "These riddles are for the King's candidate and she must answer them to move forward."
"Courage," Amira was confused as to what these riddles could mean.
"Correct. Now most importantly: It is cold and it is hot, it is white and it is dark, it is stone and it is wax but it's true nature is meat an it is the color red. What am I?" Nekissaa smiled down to Amira.
Amira sat down, she needed to concentrate. Cold and hot, white and dark… Stone and wax could mean something that was both hard and could be melted, in addition to cold and hot it could mean water, but if this item was really a meat and the color was red what could it be? She thought so long she was lost in her own mind and then she felt the thump of her heartbeat. That was it! A heart could be both warm and cold, pure or dark and could be made of stone but still able to melt. It was meat and it was red. "The heart," Amira finally answered.
Nekissaa seemed pleased, "So now put these together, a promise, courage and a heart. They are all qualities that a good king might possess. But a great leader makes sure that not only do they themselves possess these qualities but those around them as well. From what I can tell you have courage, and you have the heart that may save a great many nations. Between you and your household member it seems you share a promise, almost a promise to uphold these morals. Would you agree?"
Amira looked at Knell whose smile brought her sunshine and hope, "We share the promise of hope."
"And that is all one truly needs to gain the benefits of a true leader. Go forth with my blessing and lead by example if you plan on never seeking power," Nekissaa mused, "Though I've never seen a human avoid the temptation for long."
In what felt like mere moments Amira and Knell were back to the surface world and night had fallen. Though as she looked around the area felt different; "Mira, there's a lady over there," Knell commented.
Amira looked to the direction she was pointing and sure enough there was a young woman, maybe a few years older than Amira. She had dark skin, soft white hair and eyes like emeralds. She looked a little scared, "Hello?" Amira called out to her.
The woman seemed rather intimidated but she approached them anyway, "I've never seen strangers with yellow or black hair before," she said quietly.
"We're from across the sea, from Reim," Knell offered, "We wanted to get rid of that structure so you would al be safe."
The woman looked surprised, "There has never been a structure here."
Knell and Amira looked at each other confused, "How long were we in that dungeon?" Amira murmured to herself, "How well do you know the area? Is it possible that this is just a new area to you?"
The woman shook her head, "I've been coming to that ridge for two years now almost every night. There's an herb that blooms here at night that I pick for my medicinal remedies. I don't come much during the winter though because the flowers don't bloom. Today was the last run I'll make this winter."
Winter, that didn't make any sense it was maybe a month into the autumn when they'd left, but for this woman to not have seen the dungeon… I'm giving you a second chance. Spend the extra time wisely. A voice sounded in Amira's mind, the voice of Nekissaa, did this mean as the Djinn of the sands of time she'd sent them back?
"I'm Amira, and this is Knell. Do you mind if we stay with you for a few days?" A second chance. Time to spend away as if nothing had happened; in fact it had yet to happen. So she would make the best of this chance.
"I'm Umbra, it's nice to meet you," the woman said, "We are unaccustomed to outsiders though so you'll have to speak with the King in the morning."
Amira smiled, "I don't think that'll be a problem."
It had been three months since Amira and Knell had arrived in Heliohapt. They were settling in well with Umbra as their guide. She was sort of like a doctor and so she was able to teach Amira and Knell many things. With spring coming Amira was going to help her start a small garden if they could get some of the more exotic plants to grow blooms closer to home, it could really save a lot of time in treating people.
Knell was especially happy settling in; it was like she was getting a chance at a normal childhood. Umbra kept her busy with studies as often as she was allowed out to play though. "The young lady ought to be educated," she had told Amira one day.
"I ought to be educated too," Amira had replied.
They were getting on rather well; usually outsiders were more like outcasts but for some reason without Amira even mentioning her metal vessels the king had taken kindly to them. Something about them just felt right. Amira, though she contained the heart of a warrior, hadn't had to pick up a weapon the entire time they'd been in Heliohapt and though she sometimes grew antsy it was soothing.
Amira's nightmares haunted her less and less the days she spent with Umbra. Something in her green eyes was bewitching but Amira loved it. The new information she gained with each passing day drove her farther and farther away from her anger and tears. Then one day Knell asked if they could take a break and have a picnic, like she used to when she was little and Amira saw her sunshine fade a little. She had never asked Knell about the past that lead her to the encounters they'd had; most of her didn't want to know the horrors of her past. But Umbra needed to gather some herbs a few hours walk away so they took the opportunity.
When they reached the hillside Amira set up their picnic lunch while Umbra showed Knell the different flowers she needed. When she finished laying everything out she watched as Umbra chased Knell around as if she were no more than five. With the spring sun high in the sky it was almost magical to watch. "Come get something to eat before you use up all that energy!" Amira called down to them as she pulled plates out.
Umbra sat beside Amira and brushed a braid off her face, "You're so cute when you play mother."
Amira blushed, "I didn't realize that was what I was doing."
"Mama Mira! It suits you," Knell laughed, "Even if you're not old enough to be my mama."
"Oh would you just eat your lunch ya brat?" Amira smirked. Sometimes she did forget that they were only a few years apart; Knell must be coming up on twelve or thirteen by now and Amira had a birthday that would have happened when they'd gotten back from the dungeon. That made her wonder; if you go back in time do you still age? She assumed so, she just didn't know if that would put her at her next birthday at sixteen or seventeen.
"Hey, there's a festival at the end of the week. I think we should go, you'll meet more of the people that way and it's not like you've left my hut much in the past few months," Umbra commented.
"You want us gone? Already? But we've been model house guests!" Amira laughed remembering the first couple times she and Knell had accidentally knocked things off of shelves.
"You've gotten better!" Umbra joked, "But really. You haven't had a proper Heliohapt party yet. There's food and dancing," she wiggled her shoulders, "Young men and women."
"Sounds like fun, but if we're out having fun with all that shoulder wiggling who's going to watch Knell?"
"I'm plenty old enough to look after myself, Mira!" Knell laughed, "Besides, I'm not as fragile as I look. I can hold my own in a fight." They all laughed. It reminded Amira of the first week when Knell had found a rat crawling through the kitchen. She almost felt bad for the poor thing before it became lunch the next day.
"Well then, I think it's time to experience a party, ladies!" Umbra said holding up a goblet of water in a toast.
"To the party!" Amira and Knell joined in.
The following night Amira had another nightmare. She woke thrashing and screaming before she remembered where she was. Umbra had a damp cloth and was already dabbing it on her forehead when she calmed down. "I woke you again didn't I?" Amira said ready to apologize.
"No, I was still awake. You didn't look well so I was going to mix you a poultice," Umbra replied.
"I'm sorry, I really thought I would have been past these nightmares by now," Amira was embarrassed.
"I'm still here if you want to talk about it. Why don't I make us some tea?" Umbra was always quick with her healing hand. Amira agreed and they ended up sitting outside the hut staring at the stars as the night passed on.
Amira could tell if the nightmares kept happening she'd have to tell Umbra about it so she decided tonight was as good a night as any. So she told her the whole story of going away and feeling more powerful than ever only to come back and be diminished beyond the frailty of a child, in fact she wasn't even sure she'd felt quite that helpless as a child whether it be for ignorance sake or not.
"Tell me more about this voice that pulled you from your nightmares," Umbra said, "It may be the place you feel safest and it might chase the nightmares away now that you're actually safe."
Amira wasn't sure. The voice had been a warm comfort but if she thought hard enough about it she still wasn't absolutely sure if it was a man or a woman's voice. She tried thinking about the people she felt safe with in the past and still nothing was cemented in her mind.
Umbra could see the growing frustration on her face, "Tell me about the boy you kissed before you left."
"Boy? What boy? What kiss? When did I leave?" Amira stammered.
"Oh please, the way you talked about leaving for Artemyra. It was a turning point for you. I could see it on your face and I could hear it in your voice," Umbra brushed a hand lightly over Amira's cheek, "Do you need me to stimulate the memory?"
Amira went red from head to toe, "No, I just hadn't thought about him in a while…I was trying not to."
Umbra leaned over and pulled Amira's face between her hands, "You have to stop running from your past and face it. Otherwise you'll never be free to look to the future." Then Umbra did the one thing that Amira never expected, she leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft and they tasted of mint and it was all Amira could do to keep from falling into the abyss that was that kiss. When she finally pulled away Amira's head was left spinning but Umbra smiled at her, "Tell me Amira; who were you before you lost your heart?"
Amira thought about it for a moment, still spinning in circles from that kiss, "I don't even remember how long ago that my heart was taken."
Umbra laughed, "Well then we're going to find you a new one at that festival sweet one. Now go get some rest before the sun comes up. Festival preparations start tomorrow and everyone pitches in."
