A tense cloud descended upon the group as the heroes stared up at the strange warriors glad in black. Sparrow's eyes held the portly mans visage tightly as a flinty light flashed dangerously in her eyes. He, however, ignored her with a grim almost bored expression. He looked down upon the small group his heavy jewellery jingling as he did so. Garth's eyes slid to the many rings littering the mans pudgy fingers and noted that one looked vastly different to the others. His eyes widened and he looked back up to see the mans face suddenly crack into a wide grin.
"AH! We have found you-ah?" the man said, his voice a strange throbbing contralto as he clapped his hands in delight. Sparrow nearly fell backwards in surprise and may well have if Lorna did not clutch her so tightly. The fearful atmosphere was suddenly broken by the man's high pitch voice giggling. Sparrow stared at him incredulously and she could sense similar feelings from the others. Garth made a small cough and bowed at the waist.
"Your excellency, to whom do we owe the pleasure?" he asked and the portly man smiled down at the mage his dark eyes twinkling.
"I am an envoy, Porsta, chamberlain to the grand Chief Mozai!!" he announced proudly his thick arms sweeping up to point at the sky, "He requests your presence at the Autumn Festival Ball in two days time."
The confused looks that swept round the group were profound. Sparrow looked over her shoulder and jumped slightly to see Reaver was a lot closer than she had noticed. He must of crept up on her, she thought and sighed.
"Autumn?" she whispered to the pirate, "It was early summer when I left Westcliffe."
A smile tugged at Reaver's lips. "My dear, we have been on the move for quite a while now, not only that the seasons are a little out of sync a bit further south of the equator," his voice vibrated in her ears and she shook her head to rid it of the tingling. She needed to concentrate she told herself. Her eyes then trailed to Garth who was conversing with the envoy.
"Ok, then who is this Grand Chief Morzai?"
Reaver rubbed his chin thoughtfully his green eyes regarding the sands at their feet. He shook his head in defeat when the name failed to inspire any memory. He finally shrugged when they were encouraged to mount their Ginrul, but as Sparrow stood she looked to Garth who approached Lorna, the pirate and her. He sighed, a frown creasing his will lined face, as he stopped beside her.
"I asked how this Morzai knew where we are, but he was very evasive on the subject."
"so, you have no idea who Morzai is then?" she asked planting a fist into her hip.
Garth shook his head with a sad smile. "I have never really been to this part of Samarkand. I tend to skirt around the borders of this part of the desert," he replied looking over his shoulder, "though I see no reason for us to indulge just once, you know, a little luxury."
Reaver smirked as Garth nimbly jumped to the Ginrul's saddle. "I like your thinking Garth," his green eyes twinkling as he too jumped to his own saddle leaving Sparrow and Lorna standing on the burning sand.
"But how long is it going to take us to get there?" Sparrow asked a hint of panic and frustration leaking into her tone. She really hoped this would not divert much from their journey. She really hated it when she had to make detours. Her thoughts instantly rested on Reaver on that score as she mentally cursed his name.
"I share your concern Sparrow, however, the envoy..." Garth's eyes momentarily flickered to the smiling individual, "assures me that we are only a few hours away and will be there by night fall."
A small growl emanated from the woman's throat. "I hate balls," she stated in an indolent tone. From behind her the sound of a Ginrul's foot falls rising and falling in the sand stopped behind her and her eyes widened as she felt the presence of someone just by her ear.
"Oh, I don't know my darling Sparrow," Reaver whispered throatily in her ear making her shiver, "I wouldn't mind seeing you in a dress for a change." He laughed as he managed to avoid Sparrow's fist that whistled with lightning speed through the warm air. Sparrow glowered up at him her cheeks slightly pink as she turned with an indignant huff.
Reaver watched her as she jumped to her Ginrul's as the creature was rising from the ground sending a cascading waterfall of sand falling from its fluffy feathers. Lorna just as nimbly jumped to her customary seat with a helping hand from Sparrow. He turned his head slightly to see Oota pull in beside him with an amused smile. Reaver did not need to read minds to know what the old man was thinking and he chuckled.
"She is awfully good to tease," he remarked as the the enormous birds surged forward simultaneously.
"You shouldn't really tease a woman so much," the old man said with cautionary tone, but Reaver merely smirked. "She may grow to hate you."
A muscle in Reaver's cheek twitched. "I know what I'm doing," he said urging his Ginrul forward with a small spurt of speed so he fell beside Sparrow.
The old man sighed and shook his head. "If you say so," he chuckled. Behind him, watching with hooded eyes, Corban sat gazing at the figures of Reaver and Sparrow darkly. His fingers twitched against the reigns and as he reached down to his saddle bag to retrieve a water skin when he froze. His eyes rested on a small round object sat inside the saddle bag, glinting in the light. With jerk he snapped the bag shut and drank fitfully from the skin he grasped tightly in his hands hoping to forget what was in the bag.
Lorna was quite glad that they were traveling through a forest of huge spikes. It meant shadows which were cooler even if it were only a few degrees, but in the intense heat of the arid desert sun it was a welcome respite from its intensity. All in all, Lorna preferred the jungle and even though it was damp it still had water were as this place of sand there was none. Her small face turned to watch Oota doze in his saddle with his reigns hung loosely in his hands. The huge bird trudged on its way not really caring where it was going except for heading in a straight line. Lorna found this odd, but in no way strange unlike some parts of their journey. She sighed and leaned against the saddle of Sparrow's mount feeling a great weariness settle in her small body.
She felt a hand touch her blond hair with soft caresses and she smiled sweetly though she did not look up. She did not really have too. A small squawk made her look down and the white Ginrul trotted to keep up with its adult counterpart. It was hopping and flapping its wings trying to grab her attention. Lorna giggled at the creatures antics which seemed to please the Ginrul as it tried to twirl in a circle, but ended up burying its head in the sand. It squeaked when the adult Ginrul stepped right over it. It gave the adult an almost indolent glare that made the girl giggle more. It soon jumped to its feet and ran after them flapping its flightless wings irritably. Lorna smiled and titled her head curiously when she noted that the white Ginrul had grown since they had met. Lorna then turned to Garth who rode beside them with a map clutched tightly in his hands and he was marking on it with some drawing implement as he muttered under his breath.
"Um... Garth?"
The mage slowly peeled his eyes from the parchment and looked down at the child curiously.
"Yes Little one?"
"How big does a ...um... Gin-rul have to be before you can ride it?" she asked her big mauve eyes sparkling imploringly.
Garth blinked and mused the question over in his mind as his head tilted to look down at the white Ginrul that pranced beside them. He smiled gently and regarded the girl mildly.
"Don't you mean how big does he have to be before you can ride him, is that right?"
Lorna twitched a little and smiled sheepishly nodding as she conceded it to be true. Garth chuckled and judged the Ginrul's height to the small girl nestled between Sparrow's legs who listened with a small smile.
"Well, though I am sure you could ride him now as he it just big enough to take your weight," he said and a huge smile appeared on her young face, "However!" he held up a finger and her smiled faded to a curious expression.
"However, the Ginrul are not trained until they are 2 years old to accept a saddle and such," he told the girl, "Plus, young children are not really allowed to ride Ginrul when the fowl is so young, it can be quite dangerous."
Lorna pouted and looked down at the white Ginrul with a disappointed sigh. She turned back to the mage with a bright smile.
"Can I at least name him?"
Garth laughed. "I don't see why not."
Lorna giggled and looked back to the Ginrul with a warm smile. Her mauve eyes trailed up Oota who still appeared to be dozing, but the lid of his eye was cracked open a little and edges of his mouth were curled up indicating a smile. Lorna chewed her lip as she thought and then grinned when the answer popped into her mind.
She turned back to the mage with a confident smile. "Loki, I will name him Loki."
The white Ginrul cawed happily as it pranced beside them. Lorna giggled and smiled when she felt a strange tingling in her bones. A sense of triumph like she had just completed something overcame her and she looked up at the old man who watched with smile before pulling his cloak hood further over his face.
As the sky began its slow transition though dusk into twilight Lorna marvelled at the radiant colours as the cloudless sky seemed like a rainbow of pinks, light oranges, and light blues closely followed by the edges of the blanket of night hovering just on the horizon waiting for its time to creep across the sky. Lorna yawned widely as tiredness was beginning to enter her mind, but her stomach relentlessly growling preventing her from even having a small nap. She pouted to herself as she tightened the cloak. The temperature had dropped considerably since dusk began but the underlying heat of the desert remained and had yet to dissipate.
Her eyes trailed suspiciously to the envoy that headed the troop and kept them heading a due east. She narrowed her eyes and sent his way her annoyance as well as her frustration at the whole situation. She smiled happily when she saw him shiver in his saddle. Just as she was about to ask if she could ride with Oota the party came to an abrupt halt and the envoy turned slightly in his saddle causing a ripple of musical tinkling as his jewellery jingled.
"As I have promised, we have arrived-ah,Welcome to Taramina," he giggled and Sparrow pushed her Ginrul forward to the edge of what appeared to be a cliff. Lorna heard the woman gasp and she looked up curiously to see the shocked expression on the woman's face. Lorna leaned over to look round the thick neck of the Ginrul and yet she still could not see anything past feathers that stuck out.
She squeaked when she felt a strong pair of hands lift her from her perch and her eyes remained wide with surprise, her body limp much like a kitten does when its mother picks it up by the scruff of the neck. When she had stopped moving she found her self perched upon Reaver's shoulder and peering down into a vast valley of glistening white buildings. She smiled widely as her eyes scanned what seemed like a vast basin dug out of the very ground and the houses reminded her of stacked blocks that started from the bottom sweeping up the edges piled on top of each other as curved paths wound between the buildings. She felt like she could reach out and just rearrange the blocks to her own design. On the very far side of the vast bowl loomed a fortress with innumerable turrets that rose like giant spikes towards the sky. Leading up to it was a vast road way, straight as an arrow, leading the way to the entrance of the deadly looking palace. A strange sense of foreboding made the smile fade from her lips.
"Quite a sight isn't it," the envoy said with a warm smile. For some reason his overly high voice set Lorna's teeth on edge. She had no real opinion of the man, but it got her to wondering if it really was a man or if he was merely gender confused. The thought made her giggle involuntarily and Reaver looked up questioningly. She merely smiled down at him as he lowered her down into the crook of his Ginrul's neck.
With a grand gesture the envoy encouraged them to follow. "Come, come, the Grand Chief is waiting."
Reaver gave the bird a quick slap on the rump to make it move forward and it made a diffident squawk before trudging after the others. Lorna merely watched with curious eyes as they made their way single file down a slope that was previously hidden to them. It wound down the side of the cliff face before turning so they paraded down the narrow dusty streets. People glanced at them inquisitively as they meandered though the streets. Children that had been playing strange games stopped to point and stare before running off laughing as the escort guards approached. Lorna marveled, as she peered into the open windows, at how highly decorated the interiors seemed to be compared to the outside. Yes the walls were a dazzling white, but it lacked any of the grandeur of some of the other towns and cities she had so far seen. Though she knew that a certain amount of practicality was involved in the architectural design she could not help feeling there must have been a way to make the buildings more attractive like maybe some trees or gardens in the streets for there seemed a lack of anything green about the place. She sighed and nestled herself between the Pirates knees who guided the fowl down the street.
As they slowly drew deeper into the bowl the temperature began to drop even further as the intense shadows created by the setting sun allowed the air to become cooler. Lorna shivered a little and drew her thin cloak closer to ward off the sudden chill. As if sensing the sudden drop in temperature Yi poked his head out of his sleeping place in Lorna's hood. He did not seem so keen on the intense heat of the desert as he nuzzled Lorna's face affectionately glowing a light green. The foreboding feeling did nothing to help the matter and as the group then stepped out of the ally way onto the long strip leading to the palace it grew like a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. Yi watched twittering worriedly in her ear as his green turned to a worrying yellow. She looked up at the fortress as it loomed over them the closer they drew to it and she wanted nothing more than to turn, and hid someplace far away from it. Yi followed her gaze and turned a deep blue out of fear. Reaver peered down at her with a worried expression.
"Are you alright poppet?" he asked in a low tone and the concern made her tilt her head questioningly.
"I'm fine," she smiled as brightly as she could though the pirate's concern shocked her a little. She never heard that tone of voice coming form him before. It was strange to say the least, but she ignored it for the moment as he smiled his usual charming smile. It always seemed to her that whenever he smiled that way it could make you forget things. She smiled back shyly as her cheeks flushed a light pink. Her eyes turned back to the fortress as the pirate chuckled.
As they got closer to the cullis gate the foreboding swirled in the pit of her stomach slowly becoming fear. She quivered and her teeth clenched tightly to stop the whimper that she knew that was building in her throat, but as the large entrance way approached she closed her eyes tightly so she could not see it her body beginning to shake uncontrollably. Before she knew it the whimper escaped and she hid her self amongst the folds of her clock. Reaver peered down again.
"Seriously, Lorna are you alright?"
She turned slightly to grab his leg she whimpered again. Reaver peeled the cloth back to see tiny tears streaking down her pink cheeks and Yi took flight dive bombing the Pirates face as he chattered angrily at him.
"No, I don't want to go in," she whined in a small voice. Seeing the girls fearful tears nearly threw Reaver into a fit of panic. He turned to Sparrow as the little girl constantly repeated her self whilst the small faery zoomed around their heads squeaking worriedly.
"No I don't wonna, don't want to go in!"
"Sparrow!" he half shouted to get the warrior woman's attention. Sparrow drew up beside him as Lorna's whimpers turned into tiny sobs and Reaver's face paled beneath his tan, eyes wild with distress. The sight would have made the woman laugh, but her maternal concern overrode her sadistic pleasure at seeing the pirate so fearful of a crying child. She placed her hand gently on the girl's head.
"Lorna, what is it?"
"I don't want to go in," she repeated insistently and continued to murmur the words like a mantra as she sobbed.
Sparrow pursed her lips and motioned for Reaver to pass the child. The pirate looked horrified raising his hands defensively as if touching the teary child would give him an illness.
"Don't be a ponce Reaver, just pick her up and hand her too me," Sparrow said irritably, "Not so hard is it?"
Reaver cast Sparrow a dark scowl as his hands snaked round the girls underarms and lifted her easily before passing her over to the awaiting woman's arms. One of the escorting soldiers peered at them as they swapped the child.
"What's going on!?" he demanded as he glowered over at them.
"Oh nothing," Sparrow said cheerily, "She's just tired and its been a long day."
The soldier snorted, but let it slide as Sparrow gave him a winsome smile. She sighed and cradled the girl as Lorna sobbed into her shoulder. Sparrow looked round at the others a little worriedly as she shifted uncomfortably in her saddle. Reaver looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," she replied as she held the girl tighter rocking slightly like a mother would a tiny baby as she whispered soothing words to the child. Yi flitted down to rest on top of Lorna's head as he watched the women coo down at her tilting its head in a confused manner. As she hummed she began to sing softly her soft voice filtering over to her comrades who looked on in amazement.
Hush now my baby be still love don't cry,
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream,
Sleep and remember my lullaby
and I'll be with you when you dream
At the sound to her voice Lorna's sobbing eased and her body visibly relaxed in her arms.
Drift on a river that flows through my arms
Drift as I'm singing to you
I see you smiling so peaceful and calm,
and holding you I'm smiling too
Here in my arms, safe from all harm,
and holding you I'm smiling too
Hush now my baby be still love don't cry,
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream,
Sleep and remember this river lullaby
and I'll be with you when you dream
here my arms safe from all harm
holding I'm smiling too,
Sleep and remember this river lullaby,
and I'll be with you when you dream,
sleep remember this river lullaby,
and I'll be with you when you dream,
I'll be with you when you dream.
When the last word was whispered Lorna's eyelids slid closed and her breathing evened out into the rhythm of sleep even Yi too had curled up breathing softly. Sparrow looked down at the child's serene, tear streaked face and sighed wiing at her cheeks gently. She had always been a sensitive child, but this was the first time she had reacted so badly to anything. Sparrow's eyes trailed up to the sheer wall of the front of the fortress above her head suspiciously. The others may not think anything of it, but there was something here and she could not put her finger on it. Whatever it was caused an uneasy feeling to envelope her. She turned when she heard a snore and looked over at Reaver who was bent over his saddle snoring loudly. He looked up, peeking up from under his hair, to make sure she was looking then quickly looked away when she was. It was the same look her dog used to give her if he had done something bad and was trying to make it out he had nothing to do with it. The pirate began snoring again and anger flared in her chest. With a snap of her wrist she cracked her riding crop over his back and she watched with a smirk when he howled with pain. She ignored him then, riding through the grand arched cullis gate, the insults and curses flung at her back.
As the dark shadow of the gate passed over them they were suddenly omitted to a vast courtyard. At its very centre was a large fountain of a strange mythical beast rising from a wave with its back arched almost impossibly backwards with its maw open. From its mouth issued a frothing plume of water that cascaded over its scaly body before the liquid landed with musical splashes in the shell shaped bowl beneath it. The rest of the area was separated into four sections each with shaped and well pruned bushes. The flower beds were an eruption of exotic colour and Sparrow's mouth fell open. Around the edge of the large space were long, thin pillars that looked far to fragile to hold the ceiling aloft, were covered in swirling vines that were wound about the thin white stone as if it were strangling it. Yi woke with a start and jumped to its feet looking around disinterestedly before taking flight to lazily fly round their heads. As the group slid from their fowls the birds were lead away and Sparrow's eyes slid upwards to gaze at the strangest canopy she had ever seen. To her it was looked like a transparent chequered blanket, but as she looked closer the lines were beams of some metal she could not put a name too that held the sheets above their heads. A certain amount of paranoia passed through her when the thought of the glass suddenly falling on their heads made her clutch the sleeping child closer to her.
The chamberlain jingled off his overly ostentatious Ginrul and waddled to the front of the group jingling as he went. Reaver watched with an amused smile as the man had a little trouble turning around and looked at them with a cheery smile.
"Well come, to the Tara Palace and if you will follow me I will take you to meet the Grand Chief immediately," he announced and lead them across the courtyard, then through a strangely shaped arch way that reminded her more of a hull of a ship that was upside down, except perhaps more exaggerated. The corridor's where made from the same white stone and their heels clicked along its surface as they walked sending eery echoes along the corridor.
The further in they went into the palace the pristine white was beginning to feel imposing and for a palace it was very empty almost hollow. Even the likes of Fairfax Castle had more of a homely feel and that has been empty for some years now. The chamberlain that guided them slowly through the halls huffed and puffed muttering irritably in Samarkand. Finally he stopped in front of a heavy dark wood door and knocked upon it three times. A bell just above the door rattled musically and the door slowly opened with an agonising groan. A fresh breeze filtered through with the sound of running water and Sparrow immediately felt her spirits lift at the sound. They passed through the portal Yi zipping over their heads and into a medium sized room though Sparrow could not really determine the purpose of the room. Her gaze settled on the carpet of grass, and the small stream that appeared out of one wall, then disappeared into the opposite wall. The only way to cross the shallow stream were slippery looking stepping stones. It seemed like a wild garden indoors with shrubs and flowers scattered at random with vast vines and trees creeping up the walls that reached out across a ceiling that looked almost identical to the one in the courtyard letting brilliant sunlight filter through. From amongst the waist height scrubs a thin looking figure appeared and they waved a hand to invite them across the stream.
The small group looked to one another as the chamberlain encouraged them to follow. Sparrow cautiously stepped lightly across the stones jumping from one to the other till she touched grass again. She turned to watch the others hop across and she laughed when Reaver slipped, with a dark curse, plunging his foot into the frigid cold water. He glanced up darkly before resuming like nothing happened. As they meandered along a hidden path of stones covered in moss camouflaging them with the grass Sparrow shifted the weight of the child and noted she had grown a little heavier. Garth looked at her questioningly, but she smiled reassuringly. Once she started carrying the child she was not going to relinquish her hold for no one. Besides, she was as strong as Hammer was; well nearly.
As they approached the figure clad in a robe of white he was bent over a bush clipping at it with some implement Sparrow had not seen before. He had a lanky looking physique and yet he was not particularly tall, with Sparrow clearly a foot taller, but he had a defiant presence about him something Sparrow had not felt since Lucien. This immediately put her on guard and her arms tightened about Lorna.
As he turned he regarded them all with a friendly smile, but his eyes peered down at them over a hawk like nose his intense stare was icy, calculating. He bowed stiffly and motioned them closer.
"I am Morzai, Grand Chief of all that you have seen within our humble little city," he said in quiet voice and yet it commanded their absolute attention, "I am pleased you made it here unscathed."
He removed the gloves that were covering hands and held out a welcoming hand first to Corban who introduced himself quickly and Morzai turned to Garth with a Grin.
"Ah Master Garth, would it be?"
Garth nodded curiously and the shorter man laughed. "Word of your prowess and intelligence has reached even our ears my dear Arch Mage," he inclined his head before moving on too Oota who looked at the hand suspiciously before taking it gruffly.
"And who would you be?" Morzai asked a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Old Man," Oota stated loudly making the Chief take a step backward. Sparrow could not help but smile as Morzai inclined his head as he removed his hand.
When he got to Sparrow he gazed down at the bundle in her arms with mild curiosity. Sparrow watched him very carefully and she felt Lorna twitch in her arms as he pulled back the clock to reveal Lorna's face. He smiled warmly although Sparrow saw something in those icy eyes that glimmered for an instant. He quickly looked up at Sparrow with no more than a brief glance as he turned away to shake a very stiff Reaver's hands. She watched as Reaver took the chief's hand and gave it a single quick jerk as he glowered down at him. Morzai shifted uncomfortably looking up at the pirate with nothing more than a relaxed and open expression, but Sparrow could tell the brusque encounter had set him on edge. Though it left Sparrow wondering what had got up Reaver's skirt to react in such a way. Yi settled on her shoulder glowing red, but remained quiet.
"I am assume she is yours?" the chief asked Reaver and both Reaver and Sparrow mirrored each others shock at the statement. Reaver's face became stoic though his green eyes glinted down at him as Sparrow added her own flinty glare to the growing tense atmosphere. Was he seriously suggesting Sparrow was Reaver's wife or was it slave. She had no idea in this part of the world which would be the case, but neither pleased her. As if responding to its owner the Daichi crackled menacingly and Morzai's eyes widened incredulously, but whatever he was about to say he fought back.
"No," Reaver said in a slow, dangerous voice, "She is her own."
With that Morzai turned to his chamberlain to speak a few words before turning back to the group a tentative hand sweeping back his dark hair from his face as he smiled.
"It has been a long journey and I request you join me for dinner," he said with a grand sweep of his hand, "Though I do believe you would like to freshen up first, so some of my servants will take you to quarters that have been assigned to you and show you where the bathing rooms are. You must all be tired and I would so much like to be friends so forgive my... assumption."
Reaver nodded stiffly leaving Sparrow to sigh with relief at the thought of a descent bath and the mere mention started to make her itch with anticipation. Reaver however had remained stiff yet expressionless and Sparrow looked at him questioningly, but he refused to look her way. She did not have a chance to question him when a servant approached and lead her away.
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Wow, that like took me forever! I know it is a longer chapter but it took me ages to right this. Well I was ill again, but shush we won't mention that. Oh and before I forget the song is titled 'River Lullaby' from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack and all rights are reserved for Dreamworks animation studios. X3 I'm not religious, but I still enjoyed that film, a good bit of story telling, but anyway so I do not own the song .
I hope you liked it and can't wait to hear any thoughts for well anything really. Ways to improve, any general comments. I do promise some fluff in future to but its hard to keep the story going and balance that out with the relationship of the characters. 'sighs' I guess I will get there eventually.