Chapter Two
"Oh no you don't!" Aradia snatched up a red desert frog as it tried to make a desperate leap from her meditation platform. She plopped the amphibian back into the small basin of purified water and leaned across it to light three of the incense sticks below her altar. Two stone carvings were set on the polished altar, one in soft curved swirls of glittering sapphire and one in a perfect star burst of mottled rose and smokey quartz. Aradia had trained diligently to earn the right to seek her channeling stones and court the emissaries they paid homage to. She paused to stare between the two stones, considering whom she might attempt to call out to on this evening. She was in such need of guidance.
Ker of Light and Shadow had only once deigned to grace her with her ominous presence, the event had left Aradia trembling and fearful as she had only been a mere five sweeps old. The other priestesses had tried to calm her, but being blessed by the emissary of the dead was not often something to be celebrated. Since that time Aradia had been visited by departed spirits that would whisper foretelling visions to her mind in disjointed flashes of premonition. She was usually left to understand their true meanings on her own, but her mind had proven uniquely adept at deciphering their fractured warnings. Over time she had grown accustomed to their unexpected visits and often found some measure of solace from their wailing prophecies in consulting the only friendly emissary she had ever heard of, Aiolos, of the Winds.
He often wrapped her in his warm breezes when she was ever lost or deeply distressed, and gave her solace in his reassuring strength and presence. He seldom had great words of wisdom for her ears and was possibly the most care free and easy going of any of the emissaries, if the old tales she had studied were true. Aradia had deep suspicions that Aiolos made it a matter of obligation to visit every priestess and therefore was one of the lesser elements on his own. Though the one time she had entertained her curiosity he had assured her that his powers were impressive enough but were greatest when joined with others in a union of summoned force. Aradia had expressed her desires to gain the strength to summon all the elemental emissaries at one calling; Aiolos had laughed heartily before warning her against such designs. She still considered him to be far too relaxed and comical about the world he helped guide, but his dimension was beyond her own and she was always careful not to doubt him too much.
With a cautious glance to Ker's stone, the young priestess carefully began her summoning. She would mean no disrespect, but Aiolos was far less intimidating, and he always answered. Her voice was clear as she called, her hands moving rhythmically through the proper invoking gestures, forming unseen glyphs in the air. The frog in her basin croaked once, the water around it bubbling and swirling gently as a soft zephyr encircled her body with gentle, familiar warmth. She opened her eyes at the sound of a light chuckle, playfully amused, and turned her gaze on the illuminated figure of the emissary of the wind, hovering above her basin with his ever present toothy grin. His eyes were vibrant blue pools of joy that pulsed with unending energy and vitality. His body glowed with a soft light like that of pale sapphire stars against the blackness of space and his touch was calming and comforting as he brushed the back of his left hand against her cheek.
"You're troubled tonight little Anai." The smile he offered her was softened, less tooth and more thoughtful, consoling. "What visions disturb you?"
Aradia wished she could stay within his glowing presence and simply rest. Though he could be wild and boistrous, in moments such as this, his very breath was a solace to her, calming and peaceful. She sighed deeply, turning her entreating gaze upon his gentle face.
"I have seen dark figures in my mind, hungry claws and teeth that swell up from the seas on the crests of angry waves, devouring the throne. I see bright light and smoke, I hear screams and violent horns and drums that thunder as a raging storm." She furrowed her brow, her face pinching into a pained expression as she reached for Aiolos' hand in desperation. "Are we to be destroyed? Our Kharonii has been gone but two days and these visions begin to plague my mind and haunt my very dreams. If we are to be attacked as the central kingdom was he must be warned. He must return to stand against the invading Aquarians! Sollux can not defeat them. We would be slaughtered and driven out to the desert to perish."
It stung her heart bitterly to doubt her beloved friend, but Sollux had consulted with her non stop since the moment the Kharonii had left the city, and her mind was disquieted with his anxiety over his duties. If their kingdom were to be the target of a sea dweller attack, in this moment of fragile leadership, they would fall to ruin. Fearfully, she looked into the eyes of Aiolos, watching his gaze turn thoughtful and attentive.
"I do not make presumption to intercede on behalf of Light and Shadow. The meaning of her messages is for you alone to determine Anai. Think deeply on what you have been shown, consider what action you should take and know that I will be with you when you call me." With a final, reassuring stroke of his hand upon her cheek, the emissary of winds faded from her sight and the soft breezes circling her chamber died out.
Gathering her burnt sticks of incense, she doused the smoking tips into the small sand pot beside the altar and strode toward the door. Giving one final look back at the silent stones she swallowed the thick swell of nerves that anxiously bubbled up from her chest, and took the first purposeful step forward in search of her Kharonsi.
"Sollux will know the best way I can reach them. He'll help me procure a fast ship or caravan and once I've been able to catch up with them, I know our Kharonii will return to secure us all." She began to run as she searched the halls, the small bells around her right wrist jingling with the frantic pace of her steps. At length she came upon the figure of her friend, silhouetted against the moonlight on a balcony over looking the city and the oasis in the distance outside the gates.
"Sollux! I must speak with you, it's urgent! I've been given a vision from Ker!" Her voice carried more of her fear than she wished it to, and Sollux reacted with the expected despair such a declaration demanded. Ker's messages were never pleasant. He ushered her into his private chambers, demanding the guards outside be sure to keep all the servants away while he conferred with the Anai.
Once they were both settled in the dim stillness of his rooms, Sollux took Aradia's hands in his own and gently squeezed them for comfort. He stared into her eyes, noted the abnormal urgency and terror within them and pulled her close enough to lean their foreheads together.
He frowned in deep concern, rubbing his thumbs over her quaking hands. "I'm listening but you must calm yourself. I can't bear seeing you this upset and if this is what Ker's visions are doing to you maybe you shouldn't-"
"Stop!" She didn't want to hear him speak such dangerous words, even if he didn't understand her relationship with the emissaries properly. "Do not speak ill against Light and Shadow, please Sollux. Do not incur her ire."
She exhaled softly, steadying herself. "Our kingdom will be attacked. I have seen it in the vision and we will fall and be destroyed. We must get word to the Kharonii and bring him home to defend our land."
Sollux swallowed as he listened to the Anai's tremulous warning. If what she said was true, then they likely had little time to act. Her visions never came long before the prophesied events occurred. He released her hands to pace the room as his mind whirled with possible routes and means of transportation. His elder had taken a ship to reach Caeciliacorinna, choosing to sail around the southern peninsula and past the desolation of the old sea castle up to the central territory. If they tried to reach them by caravan it would take far too long, the kingdom would be lost before they ever made contact. They could try to catch them by boat, but it would require something fast, a vessel that could cut through the ocean waves with ease.
"Vantas!" He whirled about suddenly, pointing a finger at his startled friend.
"Karkat Vantas, that boisterous harridan has one of the fastest ships I know of, and he owes me any way because I helped him improve the engines on the damn vessel. We'll use his ship to reach them. It should only take two days to catch up enough to send a signal." He offered her a wide grin of assurance, and proceeded to scour his room for a bag and what few items he might require.
Aradia wanted to refuse his joining her, but it wasn't her place to dissuade his decision at such a precarious time. Sollux paused to hastily scribble a note and sealed it with his crested ring, placing it at the base of his doors before taking Aradia by the hand and ushering her toward the large window in the far wall.
"I don't have time to talk to Cisera myself, but when he reads the letter he'll know how to proceed. Aradia, hold on tightly okay? Karkat should be at his out post near Rheia, prepping to sail. His last shipment arrived yesterday and he always sets out the following night. It shouldn't take me too long to get there so just don't let go." He gripped her firmly around the waist as she slipped her arms over his shoulders and gripped the folds of his bag with her fists. She could feel the hum of his energy surging to life around them. The crackle of his psionics snapped and popped warningly before red and blue lights flared around them and the sensation of weightlessness enveloped her senses. Sollux had only flown with her a few times, but never before with such purpose and need. The sand dunes and desert plants blended together in a haze of darting colors and shapes, seen for an instant before vanishing in the wake of their flight. It would be less than a few hours before they reached their destination. Aradia doubted that Sollux's merchant friend would be very thrilled at the prospect of losing business and taking the two of them on board his ship, but despite his surly attitude, she had always considered him a loyal citizen of their kingdom. He and Sollux shared a bond she didn't fully understand but trusted nonetheless to be useful to their current needs. He would help them, she was certain.
Shadowed structures with peeking lights were all the forewarning they had before their flight path was abruptly forced into a series of careening turns and staggering half skips across the roof tops of port side hives. Aradia clutched Sollux's shoulders in a vice like grip as the wooden arm of a dock side crane nearly scraped her horns as they skimmed just beneath, twisting one final lurching left turn that sent them thundering down onto the deck of a narrow slip of a vessel laden with crates and barrels and stunned crew men. The ship shuddered under the impact, leaning heavily to the right just long enough to bump into the long floating dock beside it. Cargo that wasn't strapped securely began to slide slightly, and a single barrel of polished wool beast horns toppled over onto the deck. Sollux managed to balance his friend on one knee as his psionics faded out with a sputtering crackle of furious energy. He allowed Aradia to disentangle herself before standing beside her and looking about the dumbfounded trolls on deck. The silence of astonishment didn't last long; from somewhere behind the rows of crates came the furious stomping and snarling of the very troll he had come in search of.
"What sopor-sucking, thick-headed, ignorant ass hole thinks they have a right to go damaging my ship?!" Hot-headed as ever, Karkat Vantas came blustering around his cargo, chest puffed out in fury, his features pulled tight in an ugly sneer of rage, one small hand all ready clutching at the hilt of his sickle, ready to pull it from his side and cleave some sense into the offender. He came to a halt as he recognized exactly who was to blame for rocking his boat about against the dock. The brief widening of his eyes was replaced with venomous indignation in a moment, his small figure stalking directly up to Sollux so that he could better reprimand him, nose to nose.
"You! What the fuck are you doing here? Do you have any idea how expensive it is to repair my ship if it gets damaged? Of course you don't! You spoiled shit stain! We don't all squeeze jewels and gold from our nooks you know?" He seethed, jabbing a finger into Sollux's chest as he continued to rage. Aradia had to give her friend some credit, he wasn't flinching under the verbal flagellation Karkat was giving him. Not even when a bit of spittle managed to land on his cheek, though he did curl his upper lip somewhat in response before lifting a hand to wipe it away. The shorter of the two continued his admonishing barrage. "You damaged my fucking cargo you self-important bastard, what in the Mother Grub's gaping sphincter of wonders could possibly have convinced you to come barreling onto my ship Sollux?!"
Now that he had a moment to actually explain himself, in fact it seemed his angry friend was waiting expectantly, booted foot tapping impatiently against the deck, Sollux offered him a thin sneer of his own and replied almost snidely.
"I'm claiming the favor you owe me. You will sail this vessel around the southern peninsula, with all speed that can be mustered." He allowed himself a breath, a beat of two seconds for his friend's brain to process what he had just said and then came the expected explosion.
"You want me to what?! This is my vessel Captor! I don't give a flying squeakbeast's ass if you're the Kharonsi or not. You don't come onto my ship and start ordering me where to sail her! Favor or no favor I have a deadline to keep and an account to settle so you can take your little curly horned friend here and fly both your asses back to your-" Karkat's glorious tirade was cut short by Aradia's slender hand gripping his arm in ardent despair. He blinked uncertainly at her face, the severe concern and fear in her expression stopping his rage cold. Turning his gaze to Sollux he took in the stress of his friend's worried features and frowned deeply. "Who exactly are we chasing down, Sollux?"
"The Kharonii himself. If we don't catch up to him within four days, Aquaria will attack our kingdom. Ker has sent our Anai a vision foretelling this." The hushed words were heavy with certainty, and all Karkat could manage in his shock was an agitated, "Damn it all! Listen up nook sniffers! We're changing course and putting out to sea, now!"