Chapter 5 Sunstone making.
As Vaan trudged through the dusty ground he pondered what he would do once he
got inside the palace. I mean if Dalan was right then getting in shouldn't be too much
of a problem, but how to get out with as much loot as he could carry was another thing.
Maybe he could find only a few trinkets that were worth a lot of money, perhaps a
gemstone. Vaan smiled gleefully at the thought, Penelo nudged him.
"Whats going through that head of yours?" She said darkly. Vaan gave her an evil grin.
"I'm just up to my usual tricks." He replied gruffly. Although she asked way too many
questions Vaan was happy to have Penelo with him. So far they had gone through four
of those gigantic black pillars, five hyenas which chased them for at least two miles, a
scraped knee earned by penelo, a cut cheek earned by him and a small bite mark where a
Giza rabbit had been angry. He probably would have given up long ago without her
conversation. He looked casually at the shadestone in his hand. Still charcoal black.
Jinn had said that the stone would get orange and red stains when it was a sunstone,
the sight of the plain black stone wasn't much encouragement. Vaan looked at the
sun sinking behind the trees, how much time had past? Was there still a chance?
"Vaan look!" Penelo cried. Driven from his thoughts Vaan looked up to see the biggest
pillar he had ever seen over a ridge. He hurried onward picking up speed. That had to have
enough energy in it to fill a thousand of these rocks. There was hope after all.
The slaven was tired. Life on the plains is very difficult for a bipedal reptile, especially
one the size of a small house. He had no arms of which to speak of so his only tool was his mouth.
Foraging all day had left him very sleepy so he had settled down behind his favorite black rock
to shield him from the scorching sun to have a short nap before the nights hunting.
Slowly his gaze moved around his home. The camp somewhere in the distance. He knew
those humes well enough though. They wouldn't bother him if he left them alone. The
animals of the plains, none but the werewolf could even hope to stand against him.
He was the king of these plains, none could hope to change that. He suddenly
froze, he had heard a noise. There it was again, that noise he recognised as Hume language.
As he sat there pondering this two shapes came crashing out of the undergrowth beside him.
Dispite his generaly peaceful nature slavens have very little brain inside their re-enforced skull.
So when surprised, the slaven did as all his kind would do. React automatically and aggresively.
"Vaan!" Shrieked Penelo as both of them in their hurry to get to the pillar had almost run into a large
slaven, and said slaven didn't seem to pleased about being disturbed. It rose to it's feet and let out
a bellow that shook the very ground. Vaan and Penelo stood there, frozen with fear. Vaan's eyes
darted frantically right and left. What should he do. There was no way the two of them could outrun
the beast and there was nowhere to shelter from it either. He had only his knife, if he'd had his sword
they might have stood a chance. The slaven was clearly tired of waiting and made the first move.
With a speed that seemed impossible for a creature so big it charged the children with another defiant roar.
Vaan barely had the time to push Penelo out of the way before it was upon him. Vaan drew his knife, determined
to protect his friend but the slaven was too quick. It delivered a punishing kick to Vaan's chest which
lifted him off his feet and into a nearby tree. Vaan gasped as all the air in his body was squeezed out
and he fell to the floor clutching his chest. The creature relaxed, satisfied that the threat had been neutralised.
Then he turned his gaze to the other Hume who seemed either stunned or too frightened to move.
There was no reason he couldn't start the hunt early.
Penelo hadn't moved since Vaan had pushed her down. In shock at the appearance of the slaven and
that Vaan had been knocked down. She had always thought of Vaan as the invincible hero. No matter
who tried, peddler, soldier even the mighty Empire could not catch him. Now to see him on the
ground writhing in pain just didn't seem right. She suddenly heard the creature growling. She turned
to see it advancing on her patient and confident. She shuffled away until her back was against the
black stone. So often had Migelo told her that if she didn't do her jobs then a slaven would gobble her up.
No he was going to be proved right. Tears began forming in her eyes. She had only come out here to
make sure Vaan wasn't getting himself killed, now she was the one dying and the only person that could
do anything about it was lying on the ground possibly with broken ribs. The slaven didn't give her time
to think any further. In one motion it lowered it's head it's mouth agape. Penelo couldn't take it, all this
time trying to survive she was going to be eaten by some wild animal, Vaan too probably. Why when they
had suffered so much already did they have such pointless deaths. It wasn't fair. Suddenly she felt
something break through the terror and emotion. Something bright and burning, like a mixture between
courage, happiness and boundless energy. It was flowing through her like a river from the black stone.
With new courage she stood up to meet the maw of the slaven, quicker than the eye could follow she
drew her knife and hurled it at the slaven, brave though this was it wasn't very helpfull. The weapon
bounced harmlessly off the slaven's nose. But something else happened. As Penelo threw the knife
a jet of bright and roaring flame shot from her hand. Vaan looked up just in time to see it, his best friend
fighting off a slaven by conjouring fire out of thin air. The blast caught the slaven straight in the face, including
it's unprotected mouth. It reeled backward in agony, and ran off into the trees, he knew when he was beaten.
The flames died and Penelo stood there in disbelief, then she collapsed and knew no more.
"Ah my dear, I see your awake." Penelo opened her eyes to see an old woman staring back. "You're very
lucky our people found you out by the slaven's hunting grounds. If He'd found you I don't know what would've
happened." Penelo shook her head to clear it, She was in a tent. A battered old tent thathad the markings
of the looked to the left too see Vaan slepping on a bed next to hers.
"Is he alright?" She asked the woman nervously. The physician smiled kindly.
"I'm just about done with him, though he was in a bad way when we found him." She washed her hands in a bowl
in the corner. "I'm Jhasmina by the way." She added, walking towards Vaan and placing her hands on his chest.
Penelo was about to answer when Jhasmina started chanting in an odd language under her breath. Suddenly her
hands started to glow blue and green. Penelo gasped.
"What are you doing to him?" She cried. Jhasmina gave her a reasuring glance.
"It's alright dear, He's healing himself. I'm just helping him along." She looked at the girl kindly but Penelo wasn't listening
anymore. She was slowly remembering what had happened next to the black stone. The roaring heat of the fire,
and the knowledge of what she had done. Her face fell into her hands and she began to sob silently.
"Penelo, could you stop that, it's really annoying." Came a raspy voice from the bed next to her. Penelo jumped to her
feet her face still streaked with tears to see Vaan's bruised and battered face. He was alive, that was all that mattered.
Down in lowtown Vaan swayed. Penelo caught him.
"Steady there." She said. "You had broken ribs not too long ago." Vaan sulked.
"I'm fine," He complained. "Jhasmina must be some kind of magician, I'm just a little shakey that's all."
Penelo sighed as they reached old Dalan's house. Vaan let go of Penelo's shoulder and walked towards the door.
"Hey Vaan?" Penelo called after him. Vaan turned. "Even though it was terrifying, it's been a long time since
we did anything together. Maybe too long. I actually had a really good time." She started walking away, but paused
suddenly. "Vaan." She said softly. "Try to stay out of trouble, for me?" Vaan looked puzzled. He'd never seen this side
of Penelo before. But she continued. "I don't know what I'd do if you were'nt here. Or if something happened to you.
Vaan shook his head, she was hopeless.
"I'm not going anywhere, okay." He said confidently. Penelo turned to face him smiling.
"Thank you Vaan." She said, and disappeared down the streets of lowtown. Vaan turned away towards
Dalan's door as above him the feast began.
"Sorry Penelo." He whispered.
In the palace most of the dark corridors were deserted. All the light and life was in the hall at the center of the building.
Nobody noticed the skif bike that floated through the abandoned corridors carrying two passengers.
As the bike set down on top of a tower, both riders dismounted to watch the banquet. All the guards were
focused around here, the treasury was unguarded. It was now or never.