Author's Note:
Hey, hey! Sorry for such a long wait between the last two chapters, but it's been busy. Now that I only have summer classes and work full-time, I can write much more! (Maybe…) Regardless, my goal is to finish this story by the end of 2021, so we'll see!
Last chapter also introduced my first (and maybe not last) OC villain, so that's cool! He'll be back later…
Enjoy!
It was only when the sun arose that Ean dared try to contact the spirits again. Reaching tentatively into his mind, he felt for the pocket of magic that held the beasts within. Even from a distance, he could feel some sort of turmoil going on, and he plunged forwards.
"Shut up!" Vincent roared as he pounced forward, slashing at the giant chicken that was attempting to kill him.
"What? Afraid it's true? Jealous that I have more memories than you, Vincent?" The wolf roared, and his eyes began to glow an even brighter red. Ean was frozen watching them fight. Suddenly, he felt another pair of eyes on him, and he turned to see Edward looking at him.
"Edward? What happened?" The cyclops looked at him silently.
"Amari." He rumbled, and Ean thought he remembered Vincent making a remark about Edward's crying.
"She attacked him?"
"He did not apologize." It was one of the longest phrases Edward had uttered, and that was what shocked Ean into motion.
"Can you help me?" He asked. "I need to overpower them." The cyclops stared at him for a moment, and then the elf felt power surging into his veins. Unlike the other spirits, the energy he was given was nothing but raw, undiluted power that surged through his entire body. He took a deep breath.
"ENOUGH!" He bellowed, so loudly that both wolf and chicken were flung backwards. They hit the ground and whirled towards him. Amari opened her mouth, but Ean cut her off.
"Stop it, both of you! Vincent, you will apologize to Edward. Amari, you will apologize to Vincent."
"But he-"
"But she-"
"Quiet! You're both in the wrong here, and it nearly got me killed." Silence fell.
"What happened?" Amari asked.
"I was taken from your memories, Edward, and thrown into a similar place as this. But you were gone, and there was a strange figure there. He told me that he would make me suffer, and you as well. Apparently, he nullified your powers by making you argue." Amari and Vincent looked at each other.
"Listen," Ean said quietly. "I know it's difficult to not have your memories, but we must stay together. Whatever that thing was, it will return, and we can't be distracted. So please apologize, both of you. I've got to go, but I expect things to be patched up later." He turned away from the two spirits, leaving them to think. Edward stared at him, and he heard his voice speak to him alone:
"Thank you." The voice was warm, almost human, and Ean smiled.
"Of course."
Ean opened his eyes to see that the sun was up and the others were beginning to stir around the ashes of the fire. He got up and moved over to them, preparing a meal over the fire. Iya blinked a few times as she sat up, looking around.
"You didn't wake me." She murmured as she pulled her cloak on.
"You needed sleep." Ean responded, and she frowned. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"I suppose so." She said, stretching lithely. "Did you get any sleep?"
"No." Ean responded. The elven woman looked at him curiously, but he did not elaborate. "I'll tell you later."
After a quick breakfast, the group continued their journey down the road. Gavin was almost fully recovered, but Ean was assailed several times but a strange bout of weakness. Iya stared at him funnily, but did not say anything as he slowly regained strength in his limbs. Evidently, whatever the creature had done had affected his powers, although he did not know why.
After a few hours, the group encountered a new landmark: the first patch of sand upon the ground. It grew larger and larger, and Ean suddenly saw that the sky was clear up ahead.
"Come on!" He said, and raced forwards towards the open area, which was about 100 meters away. The others followed, but Jack blew by all of them in a full-out sprint, reaching the outcrop of rock about fifteen seconds earlier than Ean. When the rest arrived, they saw that Jack had an awestruck expression on his face, and after a brief glance, they could see why.
The area in front of them stretched out into nothing but endless dunes of sand and tall, spindly palm trees. The air was hazy, and they could not see locations in the distance very clearly. Most noticeable was the heat, which bore down upon them like a cloud from all directions.
"Wow." Gavin said. "It is hotter than I remember."
"You've been here?" Ean asked.
"About sixty years ago." The warlock responded. "I was looking for some ruins."
"And?" Rye asked. "What did you find?"
"Some old scrolls and a lot of scorpions." Gavin said with a laugh. "They've got thick scales, but magic works great."
"That's great and all," Jack said sarcastically. "But can we get moving before I burn to death? I won't have to wait for the scorpions to kill me." Gavin gave him an eye roll.
"I was going to say," He said, pointing to one of the last few rocks that was large enough to be a hill. "That I found another Magic Express while I was here, but I didn't activate it." They strode over to the area, and Ean found that the rock did indeed have a cave carved into the back of it. He flipped the lever and rejoined the group, which was evidently ready to leave.
"Uthar told me that we should just follow the road to Seri." Ean said. "Apparently there's oases along the way, so we should be good on water." The sun was beginning to wear on him and the others, and he wanted to get moving as quickly as possible. After taking a drink of water, the party began moving down the road, heading towards the distant horizon.
Iya walked steadily through the sand and stones as the sun bore down upon the back of her cloak, heating it to a point where it was almost uncomfortable. She wiped a bead of sweat form her brow, looking ahead to where Ean and Gavin were surveying the horizon. As seemed to be the new normal, looking at her friend stirred up several emotions in her at the same time, making her feel awkward.
"You okay?" Rye asked her. He was also very sweaty and tired. "I'm definitely not used to such weather." His hood was pulled up to avoid getting burned, same as the rest of the group.
"Yeah, it's just really hot." Iya sighed. "I've never seen anything except trees and green meadows, though, so I guess this is a new experience."
"Same here." Rye said. "I suppose it's quite pretty, in a way." Ahead of them, Ean pointed to something in the distance.
"There's an oasis up ahead! Maybe another mile or so!" Rye gave him a thumbs up and they continued walking, joined by Jack, who had slowed down to walk with them. Ever since the battle with the cyclops, he had become a little more reliable, occasionally scouting ahead for monsters and places to rest. Thus, Gavin and Rye had been treating him a little more respectfully, although it was clear that they still had their doubts about the boy.
"This is why I never came this way." He grumbled, dragging his feet slightly.
"I'm sure Seri appreciates it." Rye said with a sarcastic smile. "Where did you grow up?"
"Thais." Jack said. "And then everywhere." Rye did not say anything else. About ten minutes later, the group arrived at the oasis, which was much larger than the previous ones they had encountered. Ean looked up at the sun.
"I think we'll rest here for a little while, to let the sun go down a bit." They had been traveling for a couple of hours, and they were all tired of the heat. The elf knelt down by the shimmering pool, which was surprisingly cool, and began filling the water flasks. The others found rocks to sit on in the shade of a few trees, content to rest for a few minutes. Iya watched Jack glance at Ean once, then twice, and she knew what he was about to do. The boy snuck over to Ean stealthily while his back was turned, and with a shout, pushed him headfirst into the pond. He let out a short cry as he bobbed to the surface, thoroughly soaked. Rye and Gavin roared with laughter at the sight of the elf glaring at Jack, who was holding his sides with mirth. After a few seconds, he relaxed and smiled.
"Fine, you got me. It actually feels pretty nice." He floated over to the rocky edge of the pond, holding out his hand to Iya. "Give me a hand, will you?" She nodded and moved over to the edge, grabbing his wet hand and preparing to pull him upwards. Too late, she heard a snicker from Jack, and turned back just in time for Ean to yank her into the oasis as well. She shrieked as she hit the cool water, sinking under the surface for a brief moment before her feet found the smooth bottom. Shaking her wet hair from her eyes, she turned to see Ean grinning at her.
"You are so infuriating sometimes." She said, trying to be mad.
"I can tell you enjoyed it." He teased casually, still smiling. Turning around, Iya looked at the rest of the group sitting on the rocks, only to find that Rye had an eyebrow raised, and Gavin was determinedly looking the other way. Only Jack seemed confused, and she looked back at Ean, who had a slight blush on his face.
It was then that she realized just how close she was to the other elf, one hand still holding his own and the other resting on his chest to support herself. She blushed furiously as she pulled away, moving a good three feet away from Ean, who seemed similarly relieved.
"Anybody else jumping in?" Ean asked lazily, closing his eyes.
"I'm good." Gavin said, and Jack nodded. Rye also seemed similarly disinclined. Ean pulled himself from the pond, sending water splashing everywhere.
"Well, at least my clothes will dry quickly." He said, watching as Iya clambered out of the water as well. They joined the others on the rocks, resting in the shade for a while. Iya noticed that Rye kept his bow on him, and Gavin had his staff close at hand.
"Expecting something?" She asked, and Gavin shrugged.
"We're approaching the salamander nesting grounds, so be on the lookout. They're big, fast, and tough. There's probably more of the scorpions too. The group had already encountered some of the large arthropods near the road, but they did not pose a major challenge. However, the salamanders were apparently much bigger and stronger, which was quite worrying. Still, she could not help but feel a growing sense of excitement.
Once we get to Seri, we'll be able to get a ship, and then we'll be able to continue our quest! Or my quest… She only hoped that everything would work out in the end, or else she would never be able to return home.
It's best not to think about the overall goal. One thing at a time. Ean had told her that before they left Thais, sensing that she still felt overwhelmed by it all. He was a good friend, better than she deserved.
And of course, he… No, she could not think about that now. Turning her attention back to the group, she saw that Jack was lying on the sand with his eyes closed, and the others were still scanning the horizon. The only exception was Ean, who was in another of his trances where he communicated with the spirits. As she watched, his brow furrowed, and she somehow knew that he was answering a question. Leaning back against a rock, she gripped her staff and waited patiently to begin the journey once more.
Rye watched as Ean blinked several times, looking around him. They had been at the oasis for a few hours, and Ean had been either resting or communicating with the spirits the whole time. He caught his eye as he turned around, looking towards him. The others had taken the opportunity to nap for a while, as they were going to travel deep into the night to avoid the heat.
"Everything good?" He asked quietly, and Ean nodded.
"Just… some stuff going on. A lot, actually." He had not told any of the others about the shadowy figure he had seen in the spirit world yet. Rye looked at him for a long moment, then nodded.
"We should probably get moving." Ean nodded and got to his feet, adjusting his chainmail underneath his shirt. He moved around, waking the others while Rye double-checked the supplies one last time. According to a sign, the next oasis was quite far, and he wanted to be prepared. Seeing that there was nothing amiss, he grabbed his bow and began scouting the road ahead. The others joined him, and they set off down the stony road once more.
The journey was uneventful for the first hour, but they soon began to see cliffs made out of a harder sand that stood around thirty feet tall. They formed twisting canyons that led away from the road, and Gavin seemed to grow nervous.
"This is the entrance to the salamander nesting grounds. We must be careful." Ean nodded, readying his claws. The others brandished their weapons as well, excepting Jack, who did not have a sufficient way to defend himself. They entered the canyon, looking around for anything that might attack, but it was oddly silent.
"What's that?" Jack asked suddenly. The others strained their ears, listening. From within the canyon, a faint rasping sound was issuing, echoing slightly through the walls. It was like two pieces of rough metal being rubbed together, making a sound that repeated in odd rhythm.
"Guys…" Rye said, but it was too late. In front of them, two massive creatures emerged from the canyons, their orange and brown hide glinting in the sunlight. They were large, almost half the size of a human, with four legs that ended in stubby claws. Their heads were flat and ovally, and they had a large tail that swung back and forth behind them.
"Salamanders?" Ean asked, and Gavin nodded.
"They have poisonous bites and powerful attacks, especially with the tail." The salamanders hissed again, as if pleased by his words.
"Behind us!" Jack said, and Rye whirled to see three of the black desert scorpions coming up behind them, barbs glinting in the air.
"We're surrounded." Rye said, nocking an arrow. "I'll take the back. Iya, help me." The elf nodded and readied herself to cast magic. Jack stepped behind her, hand on his dagger.
"Then I guess we've got the front." Gavin said, lightning dancing between his fingers. The salamanders hissed and moved forwards, as did the scorpions. With a thrum, Rye fired.
His first arrow hit a scorpion in the eye, dropping it instantly, but his second shot merely glanced off the barb of the one behind it. Next to him, Iya slammed her staff into the ground with a swing, and a massive spike of earth burst from beneath the last, crushing it and flinging the body into the air.
And then the last one was upon him, and the green-haired hunter was forced to jump backwards to avoid the stinger. He fired again, hitting the leg, and Iya sent a spike of ice into the scorpion's shell, crushing it.
"Good shot." He said, turning to look at the others. Gavin had all but finished one salamander, blasting it with lightning and other curses. It had many scales burnt off, and it was staggering sideways away from him. Ean was dancing around the other creature, drawing blood from it as he hacked and slashed. But something felt off. His movements seemed slower, and Rye began to run forward, aiming an arrow.
As Ean leapt upwards, the tail of the salamander caught him in the leg, sending his sprawling. As he hit the ground, he clutched his arms in pain, and Rye saw that they were covered in strange red lines that were pulsing like veins.
"Ean!" Gavin shouted, blasting the salamander backwards with a curse. Iya joined him, flinging frost and ember songs with a fury until the creature was nothing but a charred husk upon the sand. Rye hurled himself down next to Ean, who was still clutching his arms.
"It's not real… It's not real…" He muttered multiple times, and Iya grabbed his shoulder.
"Is it the spirits?"
"No… something else." Ean managed to say as another wave of pain racked him. He slammed his fists into the ground, brows furrowed. "Get out!" He bellowed, and the red lines began to fade. When they were gone, his breathing evened out and he sat on the sand, panting. Gavin gave him some water, and he drank thirstily.
"Thanks." He gasped. "That was… close."
"What was that?" Rye asked. Ean looked up at him.
"I'll tell you on the way. Come on, we must hurry." He began limping forwards, and the party exchanged looks.
"There's no persuading him, is there?" Gavin said, and Iya shook her head.
"He can handle it, whatever it is. Let's go."
Ean filled them in on the strange spirit that he had seen in his visions as they continued on his journey.
"I didn't think he could attack me again, but I guess he found another weak point."
"Hmmm…" Gavin said. "I don't know what kind of creature it is, but it must be linked to the beast spirits somehow. Perhaps a sort of enemy?"
"No idea." Ean shrugged, coughing slightly. "But it seems that I can keep him out of my head temporarily. I'll talk to the spirits about it."
"Maybe," Jack piped up. "He can get you when you use too much of your powers." Ean looked at him, and the boy continued with a frown.
"You've been traveling nonstop for days, so your power has to be weakening. Maybe take some time to rest?" He seemed nervous at suggesting such a thing, but Iya was on his side.
"I agree." She said quietly, looking at Ean. "You've been pushing yourself too much lately. You can rely on us more."
"It's not that I don't rely on you." Ean said. "I just feel like solving the mystery of these spirits is very important, for all of us. Who knows what secrets they could tell us about the Snow Queen? I guess I've been getting too caught up in it." A quiet fell over the camp at the mention of their worst enemy.
"Okay." Rye said. "We keep going, but you will get some rest in Seri."
"Looking forward to it." Ean said with a smile. "I'll just lay out while you do all the work." His eyes went slightly blank, and they knew he was talking to the spirits once again.
"Well?" Ean spoke, looking at the cyclops. "Did they apologize?"
"Of sorts." The man said quietly.
"He means yes." Amari said with a sigh. "We shouldn't have fought, but that's not important. Ean, what happened? We got shut off from you when the monsters attacked."
"It was the figure again, with the strange abilities." Ean grimaced. "He really doesn't like me, or you."
"And he was able to just shut us out?" Vincent asked skeptically.
"Apparently." Ean told them about his theories, and the other creatures listened quietly. "And apparently I can concentrate to block him out, but it's really difficult."
"Hm." Vincent said. "Maybe we can do something about this. I'm not sure if we can look beyond this space, except into our own memories."
"We could start there?" Amari said. "Perhaps we can find a clue in your-"
"No!" Vincent said sharply, and Edward turned to stare at him. "Sorry." He muttered. "But they're private."
"That's okay." Ean said. "You look through there, and Amari and Edward will look through their own. Sound good?"
"I suppose." Vincent muttered, shaking his head slightly. Edward nodded slowly.
"We're almost to Seri, so I'll probably contact you when we're safe. Until then, be careful, alright?" Ean said, and the monsters vanished into darkness once more.
As night fell, the moon began to rise over the desert, casting a beautiful silver light upon the path. Somehow, the desert seemed much more peaceful at night. As the party emerged onto an open stretch of ground, Jack looked around at the sand with wide eyes. The desert stretched out to the south for almost as far as he could see, and all of it was covered in the glow of the moon.
"It's beautiful." He murmured, and Ean stepped up next to him.
"I never imagined I'd see a sight like this." He said quietly. "Who knows what else is out there?" Jack looked at him, a strange emotion churning in his gut.
"Hey, look at this!" Gavin called, and they turned to see him standing atop a small sand dune nearby. The warlock had an excited look on his face as he gazed to the east. The others joined him on the hill, and Jack finally saw what the man had been looking at. In the far distance, there was a collection of lights that formed a bright glow on the horizon.
"Is that-"
"Seri." Gavin confirmed. "We're probably another three or four hours away."
"We can't enter the city during the night, though." Rye reminded them. "Do we rest here for the night?"
"I think that would be a good idea." Ean said. "There's lots of dry wood and branches for a fire. We can make a proper meal." Iya nodded, her blue hair shining in the moonlight.
She looks… powerful. Jack supposed that she certainly was, in her own way. As the party began to set up camp, he moved off down the hill to collect sticks for the fire. After gathering a large bundle, he returned to the camp, where Ean began stacking them to make a fire. The night air was slightly cold, and Jack was grateful for the warmth of the blazing logs. While the others were working, he surveyed each of them.
Ean and Iya were by far the nicest to him. They were good, if slightly naïve, people, much like he remembered his sister. And although, he wasn't sure, he was very suspicious that something was going on between him.
Rye was okay, he supposed. He was a good archer and a brave fighter, despite not having magic or beast spirits to use as weapons. And Ean trusted him, so that meant Jack would have to as well. He jerked slightly, startled at his thoughts.
Am I becoming part of the group? In truth, he didn't know how he felt about that. He had worked with other thieves in the past, but never for very long. This group felt… different. They acted more like family to each other, but Jack had never had much experience with a good family. Turning back, he surveyed the last and most troublesome of the group: the warlock.
It wasn't as though he hated Gavin, but he'd had a bit of a reputation two hundred years ago. If even half the things were true, Jack would have been running for his life. As it was, the man seemed fairly normal. Perhaps he'd changed.
"Hey, you want something to eat?" Ean asked him gently. He was roasting some vegetables along with some dried meat, which wasn't a bad combination. You could even put it in bread and make a sandwich.
"Yes." He said, reaching for his water skin. The others joined them around the fire.
"Nothing stirring out there." Rye said. "I'll check again later." After Ean distributed the food, they sat around the fire for a little while, enjoying the respite from the heat.
"What do we do when we get to Seri?"
"We look for this woman Uthar mentioned." Ean said. "Apparently we should ask for 'Dragon Dung'?"
"That's an odd name." Rye said with a grin. Gavin smiled slightly, but he seemed preoccupied by something else. Iya lay back on her sleeping roll, looking at the stars.
"They are different."
"What is?" Jack asked.
"The stars. They form different patterns than they do at home." Iya traced the sky with a finger, evidently lost in thought. "I wonder why that is. Is the Vale truly so far away?"
"You'll make it there eventually." Rye said firmly, but not unkindly. Iya looked at him, a sad smile on her face.
"Maybe one day." Jack shivered slightly at the words, at the raw pain behind them. He didn't know everything, but he was starting to suspect there was far more to the elves' story than it seemed. Ean caught his eye, and Jack raised an eyebrow. The elf shook his head slightly, indicating that he should not ask.
"Well, I'm for bed." Gavin said. "Who's got first watch?"
"I can take it." Jack said before Ean could say anything. "I might as well learn if I'm going to be stuck with you for the long haul. Besides, Ean needs rest." Ean looked at him for a moment, as if evaluating his response.
"Alright. You have your knife?" Jack nodded, and Ean indicated a rock nearby. "Wake us if you see anything alright?"
"I promise." Jack said solemnly, grabbing a blanket. He sat on the rock, looking out over the moonlit desert. Everything was still, barring the occasional breeze and animal moving across the desert far in the distance. Behind him, the fire crackled and popped quietly as the others slept in a loose circle around it.
It was an hour or more later when Jack heard a sound behind him. It was a quiet, breathless sound, and the boy pulled out his knife as he whipped around, eyes scanning the area. There was nothing there, and he realized that the sound was coming from near the fire. Iya was quietly tossing and turning, mumbling things under her breath that Jack could not hear. He rose to check on her, and he saw that her face was scrunched up in something like pain, her blue hair tangled beneath her.
What do I do? Jack's eyes fell on Ean, a few meters away. He was sleeping peacefully, and he did not want to wake the exhausted elf. He turned back to Iya, whose muttering increased slightly in volume, and Jack made his decision. Moving over to Ean, he shook him slightly.
"Jack? What is it?" He asked blearily.
"Iya's having a nightmare or something." Jack said, and the mention of the other elf seemed to wake Ean faster than he had ever seen before. Instantly alert, he moved over to the female elf, touching her arm gently.
"Iya?" He whispered, shaking her gently. "Wake up." Not wanting to intrude, Jack moved away from the pair. He heard Iya say something unintelligible, and Ean's gentle response of: "I'm right here." He resumed his watch on the rock, eyes scanning the horizon for any threats. As he turned slightly, he saw that Ean had moved next to Iya and had an arm around her shoulder. She was still shaking, but she seemed… happier with him there. Together in the moonlight, they seemed right, as though they had always been that close to each other.
When Jack woke Rye for his watch, he saw that Ean was sleeping closer to Iya than before, as if to comfort her. The boy rolled into his sleeping bag, mind racing. What could have happened to distress the two elves so much?
Morning came, and the party rose to pursue their goal once again. Energy refreshed by the knowledge that Seri was only a few hours away, they moved quickly, covering the last miles in nearly half the time. As the road began to widen, Ean noticed two things ahead of them: an oasis, and a girl. The latter was standing next to the former, in the shade of the trees surrounding the pool. As they approached, she perked up visibly and waved at them with a smile.
"Hi! Are you travelers?" Ean nodded. "Oh, excellent! May I ask, did you find any salamander eggs on your way through the desert?"
"What? Oh, um, no." The elf said, confused. The girl's head drooped.
"Aw, darn it. I really need one, but… that's okay, I suppose."
"What do you need it for?" Rye asked.
"I can hatch the salamanders and tame them. But more importantly, I can make super tough armors out of their scales!" Ean looked at the others with his eyebrows raised.
"How do you do that?"
"Oh, it's a secret! But it doesn't matter anyways. The salamanders used to live around here, but they were driven out by other predators and the like a few years ago. Now the nests are farther away, and I can't get in there."
"What if we get you one?" The girl blinked once, then twice.
"You would do that?"
"If you're willing to show us how to make armor, sure."
"Awesome! I just need a single egg, and once it hatches, I can show you how." Ean pulled out the journal and scribbled the woman's request onto a page.
"Where can we find you?"
"I live out here, in a cave." She gestured in the direction of the oasis. "You'll find me! I'm Sabriyya, by the way."
"Well then, we will see you later." Ean said.
"Bye!" Sabriyya called as they continued down the road.
"Strange." Gavin remarked. "I wonder if the armor is magic."
"Guess we'll find out." Ean said. "Now come on, we're almost there!" They continued onwards through the bends until they rounded a corner and found themselves looking down upon the city of Seri.
"Wow." Rye said quietly. The city was many times larger than either Thais or Candar, with sandstone buildings reaching it all directions until they met the sea. The middle of the metropolis was dominated by a massive palace that featured many bulbous, multi-colored spires. The entire city was on a peninsula, and they could see across the ocean for miles. Even from a distance, the sounds of the city were audible, and Ean smiled.
"We really made it." He pointed to a nearby gate in the wall, where two guards were posted. "We can go in there, it looks like." With a final glance back, the party headed down the hill towards the sprawling desert city.