Chronicles of Espiria Season 3
Episode 24 – Safiya's Great Plot
Written by CindyDaGreat
Deep within the caverns of the Arachin, Vurk, Fritz, and Kren darted from crevice to crevice. They scuttled across stalagmites and peeked through open tunnels leading to vast chambers with contents unknown, never lingering in one place for too long. One of the three leaped to a rocky platform with too much force, causing a wayward stone to drop noisily as echoes of its descent rumbled in the darkness.
"Kren!" Fritz whispered. "Stealth mission, remember?"
The fiery Durri scoffed. "I'm a wanted criminal! I've run plenty of stealth missions; still do, and 'steal' is in the name! You're talking to a professional, squirt. Highly sought-after skillset."
Fritz rolled his eyes and leaped after Kren, ensuring his steps were muted behind him. They looked behind, watching as Vurk wordlessly hopped after them.
"Still hasn't said much... I'm worried about him, you know." Fritz started.
"He'll come around. He's a tough guy." Kren could only reply.
At that moment, the three Durri halted at the sound of clicks tapping against the ground. They hurried behind various boulders, avoiding the various sheets of webbing coating their surfaces.
Peering from the safety of their sharp rocks, they caught a glimpse of Queen Safiya, calmly smiling while being escorted by her two handmaidens, Amunet and Zalika, a male Sphinx, and several Arachin following behind hauling loads upon loads of bound-up Durri corpses, every mound supported by thick nets and webbing for patched tears. The corpses were not fully covered, a significant amount lie precariously on their piles, probably as a show of power. Kren tried not to gag, Fritz tried not to lose it a second time. They barely had time to register Vurk speeding past his hiding place, seconds before blowing their cover, just in time to grab him by his leather cape.
"Vurk! Now isn't the time. Please." Fritz kept his voice at a minimum, while Kren kept a critical eye on the scene. Both still clutching his cape, Vurk jerked at attempts for his freedom.
"Let me kill them..."
"No killing!" Kren whisper-screamed. "Not yet! Listen!"
Amunet stepped in front of a gaping entrance, larger and highly decorated with littered weapons and dangling cadavers of various game. She bent into a low bow.
"Her Majesty, Queen Safiya, is here to see you."
She returned to Safiya's side, and the Queen's entourage patiently waited in anticipation. It wasn't long before the group received their wish. Atop a silky bed carried by multiple male Arachin, Queen Ankhira exited the broad cavern. Perching her head on one of her many spider-like appendages, she eyed Safiya's attendants, before dropping her red pupils to the heaps of Durri before her.
"It is not every day I am offered such grand gestures. This was your doing?" She spoke, her low voice rich with authority.
"Who else, your Highness? I intend to keep my promises, especially to those as worthy of their title as you are…" Safiya added a bow, enunciating her message. "The Arachin have been nothing but hospitable; I only hope this gift shall strengthen our bond."
Ankhira peered down at her fellow queen, drinking in the sight of her dead enemy. "I tire of your flattery." She smirked. "But my people find this quite generous. We will remember this act, Queen Safiya."
"You are most kind, Queen Ankhira."
Simultaneously, in the midst of Arachin infiltration, Gretel Hawke and Peter Thorne, flanked by Walker and Thali, were heading to a quaint hut. Walker was about to knock, when a golden beetle shot itself in Thali's face. With a cry, the pyromancer punched a fistful of flames at the offensive bug, nearly singeing off the door handle, alongside Walker's gloves.
"Whew. No trouble here, ma'am." Thali saluted at Gretel, then wiped her gloved palms with a grin. "Just my day-job."
"You have a night job?" Gretel asked.
"Nothing someone like you should worry about. Right, cowboy?" She laughed.
The cowboy was not amused.
Just then, a clanking noise came from the door. The door swung open, revealing Numisu looking up at them.
"We won't be having arson charges today, Hawke." Numisu said, eyeing Thali suspiciously as he led the four inside. As they sat crosslegged on his mat, he simply said to them, "Tea?"
Gretel started. "Oh, I'm afraid this is no time for..."
"I'll run the kettle…"
Numisu hobbled over to his stove, filling a metal kettle with water. Gretel turned to her companions. "Just sit and wait, he takes his tea very seriously."
Numisu spoke up. "Snake bone grass for the Lightbearer."
Walker raised an eyebrow. "You're putting a snake corpse in my drink?"
"Common desert ingredient. Slightly sweet flavor, alcoholic in nature."
Walker fell silent and opted to let the Mauler official work. "Would the Miss and the boy like the same?"
"Blah!" Gretel thought, saying nothing aloud.
After several minutes of awkward silence, cups of brimming liquid were laid before them. Gretel took a sip from her cup before letting it sit in her hand. "I'm sure you know what we've come here for."
Numisu glanced upward from his mat, an almost solemn feel to his eyes. "Hopefully you have more information on Azmonath. Unfortunately, the Grand Chieftain's search through our archives proved fruitless."
"Not directly about him, I'm afraid, but we know now how he's outmaneuvering you."
"Really? Do tell."
"Walker, Thali, could you step outside and make sure we aren't disturbed?" Gretel said.
Walker nodded and stood up, leaving his cup behind, as he and Thali stepped outside to guard the small hut.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Fritz nearly shouted.
Kren huffed a dejected sigh, unable to hide his repulsion. "It's actual misery, but what other choice do we have?"
Fritz pressed down his ears into a fetal pose. "We are not having this discussion, not having it…"
Vurk didn't register their argument, staring at the rolling mounds of corpses, cart by cart wheeled into the main chamber.
"Vurk, are you…fine with that idea?"
He snapped out of his trance, looking to Kren. "Excuse me?" He gritted through his teeth.
Kren braced himself for a solid beating. "All I'm saying is, the only way into that chamber is on that pile of bodies. It's too far to run, we'd only be exposed. It's void of coverage here!"
Vurk began to seeth, before quickly surveying his surroundings. He had to admit just how massive the chamber was. Down from their cliff, two colosseums of centaurs and bears could comfortably fit inside here, any traces of lingering stone picked clean, an almost empty cavern, save for the occasional stalagmite and the caravan of bodies. With an Arachin's excellent night vision, they'd surely be noticed before ever realizing it. He cursed under his breath, hating what their current outlook was. Finally, he nodded his agreement.
Kren sped away first, hugging the walls as he inched closer to the end of the train of Durri, followed by Vurk and Fritz. They waited agonizing minutes for a cart with a distracted Arachin, before hauling themselves onto a mound of web and fur. Silent, they lay, on dead brethren. They dare not move a muscle, not wishing to alarm the spiders or disturb their brothers and sisters any more. They lay still like this, as their cart dragged its way along the echoing rock.
Walker and Thali found themselves outside Numisu's hut. Walker was okay with not being present to deliver his news if it meant not having to drink a snake corpse. Thali crossed her arms, gripping her biceps, staring daggers at the dirt; she did not like to wait.
Walker watched her jittering feet, rapidly bouncing on the ground. "If you're thinking of burning something, just do it. 'Least it'd be entertaining."
Thali swore, throwing her arm down and sending a jet of flames in front, turning the sand to glass. "I hate just standing around like this! I wanna go after the people responsible! I…"
Her words dissipated as a rattling was heard to their left. Four burly Arachin stepped into view, appendages raised as if to taunt them. They said no words, but sped towards the two.
Walker cursed. "You just had to wish for somethin' to do!"
He whipped his rifle from behind his back, preparing his shells. Thali twisted and snapped two flames to life, burning directly at one of the Arachin. Walker fired at another, dodging the third's attempt to jab at his shoulder. The first Arachin could not endure Thali's flames, shuddering to death as he fell from being toasted. Two Arachin were still on top of Walker, and Thali rammed a gloved fist in one Arachin's face.
"A punch?!"
"Would you prefer I shoot fire at you?!"
One down, and one dazed, the remaining Arachin both advanced on Thali, furious. Walker blasted a shell at one's back, obliterating her spider legs' exoskeleton. The other spit a corrosive toxin at Thali, which ate away at her cape. She grabbed at their human arms, surprising the Arachin, and in their confusion she sent a flying kick to their gut, knocking their wind out. The Arachin stumbled back. Thali was about to fall back, when the previously dazed Arachin suddenly wrapped their appendages around her person, about to stab.
Inside, Numisu nearly dropped his tea as Gretel revealed the identity of the traitor.
"Safiya, the former queen of the Sphinx?! This is disturbing indeed."
"She seems to be working with the Arachin too, but we don't know if they are aware of Safiya's ties to Azmonath." Peter pointed out.
They were interrupted by a loud crash as a single Arachin leg pierced the wooden door of the hut.
"They're in trouble!" Peter shouted.
"They'll be fine." Numisu said calmly as he closed his eyes. "My totems tell me that they have everything in hand. Now please, continue."
Before the Arachin could strike again, the butt of Walker's rifle went into the attacker's face, forcing him back again. Walker then decapitated the Arachin with a shotgun blast to the face. The two remaining Arachin, having had enough, retreated the way they came. Walker and Thali would have been more pleased with their victory if they were not covered in Arachin brains. Walker absentmindedly plucked a piece of gray matter from Thali's fur and flicked it away.
"How's it taste?" Walker asked, seeing the grimace on Thali's face.
"I've had worse. You still got some of that secret sauce?"
Meanwhile, Vurk, Kren, and Fritz listened closely as Safiya and Ankhira conversed with each other, too low to be heard by the Durri, until Vurk's mind began to wander. His attention fell on one of the bodies next to him, and found that he knew the Durri well; Kar, an older cousin if he remembered right, though such relational distinctions were often lost in large Durri families. Kar was the one who taught Vurk how to use a crossbow and tried to teach him the ways of a spear.
Again, Vurk was tempted to spring from his hiding place to avenge his brethren on Safiya and Ankhira, but then he noticed a distinctive scar on Kar's face, the mark of a death curse cast on him by powerful dark magic. He knew that Safiya was a wicked person, but he also knew that Sphinx magic was derived from the same magic used by the shamans. Before he could draw a conclusion on how he could use this new information, magic began to emanate from the mark, surrounding the body in a Hypogean mist. Moments later, as if Vurk had kicked the body, Kar fell from his perch and landed on the stone floor with a sickening thud. All eyes went immediately to the body and the pile from which it fell. Kren and Fritz just stared in amazement at Vurk.
"What was that all about?!" Fritz asked.
"It wasn't me!" Vurk answered. "I wouldn't do that to Kar!"
"Who the heck is Kar?" Kren asked, frustrated.
As the Durri argued, one of the Arachin maidens approached the body to return it to the pile, when she noticed the mark on the face.
"My queen, look!"
Ankhira stood attentively as the maiden brought the body to her queen, pointing out the mark on the face. Ankhira's friendly demeanor faded as she examined the corpse closely.
"I have seen the mark of many curses, from Falcon, Bear, even Lion. Each tribe's mark is as unique as the tribes themselves. This curse was cast by no Sphinx, nor even a Mauler. This was cast by a Hypogean!"
The other Arachin clicked and chittered and murmured as they wondered what this meant. As Ankhira pulled a broken piece of Arachin shell from the Durri's clothes, she was quick to draw a conclusion, but hoped that Safiya could explain why she was mistaken.
"It would seem that the Durri Vurk and those that defended him were punished not by you, but by the Hypogeans. At best, you take credit for a deed not your own. At worst," Ankhira glanced at the shard of Arachin armor, "you side with our enemies against us."
"Neither of which is true!" Safiya replied. While she was normally skilled at spinning her own web of lies with her forked tongue, this was the one contingency she had never considered. Ankhira saw the brief break in Safiya's confident expression; it was enough to confirm her suspicions.
"Seize the Sphinx! Their desiccated corpses will serve as a warning of the dangers of betraying the Arachin!"
As the Arachin descended on Safiya and her entourage, Safiya's mind raced for a way of escape. Teleporting to safety? No, it takes too long to cast. Smoke to hide her escape? No, the keen eyes of the Arachin would likely see through the smoke. But of course, their keen eyesight was the key! Before anyone could react, she slammed her staff into the ground, sparking a flash that temporarily blinded the Arachin. While they were dazed, Safiya cast her teleportation spell, escaping to safety, but leaving Amunet, Zalika, and her male to their fates.
"Zalika, run!" Amunet whispered as she took Zalika's hand.
Vurk, Fritz, and Kren watched as the two Sphinx ran from the chamber, leaving the male behind, still stunned and unsure what was happening.
"We'd better get out too." Vurk said.
"Yeah, we've done all the damage we can." Kren agreed, disappointed that he couldn't find a way to blow something up.
"But how?" Fritz asked. "We'll never be able to sneak past the Arachin while they're on alert!"
"Sure we can. Everyone keeps talking about the compound eyes of the Arachin like nothing can escape their notice, but what no one realizes, not even the Arachin, is that they have a few blind spots because of those eyes. Follow me, do as I do, and make no sudden movements, and we'll get out just fine."
The three slid cautiously from their hiding place. Once on the ground, Fritz and Kren followed Vurk's lead as he led them agonizingly close to the passing Arachin, agonizingly slowly. As they passed another load of Durri corpses, a muffled noise from the pile caught Vurk's attention; he stopped in his tracks and raised his fist to signal the halt, a gesture that Kren and Fritz mirrored.
"Did you hear that?" Vurk asked.
"I hear a lot of things, mostly Arachin." Kren noted. "And I'd like to stop hearing them soon."
"Wait, I hear it too!" Fritz said more loudly than any of them liked.
Soon, they heard the noise again, what seemed to be a pained moaning from the pile of bodies. Vurk and Fritz were able to liberate the source of the noise, a young Durri woman, with little disturbance to the load and lay her out on the ground. Her breathing was shallow, and she was cold and deathly pale, but she was alive.
"How could she have survived this long?" Kren asked, flabbergasted.
"We'll figure that out once we get her to a shaman." Vurk answered. "Fritz, help me pick her up."
It took some time, but the Durri arrived at Numisu's hut with their barely alive burden. Walker and Thali let them in just as Gretel and Peter were finishing their account.
"We don't know for certain if Frank made good on his end of the deal," Gretel finished, "but as easily as he gave the information up, I'd guess he did and he doubts we can do anything about it."
"Unfortunately, he may be right." Numisu answered with a sense of dread. "I suspect the Paragon will need the aid of the Falcon tribe to repel the coming Hypogean attack. You have done much for us, Gretel Hawke, but we need your help again. You and yours must travel to the Steelthorn Peaks and warn the Paragon and Chieftain Skriath of all that you have told me. There is a matter I must attend to at the Temple of the Seers, but I will join you as soon as I can. May the ancestors go with you."
"Wait!" Vurk said as he entered.
Numisu's attention shifted to his fellow Dragonslayer as he and Fritz laid the Durri girl at Numisu's feet.
"What is this?" Numisu asked as he knelt next to her.
The three Durri briefly recounted what happened in the caverns of the Arachin as Numisu examined his patient.
"The news you bring of Safiya is of little comfort, but it does alleviate my concerns about the Arachin. As for your friend here, I have never seen a living being survive the venom of the Arachin; the Bloody Will is strong in this one. Vurk, I would like you to stay with me and help me heal this warrior. You two will go with the others to warn the Steelthorn Peaks of what is coming."
"I want to stay too." Fritz said. "I'll be more useful here than out there."
"Very well. The more assistants I have, the easier my task."
Back at the caverns of the Arachin, Amunet finally found the exit from the cavern. She was about to rest in the sunshine of the desert after the oppressive darkness of the caverns and, perhaps, allow herself a moment to mourn Zalika, stung by an Arachin guard while they were fleeing, when she heard Safiya talking to someone in a hushed tone, probably an Arachin from the voice, both hidden behind a nearby boulder.
"Admittedly, I am uncertain what to do now." Safiya said. "I know that it was Azmonath who betrayed me in your realm, and I look forward to taking my revenge on him. But I am more distressed by the loss of your queen as my ally."
"There are Arachin yet who would follow you, Queen Safiya." the Arachin reassured her. "Merely say the word, and we would even fall on Queen Ankhira in your name."
"I do not believe that will be necessary yet." Safiya answered. "Let her rule her kingdom as she sees fit for the time being; her lack of vision concerning the usefulness of the Hypogeans by no means shows her an unwise ruler. For now, I must go into hiding, where shall be kept a secret for now. I will call on you and those still loyal to me when I am ready to emerge. In the meantime, there is one service you can perform."
"Simply name it."
"My handmaidens, Amunet and Zalika, were likely killed by Queen Ankhira's guards in the escape, but there is the possibility that they were captured alive. If interrogated, they may reveal my hiding place, so if they were taken alive, I need you to ensure that they cannot betray me."
Amunet stifled a gasp; Safiya's tone left no doubt how she expected Amunet to be silenced.
"Of course, Queen Safiya."
The Arachin returned to the cavern by another way. Amunet lay down and considered her options. She could not return to Safiya, knowing what fate was in store for her there. She could return to the Sphinx; perhaps they would forgive her loyalty to Safiya in exchange for what news she had about the usurper queen. She could also travel to the Steelthorn Peaks and warn the Paragon himself about Safiya's many plots; perhaps he could find a way to turn them back.
"So, you escaped the Arachin, my dear."
Amunet jumped to her feet; she had no idea how Safiya could have crept up on her unnoticed, and she did not like the look in Safiya's eye.
"Were you thinking of betraying me? Perhaps calling for the Arachin to tell them where I am? Or were you thinking of rallying the other Sphinx against me? Oooh, perhaps you were considering seeking Brutus' help? You always did think him attractive for a two legged creature."
Amunet slowly backed away as the murderous look in Safiya's eyes grew more intense with each passing second.
"Well, I cannot allow that! As fond as I am of you and Zalika, I cannot allow you to interfere with me! Now hold still, and I will make your death swift!"