《Tales From The World of Semi》
Story 1 - The Coffee Shop
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Ren ¨C Voon (4th Month, 11?? Day) Year 827 GE
The bell chimed from above the door as Zira walked into the coffee shop. She wasn''t surprised when many of the heads turned to follow her as she passed. The red Zitta on her shoulders and leg had a tendency to do that. Most citizens feared the Kander when they came around, and those who didn''t were typically the ones she was sent to put back in line.
¡°Hot chocolate,¡± Zira ordered when she got to the counter, the Barista was sweating under her collar. ¡°But not too hot, please,¡± She added as she placed the chip on her bracelet over the reader, showing a small smile to the Barista.
The coffee shop was filled with citizens, so it took Zira a moment to spot an available seat, there was one across the room by the window, a Duran two seats away from the empty one caught her eye.
¡°Y... Y... Your drink... is ready.¡± The Barista stumbled over her words as she handed over the Chocolate drink.
¡°Thanks.¡± Zira winked before heading over to the seat she spotted. As she expected the Duran, a gray skinned male with wire for hair and rocks for muscles eyed her as she headed to the seat by the window.
The seat facing the door and the table with the Duran was the one she took. It wasn''t unheard of for a Kander who let down their guard to be attacked while out on a mission. It was her policy not to give them the chance.
As Zira took a sip of her cocoa she cursed. ¡°You ask for cooler and it''s still volcanic temperatures,¡± grumbling under her breath, she set the cup down and pushed air out through her mouth, trying to cool off her burning tongue.
A slam on her table shifted her attention back to the Duran, he had slammed one of his stone fists down, jarring her drink and splattering some of her cocoa on the table. The room had felt tense when she walked in, causing many to use whispers instead. But with the new ruckus the room quickly fell into silence. Zira glanced around, taking into account the room and who might be supporting this Duran. Only his table where another person sat, he was a Zutu young man with red hair pulled back into a warrior¡¯s tail his black eyes staring at her with a mixture of fear and determination, who seemed to be ready to support the Duran in his cause.
¡°Sit back down Duran,¡± Zira spoke in a quiet voice with a warning in her tone. ¡°I''m not here for work.¡±
He looked at her a moment before shifting his stance, placing his palm down on the table. ¡°Your kind ain''t welcome here Kander.¡± Lifting her cocoa back up to her lips Zira shot a side glance at the Duran. When the cut was close enough to her lips that she could feel the heat wafting off it, she sighed and returned the cut back down to the table without getting her sip. Zira regretted the lack of the sweet chocolate flavor on her tongue and glared at the Duran instead.
He swallowed visibly before continuing, ¡°No one wants you here.¡± Snarling Zira could see he was trying to act strong as he fixed a glare toward the ¡®Evil¡¯ Kander woman.
¡°You don¡¯t want to do this,¡± she ran a finger around the rim of her cup. ¡°But if you''re so determined,¡± Zira snapped her fingers, a glowing purple portal appeared beside Zira and the Duran, ¡°We can move to a safer place.¡± A collection of gasps came from around the room, as well as a clattering from those at the tables nearest the two. Scattering to get as far away as they could. Zira sighed inwardly as she took in the messy upturned tables and left over drinks now spilled across the floor.
When it didn''t look like the Duran was going to back down, Zira sighed releasing her drink and pushed away from the table. As she headed toward the portal she looked back at the Duran, ¡°Then, shall we?¡± She questioned, looking back with a wistful look at her cocoa before she stepped through the portal onto a grassy plain.
Zira could see the Duran and Zutu exchanging glances as they worked up the courage to follow her through the portal. It was the Duran, who stepped through first, anger still painting his features, the Zutu followed through after a pause, resignation in his eyes. When they were through, she snapped again, closing the portal behind them. There was a hesitation in the two young men, and effort to cover the fear in their features.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
She gave them a moment to compose themselves and put together their courage. When the Duran squared his shoulders and stepped forward Zira spoke softly, ¡°So how do you want to do this.¡±
¡°I got your back Goh, but this doesn''t seem like...¡± The Zutu spoke as he hesitantly shifted into a defensive position.
¡°That''s enough Kohn, we''ll just deal with her here and head back.¡± The Duran, Goh growled toward his nervous friend.
¡°Yeah...¡± Kohn, the Zutu drew out while looking around, Zira knew he was seeing the grassy plains as they were. ¡°So how do we get back if we defeat her, just in case you missed it, this is not the city.¡±
Goh looked around for the first time, noticing their predicament, there was no city in sight. He swallowed visibly, ¡°We''ll figure it out,¡± The nerves causing his voice to crack slightly.
¡°Now look here,¡± Zira ran her hand through her hair, ¡°I''m 12 Zitta Zira Kander, and I have no intention of fighting you as long as you don''t engage.¡± She indicated toward the two, ¡°We can just head back to the coffee shop now and pretend like this was all just a joke amongst friends.¡±
¡°You think you can get out of this?¡± Goh glared at her as he spoke, Kohn reached forward and gripped his friend''s shoulder.
¡°Man, she is a rank 12, she is giving us a way out of this without fighting.¡± Kohn swallowed hard ¡°I think we should take it.¡±
¡°I''m not just a caster,¡± Zira added to further discourage them, shifting her balance and preparing to strike. Goh looked at his friend, doubt starting to sink in, Zira had seen this before. The tough guys trying to stand up to the ''Evil'' Kander, chasing them out of their land. She also understood the need to handle this without damaging the big guy''s pride. For it was their pride that always drove them forward.
¡°Look, I really don''t want any trouble, I''m just looking to enjoy a good drink, and head on my way. So how about we return to the coffee shop and enjoy our drinks peacefully,¡± Zira could see that was the wrong thing to say, Goh, the Duran squared his shoulders and shifted into a stance ready for attack.
¡°Don''t do it Goh.¡± She spoke in a warning tone, using the name she had heard the Zutu refer to the Duran in an effort to calm him down. His eyes opened in surprise, before shifting to charge her.
¡°Use your words,¡± Zira pushed back toward him, the hope of quietly defusing the situation starting to fade, ¡°Kohn, you seem to know how this works, if I''m attacked, I have to put the attacker down. Now is a good time to get your friend under control,¡± the response was instant, Goh started forward as Kohn grabbed his arm once more, pulling back on his friend as he began to stomp forward. Zira dropped into a defensive stance and moved her hand to perform a Shadow Snap.
Just as she shifted, Kohn wrapped himself around his friend''s legs, effectively tripping him. And commenced to pin him to the ground, ¡°Calm down Goh,¡± He yelled it at first, then as he felt his friend''s muscles relax, he slowly started to release him, chanting for calm. When he felt he wasn''t going to be getting in between the Hisanni woman and his friend, he finally sat up, ¡°If you strike at her, she would have to kill you, if she killed you, I would have to avenge you. In which case she would just kill me as well. So, unless you want to get us both killed how about we just say we''re sorry, and laugh, buy her a drink to replace her lost one as an apology, and get on with our day.¡±
Zira looked down at the two friends, ¡°Does this mean we can get back to the coffee shop?¡± She questioned.
It was silent a moment before Goh responded, ¡°Let''s go back,¡± He looked between his friend and Zira then pushed up from the ground. Zira smiled and snapped her fingers, a portal formed opening up next to the table in the coffee shop. Zira''s eyes set on the cup still waiting on the table she had just left. She indicated for the other two to go through the portal before her. There was a collective sigh of relief as the two walked back into the coffee shop still in one piece. Then Zira walked through the portal and the room went silent once again. Without considering Zira picked up her cocoa, ready to take a drink before she was interrupted again.
¡°I wouldn''t drink that if I were you.¡± Goh spoke as he headed to the counter, ¡°I would have tampered with it for sure, knowing a Kander could come back for it.¡±
Zira slammed the drink down and followed Goh to the counter. ¡°Stupid people tampering with perfectly good drinks,¡± she grumbled under her breath. Kohn looked like he was going to laugh as Goh started to order drinks for all three of them. ¡°And to think it was finally a drinkable temperature.¡±
¡°We''ll have a dark roast, a latte, and...¡± Goh turned to look at Zira who was still muttering to herself.
¡°A children''s cocoa,¡± Kohn added in remembering what she had ordered before and her complaints of the temperature, ¡°With no whip.¡±
It was a few moments before Kohn handed Zira her new hot chocolate, Goh had cleared off her old table and was sitting down at the one he and Kohn had left before. Zira sat down before she put her drink up to her lips, letting out a sigh of relief when the cocoa was the perfect temperature.
END
Story 1.1 - The Coffee Shop - Goh
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Ren ¨C Voon (4th Month 11?? Day) Year 827 GE
¡°It''s not the right dimension,¡± Goh pointed to the blueprint on the tablet. ¡°You''ll need at least another hand width here to make sure both ends mate seamlessly.¡± He indicated the place he meant on the drawing.
Kohn shifted the measurement on the drawing as Goh suggested. Then pressed the ¡°display¡± button at the bottom of the screen. A small 3D object appeared faintly above the tablet, Kohn pressed another button causing the flat pieces to assemble into a tiny mock sword with accompanying belt and sheath. ¡°You''re right, it would have been off here,¡± he pointed toward the sheath, ¡°How long do you think it will take to forge.¡±
The bell over the front door chimed as someone entered the coffee shop. ¡°Probably about two weeks or so for the prototype, then...¡± Goh paused, the coffee shop had gone silent, he could just hear the hushed whisper of a pair at the table nearby.
Goh scanned the room; he froze when a young pink haired Hisanni turned around. Red Zitta glowed faintly on both her arms, one of her legs, and on her face, he counted 12 Zitta were visible. A Kander, the shock of seeing a Kander in the coffee shop could not stop his anger rising.
When the Kander scanned the room her eyes paused on Goh''s a moment, before moving on. Goh didn''t dare breathe when their eyes met. It was a Kander who took his cousin from their family business when he was just a youth. Goh remembered he had been there delivering lunch to his uncle when the Kander entered, his face was painted with three black lines under each of his eyes, and a dot on his chin. It had shocked him; he was only in his 15?? year when the incident occurred.
¡°Y... Y... Your drink... is ready.¡± The Barista stumbled over her words as she handed over a drink to the Kander, pulling Goh back to the present.
¡°Thanks.¡± The Kander took the cup and headed toward Goh and Kohn''s table. Kohn was still adjusting the dimensions on his 3D model, having not even noticed the change in atmosphere. Goh was not surprised to see her glance in his direction as she took the seat that would give her a view of Goh and his table.
When the Kander sat she was slight enough the people at the table between Goh¡¯s and the Kander¡¯s hid her from his sight. At first, he tried to push the Kander from his mind, focusing instead on Kohn and his Mastery project, but it was hard to ignore the Kander that was so close, his mind seethed with the memories from his youth.
Kohn looked up, ¡°Did you hear me Goh?¡± Kohn saw the look on his friend¡¯s face and looked around. ¡°Goh, what¡¯s up?¡± Kohn clicked a button on his tablet and returned it to his carry case on his hip.
¡°Kander,¡± Goh grumbled without taking his eyes from the table behind them. Kohn looked around again at the title but before he could turn in his seat Goh stood up.
Goh''s anger was rising, why was this Kander allowed to sit in a coffee shop meant for the regular citizens of the city? His vision was starting to take on a red hue. Before he knew what he was doing his fist slammed down on the Kander''s table.
Part of his mind registered the Kander was at least a head and a half shorter than him and had no muscles to show. She was looking back at him now, no emotion showing on her face. If he was still in his right mind, he would have noticed the uncomfortable silence that fell over the coffee shop. Kohn jumped to his feet, knocking his chair into the person sitting behind him.
¡°Sit back down Duran,¡± the Kander''s voice was emotionless, she kept her voice down, meant only for Goh¡¯s ears. Her tone indicated her words were a warning, but in Goh¡¯s current state he ignored it. ¡°I''m not here for work,¡± her words made the red haze glazing over his eyes thicken; it was getting harder to focus on the small female before him. The image of his cousin screaming as he was dragged out of the family business, blood dripping down his cheek, flashed through Goh''s mind.
¡°Your kind ain''t welcome here Kander.¡± He grumbled through his clenched jaw.
The Kander lifted her drink up to her lips, Goh could smell the sweet scent of chocolate wafting from her drink. When it was close enough to sip, she stopped and sighed, lowering it back down to the table.
He swallowed visibly before adding, ¡°No one wants you here,¡± the red haze thickening, dulling his thoughts, as he fixed a glare toward the Kander woman.
¡°You don''t want to do this,¡± she ran her finger around the rim of her cup. ¡°But if you''re so determined,¡± the Kander snapped her fingers, a glowing purple portal appeared beside him. It took an effort not to jump at the appearance of the casting. ¡°We can move to a safer place.¡± A collection of gasps came from around the room, as well as a clattering from those at the tables nearest the two, scattering to get as far away from the commotion as they could.
His anger made it easier to keep a straight face when some part of his mind was telling him this was a bad idea. He silenced that part with the memory of his cousin. Kohn had stepped up to his side looking pale with the glow from the purple portal.
The Kander released her drink, pushing away from her table. Kohn stepped back slightly, but Goh held his position, the red haze giving him courage. She headed toward her own portal. Turning back just long enough to ask, ¡°Then, shall we?¡± with a quick glance at her table she was through the portal, standing on the grassy plains they could see beyond.
Goh looked at his friend, Kohn was staring at him, a silent plea to stop this in his eyes. Goh squared his shoulders and stepped toward the portal, a Kander dragging his cousin from the building cycling through his mind. The red haze of his anger had almost completely blurred out his vision.
He was an Engineer and a Blacksmith, top of his class in their guild''s school and now Master of Mathematics. He had no right to take on this Kander. She looked small, but she had trained since childhood for these encounters, his rational mind was telling him. The other side, the side the red haze had moved to the forefront of his mind told him, they took your cousin, you never saw that cousin again. No one even knows why or if there was a reason the Kander came for him that day.
When Kohn stepped through the portal behind Goh, Goh had not noticed his friends support, the portal closing behind him had not registered in his thoughts either as he stared ahead at the Kander. His mind was battling with itself, trying to justify his reason for starting a fight with this Kander while it also tried to talk him out of it.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Goh squared his shoulders and stepped forward, ¡°So how do you want to do this?¡± The Kander spoke in a low threatening voice, which gave Goh pause.
Kohn shifted behind Goh, saying in a somewhat shaky voice, ¡°I got your back Goh, but this doesn''t seem like...¡± he trailed off shifting his body behind Goh.
¡°That''s enough Kohn, we''ll just deal with her here and head back,¡± Goh growled toward his nervous friend.
¡°Yeah...¡± Kohn was moving around, ¡°So how do we get back if we defeat her? Just in case you missed it, this is not the city.¡±
Not the city, Goh''s mind reeled as he started to look around. There was no portal, no city anywhere in sight. The grassy plain they were standing on; wasn¡¯t anywhere he had been to before. The red haze blocking his eyes and mind wavered slightly before he managed to say with a thick swallow. ¡°We''ll figure it out,¡± to his dismay, his voice cracked with nerves. Anger filled his mind again, how could he be so cowardly, and the red haze thickened.
¡°Now look here,¡± the Kander spoke with resolve as she ran a hand through her hair, ¡°I''m 12 Zitta Zira Kander, and I have no intention of fighting you as long as you don''t engage.¡± She swept her hand out, indicating Kohn and Goh, ¡°We can just head back to the coffee shop now, and pretend like this was all just a joke amongst friends.¡±
She''s giving us a way out of this madness, his rational mind told him as his mouth said, ¡°You think you can get out of this?¡± Kohn reached forward and gripped his friend''s shoulder. The contact startled Goh at first, his rage and anger forgetting someone had come with him.
¡°Man, she is a rank 12, she is giving us a way out of this without fighting,¡± Kohn swallowed hard ¡°I think we should take it.¡±
¡°I''m not just a caster,¡± the Kander added as she shifted her balance, readying herself for anything Goh and his friend might throw at her. Goh felt doubt at his choice, was this small Kander just bluffing, could she fight as well as she could cast her purple spells? He did not know, but he did know he was easily twice her size with muscles built not only from forging new weapons and armor for the guard, but also from fighting practice in the yards. Which was a requirement for the Blacksmiths Guild. ¡°Look, I really don''t want any trouble, I''m just looking to enjoy a good drink, and head on my way. So how about we return to the coffee shop and enjoy our drinks peacefully,¡± the Kander spoke in a lazy tone. Goh''s anger rose again, how dare this Kander think she has the right to enjoy anything in peace when it was their fault the citizens of this world lived in fear each day. It was their fault he never saw his cousin again. Goh squared his shoulders again and shifted into a lower stance that would allow him to charge the Kander. There was no way this small Hisanni woman standing before him could match his superior size and strength.
Kohn was shifting uncomfortably behind his friend, hoping this whole situation would not escalate any further, but knowing the likelihood of that happening was very small.
¡°Don''t do it Goh,¡± the Kander used his name, causing him to open his eyes wide in surprise. How did this Kander learn his name? Was he next on the list for these enforcers to be picked up, he could only see through a small area that was not covered in the red haze of his anger. He shifted down into a charging stance once again, ready to take down this small Kander who knew who he was. ¡°Use your words,¡± She added, before she turned to look at Kohn, who stood behind him, she spoke quickly now, ¡°Kohn,¡± she used his name too. Was it possible he had gotten both himself and Kohn added to the list of those who needed to be dealt with, the thought angered Goh further, causing the red haze to thicken. ¡°You seem to know how this works, if I''m attacked, I have to put the attacker down. Now is a good time to get your friend under control,¡± at the threat Goh started to move running at full speed toward the Kander. The sudden jerk of his arm caused him to spin in the direction he was being pulled, before crashing into the ground, a weight on his back. The feel of grass scratching on his cheek, and the throb from the impact into the ground caused his mind to come around enough to realize something must have been tangled in his legs, causing him to trip.
¡°Calm down Goh!¡± He heard Kohn''s voice yelling at him through the red haze. Right, Kohn was there too, he knew that, but some part of his anger had pushed that fact from his mind. ¡°Calm down Goh,¡± Kohn was now reciting his voice soothing with each chant, without realizing the red haze was fading and he relaxed his strained muscles. As he relaxed Kohn started to release his friend, his voice still chanting for calm. Kohn sat up beside Goh, a stream of words came out of him, chasing the anger completely from Goh''s mind. ¡°If you strike at her, she would have to kill you, if she killed you, I would have to avenge you. In which case she would just kill me as well. So, unless you want to get us both killed how about we just say we''re sorry, and laugh, buy her a drink to replace her lost one as an apology, and get on with our day.¡±
Goh had not considered his friend in all of this; he had not considered that not only was he risking his own life by attacking this Kander he was also risking Kohn¡¯s. The thought sobered him, he sat up and stared at his friend, grateful for his intervention. Now that he was thinking rationally, he remembered that even if they had managed to deal with this Kander there would have been others. He and Kohn would have been marked simply because they attacked one of The Goren''s enforcers.
The Kander looked down at Goh and Kohn, who were still sitting on the ground, ¡°Does this mean we can get back to the coffee shop?¡± The Kander looked hopeful.
Goh took a moment, making sure the red haze of his anger was completely gone, he would not risk his life or that of his friends on his revenge. He said, ¡°Let''s go back,¡± with a look at Kohn, he got to his feet, Kohn followed. The Kander snapped her fingers, a portal with that eerie purple glow appeared, showing the coffee shop, right next to the table they had left only moments before. When she turned toward Goh and Kohn, she smiled at the two, the smile made her look like the young woman she was. Goh couldn''t help but notice the Kander woman looking at the cup she had left behind on the table, she swept her hand toward the other two, indicating Goh and Kohn enter the portal first. The red haze gone Goh realized what his actions had caused. The two tables near where the Kander had been sitting were turned on their sides, the drinks from those tables still spilled on the floor nearby. Goh noticed the signs of relief as he and Kohn stepped through the portal unhurt and then silence when the Kander followed.
Goh watched as the Kander picked up her left behind drink and considered its contents. Just as she moved it up to her face to smell it or take a drink, Goh didn''t know which, he said. ¡°I wouldn''t drink that if I were you,¡± and turned to head toward the counter, Kohn behind him ¡°I would have tampered with it for sure, knowing a Kander could come back for it.¡±
The Kander slammed the drink on the table, causing those nearby to flinch at her frustration, turning to follow Goh toward the counter, muttering under her breath, ¡°Stupid people tampering with perfectly good drinks.¡± When Goh glanced back at Kohn, he looked like he could laugh, hearing all of the young Kander¡¯s muttering and likely with a sense of relief that he was still there to hear them.
¡°We''ll have a dark roast, a latte, and...¡± Goh turned to look at the Kander who was still muttering to herself.
¡°A children''s cocoa,¡± Kohn added in having paid better attention to the entire situation instead of letting anger dictate his action, ¡°With no whip.¡±
After ordering the drinks, Goh left Kohn at the counter to retrieve the drinks and went to clean up the mess he had caused, after righting the two tables and throwing away the left behind drink cups one of the workers came to him. ¡°I can do that; you don''t have to.¡±
¡°It''s fine,¡± Goh took the mop the worker had brought out, ¡°It''s my fault after all.¡± And he cleaned the floor. By the time the Kander and Kohn received their drinks the coffee shop was back to normal. Kohn went back to the table they had sat at before, as the Kander went to the table one away from theirs. Neither Goh nor Kohn were really interested in the drinks they had gotten. Having already finished their drinks before he started the trouble with the Kander, instead they both sat there, listening. When they heard the sigh of satisfaction from the table behind Kohn, they exchanged looks of relief. Kohn pulled out his tablet once more so they could finish the design for their next project.
END
Story 2 - The Festival
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Rite ¨C Nite (4th Month 32nd Day) Year 827 GE
The cascade of sound from the parade made Zira smile as she walked along the parade route, avoiding the people who were all watching the entertainment. As she passed the end of the parade route and the music started to fade into the distance, she noticed the thinning of people around her.
Zira froze when she felt an impact on her leg, and the wail of a small child rang out through the air. Looking down in horror at the distressed child gripping her leg, sobbing loudly, she shifted awkwardly. ¡°Um, small one?¡± She stumbled as she tried to remove the child from her leg. ¡°Geez, that is one tough grip,¡± she mumbled as each time she got close to dislodging the child, she would shift her hands, and hold on tighter.
Zira looked around in horror as she tried to identify the parents. With a few more looks at the little one clinging to her leg, she identified the young girl as a Hisanni child with pale lavender hair. Zira looked through the thinning crowd, trying to identify if there were any Hisanni parents potentially looking around for their spawn.
There were only two other Hisanni in the area, both were male, and neither of them seemed to be looking for a lost child. ¡°Oh dear,¡± she said as she knelt down careful not to jar the child clinging to her leg, ¡°Can you let go little one?¡± Awkwardly patting the child on the shoulder, she asked aloud, ¡°What do I do now?¡±
Just then the little one started to loosen her grip. Zira cringed as she felt the moisture left behind on her leg. The child showed her tear stained and snotty face to her, snuffling as she swiped a soggy arm across her eyes. When she looked toward Zira, she caught a glimpse of the child''s sapphire blue eyes. It was common in the Hisanni that the hair color came from the mother, and the eye color from the father.
Trying to speak calmly, remembering that children reacted to any heightened emotions, she asked, ¡°So what is your name small one?¡±
The child looked at her, before shoving one of its chunky little thumbs into its own mouth, the tear stains starting to dry, and the snot turning to crust. Zira swallowed, trying to calm her upset stomach. ¡°Do you know your name?¡± She asked before she muttered under her breath, ¡°They''re so... gross.¡±
The child popped her thumb out of her mouth, the drool dripping from her now drenched appendage as she muttered, "Muna..." and returned the thumb to her mouth. Zira had to look away to hide her growing discomfort with the small child''s leaking body fluids.
¡°Muna, do you remember where you last saw your parents?¡± Zira asked, hopeful the child could help guide her way back to her family. When a few moments passed, and the child continued to stare at her, Zira knew she was out of luck. Standing back up she scanned the crowd again for any Hisanni in the area. Not even the two males from before were still in the area. Unfortunately, she and the small child, Muna, were the only Hisanni in the square.
Cursing inwardly, she looked down at her small charge. Thumb back in her mouth, Muna stared at Zira with full trust. ¡°Oh no,¡± Zira looked around again, ¡°This ain''t happening, they never taught me how to deal with children.¡± Scanning the area for any local authority to take charge of the small child brought back disappointment when there were none to be seen. Pulled from her thoughts, Zira stared at the small child as her curious hand traced the Zitta exposed on her leg. Again, she froze, should she run, or should she help this little one? What do you do when someone touches you without your permission?
¡°Most people don''t touch a Kander''s Zitta,¡± she spoke as she brushed the child''s hand from her leg. ¡°You know it''s rude to touch someone without their approval.¡± Zira had noticed people were giving them a wide berth as they passed, eyeballing the Kander with a small child. ¡°Wait, they think you''re mine,¡± she grumbled as she pleaded with her eyes for anyone to help her in this situation. ¡°Why did you have to be Hisanni? If you were any other race there would have been a panic to get you away from me.¡±
Zira noticed a woman sitting at the fountain in the square and headed toward her, Muna tottering after her. ¡°Hey lady,¡± she called out. The woman at the fountain stiffened, then gathered her things in her arms. ¡°No, wait, I need...¡± but she was already out of hearing range. Zira looked back down towards the child just as she plunged her wet thumb back into her mouth. Swallowing hard, Zira tried to keep her own bile in check. "Must you do that?" She finally asked, ¡°You''re going to turn my stomach.¡± The child grinned around her thumb and let out a giggle. ¡°It''s not funny,¡± Zira grumbled. And the child, let out a stream of giggles.
Zira looked around, the child making sucking noises at her side. To her dismay, there were no law enforcement in sight and the only Hisanni who entered the square had light blue hair and two small children of the same hair color.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she felt the slimy, small hand of Muna gripping two of her own fingers. It was then she realized the noise of the child sucking her thumb had stopped. ¡°Oh no,¡± she cringed as she looked around desperately for anyone who could help.
A laugh on her left drew her attention to a Jariven man in his second phase of evolution. With short black hair, gray eyes and pale gray skin he looked to be fresh into his second phase. But his physique said it had been some time since his phase change. She glared at the man as he started toward her and the child. When he was close enough, he laughed again, ¡°Can''t say I ever thought to see a Kander panicking.¡±
¡°Yeah, well,¡± Zira started, but noticed the Jariven looking at the child. She glanced down at Muna, who was concentrating in a very un-childlike way.
¡°You''re about to have another thing to take care of,¡± the Jariven smiled.
It took her a moment before she understood what the man was saying, ¡°Oh no... no no...¡± she looked down at the child, ¡°Hold it in¡ oh no.¡± She felt panic setting in, again the Jariven started laughing.
He knelt down next to Muna, patting her on the head. ¡°Now now, little one, I think you have your big sister in a panic.¡± He smiled at her knowing the tone of his words mattered more than what was said. ¡°How about we get you something to clean you up.¡± Looking at Zira he spoke in the same calming tone, ¡°Can you stay with her while I get some necessities for the little one?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°No, wait, can''t you...¡± She felt Muna squeeze her fingers and the Jariven waved a hand over his shoulder. Several moments passed before she spoke again, ¡°You know all I wanted was to watch the fireworks after the festival.¡± Looking down, the child was still squeezing Zira''s fingers with her slimy, sticky ones. ¡°And yet here you are, a little one clinging onto me as if I can help you. Just so you know I have never dealt with anyone as young as you.¡±
Muna looked up at Zira the look of concentration faded, the child started scrunching up her nose. ¡°Wait!¡± Zira called out and knelt down next to the child, her efforts to startle the child from her pending tears failed, Muna wailing loudly beside her. ¡°Wait... don''t cry, the nice Jariven man went to get something to help.¡± She looked around panicked, those around her now sparing a glance toward the Kander with the child, but none offering to help. ¡°Where is that darn Jariven? I thought he was going to help,¡± she grumbled under her breath.
¡°Well, that''s no way to thank someone for their help, and the name is Dameen, sounds better than calling me by my race.¡± The second phase Jariven said as he walked up to her, a bag in hand. Zira appreciated that he was careful to announce himself before he approached her where she could see him coming. ¡°Come on, let''s get her changed. How would you feel sitting in your own mess?¡±
Dameen watched Zira fumble through trying to change the child''s diaper before he took pity on her and changed it for her. The mess was gone and Muna in a fresh diaper all as Zira watched in awe. ¡°Where did you learn childcare?¡±
¡°Not that it concerns you, but I have three younger siblings.¡± Dameen buttoned up the child''s clothes and pushed her toward Zira. Not knowing what to do, she stared bewildered. Muna curled against her neck as Dameen settled the child in her arms. ¡°You hold her here.¡± Positioning her arms as a seat under the child''s back side, ¡°Just like that.¡± He frowned slightly as he looked at Muna; her thumb was back in her mouth. Dameen tugged on her hand, pulling her thumb out of her mouth, ¡°You know, little one, sucking on your thumb is not good for your incoming teeth.¡± He smiled at her and pressed lightly on her nose, getting a giggle instead of the scream Zira was sure she would have gotten.
¡°What now?¡± Zira asked, looking to see if she could see any new Hisanni in the area. Two young girls, both with light blue hair were holding hands wandering through the streets. A young man with pale green hair walked past, eyeballing her and the small child.
¡°Let''s go this way, I thought I saw a group of Hisanni.¡± And with that they threaded their way through the people gathered for the festival, heading in the direction Zira had come from earlier.
They hadn''t taken more than fifteen steps when Zira let out a cry. The child now gripped a handful of her light pink hair with a tight grip and was pulling it where the hair was not meant to go. Dameen turned to look, surprised at first, then let out a small chuckle. ¡°Let go,¡± Zira started, trying to loosen the child''s grip with no success. She could feel the moisture from her drool now coating the piece of hair. She swallowed hard, ¡°How can such a small thing have such a tight grip?¡± She grumbled as she failed again to loosen the child''s fingers. It was then that she realized Dameen had gone silent. When she looked over at him, she found the gray skin on his face had started to take on a pink hue, and his features indicated he was trying very hard not to laugh. ¡°Stop laughing and come and help!¡± She cried out and some of Dameen''s laughter escaped. ¡°Is there a release button somewhere to get her to open her fist?!¡±
Dameen failed to hold it in; he burst into laughter before he finally stepped forward to help. Muna was watching him, grinning, jerking Zira''s hair to and fro, as she grumbled with each tug. ¡°Now now, little one, you should let go of her hair,¡± Dameen had composed himself but just barely. Zira could see a tear forming at one of his eyes. She rolled her own, then winced as the child gave an enthusiastic tug leaning back with her hair. ¡°Come here little one,¡± he extended his hands toward Muna. The desired response was ignored by the child, instead she smashed her head back toward Zira''s face, catching her on the cheek before hiding in her neck.
¡°Ouch,¡± Zira complained, the child''s hand still threaded through her hair, but her other one now gripping partially around her neck.
¡°No need to be shy,¡± Dameen coaxed as he rubbed Muna''s back. ¡°You can see more if I''m carrying you,¡± he added.
Just then a woman''s voice called out ¡°Muna!¡± and the child sat back, her grip still firm in Zira''s hair. Zira instinctively stepped back and put her other hand around the child in a protective manner, her own pain forgotten. Dameen had shifted between Zira and the voice that had called out.
A young Hisanni woman pushed through the crowd, her hair the same lavender as Muna''s. At her side was a Hisanni with pale green hair. Zira recognized him, he had passed them some time ago. The lavender haired Hisanni woman looked around panicked before she caught sight of Muna cradled in Zira''s arms. She rushed forward, but when she grabbed for the child, Dameen stopped her. ¡°You''re the child¡¯s mother?¡±
The Mother glared at Dameen then looked back at Muna, ¡°You don''t think this Kander is, do you?¡± She grumbled, glaring at Zira. ¡°I should have you detained, kidnapping a child is frowned on.¡±
¡°You don''t think...¡± Dameen started, but Zira put a hand on his arm to stop him, when he looked at her, she shook her head slightly.
¡°You should keep a better eye on your offspring,¡± Was all she said as Muna was wiggling and reaching toward the woman, having finally released her hair. Zira extended the child toward her mother.
When Muna was safely in the mother''s arms, she shot another glare at Zira. Before she could flee, Dameen added, ¡°Your child wandered off. You should be thanking the ''Kander'' not sneering at her. She could have left the child unattended for anyone to pick up,¡± he paused a moment then continued. ¡°Or do you really think there aren''t child stealers out there? You owe her your gratitude, not your scorn.¡±
The pale green haired Hisanni nodded his agreement before the mother turned to Zira and mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡± And with that she turned and fled, the pale green haired Hisanni on her heels. When Dameen shifted to follow, Zira grabbed his arm again.
¡°It''s a normal reaction.¡± Dameen looked at her with pity for a moment.
¡°I suppose so.¡±
Zira watched as Muna''s mother hugged her child tightly and moved away from her and Dameen as quickly as she thought polite. When they were out of earshot, she asked, ¡°You were here to attack me, weren''t you?¡±
Dameen chuckled, ¡°Yep.¡±
¡°Then why didn''t you?¡± Muna and her mother were now being embraced by a Hisanni man that Zira assumed was the child''s father.
¡°If you had abandoned the child, I would have continued to stalk you quietly. Until you were somewhere safe for me to attack.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡± After the silence dragged on a moment, and Muna''s family was no longer visible, Zira added ¡°Do we need to go somewhere quiet?¡±
Dameen laughed again, it was a hardy laugh, Zira pictured this man laughing as his second nature. She regretted that she might have to kill him. ¡°Come on,¡± Dameen placed a hand on her shoulder, directing her back toward the square. She stiffened slightly but let him direct her through the crowd. When she looked over at him, she was surprised to find he still wore a smile.
¡°You know I could just open a portal,¡± she mentioned as he directed her around a group of citizens enjoying a meal at a food cart.
He looked at her then, ¡°What for? I thought you wanted to watch the fireworks, and I know the best place.¡±
That night Zira and Dameen stood on a rooftop overlooking the lake just beyond the buildings. When the first firework bloomed in the sky, its glowing ashes falling toward the land, Zira finally felt content. ¡°Beautiful,¡± she spoke softly and Dameen, close enough to hear, laughed.
END
Story 2.1 - The Festival - Dameen
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Rite ¨C Nite (4th Month 32nd Day) Year 827 GE
Dameen entered the town of Lurren with a group of travelers, most were there for the festivities that would start that afternoon and go well into the night. The colors decorating the town made it a festive sight with all the yellows and greens drawn between the building on what would be the parade route that afternoon.
He entered a small store just outside the parade route and the city center. ¡°Welcome¡¡± the store owner started, when he found himself looking at Dameen he called out instead, ¡°Dameen, Old Friend.¡± Coming out from behind the counter and heading over toward Dameen for a quick one-armed embrace and pat on the back, ¡°What brings you here today?¡±
Luto was a longtime friend of Dameen¡¯s and the owner of the Missing Things a one stop shopping point for basic things. Dameen guided his friend away from the entrance and back toward the counter, ¡°I¡¯m here to watch the fireworks, you mind if I watch them from the roof tonight?¡±
¡°The fireworks huh,¡± he had a skeptical note in his tone, ¡°You always did like the view from the roof.¡± With a quick look around, leaning toward Dameen he said, ¡°Don¡¯t damage anything.¡±
Dameen laughed out, ¡°It''s not that kind of visit,¡± he lied, ¡°I¡¯m just here enjoying the festival.¡±
¡°You can use the roof, but you know the drill.¡± Luto looked around the store, ¡°So are you here to buy anything?¡±
¡°What you got for breakfast? I could use something light.¡±
¡°Now, that I have,¡± Luto wandered from the counter, pulling a burrito from the fridge. A chime from the front door rang out, ¡°Welcome!¡± Luto called out as he placed the burrito on the hot plate, ¡°Watch it, flip it once this timer goes off, and start it again.¡± And with that he set a timer behind the hot plate and wandered toward the person who had entered the store behind Dameen. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Luto asked the new customer, sounding as if he had gone down one of the aisles.
When the timer went off, Dameen did as he was instructed. ¡°I can also order some if I don¡¯t have it here¡¡± he heard Luto explaining to the new customer. When the timer went off a second time Dameen wrapped the burrito so he could lift it without burning himself.
Luto popped out of the aisle, ringing up the burrito, ¡°You want anything else?¡± He asked Dameen.
¡°Not at the moment, I¡¯ll be back later.¡± With that Dameen scanned his chip and waved to his friend, heading out the door.
When his burrito was gone, Dameen wandered into a cafe down the street, he didn¡¯t know any of the workers on duty that day. Not wanting to cause trouble he kept to himself instead of asking for Mattie, the owner of the Energy Cafe. Drink in hand, he headed for the door, ¡°Just going to leave without saying hi.¡± An older woman¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°I thought I taught you better than that.¡±
Dameen turned around and smiled, heading over to the older woman who had just stepped out of the back room, ¡°I figured you were busy enough Mattie, without having to come greet me too.¡±
¡°Well, you thought wrong.¡± She smiled and clapped Dameen on the back, ¡°Now what brings you here to Lurren? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to watch the fireworks alone.¡±
¡°And if I tell you that is exactly what I plan, what then.¡± Dameen smiled at his longtime friend, allowing her to draw him toward one of the tables. ¡°It''s been a while since I enjoyed the Rite Nite Festival.¡±
¡°I know a lovely girl.¡±
Dameen laughed out loud then, ¡°You¡¯re always trying to set me up.¡±
¡°Well can you blame me; a handsome young man like you should have a pretty lady on your arm.¡± Mattie gave him a coy smile. She had wanted to be that pretty lady when she was younger, but Dameen had been careful not to give her hope of that development happening. As she aged, she had taken it as her personal mission to set Dameen up with any young lady she felt would fit him. ¡°So would you like to meet her, Mina is a beautiful Zutu woman with bright blue hair, you would fancy her smile for sure, she has the most beautiful teeth.¡±
Dameen laughed out loud again, ¡°I appreciate your concern, but I¡¯ll have to pass,¡± with a smile he looked at her out the corner of his eye as he pushed up from the table. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m here to meet someone.¡± With that, he headed toward the door.
¡°What¡¡± Mattie had popped up to her feet behind him, she was moving as fast as her elderly body would let her follow the spry young Jariven. ¡°Who is this person?¡± She asked as Dameen reached the door, he turned, looking over his shoulder at his longtime friend and simply smiled before exiting the store, ¡°Rascal¡¡± he heard Mattie call out as the door closed.
The noise on the street had escalated, more people than Dameen had expected were lining the parade route. He looked around, his target was not in sight where he was in front of the cafe. With a curse for wasting so much time he started toward the city center, the people would thin out in that area, preferring to follow the parade route. When he caught sight of a young pink haired Hisanni woman he had to remind himself to keep moving. She had just entered the city center from the other side of the parade route. Heading in that direction Dameen did his best to blend into the crowd around him, not wanting to draw the Kander¡¯s attention.
The Hisanni Kander suddenly froze, from Dameen¡¯s position he could swear there had been a small impact, but from his distance he could not be sure. When finally he could see the Kander¡¯s face close enough to make out her expression it painted a gruesome picture. She stared forward blankly, in horror and disgust. Dameen couldn¡¯t help but wonder what could have caused such emotions in a Kander. When he heard the wail cut through the noise on the street, and the occasional glimpses of small hands gripping the Kander¡¯s leg from the back he started to put it together.
The Hisanni tried to dislodge the child from her leg, pulling it as gently as she could out of the child¡¯s grip. When she failed to free herself from the child and one determined moment caused her to stumble and nearly fall, Dameen had to stifle a laugh. He walked passed the two, close enough he could hear the Kander muttering, "Geez, that is one tough grip."
As Dameen had passed, he looked back, getting a good look at the small child holding onto the Kander. She was Hisanni and still in her toddler years. Dameen figured she had likely seen the pink haired Hisanni and assumed she was part of her family. The child¡¯s lavender hair was a clear indication she was not the Kander¡¯s child, knowing how Hisanni genetics worked made that clear to any passerby. Of course, that did not mean she couldn¡¯t be a cousin or a friend.
Dameen circled around, trying to get a clear view of the Kander and the small child. Part of him wanted her not to figure out how to get free of the child, what if she were to leave the small one there to find her own way around.
When finally, he had the Kander in view she was making a face of disgust, Dameen could see the wet stain on her pant leg, the child now looking up at the kneeling Kander. He had to turn away to keep from laughing, she had not noticed his presence, which suited his purpose, but if he were to show he was watching her situation there was a good chance she would notice his attention. The child¡¯s face was tear stained and fluids were running down from her nose. The child swiped a soggy arm across her face, only succeeding in moving the fluids around.
Too far away to hear what she was saying to the child, Dameen could see she had composed her face and assumed she was asking the child something as calmly as she could. The toddlers thumb went into her mouth, the slight wind and heat of the summer day was drying the child¡¯s tears and snot. Dameen could see the Kander turn away from the child and swallow hard. It took great restraint not to laugh, he could see that the child¡¯s state had upset the tough Kander¡¯s stomach.
Dameen looked around the square, trying to see if there was anyone else watching the Kander and the small child. He caught sight of Baku another supporter of the Rebellion, Dameen nodded in his direction when Baku noticed his attention on him. It was a silent acknowledgment the this Kander was Dameen¡¯s target. Dameen was of a much higher rank than Baku, him being just eyes for the Rebellion, Baku scampered out of the square, leaving Dameen to his target.
When he turned back to the Kander, he found her on her feet scanning the crowd, Dameen adverted his eyes, leaning against a building, appearing to be taking an afternoon nap. He returned his gaze back to the Hisanni woman just in time to see the child tracing one of the Zitta on the Kander¡¯s leg. She had gone rigid with the shock, Dameen had put his hand in his pouch, gripping the handle of a knife he kept there just in case. Instead of the violence he expected this Kander to perform to get the child off her, she simply brushed the child¡¯s hand from her leg, speaking something softly that he couldn¡¯t hear from his vantage point. He had to get closer, he thought as he pondered what the woman could be saying to the child.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
His target suddenly started to walk toward him, or so he thought until he realized she was headed toward an older woman sitting on the edge of the fountain near him. The small toddler was following closely after the Kander, at first, he had thought she might be leaving the child, but found she kept glancing over her shoulder, checking on the child.
¡°Hey lady,¡± he could just barely hear her talking to the woman, she had stiffened as the Kander approached, quickly she started to gather the small items she had placed around herself and started to rush away from the fountain. ¡°No, wait, I need...¡± When the child returned her already damp thumb back into her mouth the Kander swallowed hard. ¡°Must you do that? You''re going to turn my stomach,¡± he heard her telling the child, he was fighting not to laugh out loud, as the child turned and let out a peal of giggles toward the Kander. ¡°It''s not funny,¡± the Kander grumbled, and the child giggled again.
The Hisanni looked around the square again, looking for the child¡¯s family most likely. Dameen lost the battle to keep his laughs in check when the child pulled her wet hand from her mouth and grabbed two of the Kander¡¯s fingers, causing her face to twist into the most disgusted, lost expression Dameen had ever seen. ¡°Oh no,¡± was all she said before Dameen lost the battle and laughed out loud.
She looked at him with a glare, getting her disgust in check as quickly as it took Dameen to push off the building he was leaning against, and started to head toward the Kander and the small child. He couldn¡¯t help it, in that one moment he had admitted that he had been watching her, ¡°Can''t say I ever thought to see a Kander panicking.¡±
¡°Yeah, well,¡± she started, but Dameen¡¯s attention had focused on the child, he knew that face well. His younger siblings had taught him well, the look of a child dealing with their ¡°business.¡± The Kander noticed where he was looking and glanced down at the child in confusion.
¡°You''re about to have another thing to take care of,¡± Dameen smiled, picturing the entertainment of seeing this Kander¡¯s attempt to deal with a child¡¯s nappy.
He watched her face as she registered what he was referring to, ¡°Oh no... no no...¡± she looked down at the child, ¡°hold it in, oh no.¡± He could see panic starting to set in, when she looked at Dameen with a pleading look he couldn¡¯t help it, the laugh burst forth again.
Once he got it under control he knelt down next to the small child, patting her on the head. ¡°Now now, little one, I think you have your big sister in a panic.¡± He smiled at her knowing the tone of his words mattered more than what was said. ¡°How about we get you something to clean you up.¡± He pushed back up to his feet and looked toward the Kander and spoke with the same calming tone he used on the child. ¡°Can you stay with her while I get some necessities for the little one?¡±
¡°No, wait, can¡¯t you¡¡± he heard her calling out behind him as he headed down a side street. He would head back to Luto¡¯s place, he knew they had nappies on hand. When he entered the store Luto called out ¡°Welcome.¡± But did not acknowledge him beyond that. The store was packed with festival goers. Dameen headed down one of the aisles, the image of the Kander with her panic running through his mind, causing him to smile as he found what he was looking for and headed toward the counter.
¡°When did you have children?¡± Luto asked when Dameen placed the nappies and the wipes on the counter.
Dameen smiled and winked at his friend, ¡°I have my ways.¡± And with that he scanned his chip and headed out of the store, a bag in hand with the needed goods. Dameen could just see the Kander as she knelt down next to the child. She had started to cry, ¡°Wait... Don''t cry. The nice Jariven man went to get something to help,¡± he could see her looking around in a panic ¡°Where is that darn Jariven? I thought he was going to help,¡± he was close enough now when she grumbled under her breath, he heard her with no trouble.
¡°Well, that¡¯s no way to thank someone for their help, and the name is Dameen, sounds better than calling me by my race.¡± Dameen was one to talk he knew his target¡¯s name was 12 Zitta Zira Kander. But he had refused to acknowledge it knowing once he accepted her identity it would be harder to do what he had to. He pushed his thoughts back and focused on the toddler. ¡°Come on, let''s get her changed. How would you feel sitting in your own mess?¡±
Dameen tried to get the Kander to change the child''s nappy, when it was apparent it was too much for her, Dameen stepped forward and made quick work out of the task. He could see her watching him out of the corner of his eye, she was impressed by his skills with changing the nappy. He smiled at her when she asked, ¡°Where did you learn childcare?¡±
¡°Not that it concerns you, but I have three younger siblings.¡± Dameen buttoned up the child''s clothes and pushed her toward Zira, the Kander, not knowing what to do she stared bewildered. The child curled into his target''s neck, as he arranged her arms to hold the child comfortably ¡°You hold her here.¡± Once her arms were in position he added, ¡°Just like that.¡± He frowned slightly as he looked at the child, her thumb was back in her mouth. He tugged gently, popping her thumb out of her mouth, ¡°You know little one sucking on your thumb is not good for your incoming teeth.¡± He smiled at her and pressed lightly on her nose, getting a giggle instead of a scream.
"What now?" She asked as she looked up and down the street.
¡°Let''s go this way, I thought I saw a group of Hisanni.¡± And with that they threaded their way through the people gathered for the festival.
They hadn''t taken more than fifteen steps when Zira let out a cry. Dameen turned to look, surprised at first, then let out a small chuckle, when he found the child with her hand gripped tight in the Kander¡¯s hair. ¡°Let go,¡± she grumbled, trying to loosen the child¡¯s grip with no success. Dameen saw her swallow hard, when he caught sight of the sticky hand that was threaded into her hair, he understood. ¡°How can such a small thing have such a tight grip,¡± she grumbled as she failed again to loosen the child''s fingers.
Dameen had shoved one of his fists into his mouth when he found the sticky had in her hair, he was trying his best not to laugh, the irony of the child using her the slobbered on fingers in the Kander¡¯s hair triggered his humor. When she turned toward him, her face aghast at finding him in a state of controlling his laughter said simply said, ¡°Stop laughing and come and help,¡± she cried out and some of Dameen''s laughter escaped. ¡°Is there a release button somewhere to get her to open her fist.¡±
Dameen failed to hold it in, bursting into laughter, he finally stepped forward to help. The little child was grinning with him as she jerked Zira¡¯s hair around, the Kander grumbling with each tug. Her eyes showed more irritation toward him, than the child. ¡°Now now, little one, you should let go of her hair,¡± It took all his effort not to laugh at the situation they found themselves in. Her glare had been his motivation to keep the laughs in check and was also making it hard for him to concentrate. Kanders were not known for being the most social people, most of them choosing to travel alone. And yet, here she was staring at him, a look in her eyes that said she blamed him for this situation she was in, and yet not, at the same time. Was she pouting? He thought before saying aloud, ¡°Come here little one,¡± the child gave an impressive tug as he extended his hands toward her. Instead of her reaching out toward him she jerked her head back, banging the Kander on the cheek, before she hid in her neck again.
¡°Ouch,¡± Zira complained, the child''s hand still threaded through her hair, but her other one now gripping partially around her neck.
¡°No need to be shy,¡± Dameen coaxed as he rubbed circles on the child''s back. ¡°You can see more if I''m carrying you.¡± he added in a last effort to get her to come to him instead.
¡°Muna!¡± A woman¡¯s voice rang out over the crowd, the child sat back quickly, looking around, her grip still firm in the Kanders hair. Without thinking Zira had stepped back, placing another hand around the child¡¯s back in a protective manner, and Dameen shifted in-between the woman who had cried out and Zira.
A young Hisanni woman pushed through the crowd, her hair was the same lavender as the child¡¯s, at her side was a Hisanni with pale green hair. Dameen could see recognition on the Kander¡¯s face, had they passed this green haired Hisanni along their route. The lavender haired Hisanni woman looked around panicked before she caught sight of the child cradled in Zira''s arms. She rushed forward, when she grabbed for the child, Dameen made his presence clear, stopping her from grabbing at the child. Muna had responded at the woman¡¯s approach, and her hair was the right color. ¡°You''re the child¡¯s mother?¡±
The Mother glared at him, then looked back at her child, ¡°You don''t think this Kander is, do you.¡± She glared at Zira, Dameen didn¡¯t like her tone, this woman didn¡¯t know what her lack of attention for her own child had put this ¡°Kander¡± through. ¡°I should have you detained, kidnapping a child is frowned on.¡±
¡°You don''t think...¡± Dameen started, but Zira put a hand on his arm to stop him. When he looked at her, she shook her head slightly.
¡°You should keep a better eye on your offspring,¡± was all she said, the child was wiggling and reaching toward the woman, having finally released her hair Zira extended the child out for her mother to take.
When the toddler was safely in the mother''s arms, she shot another glare at Zira before she could flee from her, Dameen added, ¡°Your child wandered off. You should be thanking the ¡°Kander¡± not sneering at her. She could have left the child unattended for anyone to pick up,¡± he took a moment then continued. ¡°Or do you really think there isn''t child stealers out there. You owe her your gratitude, not your scorn.¡±
The pale green haired Hisanni nodded his agreement before the mother turned to Zira and mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡± And with that she and the green haired Hisanni fled. Ungrateful, Dameen thought to himself and shifted to follow, he looked down as a small hand grabbed his forearm. He looked at the Kander in the face, she was sad, but resigned.
¡°It''s a normal reaction.¡± Dameen looked at her with pity a moment.
¡°I suppose so.¡±
Dameen watched Zira, she was watching the retreating Mother and child, when they were across the street the Kander asked, still staring after them, ¡°You were here to attack me, weren''t you?¡±
Dameen stared at her before he let out a chuckle, ¡°Yep.¡±
¡°Then why didn''t you?¡± The Kander asked as she continued to watch the child retreating. Dameen was more curious to see her still looking after the child.
¡°If you had abandoned the child, I would have continued to stalk you quietly. Until you were somewhere safe for me to attack,¡± he pointed out, realizing it was true.
¡°Is that so,¡± Neither of them spoke for a time. The child and her family had retreated from view and now Zira was just scanning the crowd instead to distract herself. When he thought, she wasn¡¯t going to say anything else she added, ¡°Do we need to go somewhere quiet?¡±
Dameen laughed out loud again, not expecting the question again, ¡°Come on,¡± Dameen placed a hand on her shoulder, directing her back toward the square, she stiffened slightly, but let him direct her through the crowd. Dameen was surprised, she was so small under his hand. He knew that Kander relied more on their casting than their fighting abilities, but she was small even for them. He couldn¡¯t help it, he smiled to himself picturing this small Kander trying to challenge him in hand-to-hand combat.
¡°You know I could just open a portal,¡± She grumbled as he guided her through the crowd.
He was surprised enough, he looked down at her, ¡°What for? I thought you wanted to watch the fireworks, and I know the best place.¡±
END
Story 3 - The Mission
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Mune - Fin (4th Month 51?? Day) Year 827 GE
The buildings looked small from Zira''s vantage point on a tower near the edge of the city. Leaning her back against one of the beams that reached up above her, she breathed in deep, enjoying the fresh breeze.
Looking to her right, she could see the smog coming off the city below her. To her left was the fields she had traversed to get to the point where she sat now. The sun was starting to set over the fields.
A high pitch ding caused Zira to flinch. She dropped her head, let out a heavy breath and sat forward. ¡°Here we go,¡± she breathed out not wanting to see what orders had come across this time. Zira pressed a small carving on her ring that would have been easy to miss if she didn¡¯t know where to press, then turned her wrist. One of her bracelets lit up and a small Heads-Up Display or HUD with data scrolling down the screen hovered just above her bracelet.
Zira read the message on the small screen.
Name: Anton Reed
Age: 32 to 37
Race: Zutu
Sex: Male
Hair: Emerald Green, long, worn in wolf¡¯s tail
Eyes: Black
Height: Roughly 6''
Weight: 185 to 210 lbs
Violation: Injured 6 Zitta Duan Kander. Duan is currently in critical condition in Main Base Hospital
Punishment: Elimination
Pursuers: Any Kander near Suthen City is to engage
Zira looked up, and grumbled to herself aloud, ¡°what are the chances?¡± looking down, she could see the plaque that was the city sign below her. She couldn''t see it from her vantage point, but knew very well the sign read Suthen City. Turning her arm back over, she started reading her HUD again.
Last Seen: Wearing a dark green hoodie heading into the slums of Suthen City Sector 7. Beware target is armed with a Sonar Pistol and is well versed in hand-to-hand combat. Approach with caution.
She scrolled down to the end of the message, the last line read ¡°Accept/Decline.¡± They were buttons, clicking one would either tell those who received and sent the message she would take the mission, or that she was not available, or in the area. If she declined, she would be reported to the main office and likely disciplined if she couldn''t provide a viable reason for not taking the case. The ring and bracelet were not only the means to contact the Home Base, but also a way the Home Base tracked their Kander. As long as a Kander completed a set number of missions each year or took those assigned to their area they were mostly left alone. So, with a heavy sigh she pressed the ¡°Accept¡± button.
Zira did not know Duan personally, but it was the right thing to pursue her attacker. Another ding from her ring and she looked at her bracelet. The HUD now read, ¡°12 Zitta Zira Kander has accepted this mission.¡± She pressed the engraving on her ring, causing the light from the HUD emanating from her bracelet to shut off.
¡°Well, here we go.¡± She leaned forward, bracing herself in a crouch. Pulling her hair back, she pinned it in a wolf¡¯s tail. That done, Zira reached into the bag at her back, pulling out a small black case. Opening the case, she dipped two fingers into the charcoal. Closing her eyes, she ran them first over her left eye, then after another dip before marking her right eye. Opening her eyes, she dipped her fingers again and drew a line from the bridge of her nose down to the tip. To finish her ¡°on-the-job-look¡± she dipped three fingers and drew three lines parallel across her cheek.
When she was still a young child, she and the other Kander in training were told all missions require they blacken their eyes when they start pursuit, but they had to create their own markings from the basis they were given. The only rule they had to follow regarding the marking was once their ¡°on-the-job-look¡± was established, they had to register it with the Home Office, and all missions would be completed with this face painting. Zira had thought nothing of it when she was a child, she only wanted to make the other children laugh, now as an adult she hoped it made her less of a menace to those she didn''t hunt.
With that done Zira stood, a focused look now painted on her features. She stepped off the tower, the wind now rushing past her ears as she plummeted toward the land below. As the ground approached, she extended her hand out, gripping it as though she were holding a rope, casting Shadow Vine, which whipped out to wrap around one of the lower beams of the tower, securing itself firmly in the structures shadow. Effectively slowing her drop and allowing her to land safely.
With one final look at the fields, she turned and headed toward the city gates. The response was instant when the people saw her coming, hushed whispers and averted gazes. When she passed, many of those on the streets hurried inside. It was well known a Kander never hid the Zitta that designated them as such. But when a Kander had black on their eyes and markings on their faces, they were on a hunt. Only the foolish would start something with a Kander on a hunt. She noticed a stall with magazines, treats, and a map posted on the sign of the stall, she headed there.
The little old lady behind the counter spared her a look but just barely. Zira checked the map; it was the city layout. Suthen City was a large trading hub. ¡°Anything ya lookin¡¯ fur Kander?¡± The old woman growled. Zira was impressed, but kept it from showing, she could not show emotion until her mission was over.
After spotting a route to Sector 7 on the map, she turned to the older woman, ¡°I''m good Granny Lady, best you close up shop for the day.¡± And with that she strode down the street. Zira heard the metal fencing slam behind her as the woman closed the gate over her shop.
Another high-pitched ding rang out. Without losing stride, Zira pressed the engraving on her ring and read the message on her HUD, ¡°4 Zitta Goren Kander has accepted the mission.¡± At the bottom there was a button. ¡°Accept/Decline.¡± Zira, being the highest ranking Kander on the mission was in charge and could choose to either accept or decline other assistance during her mission. She pressed the ¡°Decline¡± button and continued on her way.
Crossing her arms at her chest, she quickly spread them to either side of her, casting Shadow Hunt. Shadows she called The Shades seeped from the shadows around her, solidifying into recognizable beings before they melded back into the shadows of the buildings around her. Casting Shadow Hunt would allow her Shades to hunt for her target, inside the city''s darkness and shadows. All it would take is his shadow crossing into another shadow alerting her Shades of his location, then they could lead her to his position. Now it was just a waiting game.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The city was less kept the further in she traversed. By the time she reached Sector 6, word had spread of a Kander on the hunt, the streets had been cleared of all civilians, leaving only piles of refuse and garbage behind. The stink was bad enough Zira had to fight to keep her hands at her sides, and her mind alert. The city was now cast in darkness, the sun having gone down for the night.
Zira was best during the night hours, her Shades eagerly hunting her prey with more coverage each moment. Another ding was the only sound that could be heard. She flipped her arm over to check her HUD. ¡°9 Zitta Surion Kander has accepted the mission.¡± This time when she scrolled down, she clicked ¡°Accept.¡± then another screen opened. It read ¡°Instructions.¡±
She quickly typed ¡°Standby outside Sector 7 East Exit.¡± She was already approaching from the west, and there didn''t seem to be any other exits.
¡°Accepted,¡± crossed her screen.
Just then she caught sight of one of her Shades. It dodged from one shadow to another intentionally catching her attention. Turning toward the first she caught sight of another, they were only visible in the shadows when someone knew what to look for. When the Zitta that unlocked the ability had been implanted, she had been made to work with her Shades until she and her Shades could almost speak the same language. Zira had been advised against naming her Shades, with the understanding that naming something magical could give it free will. She ignored the advice. There were only seven and each had a name to match their own personalities. Darkness was their obvious leader and slightly bulkier in form then the others, then there was Joyus, Joker, Mother, Bouncie, Protector, and Trouble. It was Joyus and Protector who had caught her attention, but she knew the others were around.
As she approached the Sector 7 district, she felt the hair on the back of her neck start to stand up.
Suddenly her head jerked back, she quickly followed by going into a back bend. A crossbow bolt passed through where her head would have been. Protector, one of her Shades melded into the shadows again as she dropped the rest of the way, rolling into the shadows herself. She scanned the windows and the rooftops that she could see. It was Protector who found the archer, dragging her from a window by her shadow, her scream cutting through the night¡¯s silence. The woman hit the ground hard, Zira could hear her groan as she rolled onto her side. The height she had fallen from was not enough to kill her, but she would likely have broken bones. Protector and Trouble now both grabbed the poor woman''s shadow, dragging her screaming down the street away from Zira. She felt a moment''s pity for the woman before she remembered if the Shade''s didn''t finish the job she would have to. She closed her heart off from the thought and started moving this time from within the shadows.
To Zira''s dismay Mother, another of her Shades, had been close enough to see her mistake. Zira felt like she was being lectured with each tug on her hair and clothes. ¡°I''ll be careful, Mother,¡± she finally said to stop her friend¡¯s tugging.
They were well into Sector 7, Zira now slinking amongst the shadows, Bouncie too was moving from shadow to shadow before her, clearly excited for the adventure. Finally, they came upon Darkness. The motion from the other six stopped as Darkness signaled her to open a door to a basement. As she placed her hand on the door and cracked it open, three of the seven moved through the shadows ahead of her. Bouncie, Joyus, Mother and Joker stayed outside the building to monitor the other shadows.
The stairs creaked with each step as she descended into what seemed like a basement. There was a light in the room below. With the noise she was making going down the stairs she knew if anyone was in the room below, they had already been alerted to her approach.
Darkness paused, just a darker space in an already existing shadow. She could feel he was telling her to be ready. Protector too stopped, making three quick motions, she understood there were three assailants below, and two of them were flanking the entrance to the stairs. Still slowly descending without pause, she signaled for Protector and Trouble to drag away the one on the right, Darkness would do the same for the one on the left.
She launched herself down the stairs, rolling to clear away from the assailants at the base of the stairs. The room erupted into noise as a crossbow bolt was loosed where she would have been. A scream on her right told her the attacker was being dealt with, whereas a grunt on her left told her the left assailant was down. Darkness has always been quick when dealing with fleshy beings, he preferred to suffocate them.
Zira was up and running toward the third person in the room, daggers in both hands. The man she advanced on was a Zutu man in his late thirties with Emerald Green hair, her target. He dropped the crossbow he had been holding, pulling a baton from his belt as she struck first with a dagger in her right hand, then the one in her left. He jumped out of the way of the first, then caught the blade of the second on his baton. He advanced, pulling a second baton from the belt at his back, trying to catch her across the ribs. She jumped back, pulling her blade from the baton it had been lodged in, causing chips of wood to come loose from the weapon.
He didn''t let her catch her breath, attacking left, then right, high and low in succession until she was nearly back at the staircase. One of his overhead blows caught the light housing, causing it to swing, making the light in the room sway in kind. Zira realized there was still someone screaming in the room. She chanced a quick glance, Trouble was holding the female assailant by the neck of her shadow just a hands width from the ceiling, Protector pulling on the shadow''s legs from below. Anton Reed attacked while her attention was diverted. She blocked his baton while dropping, rolling she sliced the large muscle in his thigh. He grunted in pain, but did not stop his attack, striking for her head. When she rolled back and up onto her feet, he tried to sweep out her legs. She stumbled back instead of falling. As she righted, she found Darkness holding his shadow, keeping him from striking down with his baton.
¡°Deal with that instead,¡± She nodded her head toward the corner where the woman struggled to pull invisible hands off the back of her neck. With a jerk, knocking Anton Reed back away from her, Darkness sped off to deal with the screaming woman.
Zira took the moment of confusion to advance on Anton; he had gone white when the invisible hands had gripped his shadow. Having trouble recovering, he managed to swing wildly with one of his batons, warding her off, but before she jumped back, she managed to catch one of her blades in his forearm.
The light housing was swinging slower now, rocking the light back and forth in smaller arcs. The screaming had gone silent. Darkness, Protector and Trouble were now hidden in the flashing shadows around them. The Shades would stay out of it unless she really got herself into trouble.
Zira threw first the knife in her left hand; a bright spark filled the room before they were engulfed in darkness. The clatter of the light housing falling to the floor was the last thing Anton Reed would hear before she threw her second blade, a wet gasping noise in the darkness told her she met her mark. And the thud as his body dropped to the ground, the wet gasping all but subsiding.
She pressed a different carving on her ring, a small dark needle popped out of the ring. She stuck the needle into Anton¡¯s cooling flesh; her vision barely hampered by the darkness in the room. Once the blood sample had been taken, she opened up her HUD, waiting for the results. A ding in the darkness, could be heard before the screen on the HUD read ¡°Blood sample confirmed, belonging to one Anton Reed.¡± Once the blood was confirmed as her targets, another screen popped up, ¡°Mission Status?¡± It listed a serious of options from ¡°Escaped,¡± to ¡°Complete,¡± Zira clicked on ¡°Complete.¡±
Before she was done in the room filled with her victims, she had to analyze each of their bodies, sending blood samples back to their Home Base for analysis and reporting of additional mission casualties.
It was sometime later, Zira was sitting by a fountain in Sector 3, a ding drew her attention to her HUD. ¡°Anton Reed eliminated at 22:19 hundred hours on Mune-Fin-827, completed by 12 Zitta Zira Kander, collection team 13 collected the remains of one Anton Reed and three sympathizers.¡±
Her HUD now off, she looked down into the water of the fountain. Her ¡°on-the-job-look¡± had run, the sweat from exertion during the fight, causing the marks on her cheeks to smear. She scrubbed the remaining charcoal from her face, water dripping off her chin felt more like tears as she looked into the water. Mother, one of her Shades gripped her in a shadowy hug. Now that the mission was complete, she let herself feel the regret of what she had done, leaning into her Shade¡¯s shadowy embrace.
END
Story 3.1 - The Mission - Anton Reed
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Mune ¨C Fin (4th Month 51?? Day) Year 827 GE
Anton shifted uncomfortably, his shoulders wedged in the small alley, he was crammed into. He could see his closest friend and lover Zizi Rin across the street from his hiding place. Zizi used her skills that morning to talk the flower shop owner into letting her help until they completed their mission. Anton shifted again, a pipe from one of the buildings was stabbing into his side. With a grunt, he found another angle that was slightly less painful than the one before, but still gave him a view down the street. He was nearly invisible in the early morning light, jammed into the alley way shadows as he was.
A motion from the flower shop caught his eye; Zizi was signaling the mission as a go. Anton looked down the street, in the opposite direction from where Zizi indicated the target was coming from. Callen and Lur, two more of their comrades, were just coming out of the coffee shop down the street, arms linked and joking as they wandered in his direction.
Anton readied himself, getting his nerves in order just as Zizi signaled ¡°six,¡± starting the countdown. Hiding her hand alongside her body away from their target she signaled, ¡°five.¡± Anton started to relax his muscles, shifting his mind for the task before them, ¡°four,¡± he tightened the strap on his left glove, ¡°three,¡± then the strap on his right. ¡°Two,¡± Zizi signaled, a pot now in her arms as she moved the plant to another location in the shop, closer to the street. ¡°One,¡± she placed the pot down, Anton couldn¡¯t see their target, but trusted Zizi¡¯s directions.
Just as Zizi signaled ¡°zero,¡± Anton launched out from the alley, colliding into their target, a Katovian Kander with glowing yellow Zitta on her face and shoulders. Not having given the Kander enough time to respond before he barreled her into the alley across the street.
With a cry, she tripped over a crate in the alley. Having placed the crate in the alley just for this purpose earlier that morning Anton followed her over the crate, purposely shoving her harder as they landed. Causing the Kander to crack her head on the street dazing her, but not knocking her out as they had hoped.
¡°Move on,¡± Anton heard Lur call out from the opening to the alley, guiding any onlookers on.
Anton pressed his knee into the Kander¡¯s back as he pinned her to the cobblestone, groping for her arm. Even dazed and confused the Kander had enough presence of mind to move her arm to keep him from grabbing it. She started to get her legs under her, trying to get Anton¡¯s weight off her back.
Callen noticed Anton¡¯s struggles, and rushed into the alley, grabbing the Kander¡¯s feet. Zizi rushed into the alley in Callen¡¯s shadow, grabbing for the Kander¡¯s free arm.
Zizi cried out. Anton turned to find Zizi had deep scratches down her forearm where the Kander¡¯s claws had sunk into her arm. With a grunt of pain, he found he too had been raked by her claws. Doubling his efforts, he finally managed to pin her arm at the elbow. Zizi started to search the Kander with her free hand.
A snap rang through the alley. Anton, Zizi and Callen all stared in horror as the ground was no longer below them, they were falling through the air toward cobblestone that looked much like the alley they were just in.
Anton had to release the Kander to land properly, rolling to lessen the damage from the impact. Zizi and Callen had fallen hard, Zizi on her knees, and Callen on his backside. The Kander had recovered, the fall, giving her time to right herself. She had landed on her feet and was jumping toward Callen, claws raised. Anton without thinking pulled his small knife from his belt and threw it between the two, trying to redirect her attention.
¡°Go!¡± He called out to the other two as the Kander turned her attention toward him. When she was close enough, he swung his fist at her. She nimbly avoided the impact by dancing back, changing direction as easily as she had been moving toward him. With a grumble he set his mind for a hard fight.
The footsteps from Zizi and Callen trailed away as they escaped from the place the Kander had transported them. ¡°We¡¯re still in Suthen at least,¡± he could just hear Zizi say as she turned the corner.
The Kander didn¡¯t give him time to breathe, she attacked relentlessly. Using only her claws, she struck from the left, then right. Anton pulled the short blades he kept snapped under his baggy hoodie. The blades were long daggers with just enough reach to not get him caught up in the tight space they were fighting in. The Kander¡¯s claws scraped down his right blade as he defended his body from her sharp claws. He swiped his left blade out, causing her to defend against his attack. With her distracted, he rammed his knee into her side, knocking the air from her lungs. She stumbled back, her arms up for defense as she tried to catch her breath. Anton could see the hate in the Kander¡¯s eyes as he ran toward her, grabbing her head, pinching one of her ears against her skull and ramming it into the nearby building.
She let out a cry of pain. She thrust her elbow out, catching him in the ribs just as he pushed back and moved away from her. Anton grabbed his side, checking for damage as she leaned against the building wall. When she turned toward him a fresh stream of blood was running down her face from a cut she had gotten from the stones in the wall. The Kander¡¯s glare could peel paint, but Anton could tell she was having a hard time keeping her eyes focused. She reached behind her back and spoke softly, ¡°Sonic Pistol.¡±
His eyes opened wide as she pointed the sound weapon in his direction. When she pulled the trigger, he dropped to the ground, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat at the sight of the deadly weapon. The crumbling of the building¡¯s wall that came from behind him confirmed his fears. The sound from the pistol was breaking down the components used to create the brick in the wall. Sound naturally created vibrations, which were usually harmless, but in pistol form they had found they could concentrate the vibrations, causing matter to break down. Anton did not want to see what that weapon could do to flesh.
Getting to his feet, he heard a high-pitched hum coming from the weapon in the Kander¡¯s hands.
Did it have a reset time, he thought as he came up with a strategy. He started toward the Kander again, the whining from the weapon lessened and she was pointing it directly at him again. Cursing, he now knew the weapon¡¯s recharge time was short. Suddenly a stick came around the corner just behind the Kander, cracking her hard on the head. The Kander crumbled to the ground the pistol falling from her grip.
Callen popped around the corner holding the stick, Zizi at his elbow. ¡°Did we make it?¡± she smiled at Anton when she found him standing there a bit surprised by the change.
¡°Perfect timing,¡± he panted, just realizing how exhausting his fight really was. Sweat had drenched through his hoodie around his chest and back. How long had the fight drawn out he wondered.
A high-pitched beeping sound started to chime out from the Kander¡¯s body. Anton jumped at first; until he realized what they were hearing, someone had told him about this before. When a Kander loses consciousness, a signal would be sent out to their Home Base, calling for help. Without another moment''s hesitation Anton started forward, grabbing the pistol where it dropped, then ran toward the end of the alley and his two friends. ¡°Get out of here!¡± He shouted as a portal opened up on the street behind him. ¡°Move, move, move.¡± With that, the three of them were running away from the scene as fast as they could. Anton risked a glance back just as a young male Kander walked through, their eyes met for a moment before Anton turned the corner.
They ran as hard as they could, dodging people whenever needed. It took some time to get back to Sector 7, where Lur was waiting for them in the hideout.
¡°I didn¡¯t know if you guys were going to return,¡± she commented as they entered the basement. When she noticed the look of panic on their faces she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±
Zizi and Anton collapsed on the couch; Callen leaned against the counter. ¡°It was supposed to be an easy job,¡± Callen put in, ¡°If she hadn¡¯t created that portal.¡±
¡°Yeah, where did you guys go?¡±
¡°Sector 4, near that old fountain.¡± Zizi added, her breath still ragged.
¡°What are we going to do?¡± Callen¡¯s eyes were wide, not really expecting an answer as the shock set in. He had smashed a Kander in the head, knocking her unconscious. ¡°We didn¡¯t even get the ring the customer hired us to get.¡±
¡°No,¡± Anton added, his breath back in control. ¡°But we did get this,¡± he pulled the sonic pistol from beside him. ¡°We can sell this to the customer instead.¡±
¡°When did you?¡± Zizi asked as she curled into his side, ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you grab it.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
¡°Just as we started to run,¡± Anton smiled, putting an arm around Zizi, ¡°We may not have had an easy time with the job, but with this we did get some results.¡± Callen did not look reassured, instead he looked sick. ¡°Callen, what¡¯s bothering you?¡±
It took some time before he finally responded, ¡°I struck the Kander,¡± it was a whisper at first. ¡°I struck a Kander,¡± he said a bit louder, his face white, ¡°Anyone who strikes a Kander doesn¡¯t live to talk about it.¡±
¡°And yet here we are,¡± Anton smiled at his friend and fellow colleague. ¡°They didn¡¯t get our names, how are they going to track us? Besides, if they think the residence of Suthen will help them find us, they¡¯ll be surprised.¡±
¡°Right¡¡± Callen was clearly having a hard time believing it.
¡°Now everyone, clean up, if you have visible cuts, you¡¯re not leaving the hideout. The clothes we have on now, burn them, we leave nothing to chance,¡± and with that Lur grabbed Callen¡¯s arm and toted him into another room, and Anton followed Zizi to their¡¯s.
Lur set up the meeting with the customer, as the other three nursed whatever aches and pains they had received from that day''s mission. Zizi had taken the worst, the cuts in her forearm from the Kander¡¯s claws were deep enough at least two of them would require stitches. Anton was disappointed in himself for not even considering a Kander using their nails as their main weapon in combat. As for Anton had only found the light claw marks on his forearm and a small cut on his throat, he couldn¡¯t remember her getting close to his throat, let alone scratching him.
That afternoon, as planned, Anton and Zizi were the only two in the office when the customer arrived. Warren was a stocky Duran with wirey light gray hair. He was getting up there in years, and it was starting to show. He took the seat meant for him across from Anton.
¡°Did you get it?¡± He asked, looking between the two of them.
¡°No,¡± Anton got right to the point, the look of disappointment on the Duran¡¯s face was not a shock, ¡°But we did get something else, something better.¡±
Warren¡¯s glare could make his adrenaline rush with anticipation if he hadn¡¯t known that Lur and Callen were in the side alcoves, crossbows pointed at their visitor. ¡°What could be better than a Kander¡¯s ring? A ring, that mind you, would alert the resistance to the movements of all the Kanders, as that is how they all get their orders,¡± He grumbled at the two, his fist clenched.
¡°This,¡± Anton placed the pistol on the desk before him, ¡°If this doesn¡¯t have at least some comparison to a Kander¡¯s ring, I would be surprised.¡±
Warren stared at the weapon a time before he finally said, ¡°How much?¡±
Anton held up five fingers, ¡°This much.¡±
¡°Three,¡± Warren countered.
¡°Four and a half,¡± Anton countered again.
¡°Four is my final offer,¡± Warren looked at the pistol again, Anton could see his mind ticking with possibilities. Sonic pistols were usually only held by the Goren¡¯s people, to be able to get their hands on one as a citizen was rare.
¡°Done,¡± Anton pushed a machine toward the Duran across the table. He grunted, then scanned a ring of his own. A ding rang out and Anton pulled the device back toward him. The screen read, ¡°4000 credits transferred from Warren Long to Anton Reed.¡± And with that Anton pushed the weapon across the table. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you.¡± He gave the older man a businesslike smile, not too much, but enough to show he appreciated the business. ¡°Hope we can look¡.¡±
¡°This will be our last time working together,¡± Warren cut in, ¡°And I¡¯ll offer you this bit of advice for free.¡± He touched his neck where Anton had been scratched, ¡°You would do well to disappear, that mark shows that they can identify you. That ring you failed to get takes a blood sample when the pin on it scratches someone, identifying them to the other Kander. Chances are they are hunting you right now,¡± with that, he pushed up from the table and headed toward the door.
When he was out of the space Callen rushed into the room, ¡°Hunting us,¡± he wailed in a higher voice then was expected.
It took a moment before Anton responded, he had to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, ¡°No, not us.¡± It was a long pause before he looked up into his friends¡¯ faces, ¡°Just me.¡±
He could feel the eyes of the other three in the room staring at him, ¡°You should all leave, I would rather face this challenge alone.¡± Anton lied as he walked toward the switch that turned on the lights. Callen was white as a sheet as he stared at Anton, Lur was looking down at the crossbow she still held in her hands.
¡°No!¡± Zizi cried out, ¡°We won''t abandon you when you need us,¡± her voice cracked on the last words.
¡°Zizi,¡± He didn¡¯t turn to face her, Anton was afraid to see his friends faces at that moment. ¡°There is no need for anyone else to be hunted by the Kander, if any of you help, chances are we¡¯ll all die.¡± Or maybe I can take down this Kander like the one in the alley, he thought to himself as he braced an arm on the wall.
No one behind him moved, none of his friends headed toward the exit. It took his mind time to realize they were all silently staring at him. When he turned around it was Callen who spoke first, ¡°We started this, we¡¯ll all finish it together.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Lur agreed, moving to wrap an arm around Zizi, ¡°We¡¯re friends, we won''t abandon you in your time of need.¡±
¡°We¡¯re family,¡± Zizi placed a hand on her flat stomach and looked up toward Anton. His mind went blank, was she, no it wasn¡¯t possible he told himself.
Lur grabbed their two remaining communication devices from the desk, they didn¡¯t like using these, they were old and clunky, and every now and then they would shock the one wearing it. Lur strapped one around her neck, extending the second one toward Anton. With a feeling of shock, and a sense of being loved by those he had endangered just that morning he stepped forward and took the last device, strapping it around his neck. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± He asked.
Lur smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll watch the street and keep you informed with this,¡± she pointed at the communication device. ¡°As for you three, you should fortify the hideout here. Having only the one entrance, you¡¯ll know where the Kanders will have to enter, and with my forewarning you¡¯ll know when they¡¯re coming.¡±
¡°That¡¯ll work,¡± Anton responded, looking toward the other two, Callen was clearly shaken, his mind battling with his decision to stay.
¡°I¡¯m off,¡± Lur said as she exited the office area, the room beyond was where they would make their stand. It had been something of a waiting area with dim lighting and only a couch and a bar in the space. The stairs beyond lead to the street in Sector 7. ¡°Testing, can you hear me,¡± her voice came across the communication device as vibrations passed into his skin and translated by his ear drums into words.
¡°I hear you loud and clear.¡± He responded, Lur yelped on the other side of the line. ¡°What was that?¡± He asked a bit worried, but suspecting what it was.
¡°Damn device just shocked me is all.¡± She grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch again when I get into position.¡± And with that the device went silent.
With Lur on the move Zizi left the office, going to gather weapons from their hiding places throughout the rooms. When she came back, she was carrying two more crossbows, and Anton¡¯s Batons. Callen lifted his, forgetting he was still holding one. She handed one to Anton, and a roll of bolts to go with it, and strapped on her own roll of bolts before heading into the entryway. ¡°We can do this,¡± Her conviction was strong as she disappeared into the other room.
Callen followed behind her, moving with less confidence than Zizi. When both were in the entry room Anton sighed, could they do this? Could they really beat a group of Kander hunting him specifically. Maybe he should try harder to get his friends to leave, if not Callen then maybe Zizi she seemed to have been trying to tell him something.
He shut the light off in the office, a chill ran over him as if something had just brushed against his skin. With a chill down his spine Anton walked into the light of the other room. He couldn¡¯t just brush off the strange sensation, it was like the shadows in the room had been feeling him, inspecting him and found something before disappearing.
¡°I¡¯m in position,¡± he heard Lur over the communication device, knocking the thoughts of strange shadows from his mind.
¡°Right,¡± he looked at Zizi who was sitting stiffly on the couch. ¡°Be safe and keep your eyes open,¡± Anton advised his friend as he looked over at Callen, who was staring down at the ground, his face white. They had both taken a place that gave them opposing angles at the stairs. So, Anton decided to stay in the center of the room, looking straight toward the stairwell. He would not hide, he would stay where they could find him first, and hopefully lose concentration.
¡°I see something,¡± Lur¡¯s voice chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s only one Kander, she seems to be headed toward the hideout.¡±
¡°Just watch the Kander,¡± Anton advised.
¡°I¡¯m going to take the shot; she hasn¡¯t noticed I¡¯m here yet.¡± Lur was silent a time, the thwack from the release of the crossbow¡¯s catch echoed through the device. She must have left the transmit on this time. ¡°Oh no¡¡± he heard her voice; it was higher pitched than he was used to from her. ¡°I missed¡¡± He heard her stand, ¡°Oh, how could I miss,¡± her voice was sounding frantic. Lur screamed, there was a loud crash, and the sound of struggling as she continued to scream. With a loud thud and a grunt Anton knew she had fallen a good distance. Something had pulled her from her hiding place, likely throwing her to the ground. Suddenly her scream rang through the communication device again as the sounds of dragging continued. She grunted through pain, ¡°Watch the shadows,¡± before there was a splash, more struggling, then just the sound of water crashing into the communication device.
Anton tore the device from his throat and threw it into the corner. He pushed back the need to vomit and looked at his other two friends, they had been staring at him, waiting for an update. Regardless of how loud her screams had sounded to him, they were silent to those who didn¡¯t wear the communication device. ¡°Prepare for company, they are headed here,¡± was all he said as he lifted his crossbow to his shoulder, the other two doing the same. What did she mean by watch the shadows?
No one spoke, all eyes were on the staircase, only the sound of heavy breathing broke the silence in the room as they waited for their fate to come down those stairs. Anton tried not to think about Lur¡¯s screams and the sound of her being dragged and struggling but unable to escape her attacker¡¯s hold. She had said there was only one Kander in the street, only one headed toward their hideout. Then who was it that had pushed her from a building and dragged her what he assumed was down the street. His mind halted when he heard the scrape of the door above, opening. It was a subtle one, but one he knew well.
The shadows flowed in an unusual manner toward the other two in the room, just as a small pink haired girl came into sight. Anton released the bolt he had knocked in the crossbow. Just as he did, she leapt down the stairs, rolling out of the way of his shot. His heart sank, he knew this was no fight, they could win. He cast aside his crossbow and readied himself for the battle of his life.
END
Story 4 - Starry Night Part -1
Goroh ¨C Autumn ¨C Kuo ¨C Gitta (5th Month 3rd Day) Year 827 GE
The storm clouds were hanging over the city dropping its payload all over the ground below them. Zira watched from the warmth of her room in the inn. She hadn¡¯t left the hotel since the completion of her last mission six days before. The city was still on edge from the appearance of a Kander on the hunt. Her heart had sunk when her blade had cut into the man she hunted, Anton Reed, she would add his name to the growing list of those she had ¡°dealt with¡± for The Goren.
Zira didn''t notice when the sun sunk low enough it could no longer be seen through the window, leaving the room in darkness. The sound of the rain beating down on the windowpane was soothing for her to listen to, as her mind sorted through the events of the hunt and her kill just days before. The feel of her daggers tearing through muscles and scraping bones as she removed them from the dead Anton Reed still haunted her.
¡°Good heavens,¡± A woman gasped as she entered Zira''s room, pulling her from her memories. ¡°You could at least turn on a light.¡± Zira didn''t flinch when the light flashed on overhead. ¡°I swear, when I heard of ¡°Fearsome Kanders¡± you''re the last thing I expected,¡± she placed a tray on the table next to the one she had brought for breakfast that morning. ¡°You didn''t eat much of your breakfast.¡±
Zira shifted her gaze to the woman, ¡°Sorry, I''m just not that hungry right now.¡±
¡°Well, you need to eat,¡± the mother inside the woman called out to her. ¡°What in the world do they have you Kander do,¡± she walked around the room, Zira did not look, but had the feeling she was tidying the already clean room. ¡°First, I find you zoned out walking in the street, covered in gore, and looking like you had seen a ghost. Then I bring you here and it''s like your soul took leave of your body.¡± She kept cleaning, ¡°I swear you''re just as bad as my children,¡± speaking louder she added, ¡°Are you going to help in the kitchen tomorrow?¡±
Zira didn''t know how long had passed since the Inn Keeper left the room; her mind had slipped from the words the elder woman was rambling. It didn¡¯t take much for her thoughts to slip back to the blade, to her Shade Darkness holding him by the back of the neck, her blade sunk deep into his throat, another she had to pull from his shoulder. Some part of Zira¡¯s mind understood she needed to stop dwelling on the past, she did what she had to.
The side effects from having suffered from The Hollow for so long had caused a break in her mind, making it easier for her to drift from reality taking her some effort to come back from it. But come back, she always did, she struck herself on the cheeks, not enough to leave a mark, just a slight sting. Her mind came back to the rain on the window, which was now more a drizzle than the down pour it had been earlier. The Inn Keeper had left the light on when she left, Zira looked around to figure out the time, it was well past the midnight hour, pushing to her feet, she slapped herself on the cheeks again, ¡°Gotta get it together.¡± Zira grabbed a roll from the plate and took a bite. It was hard to swallow, her stomach refusing the substance. She flicked the light off and climbed into bed, willing her mind into silence.
The next morning dawned with no sign of the rain from the days before. Zira pushed up from her bed, she had barely gotten any sleep that night, but was feeling much more like herself than she had the last several days. She checked in the mirror, there were bags under her purple eyes, her pink hair was a mess, and her pale skin was even paler than usual, but she could work with that. After cleaning up, Zira plaited her hair down her back, pinched her cheeks to try to give them color and changed into fresh clothes for the day. Pleased with the change she turned to head down into the rest of the Inn. Part of her remembered the Inn Keeper asking for help in the kitchen the night before.
The Inn Keeper followed her nose down the stairs, the sweet and spicy scent of cinnamon pancakes was wafting up to her there. Her nose drew her into the kitchen, where she was pleasantly surprised to find her Kander tenant flipping a pancake on the stove. ¡°Dear heavens! I didn¡¯t expect to find you in the kitchen first thing in the morning,¡± she stopped next to Zira, ¡°It smells wonderful.¡±
Zira pointed at a small stack of finished pancakes. ¡°Help yourself, those are ready,¡± and grabbed another plate out of the cupboard, the next pancake went onto that one.
When Zira filled up another plate and turned the stove off, she turned, the Inn Keeper was at the table with an untouched plate in front of her, piled with pancakes and covered with syrup. Zira smiled before she took a few pancakes off the pile, slathering it with syrup, and took the seat across from the Inn Keeper. Without a word the elder woman took the first bite, and Zira joined her.
¡°It''s good to see you up and about,¡± The Inn Keeper finished with her breakfast, she cleaned up her plate and Zira¡¯s, taking them to be washed. ¡°You¡¯re looking much better,¡± Zira watched the older woman¡¯s back as she scrubbed the dishes, ¡°So what is our fearsome Kander going to get up to today.¡±
With a smile Zira pushed up from the table. ¡°I think I have imposed on you long enough.¡± Grabbing a fresh towel, she started to dry the clean dishes. ¡°I¡¯ll get my stuff together and be on the move this afternoon.¡± The Inn Keeper paused for the briefest moment, before she handed Zira the utensils she had been scrubbing.
The afternoon came quick, Zira was on the threshold bidding her farewells to the Inn Keeper. It was a simple affair; the elder woman was a no-nonsense type, helping Zira out with a bag of food that should last a while, ¡°Well, that should do you,¡± was all the Inn Keeper said, before Zira headed down the street.
By the time the sun was setting, Zira had made good progress. She looked up at the tall trees that surrounded Suthen City toward the south. She understood from her maps this was called the Colour Woods, and not frequented by travelers. Not recalling why this area was avoided, Zira felt she could use a nice quiet trek through the woods. It made it even better knowing that going around the woods would add another two or three weeks depending on the conditions.
Watching the sky, Zira headed into the woods. It was nearly dark, and she would need to find a nice tree that would help shelter her camp from the rain that was sure to fall at some point.
Under the cover of a tree with a large area guarded by its leaves and branches. Zira set up her camp, that night she would not start a fire, Zira did not like risking the sparks endangering the forest around her. Instead, she pulled out the satchel the Inn Keeper had given her, enjoying two of the steam buns she had tucked inside. Zira pulled her sleeping mat from the pouch she kept pinned at her back, situating it as close as she could to the tree¡¯s trunk.
The sun was just setting when the rain started to pour in earnest, Zira was tucked against the thick trunk of her tree, its foliage kept most of the rain off. But the chill would be hard to deal with during the night, reaching back to her pouch she spoke softly, ¡°Fire globe.¡± It only took a moment for the warmth of her fire globe from within her pouch to settle into her hand. It let off the faintest of glows, as she held it in her lap, the warmth starting to chase away the cold of the night air. Curled up on her sleeping mat she closed her eyes, thinking back to when she got her wondrous pouch and fire globe.
When a Kander gets their 4th Zitta they become official Kander and receive their first missions. As for Zira¡¯s initiation, it wasn¡¯t until her 5th Zitta was installed and she had learned to use the power it had awakened in her. When she received her first mission they issued her a small pouch, called the Infinity Pouch, inside it was the Fire Globe. They taught her how to pull the fire globe from the depths of the pouch, it was like an incantation, one just simply had to speak aloud what they wanted the pouch to give up to them at the moment. Then, with an older Kander as her escort she was taken to the place she would have to complete her first mission. It had been a courtesy that the mission, she received at the time was a capture and not a kill. Zira had struggled with the capture, the perpetrator was much older than her, and stronger. It had been her Shadow Vine that had disabled the man, and her Shadow Snap that had removed his will to fight, allowing her to complete her mission successfully. She had learned on that first mission that few actually paid attention to what their shadows were doing, and where their shadow cast its darkness, which was to her benefit.
The cold was miserable that night, Zira curled up around her fire globe to stay warm, her clothes growing gradually more soaked as the night progressed. Sleep was an elusive creature, she drifted in and out of sleep, at some point exhaustion must have taken her, for the next thing she knew the sun was glaring into her eyes. Her body was stiff with the position she had fallen asleep in, it screamed as she straightened her limbs, and stretched the sleep out of them. Finally, Zira felt like she could stand without her legs refusing to hold her, when finally on her feet, she pulled a change of clothes from her pouch.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Once changed into dry clothes, her wet one tucked around the fire globe and returned to her pouch with her sleeping mat, Zira was on the road again.
It was midday when the sky decided to drop its wet payload once again. Zira was soaked clear through before she knew it. Slogging through the wet grass her clothes clinging to her body she pressed on. That night was just as miserable as the one before as she clung to the fire globe greedily soaking up all the heat it could offer. When the sun finally peaked through the retreating clouds, there was no warmth from it as it filtered through the trees. That didn''t stop Zira from allowing herself a moment to appreciate its light before changing out of her wet, frozen clothes.
With a grumble and a silent curse to herself, she set off once again.
It was mid-day before she stopped for a meal, the sun had warmed up, chasing all the clouds from the area. With a hope for a dry sleep that night she brushed crumbs from her hands, her lunch finished and set off again.
The birds chirping along her path warmed her heart as she traversed through the woods. Zira was starting to notice more and more trees in different colors the further she entered into the Woods. ¡°So, this is why it''s called the Colour Woods.¡±
Zira paused, her breath caught in her throat as she stepped into a clearing, the most spectacular tree she had ever seen in all her travels could just barely be seen reaching above the forest before her. Between her and this great tree stood multitudes of smaller trees in so many colors her mind couldn¡¯t fathom them all. There were blues, greens, reds, pinks, oranges, and even purples, all in so many different shades she couldn¡¯t even consider how to describe them. She drunk in the sight before her for a time longer, when Zira finally noticed, the sun was starting to go down she headed into the clearing, aiming in the direction of the golden Colour wood tree. The sun reflecting off the golden tree¡¯s leaves made Zira wonder. Who could create such beauty? The tree was so large she imagined that all of Suthen city could fit under its cover. ¡°What kind of tree is that?¡± She wondered aloud, it was getting harder to see the tree in the distance, having moved closer to the edge of the clearing, and starting back into the trees.
When she entered the trees again Zira started to choose a tree in the distance as her focal point and would continue to head toward that tree. Out of curiosity for this golden Colour wood tree Zira had decided she would go see what this amazing tree looked like up close. ¡°How did no one know of this tree outside these woods?¡± She asked herself as she made it to her first tree and chose another one. When finally, it was getting too dark to continue heading toward the golden tree Zira decided to set up her camp.
The clearing, she stepped into was just large enough for her to set up a comfortable camping site and get some food. Zira would start a fire tonight to enjoy a warm meal and some warmth as she slept.
She collected branches that had fallen from their host tree some time ago and set them around the space she had marked out as her camping ground. After clearing the ground for the fire, she stacked the wood and reached back into her pouch, ¡°Flint and Steel.¡± And with that small stone and a metal piece came into her hand. She struck them together over the small pile of wood she had set up, causing them to spark. When the wood caught fire, she gasped, the wood burned in just as many colors as the trees she had seen in the woods during the day. Pinks, Oranges, Reds, Greens, Yellows, Blues, the dance of the fire was mesmerizing at first. Zira didn¡¯t know how long she stared at it before her stomach growled, bringing her back to the task at hand.
Her meal finished, she reached back into her pouch, ¡°sleeping mat¡± and with that a large fleece cloth came into her hand, rolled up as she had done after that first night. It was still slightly damp from the rain that first night in the woods. Zira hated the scratchy material, but it kept the small rocks from digging into her joints better than any others she had tried. She held the mat toward the flame for a time before she grumbled, rolled it back up and returned it to the pouch at her back. The ground cover here was mostly grass, she should be fine sleeping without the mat.
The fire had just shot sparks of blue into the night sky when a voice spoke, ¡°Mind if I join you?¡±
Zira was on her feet, a knife in hand, facing the direction she had heard the voice come from. Her heart beating a quick thrum in her ears as she looked at the strange woman who had entered the clearing. Zira was unsure of her race, she had never seen or heard of a being that looked like this one before. She resembled the trees around them, her skin hardened and cracked like bark, in the color of a dark blue trees just as she had seen around the Golden tree in the clearing. The stranger raised a brow at Zira as if to remind her of the question, at first Zira didn¡¯t know what she should do. This woman had appeared out of nowhere without even the slightest hint of her presence until she had spoken.
Zira cleared her throat before she straightened and put away her knife, recalling what the stranger had asked, with a sweep of her hand, she indicated toward the fire, ¡°Please join me.¡± Still watching her closely as she approached the fire and took a seat across from Zira.
¡°Tonight, sure cleared up, hasn¡¯t it?¡± The woman¡¯s voice filled the night, the crackle of the fire the only other sound Zira could hear.
¡°Yes.¡± Zira started to sit back down again. ¡°What brings you to this part of the woods?¡±
¡°Like you I was traveling through.¡± The woman¡¯s face glowed a yellow as the fire changed to another color, Zira doubted this woman had ever left the woods. ¡°You know they say if you cut down a Colour Wood tree you¡¯ll have to deal with the guardian of the woods.¡±
¡°Is that so,¡± Zira was still on guard, ready to attack if this woman did anything suspicious, ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t cut down any trees.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± the woman¡¯s bright eyes stared at Zira, it took a moment for Zira to place why they unnerved her so. This woman looked like she could be a young adult, much like Zira herself, but her eyes, they held the knowledge of many lifetimes in their depths. Making Zira feel as if she looked into the eyes of an elderly woman who had been through the ages. ¡°Then tell me, how did you get the wood for your fire?¡±
Zira pointed to the ground around some of the trees, there were several more broken branches littering the ground that could be seen. ¡°I just collected them from the ground,¡± her palms sweating, this stranger was making her feel uncomfortable.
Is this woman the guardian of the woods? She thought to herself, have I done something wrong.
The woman took a moment, leaning toward the fire as if she was listening to something Zira couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°I guess it is as you say,¡± she gave a smile that showed teeth that would have typically been found in a carnivorous beast¡¯s mouth, not what Zira would have expected to find in the mouth of someone who looked so similar to a tree. Zira visibly swallowed as the woman relaxed across the fire, ¡°I am Puurimi Osisi.¡±
Not like being rude, this woman had just introduced herself, so Zira said, ¡°Zira Lanni,¡± she did not want to put the woman on edge by mentioning her rank and the name given to her when she became a full Kander. Lanni was her families last name from childhood. She was supposed to shed it when she reached the rank of Kander, but Zira still hoped one day to catch a glimpse of the people who had been her birth family.
¡°Zira¡ Zi¡.ra¡¡± she drew Zira¡¯s name out in a haunting note, then added, ¡°I like how that names sound, it is like a bird zipping through the trees.¡± The tree woman Puurimi said her mouth still pulled up in a smile. Zira was starting to notice her smile was not meant to be threatening, but to show her joy, in what, Zira did not know. ¡°What brings you to the forest?¡±
Having relaxed without realizing it Zira responded, ¡°I¡¯m just traveling through, I didn¡¯t feel like going around.¡± It was then that Zira remembered why most people skirted around the Colour Woods instead of chancing a path through them. People disappeared in these woods, even Kander rarely returned from them. It was too late to worry about that now, so Zira, resigned to her fate, whatever that might be, just watched as the woman sharing her campfire glowed with each new color. She made no threatening moves or advances, but still Zira remained on alert.
¡°It has been so long since I have run into anyone in the woods,¡± Puurimi started, ¡°I was shocked when I smelled the Colour Wood burning.¡±
Zira stiffened again, maybe she should just get up and start heading away from this clearing and away from this strange woman who would try to put her at ease one moment and say something that sounded threatening in the next. Zira could see she was no longer trying to hide that she was not from outside the Colour Woods. When she opened her mouth the tree woman raised a hand, ¡°I am not trying to put you on edge,¡± she spoke with that even voice she seemed to use most, ¡°I am simply stating a fact.¡±
¡°Oh, I see,¡± Zira said trying to relax again and failing. Stifling a yawn, she looked down at her hands. How could she be tired, she was half scared out of her skin, there was no room for exhaustion.
¡°I would like to ask if there is any news of the world outside these woods?¡±
After thinking a moment Zira asked, ¡°How long has it been since last you talked with someone?¡±
There was a long pause before she responded, ¡°I have lost count of the frozen seasons between the last time I talked with another.¡±
¡°Then do you know about the cities that border the Colour Woods, or¡¡± A yawn tore through what she was about to say, ¡°or¡¡± another took over before she could finish her thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡¡± she started and yawned again, her mind reeling at the thought of falling asleep with this stranger by her fire. ¡°I¡¯m not usually this¡ tired¡¡± her mind was starting to grow fuzzy with the exhaustion. Zira caught sight of a puzzled look on Puurimi¡¯s face before she laid down on the soft ground coverage, she had cleared for her sleeping area that night.
The grass and moss were cold, but her mind was ready for sleep and her body settled onto the ground, a sigh of content when she closed her eyes. Part of her mind thought, there was a stranger, the other part said only, sleep. It was the sleep side that won, she could feel herself being drawn off into her dreams.
¡°Oh dear,¡± she heard a voice that sounded far away from her, ¡°You seem to have added Gamiani¡¯s branches to the fire¡¡±
The voice sounded further away when she heard just the words, ¡°Causes true dreams.¡¡± then everything else seemed to fade away.
END
Story 4.1 - Starry Night Part -1 - Puurimi Osisi
Goroh ¨C Autumn ¨C Mune ¨C Gitta (5th Month 6th Day) Year 827 GE
Puurimi groaned as the smell of burning wood caught her attention. She grunted as her body started to shift from her tree form to that of a flesh and bone being that could blend in with the rest of the inhabitants in their world. It was not painful to change between her forms, just uncomfortable, feeling her bark receding, her leaves changing and her limbs fitting into the casing that was her fleshy body. The Osisi were a people with two forms, one of a great tree with bark and leaves, and when needed a form of flesh and bone, allowing them to walk and talk amongst those who could do them harm.
The change complete, Puurimi pulled clothes from a pack she always held with her roots when she was in her tree form. When she was still a young sapling, she had learned quickly that those who entered the woods did not take her seriously if she did not cover the skin that formed when she took on her fleshy body.
Clothed, Puurimi headed through the woods, her green and blue hair gathered into a knot at the back of her neck to keep it out of her way. Her dark blue flesh that was only a cheap imitation of the bark she wore when she was in her tree form, was covered as much as she cared to.
The smell of her burning brethren started to fill her nose. She had learned young, that the strangers who entered their woods had enjoyed the smell of their bark burning, but Puurimi detested the scent.
Approaching the clearing where the smell came from, she watched a moment. A young girl with pale pink hair loose down her back, stared into a fire. The blues and greens of the burning Colour woods, were dancing their colors across her face. Puu could see the purple in the girl''s eyes glisten as she stared at the fire. Was she about to cry?
There was a faint sound and the girl sighed, sat back and reached into a pouch at her back. "Sleeping roll," she spoke in a lower voice than Puu would have expected, and the girl pulled a piece of cloth out of the pouch at her back. Puu nearly gasped, giving herself away. How could something so large come out of something so small.
Puu circled around behind the girl, keeping her steps silent. She wanted to get a better look at this strange pouch that could fit such large items inside it. Staring at the pouch at the pink haired girl¡¯s back, Puu was disappointed. It looked just like any other she had seen when visitors had entered the woods. But those had not carried quite so large a load.
The girl held the cloth toward the fire for a time before she rolled it back up and returned it to the strange pouch that carried more than it should be able to. It was a shock to watch the larger item returned to the small pouch, it had seemed as though it was shrinking as it neared the pouch opening. Puurimi watched a moment more before she stepped from the shadow of her fellow Osisi in tree form. The girl did not move, did not acknowledge Puu''s presence so she asked. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡±
The response was instant, she was on her feet, facing Puu now, a blade that Puu had not even known she was carrying in her hand. It was then that she noticed a faint red glow on the girl''s arms, leg and face. Puu had seen others with these strange colored and glowing bars before, they had traveled through her woods. Only one had made trouble that she herself had to deal with, his bars had been a dark blue like her own skin when she was in her flesh form. The man had been breaking parts of the Colour Wood trees off, hurting her Osisi brethren, and she had approached to deal with the situation. That man had been a skilled fighter and used a strange ability that gave him control over the wind. It had been a hard fight, but she had added his body to the ground for fertilizer, eventually. Puu did not want to fight this pink haired girl, she seemed sad to Puurimi.
Puu could see just as she was studying the girl the girl in turn was studying Puu herself, and she raised an eyebrow. This seemed to register something for the girl. With another quick look at Puu, the girl started to straighten. When she put away the knife, the tension in Puu¡¯s body also released.
The pink haired girl swept a hand toward the fire and spoke, ¡°Please join me.¡± Puu liked this girls voice; it wasn''t too high pitched but still seemed to hold a musical note in her tone.
Puu kept her eyes on the fire that changed color with each different type of wood that had been carelessly fed to it. When she was across the fire from the girl she sat hoping to look less like a threat to this traveler. Puu did not wish to fight if she did not have to.
Listening to the crackling and popping sound of the fire before her, Puu tried to figure out whose branches had been added to make the colors as they were. Remembering the rain, the last several nights, and assuming this girl must have been stuck in it, she spoke again, ¡°Tonight sure cleared up, hasn''t it?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± was all the girl, said as she started to sit back down again. Puu was happy to see the girl relax slightly; this would make talking with her easier. Then the pink haired traveler added ¡°What brings you to this part of the woods?¡±
Having answered this question many times before, she already understood that telling anyone that she was part of the woods would cause a response she did not care for, so she said instead ¡°Like you I was traveling through.¡±
The doubt in the traveler¡¯s eyes was obvious, she did not believe Puu''s lie. Now was a chance to get right down to what brought her out of her tree form and deal with the issue at hand. ¡°You know they say if you cut down a Colour Wood tree you¡¯ll have to deal with the guardian of the woods.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Puu could tell this was news to the traveler, she looked at her with poorly hidden surprise. ¡°Is that so,¡± the girl spoke calmly, in a way that made Puu think she might be stalling for time. Puu could see the young woman¡¯s mind putting together the things she had said, it felt like she could see the blocks clicking together in the traveler¡¯s mind. ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t cut down any trees,¡± she finally added.
She was surprised to hear this, but did not believe the young woman¡¯s claim. ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Puurimi was starting to put some thoughts together, had she heard the screams of her brethren before she smelled the smoke from the fire the traveler had started. Puu could not recall so she asked instead, ¡°Then how did you get the wood for your fire?¡±
When the girl pointed to the ground around the trees that surrounded the opening, Puurimi was surprised to see branches littered the ground beneath them. Osisi did not lose their branches unless they choose to lose them. Were they trying to help this strange traveler who glowed by her own right in the night''s darkness. What could be their reason for helping this small creature, she thought to herself as the girl added. ¡°I just collected them from the ground.¡±
After studying the travelers face, Puu leaned down toward the fire, listening for anything that suggested a lost voice from her people, there was none, and the tree who had chosen to lose their older branches said nothing to her as she sat across from the girl. ¡°I guess it is as you say.¡± Puu was glad to hear she would not have to deal harshly with this small creature and smiled at the traveler, her teeth likely showing in the flickering light of the fire. Smiling had been the wrong choice, causing the traveler to stiffen and visibly swallow as though she were swallowing fear itself. Trying to show the girl she meant no threat to her she added, ¡°I am Puurimi Osisi.¡±
Puu could see the girl struggling with herself before she answered, ¡°Zira Lanni.¡±
¡°Zira¡ Zi¡.ra¡¡± Puu liked the name as soon as she heard it, drawing it out and singing it to herself like she would when telling a story to her fellow Osisi. The name, when drawn out, reminded her of a small bird that had been adventurous for its kind, zipping through her branches, clipping its tiny claws into her bark to allow for sharper turns and quicker decent. ¡°I like how that name sounds; it is like a bird zipping through the trees.¡± Again, she was smiling at this smaller woman across the fire from her, and again she watched as the traveler Zira pieced together that Puu was not trying to scare her with the smile, but truly enjoying the exchange between the two. ¡°What brings you to the forest?¡±
Zira had relaxed a bit before she responded, ¡°I¡¯m just traveling through, I didn¡¯t feel like going around.¡± It had been so long since the last time Puu got to talk with anyone, that it made sense when Zira mentioned going around the woods as an option. Zira had stiffened again, then quickly relaxed, all Puu could do was assume that some unpleasant thought had crossed through her mind.
¡°It has been so long since I have run into anyone in the woods,¡± Puurimi started, ¡°I was shocked when I smelled the Colour Wood burning.¡±
Zira stopped moving, staring at Puu; having not realized what she was saying could be construed as a threat. But if the traveler had figured out that Puu was one of those Guardians of the Woods like her story suggested, then her being on edge would make more sense. Zira opened her mouth to say something just as Puu added in, ¡°I am not trying to put you on edge,¡± she spoke with an even voice, trying to keep the traveler calm, ¡°I am simply stating a fact.¡±
¡°Oh, I see,¡± Zira seemed to be at war with herself, now watching Puu with even more suspicion.
Perhaps if she were to ask innocent questions to put her back at ease, then they could enjoy some time in each other''s company, even if Puu did not like the smell of the fire they shared. Even Puu could not deny that her brethren are just as beautiful burning as they were when they were standing tall in the woods. ¡°I would like to ask if there is any news of the world outside these woods?¡±
It took some time before Zira responded, ¡°How long has it been since last you talked with someone?¡±
When was the last time she talked to someone, she thought back to the beast who had used her trunk to relieve its bladder, that was¡ three frozen seasons, or was it four. Or if it was talking to another, when was that? She vaguely remembered a young man singing deep in the woods, she had talked to him for several days. How many frozen seasons ago was that? Eight, twenty, she could not remember so she said instead, ¡°I have lost count of the frozen seasons between the last time I talked with another.¡±
¡°Then do you know about the cities that border the Colour Woods, or¡¡± A yawn tore through what Zira was about to say, ¡°or¡¡± the traveler tried again as another yawn took over before she could finish her thought. Puu was surprised this girl had shown no signs of being tired just moments ago, so why now?
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡¡± Zira tried again, only to be interrupted by another yawn. Puu recognized these symptoms, she leaned toward the fire, looking for anything that would explain the travelers strange change in state.
¡°I¡¯m not usually this¡ tired¡¡± Zira¡¯s voice was thick with exhaustion now, Puu caught sight of the likely suspect of this traveler''s sudden exhaustion. What could Mother Gamiani want with this young girl, she thought to herself as Zira stared at her, slowly curling up onto the ground not far from the fire, her exhaustion taking over.
¡°Oh dear,¡± Puurimi spoke as she stood and moved over to the girl, placing a quick hand against her brow. ¡°You seem to have added Gamiani¡¯s branches to the fire, I wonder why Gamiani would give you her branches, she knows that in most species burning them causes true dreams to occur.¡± Puu could tell the girl was gone, lost to the dream world now.
Curiosity took her a moment, wondering why Gamiani would choose to send this child into a dream state, and what kind of dreams Zira would be made to go through. ¡°May your dreams be ones of good times.¡± Puurimi spoke as she moved her hand from the girl''s brow, ¡°I will watch over you while you sleep.¡±
And with that she tossed a few more pieces of wood on the fire and moved to the edge of the clearing. Placing her pack between her legs she started to shift, her roots encircling her bag, the clearing, the fire, and the girl. Her branches now back to their dark blue hue, her leaves were a mixture of blues and greens, ranging from dark to light. As a final thought, Puu shifted her roots over the small traveler to shelter her from anything that might disrupt her dreaming state.
END
Story 5 - Starry Night Part -2.a
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Zul - Gitta (2nd Month, 1st Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Light glowed behind her eyes, grumbling she rubbed at them with the back of her hand. Rolling over she squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to sleep a little longer. A door banged open behind her "Get up!" A child''s voice filled the room, Zira thought she had heard the voice before, but could not place it in her sleepy state.
¡°Go away,¡± she grumbled, burying her face under the covers, was that my voice? She thought. She had spoken in a much higher tone than she was used to hearing. Another thought occurred to her, when did I put covers on? When she had fallen asleep so abruptly the night before, she did not have enough time to pull the covers from her pouch. Pulling the mysterious covers over her head, she turned away from where the light was coming from.
¡°Get out of bed, you lazy bum,¡± it was the same young child¡¯s voice she had heard just moments before. Again, her memory tugged at the sound of it. The child grabbed the blanket Zira had tucked over her head and yanked it down, in a quick motion Zira had a hold of one end, grunting as she tried to pull it back up over her head, still refusing to open her eyes.
¡°Is she still in bed?¡± Another young girl with a slightly lower voice called from the same area Zira had heard the banging sound from before.
¡°Ugh...¡± Zira grumbled and let go of the bedding, the girl pulling on it crashed to the floor, the blanket grasped to her chest. ¡°Can''t a girl get any...¡± She stopped; she was staring at the child holding the bedding. Now she knew she was dreaming, ¡°Lilac,¡± she whispered aloud before she launched from the bed, wrapping her arms around the young Byevern from her childhood. Zira was surprised to find the girl felt solid in her arms, was she dreaming?
With a startled laugh the Byevern, Lilac, asked ¡°What is this now?¡± Zira could hear the smile in her young friend¡¯s voice.
The shock was starting to set in. Lilac, the friend Zira had not seen in over three years, patted her gently on the back. Zira¡¯s tears were staining the child¡¯s shirt as she buried her face in her shoulder. Her mind was reeling. Crying hysterically into her friend¡¯s embrace, she tried to piece together what had happened. How did I get so small? And how is Lilac here? Is this really a dream? The questions kept coming as her friend thumped her hand gently on her back.
It took time for Zira to calm down, getting her hysterics under control. When she finally pushed back from the girl, her eyes were still wet from the tears. She no longer felt like she was drowning in them. Finally able to control her breathing, she whispered to her friend, ¡°How are you alive?¡±
The young Byevern stared at Zira, her eyes a bright lime, her hair a light purple, her skin pale mint green, covered in the scales of her people. Each Byevern carried markings that would identify what clan they were from, Zira knew this, but Lilac¡¯s markings were completely covered by the uniform she wore.
¡°What did you dream about?¡± Lilac asked with a laugh, ¡°You''re creeping me out, staring at me like that.¡± The girl who had spoken from the door, walked into the room. Zira didn''t bother to look at her, if this was Lilac as a child, chances were the other girl was Namari, her other friend from childhood.
With a snuffle, Zira started to explain, ¡°I was an adult and...¡± she looked down, breathing heavily as she tried to get her emotions under control, ¡°and....¡± She paused, ¡°and... you were gone.¡± As she whispered the last, Zira''s tears started to fall from her eyes again. She scrubbed the back of her hands against her eyes, trying to get the tears under control.
Suddenly there was a rubbing sound as the other girl in the room, rubbed her hands together. The tears lifted from Zira''s cheeks, hovering shakily, then started to move toward the other girl in the room. The sensation had shocked Zira enough, her tears forgotten as she turned to face her Zutu friend from childhood, Namari. Her tears flowed through the air until Namari ushered them into a small water skin she wore on her left hip.
¡°Now,¡± Namari spoke firmly, her hands on her hips. ¡°We''ll be late, you need to get ready for classes.¡± Zira squirmed under her friend''s black gaze, ¡°And you, Zira, have an appointment at the Medical Wing.¡± With a quick smile Namari bent down running her finger under Zira''s eye, when she showed Zira the tear she added, "We can figure this all out during free time."
Zira smiled up at Namari, her heart really not in it. She still felt confused, she was an adult caught in the body of her childhood self. ¡°Medical Wing,¡± She mused aloud, before she hopped up, looking in the mirror on her desk, she wasn''t surprised to find that the scar by her 3rd Zitta was still red, irritated from the Zitta breaking.
Zira had lived with the Hollow feeling that would occasionally take her over, even now, as an adult she sometimes felt like she could slip into that void and leave it all behind. And yet she always came back from the Hollow, its pull not strong enough to hold her for more than a couple of hours at a time. When she was younger, and the loss of her Zitta was still fresh, she had forgotten how strong the pull could be. She felt it now, like a small creature sitting on her shoulder, beckoning her to follow it into the darkness beyond.
Her 3rd Zitta had been damaged the first time she used her third casting. The shadow that had been summoned with the casting went out of control. It had sliced the Zitta on her cheek and injured the medical examiner who had been watching over her at the time. Zira did not remember any of this; the moment she summoned her third casting she had lost consciousness. Not regaining it again until they installed the 4th Zitta and removed the broken shards from the 3rd. It had been three months before the next Zitta was ready to be installed. When finally, she awoke from her coma, she was informed of what had occurred. It surprised her to hear her shadow had rampaged for two weeks, injuring if not killing all who approached it, before they finally managed to subdue it.
The color drained from her face, she turned to the other two girls, ¡°How long have I been awake?¡± Her hand was still rubbing the raw skin next to her broken Zitta.
¡°Just over two weeks,¡± Namari was the one who answered, looking at Zira with concern.
Lilac and Namari exchanged worried glances before Lilac pressed a cold hand to Zira¡¯s forehead, and one to her own. ¡°Well, you¡¯re¡¡± she paused before she smiled, ¡°Still warm.¡±
Namari pushed Lilac aside, rolling her eyes, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a fever. Besides, you¡¯re cold blooded, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if she was feverish that way.¡±
Lilac smiled and turned to Zira, ¡°She has a point there.¡±
¡°Stop being a goof,¡± Namari put in, before she turned to Zira, her hands on her hips, looking stern, for all she was only half a hand taller than Zira. ¡°You, into the closet, you need to get changed.¡±
Not wanting to argue, Zira did as she was bid. A loud bell rang out as she closed the door, startling her. Her heart rate accelerating, Zira had to exert effort a moment to calm herself down. She remembered that bell. It was the first of three that would summon the children to their classes.
Zira grabbed the familiar tan uniform from her childhood, and the accompanying black scarf she always wore. Their uniforms changed only when they advanced from trainee to blooded trainee Kander. This usually occurred after they reached the age of 14 or 15 and their 4th Zitta was installed, and they completed their first mission. Zira¡¯s memories told her that her first mission did not occur until after her 13th birthday and she mastered her 8th Zitta.
In their current uniform, the only differences between them were the color of their scarves. Zira¡¯s was black because she was a Bee-tan, or a Dark Caster; more specifically, she was known as a Bee-tan-Hije or a Dark-Shadow Caster, it had been her third casting that had categorized her amongst the Hije. Her friend Lilac was classified as a Pyrin-Raidoen, which put her as a Fire-Lightning Caster. Namari was still only known as a Suiden or Water Caster, having only had the one Zitta installed she had not developed into any of the special classes that could follow after the initial Zitta installation. It was likely that Namari would not be classified into one of the various additional classes until she received her 3rd Zitta, and the direction of her abilities started to manifest.
When Zira exited the closet, her friends stopped what they had been discussing quietly without her present. She could feel the heavy weight in the air as she looked from her two friends.
"We should get going," Namari was the first to break the silence. Zira grabbed a tie, pulling her hair back. Namari gasped when Zira tied a wolf¡¯s tail at the top of her head. ¡°We can''t wear our hair like that yet,¡± she whispered as Lilac walked over to her.
¡°Here, let me fix it,¡± Lilac deftly took down the wolf¡¯s tail and tied it at the base of her neck, the ponytail was for the youth before they were warriors, whereas the wolf tail was for when they became adults and official warriors in their own right. ¡°We''re not warriors yet, you know, so no wolf¡¯s tail,¡± she tweaked Zira''s nose.
Zira thumped her head lightly and made a face, ¡°Oops, it really was a vivid dream.¡±
¡°Let''s get going,¡± Namari ushered the girls to the door, clearly impatient to be on their way, ¡°The next bell will ring any moment now.¡± As if mentioning the bell summoned it, a loud ringing noise rang out through the room.
Zira was ready for it this time, just a slight flinch at the sound was all she let out. This was the second of the three bells, and it was clear Namari was getting anxious to get to class before the third rang out. The first had indicated 45 minutes until classes started, the second was to tell the students they were now down to 20 minutes. The third bell was five minutes before class. If the students were not in the school building before this bell went off, it was a guarantee they would be late for classes. When a student was late, they would be punished for their indiscretions. Zira could recall being punished on more than one occasion for her tardiness, and in each case, she had ended up doing the things she disliked most.
The girls rushed out of the room; the Wall Walk was busy with the other trainees heading toward their first class. Zira took hold of Lilac¡¯s sleeve as they walked, wanting to keep some contact with this friend she had not seen in so long. Even if this was a dream, in the very least, she would memorize everything she could about her Byevern friend.
The Wall Walk split in two directions ahead of them, the school buildings were straight down the path, the Medical Wing and official¡¯s offices were to the Left. Namari stopped suddenly, turning to face Zira and Lilac, ¡°We¡¯ll see you when you¡¯re done,¡± she smiled. It was clear that Zira had forgotten again.
¡°Oh, right,¡± she thumped herself on the head with her free hand. ¡°I forgot.¡± Reluctantly she released Lilac¡¯s sleeve.
¡°See you when you¡¯re done,¡± Lilac called out as she waved.
Zira waved in return at the two girls as they turned to head toward the school building. When she couldn¡¯t see them anymore Zira turned toward the path that would lead her to the Medical Wing.
The door creaked as she stepped into the medical room. A young woman, not one of the Kander, greeted her when she walked up to the check in counter. ¡°Who are you here to see?¡±
Zira stared at her blankly, not sure what she should say. What doctor had she seen in her dream? Her eyes must have glazed over, because the lady behind the desk asked a little annoyed, ¡°Name?¡±
¡°Zira.¡±
¡°Zira.... Zira... Oh, here you are, you''re with Master Aldean, he was expecting you some time ago though.¡± The look in the woman''s eyes made Zira feel uncomfortable, how had she irritated this woman so quickly. ¡°You know, you were supposed to report here by the first bell, not after.¡±
¡°Right,¡± Zira mumbled, not even remembering she was supposed to go to the Medical Wing in the first place.
The woman flicked her pen toward a line of benches, ¡°Have a seat, Master Aldean will be with you when he can.¡±
Taking a seat she examined the room, it was a cold space, no more furnishing than the desk for reception, and the seats along the wall for those waiting to be seen. She remembered this Medical Wing well; she had received five out of her twelve Zitta in this building. It was Master Aldean¡¯s assistant who had lost his arm when her casting had gone out of control. After her 5th Zitta was installed, she¡ confused, Zira realized she could not remember what happened after her 5th Zitta was implanted. With a quick panic she looked inside herself, the memories she could swear she had as an adult were starting to fracture and lose focus.
¡°...Zira...¡± a woman¡¯s voice cut through her thoughts just as she was starting to panic. Zira looked up into the yellow and green eyes, closely resembling a cat. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn''t hear us calling,¡± she mused when Zira failed to do more than turn her eyes toward her. Zira was fascinated by the Katovian woman who smiled inches from her face, she was dark skinned with orange tabby ears, tail, and fur on her shoulders and down her arms. The contrast caught Zira¡¯s attention; she had not realized the woman was still talking to her.
A sudden grip on her arm brought her thoughts back to the woman in front of her, with a smile she said,¡°The doctor will see you shortly.¡± With a pull the Katovian woman had Zira on her feet and was leading her to the rooms behind the reception area. ¡°You know we were calling you for quite some time.¡± She spoke over her shoulder at Zira.
¡°I was lost in thought,¡± Zira looked at the woman, ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± the Katovian smiled, ¡°You¡¯ll be in here,¡± she directed Zira into a small room that felt just as cold as the reception area. ¡°Will you be alright on your own?¡±
Zira smiled, had something happened that she missed, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± was all she said.
Alone in the room Zira took a deep breath, slapped herself on both cheeks, to clear her mind, then looked around the room. With a quick glance at her shoulder to see if her hypothetical creature was sitting there laughing at her, she thought, did I fall into The Hollow? Is that why she was looking at me like that? If there had been a creature on her shoulder, she was sure it would have been grinning at her, a smug look of satisfaction for its success.
Pacing around the room, she considered her predicament. The Hollow was a side effect that all who had their Zitta removed would suffer from. It was not unheard of for a trainee or even a full Kander to lose their minds when a new Zitta was implanted, their bodies rejecting the implant. Zira could remember two years previous a trainee got their first Zitta installed. He had lost his mind, casting what water he could use indiscriminately, until finally one of the higher ranked Kander stepped forward and encased him in the ground beneath his feet. In those cases, all the Zitta installed were removed from the Kander or trainee, causing them to go into The Hollow state, and in time, lose their lives.
In Zira¡¯s case she had only had a part of one of her Zitta removed, and it was her casting that took control, she had not lost her mind. This, and the fact that something had managed to damage a Zitta, had caused an uproar amongst the Goren¡¯s people. Zira had been labeled a valuable test subject and would be kept alive as long as possible to study the effects of her situation.
Zira walked around the room, looking at any, and everything she could to keep her mind engaged. When finally, the door opened, Master Aldean sauntered into the room, a 9th Zitta Kander and in his later years of life. He supported a full face of hair as well as the scant hair on his head, all black spattered with white. He wore his spectacles low on his nose, making his small eyes look that much smaller.
¡°Zira, child,¡± Master Aldean spoke, looking over at Zira, she had been tracing her hand along the plain white walls as she thought. ¡°I see you''re back with us,¡± giving her a small smile. Master Aldean was the overseer of most of the children at Home Base, seeming as much like a grandfather figure to the children as they had ever had. ¡°You do know you were late this morning, don''t you?¡±
¡°I was informed when I got here,¡± Zira moved to the tall bed in the middle of the room, the only thing in the space besides the desk and chair in the corner.
¡°Is that so,¡± he pushed up his glasses and took a seat at the desk in the room, ¡°I could swear I told you about it yesterday.¡±
¡°You might have, I just don''t remember,¡± a thought came to mind, she could vaguely remember from her dream, she had her friends with her at all times, helping her keep her schedule and keeping her mind present. ¡°Maybe if Lilac or Namari could help me, I just seem to lose chunks of the day right now.¡±
Master Aldean thought for a time, pursing his lips before he finally spoke, ¡°That might just work,¡± and he scribbled a note on the tablet he brought in with him. Zira could just see an image of her standing with her hands out at her side. This file in the tablet carried notes about her Zitta, her condition, her abilities, as well as any information the medical team might deem appropriate. ¡°Now tell me, how often do you find yourself going into The Hollow state?"
Zira shrugged, not sure if she had gone into one in the reception room or not. She could see her little creature out the corner of her eye, winking at her, before it cackled and slipped from her mind. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she added when she realized she was required to have a verbal answer.
¡°Didn¡¯t you just wake up from one?¡± He asked, looking her over.
¡°Did I?¡± Was all she asked as she looked down into her hands. So, I had gone into The Hollow she thought, her imaginary creature laughing behind her.
¡°You don¡¯t recall?¡±
¡°No Sir,¡± he scribbled something on the tablet, then set it aside.
¡°Well then, let''s see what we can do about this scar,¡± He placed his hands on either side of Zira¡¯s cheeks, pulling her face closer, then turning her this way and that. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± Master Aldean shifted her visit to healing the skin where the Zitta had been removed.
Zira gritted her teeth as he started the healing. She had never been sure if it was better to heal naturally or let a healer help you heal faster. The Healers used the patient¡¯s own ability to heal, just accelerating the process. To Zira, it felt like her cheek was on fire, with thousands of little bees dancing just under her skin, stinging her near constantly. The pain was tolerable, but relentless. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out, her hands gripping the sides of the bed as the Master Healer worked on her scar.
When Master Aldean pulled back, the bees dance finally stopped, Zira had to fight to stay upright. Healers could only push the patient¡¯s body so far each day, making repeat visits a requirement.
¡°Now, tomorrow I want you here just after the second bell, understand?¡± He spoke slowly, making Zira feel as though he questioned her intelligence as well as her memory.
¡°Yes sir,¡± she did not correct him.
¡°Good, now off with you,¡± he shooed her from the room.
Zira was surprised to find the day was over, it being night already. Confused, she looked around, had she really been in there all day? Was she in The Hollow longer than she realized? Her mind''s eye caught sight of her little creature, he was grinning ear to ear as he pointed off in the direction toward the dorms. Zira swallowed hard, as the imaginary creature faded, could she be going crazy too?
Back in her quarters, she made her bed, and curled under the covers, ¡°Maybe I''ll wake up from this,¡± she quietly told herself before she closed her eyes and thought of nothing, falling into a deep sleep.
Zira woke up the moment her shoulders were grabbed, her eyes shot open as Lilac started shaking her, ¡°Wake-up, Wake-up, Wake-up,¡± She chanted. Zira looked into her smiling face not sure if she should hug this friend of hers or kick her for waking her up so unceremoniously.
¡°I''m up,¡± she grumbled.
¡°You don''t look up,¡± she was still grinning, holding onto Zira¡¯s shoulders.
When she tensed to start shaking Zira again, Zira said, ¡°You shake me again, and so help me... I''ll throttle you.¡± Lilac laughed out loud as she released her friend''s shoulders.
¡°Guess what?¡±
¡°Yeah, nope, don''t feel like it,¡± Zira grumbled as she sat up in bed, indulging in an upper body stretch.
¡°You''re no fun,¡± Zira wondered if she always smiled like this when they were children, or maybe this really was a dream, and she was just imagining that Lilac smiled this much. ¡°So, I get to be your escort today.¡±
Zira looked at her surprised, so Master Aldean had not only taken her suggestion, but acted on it right away, ¡°Is that so.¡±
¡°Oh, it gets even better,¡± Lilac sat on Zira''s bed.
¡°I''m your escort tomorrow,¡± Namari chimed in, Zira hadn''t even realized she was in the room. ¡°We were told it was our job to help you keep your schedule, and keep you from falling into,¡± she lowered her voice, ¡°The Hollow.¡±
Zira smiled at her two friends, kicking off her bedding, ¡°Then I guess that means I better get ready.¡±
When Zira came out of her closet, dressed and ready for the day she looked at the two girls who had made training as a Kander fun. ¡°So, what is on our schedule today?¡± She asked as Lilac and Namari guided her outside. Some part of her said that Master Aldean had talked to her about a schedule, but honestly, she could not remember any of the details. Namari would be the best with keeping schedules and details, Namari loved to keep things in order, being late for anything stressing her out, causing her to get impatient at times.
¡°Well, let''s see,¡± Namari started, ¡°This morning you''ll go to class with the rest of us. Master Aldean said it would be better than you going to the Medical Wing first thing in the morning. Once we''re done with lunch you and Lilac will report to the Medical Wing where Master Aldean will see to...¡± she pointed to her own cheek instead of bringing up her missing Zitta. ¡°Then, if time permits, you''ll return to class, but more than likely you''ll end up getting dinner and retiring for the night.¡±
Lilac and Zira both looked at each other and smiled, in sync they both bounced forward and put an arm around their red-haired friend, laughing out loud. When the first bell chimed; they were already on the Wall Walk headed toward their first class.
Zira was seated with Namari on her left and Lilac on her right, ready for their first class when the second bell rang, and their teacher Madden Nute walked into the room. Madden was a Yadoh, he stood on two feet as most advanced races on their planet did, but his features were that of a beast. In Madden''s case he wore the face of a red fox, his fluffy tail protruding from his tailbone, and the ears to match. Zira remembered liking this teacher in her youth, or was she still in her youth? The confusion was starting to make her head hurt, which was better than feeling the emptiness the loss of half of her Zitta had caused.
Madden started talking of their history and the change the climate had gone through over the last 800 years. Under the Goren''s rule the World of Semi had grown, the technology advancing and the climates shifting.
Zira suddenly felt a stab of pain in her right leg, she jumped to her feet with a grunt and looked for the cause. Lilac was smiling up at her, mimicking for her to turn around. She had not realized until that moment Master Madden Nute was calling her name.
¡°For what reason do you interrupt the class?¡± Madden asked when finally, he found her attention on him.
¡°I''m sorry Sir,¡± She bowed her head, her mind racing, why had Lilac pinched her?
¡°Right, then, Ms. Zira, please do refrain from interruptions in the future.¡± He waved one of his vaguely hand shaped paws in her direction, indicating she could sit down.
Zira blushed a faint pink when the rest of the class giggled quietly at her folly. ¡°Now, as I was saying,¡± Madden continued, ¡°I expect a report on my desk tomorrow on the effects technology can cause on our climate.¡±
Baffled, Zira stared at the instructor, wasn''t he just starting his lecture? The bell chimed overhead, startling Zira to her feet once more. Had she fallen into The Hollow, losing track of the entire class? What time was it now? Had she only missed the class, or had the whole day slipped by her again?
Lilac put an arm around her shoulder and started to guide her toward the exit. ¡°Don''t worry, you were just out for this class.¡± She smiled, answering one of Zira''s thoughts. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t notice until class was nearly over, I really thought you were just really into his lecture.¡±
¡°Thanks,¡± Zira said and meant it. ¡°I didn''t even notice I had phased out.¡±
Lilac smiled, ¡°Yeah, it was my first time seeing the effects of The Hollow, it wasn''t until I realized you were barely breathing,¡± she paused, her smile gone. ¡°Did you realize when The Hollow takes you, it puts you in a state where breathing seems like an afterthought?¡± She touched her on the shoulder, ¡°It was the breathing that alerted me to the problem; I couldn¡¯t hear anything from you anymore, no vibrations, no sound, nothing.¡± Zira patted her friend on the back as they slowed just outside the classroom. She knew about the effects of The Hollow and how breathing seemed to become more of an option than a requirement, it was a part of her memories. The most extreme form of punishment for a Kander was the removal of all their Zitta. This punishment was typically reserved for those who had betrayed the Goren or his people in some way. Feeling sympathetic toward those who survived through the removal process, Zira had watched them, assisting where she could, as they slowly fell deeper into The Hollow.
¡°I''m sorry,¡± Namari chimed in, as she stopped next to them as well, ¡°I didn''t even notice something was off, until you were on your feet.¡±
Zira smiled at her friends, ¡°Now you know what it looks like when The Hollow takes over, and it can happen at any time,¡± she looked them both in the eyes before she continued, ¡°Poke, prod, pinch, I don''t care what you have to do. If you can keep me from falling into The Hollow, or even pull me out of it, that''s all that matters.¡±
They exchanged glances with each other before Namari asked, ¡°You''re acting like you''ve been through this before.¡±
It took a moment to identify the look her friends were giving her, concern, fear, confusion. She had forgotten that they were only ten years of age during the time frame she had dealt with The Hollow. A child their age had barely learned of it, only learning the basics of what a Kander suffers when they lose their Zitta. Zira opened her mouth to explain but the bell chiming overhead told them they had five minutes to report to their next class.
¡°Oh no,¡± Namari grabbed Zira''s arm and started to run, ¡°We''re going to be late.¡± Lilac laughed as she chased after them.
The next class went by at a crawl, Zira''s legs would be pock marked with bruises when she looked at them later. Every couple of minutes Lilac on her left would pinch her, and Namari on her right would poke her with her finger. Zira wondered how they had planned this, or perhaps it was just chance that Lilac would pinch, and not even three minutes later Namari would poke. Then another three minutes Lilac would pinch again, the cycle continued throughout the entire class.
When they left the class Zira was rubbing her sore legs, ¡°Did you two coordinate that?¡± She asked as they headed toward the lunch hall.
¡°Coordinate what?¡± they both asked together and smiled.
With a groan Zira explained what had occurred during class, which got both girls giggling. To think they had both nearly come up with the same plan without actually discussing it. And only Zira''s bad luck put their idea of six-minute intervals three minutes off from each other. ¡°I resend my, ¡°by any means necessary,¡± request from before,¡± she was still rubbing her sore legs. ¡°We need to set up a schedule, and only one at a time.¡±
The three girls headed to the serving area at the front of the lunchroom. Trays filled with veggies and a meat bun, they headed to their seats. They preferred a table by the entrance that had a view of the courtyard.
When they were all done with their lunches Zira broached the subject again, ¡°We need a proper schedule; I couldn''t concentrate on class, the pain was too frequent.¡±
Namari tapped a finger on the table, ¡°Then what about every 10 minutes?¡±
¡°Still too frequent.¡±
A short pause before Namari said, ¡°20 minutes then.¡±
The pain in Zira''s legs told her she wanted to refuse that time as well, since classes were only two hours long. ¡°Yes, that''ll work,¡± she agreed grudgingly.
They had two more classes that afternoon before the day was over. When Zira made to follow Namari to their next class Lilac grabbed her arm, ¡°Medical Wing, remember.¡±
She had not remembered; the mention had completely gone from her mind. They were on time for her appointment this time, which got her in to see Master Aldean much quicker than the previous day. When her healing was done for the day, Master Aldean kept Lilac a time longer, sending Zira to wait in the reception area. She didn''t know what they talked about, or for how long, she only knew she was being shaken from her thoughts when Lilac finally appeared.
As Lilac guided her to the door, she heard Master Aldean behind her asking the same woman with the tabby coloring. ¡°How long did it take before she slipped into The Hollow?¡±
¡°It was hard to tell, she doesn''t move much even before she falls into its hold,¡± the nurse responded.
¡°Then best guess,¡± Zira heard the doctor ask, it was getting harder to hear their conversation.
¡°Maybe... fifteen...¡± Was all she heard before she was guided through the door.
It was dark again, how long had they been in there? Zira had thought it had only been a few hours, but now she wondered. Was her mind closer to losing itself to The Hollow than she thought?
The next day was worse than the one before. Namari pulled her from The Hollow each time she poked her. As they had discussed the previous day, that was every 20 minutes. The smile Zira was used to seeing from Lilac was missing that day, and Namari seemed distracted.
When lunch was over, and they reported to the Medical Wing, Zira was not surprised when she was pulled from The Hollow yet again; she had been sent to wait in the reception area at the end of her visit. Zira caught the nurse saying it had only taken thirteen minutes today.
Neither Namari nor Zira talked as they headed back toward Zira''s room. Lilac waited outside. She too, seemed lost, when she tried to smile Zira could tell it was fake. Zira looked between her friends, they had both been told something she herself was not privy to. Whatever they had been told was depressing them both. Was her dream a lie, was it just teasing her? Showing her the life, she could have had if her Zitta had never been broken, if she had actually found a way out of The Hollow.
¡°Maybe we should change our schedule.¡± Namari broke the silence, ¡°I think if we act every ten minutes, we can beat The Hollow.¡±
Zira could hear the false joy in her friend''s voice. ¡°Yeah,¡± she agreed quietly, ¡°Let''s do that.¡±
Story 5 - Starry Night Part -2.b
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Lure ¨C Gitta (2nd Month, 4th Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Rite ¨C Gitta (2nd Month, 5th Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Mune ¨C Gitta (2nd Month, 6th Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Zet ¨C Gitta (2nd Month, 7th Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
The days were passing by in a blur. When Zira¡¯s mind was present, she would notice the bruises on top of her bruises. The Hollow, the small creature she seemed to see in her mind¡¯s eye, pulled to her more frequently as the days passed, making it harder to return to reality each time. Some days she felt like she was playing a game and no matter how hard she tried, The Hollow creature in her mind always seemed to win. Lilac and Namari in their determination to help their friend had moved their intervals of interference to four minutes, and each time they had to put more effort into their jabs to pull her from The Hollow¡¯s hold.
The more she tried to remember her life in the dream, the more she felt her own mind slipping away from her. ¡°Zira...¡± Namari''s voice was a faint echo; Zira was not sure if she imagined the voice ringing from the darkness over the creature¡¯s head. She had just placed her pawn in a position to take the creature''s rook. ¡°Zira...¡± Namari sounded like she was shouting in her ear, she brushed the thought aside as The Hollow¡¯s creature managed to kill her pawn with the bishop Zira had not noticed. Some part of Zira¡¯s mind told her that it must have been Namari¡¯s day to watch over her, she could see a hazy image of her concerned friend leaning toward her. Zira moved her own bishop, taking one of The Hollow¡¯s pawns.
When Namari called out for what Zira thought was the third time, she was gripping Zira¡¯s arms firmly, pulling her from where she had been sitting. Slowly, the creature started to fade from her mind¡¯s eye, as she could feel the pull of reality. Just before fading completely, the creature smiled, taking her bishop with its knight. ¡°I''m here,¡± Zira¡¯s voice sounded weak and raspy to her own ears, her perception of the world still out of focus. A firm grip on her shoulder startled her into looking into her friend Namari¡¯s eyes. Zira could see the worry there, just yesterday, or maybe it had been that morning, Lilac had seemed to be watching her with the same look of concern. Zira missed the joy she used to see in her friend''s eyes, she missed Namari lecturing her on tardiness, and Lilac getting into trouble with her as they played their pranks.
¡°You do remember that tomorrow is Lilac''s 11?? birthday, right?¡±
Zira stared at her friend, surprised, she did not remember. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Zira mumbled as she looked down toward the floor, tears starting to form in her eyes. What was happening to her, why couldn¡¯t she remember the most important details? She quickly ran the back of her hand against her eyes, trying to hide her tears from her friend.
It had not worked, Namari noticed she was upset, and wrapped her in a hug. When Zira looked at her friend, she had red rimming her black eyes, as though she had been crying, ¡°No one blames you Zira.¡±
After a time, when Zira was rubbing away the streaks her tears had left down her cheeks, Namari added, ¡°We''re going to have a little party after dinner.¡±
¡°That sounds like fun,¡± Zira smiled weakly at her friend.
Namari grabbed her arm, ¡°We should head back to the dorms.¡± They were quiet on the way back; Namari left Zira in her room, wishing her a good night.
In her room, Zira could feel the silence closing in on her. Not wanting to sit and wait for The Hollow to find her, she wandered out into the hallway. The call for lights out had been some time ago, leaving her walk through the halls to be a quiet one. She explored the halls of the student''s dorm, remembering the trouble she and her friends had gotten into. Lilac had been a prankster, always messing with the older kids, and Zira liked to see the outcome, so she followed through with most of her plans. More than half the time they would be caught, the other times it was Namari who would lecture them on proper behavior. It was rare that Lilac and Zira could pull Namari into one of Lilac¡¯s schemes.
Zira traced a hand on a banister separating the walkway from the student''s courtyard. Her mind wandering back to a time when Lilac had planned to get back at Jewuan, an older student, for pushing Zira down a flight of stairs. Zira had only received bruises from his efforts, but Lilac¡¯s retaliation had given him the nickname feather duster for the rest of his time in school. She had set up a vat of warm honey, and a bucket of feathers, coating him in both in succession. If he had not been talking with one of the instructors, Lilac would have gotten away with it. The line between Zira¡¯s Dreamtime as an adult and her time now as a child had started to blur, she could not be sure if this memory was from the Dreamtime or if it was something that had happened to her recently.
Zira was shocked to hear two young voices as she approached the common room area. Continuing toward the room, she was not surprised to recognize them as Namari and Lilac. She moved in close enough to see her two friends, surprised to find the shine of tears in the darkness, coating their cheeks and eyes.
¡°She''s dying...¡± Namari cried out as she sobbed into her hands. ¡°Why can''t the Healers do anything!¡± Zira wanted to step back, leave her friends to their grief, but was afraid to make a noise.
¡°Hush now,¡± Lilac was more composed than her Zutu counterpart. Another tear slipped down her cheek, showing her true emotions. ¡°They are doing what they can,¡± her voice cracked as she patted her friend on the back, trying to comfort her.
¡°This might be the last time...¡± Namari trailed off, her sobs breaking her words as she shook her head back and forth.
¡°I know,¡± was all Lilac said, her own voice shaky.
Cursing herself for prying, Zira moved into the shadows, her own heart breaking at the sight of her friend''s grief. They had shown little sign of their emotions that Zira could remember over the last several days. It must have been eating them up to spend time with her while keeping their grief in check. Was this why they did not watch her at night, were they seeking each other out to vent off their frustrations of the day? Zira reminded herself that these girls were only 10, they were handling the situation delicately for children. Her heart reached out to them, wishing she could comfort them in their grief, but knew if she was to join them, they would struggle to hide it all over again.
Zira returned to her room, curling into a ball on her bed, she wept.
¡°ZIRA!¡± A distant part of her mind told her that was her name, the creature gripped her around the neck, hugging her tightly as he crooned in her ear. ¡°How,¡± the frantic yelling voice continued, ¡°She has never gone into The Hollow during sleep.¡± A part of her mind told her she knew this young girl''s voice, The Hollow¡¯s creature placed its hands over her ears, blocking out the sounds.
It was some time before she heard another voice calling through the darkness, ¡°Go get Master Aldean, now!¡± Releasing her ears, the creature drew her toward a table in the dark space before her. The table had a game set up on its face, chess, again. She smiled at the creature, I¡¯ll beat you this time, she thought as she moved her first pawn.
¡°ZIRA!¡± Again, the vaguely familiar voice rang through the darkness. Zira suddenly found it hard to breathe. The creature smiled as he moved his knight into place.
¡°NAMARI!¡± This girl¡¯s voice was different, still vaguely familiar, but she could not place who it was. Zira moved another pawn into place, finding it easier to breathe. ¡°Move please,¡± it was just a light echo in the darkness. The Hollow¡¯s creature took her first pawn with his knight.
Cursing her lack of foresight she stared at the creature''s knight, if she had just moved the pawn before her king, she could have taken it. She moved her own knight, dropping it twice, as a feeling of seasickness came over her.
A faint rubbing sound cut through the darkness, The Hollow¡¯s creature considering its next move. Then a voice softly echoed through the darkness, ¡°Crackle Shock,¡± it was strange to hear the chirping crackle of electricity in her dark space, where no light seemed to penetrate aside from the faint glow coming off the gaming table.
¡°What are you doing Lilac!?¡± This girl screamed frantically as the creature moved one of his pawns. Something pulled on the girl¡¯s memories. Did she know someone named Lilac?
She was having a hard time focusing on the game in front of her. The creature was smiling, beckoning for her to make her next move. Her head ached with the motion sickness now, her stomach turning with the movements. The girl moved her bishop into position to remove his knight. Suddenly she doubled over, grabbing her chest as the pain tore through it. What was this? Her mind cried out as she caught a faint sight of a young green skinned, purple haired girl sitting over her.
The creature suddenly roared, jumping on her chest, knocking her back, her chair slamming into the ground, her head now aching. You¡¯re Mine! He mouthed as the darkness started to fade, she could see his queen had been moved on the board, putting her in check.
Her body started to convulse, pain ripping through the area where the young, green-skinned girl placed her hands, causing her back to arch and her body to lift from the bed. The darkness completely faded from her mind, she tried to piece the fractured bits back together again. I am Zira and a Kander in training, and this girl is Lilac a Byevern, and a fellow trainee.
Lilac as well as, she thought hard, Namari the Zutu, she caught sight of her then. Namari had tears running down her cheeks, her black eyes staring at her in a panic, we are all good friends.
Suddenly she threw her head back in a silent scream as she felt the sting of electricity running through her chest and body once again.
¡°You can''t die,¡± Lilac was saying from above her, ¡°I refuse to let you die,¡± finally the voltage coursing through her subsided.
Zira looked up at her friend Lilac, she felt the wet droplets as they landed on her own cheeks. Without realizing she reached her hand up and wiped away her friend''s tears. Lilac looked at her eyes wide then gave a weak smile, ¡°Welcome back.¡±
¡°Good to be back,¡± Her voice was weak and horse from the strain her silent scream had put on her body. Zira felt something wet on her other hand and turned to find Namari holding her face against it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
¡°Well, it seems things are in order,¡± Master Aldean''s voice came from the doorway. ¡°Well, now, will one of you care to explain exactly what transpired here this morning?¡±
It was a long pause before any of the girls were composed enough to answer. Lilac was the first to recover, so she explained what occurred that morning. It took some time to get across to the Master Healer the exact events that had led up to Lilac using her casting on Zira. Once all explanations were complete, Zira went through an examination, there in her room before she was allowed to get up and dress for the day. During the examination, she repeatedly pinched herself, trying to keep her mind alert, refusing to give into the tantalizing call of The Hollow and its creature.
Zira moved into her closet to dress, leaving the Master Healer and her friends on the other side. When she went to put her hand on the door back into her room, she heard Namari whimper, ¡°... It''s the final stages,¡± Master Aldean explained, ¡°She''ll be lucky to make it through the night.¡±
¡°I''m not ready,¡± she heard Namari say, ¡°Isn''t there anything we can¡¡±
¡°No. We have tried everything we can think of to stop or slow the effects of The Hollow, unfortunately there has never been a case of someone coming back once they start falling into it in their sleep,¡± Master Aldean''s voice sounded cold to Zira''s ears. ¡°Now I best be going. Call me again if she goes into The Hollow tonight.¡±
There was a pause. Zira considered coming out of her closet when she heard Master Aldean add, ¡°Spend time with your friend today, I¡¯ll excuse you both from classes.¡± Another pause, Zira pictured the older man considering his words, ¡°This might be the last day, best not to leave her alone.¡±
The sound of her outer door closing told Zira, it was okay for her to emerge from her closet, ¡°How much did you hear?¡± It was Lilac who asked.
¡°Enough.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°We''re all sleeping here tonight,¡± Namari cried out, ¡°And every night, until...¡± She let the words hang.
¡°Sounds like we get to spend all day together,¡± Zira looked at her friends with false good cheer.
Namari turned away from the other two girls, facing the door, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you later, like we originally planned.¡± With that, she fled from the room, a sob escaping from her before she was all the way out of the room.
¡°I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± Zira looked down at her hands, her forced smile no longer needed.
¡°No, it''s just¡¡± Lilac put a hand on Zira¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This has all been really hard on her, just give her some time.¡±
¡°Right.¡±
¡°There is good news,¡± Lilac was grinning at her mischievously. ¡°I arranged to be absent from class today before the Master even thought of it. That being the case, I have plans,¡± there was a glint of excitement in her eyes, ¡°Just wait, I have the best things planned for today.¡±
With that, she grabbed Zira¡¯s hand, dragging her out of the room.
Zira was exhausted by lunch, they had explored the woods around the older trainee¡¯s practice grounds, getting lost amongst the trees. When lunch time came around Lilac led them back to the lunchroom with no trouble, she was never lost. The movement seemed to be keeping The Hollow at bay just as Lilac wanted. Each time they had a moment to rest Lilac made sure it was just that, a moment.
Sitting down to lunch Namari joined them as they enjoyed a basic meal, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s back,¡± Zira said under her breath, not realizing she had spoken aloud. The Hollow¡¯s creature was sitting on the end of the table. She turned her eyes from it, starting to wonder if this creature was really a hallucination of hers. She could feel it tugging her, beckoning her back into the darkness.
Lilac looked around confused, ¡°Who is back?¡±
¡°Oh, well,¡± Zira didn¡¯t know how to explain. How did she tell her friends that she saw The Hollow as a small creature?
¡°Master Porain!¡± Namari called out as she jumped up from the bench, jarring Zira and Lilac in the process. She skipped over to the 19 Zitta Kander, one of the highest ranking Kander to date. ¡°You made it.¡± She grabbed his hand, dragging him toward the table at which Lilac and Zira still sat, watching in surprise.
¡°Master Porain,¡± Lilac came to her feet, Zira a moment behind her, saluting the higher ranked Kander.
¡°Enough of that,¡± He motioned for the girls to sit down. They did so, slowly, waiting to find out what brought this high ranking Kander to their lunch hall.
The creature was cackling in her ear now, ¡°He can¡¯t help you this time,¡± its raspy voice whispered as it leaned toward the higher ranked Kander.
Zira had not seen a Jariven before, but she had heard of them from her books. They were a people that split their life span between three phases, causing her to wonder, what phase was this Jariven. He had black hair and green eyes, with the customary gray skin that Jariven were said to have. Had she read something about their second phase being the one where their hair was dark or was the phase where they developed their physique?
Not realizing the darkness was closing in around her she continued to debate with herself the characteristics of a Jariven¡¯s phase, until The Hollow¡¯s creature leaned forward swiping his claw where the Jariven had been, ¡°She can¡¯t see you, fool.¡± In the next motion he jumped from her shoulder, beckoning her back toward the game they had started before. ¡°It¡¯s your move,¡± he hissed before adding, ¡°And you¡¯re in check.¡±
Zira grumbled as she sat down at the table, what should she do now?
¡°No, don¡¯t touch her,¡± She could hear a male¡¯s voice in her darkness, ¡°That happened quicker than I would have thought possible.¡±
¡°It¡¯s the darkness,¡± Zira knew this was Namari¡¯s voice, ¡°She is so closely tied to it already, the pull from it must feel natural to her.¡± Her voice cracked, filling the empty space in The Hollow¡¯s darkness.
Don¡¯t cry, Zira thought toward Namari, her heart breaking to hear her friend''s grief. Why am I always hurting my friends? The game with the creature forgotten she pushed away from the table and cried out, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±
¡°The darkness you say,¡± this must have been Master Porain. Zira ran around, trying to find a way out. ¡°I did not think that could be a factor. But it makes sense.¡±
¡°Sit down,¡± the creature crooned, ¡°If you do not move, you¡¯ll lose again.¡±
¡°How do I go back?¡± She asked the creature, ¡°I know, you know.¡± His only answer was a grin that made the skin crawl down Zira¡¯s back.
¡°Here, let¡¯s try this,¡± she could hear Master Porain again.
¡°No, don¡¯t hurt her,¡± this was Namari.
¡°She¡¯ll be fine, it won¡¯t hurt her.¡±
Zira could feel something burning her hand. She cried out, pushing back from the bench, her eyes searching the lunch hall for what had caused her pain. Lilac and Namari both stared at her with relief. Master Porain on the other hand was holding a candle before him, a look of surprise, then interest. A quick glance at her hand told her she had not been burned, just a small circle of black soot from having it held over an open flame.
¡°See I told you she would be fine.¡± He smiled as he gestured for Zira to return to the table.
She was wide awake now, the creature nowhere to be seen. Approaching the table warily, Zira watched as the high ranked Kander placed the candle back in the center of the table. ¡°I apologize, I didn¡¯t realize it would work so well.¡± He gave her a charming smile, ¡°So you can feel pain in The Hollow than.¡±
¡°You could say that,¡± she grumbled, rubbing the soot from her hand. Standing alongside the table, her friends too were on their feet.
¡°I truly did not think that it would bring you around so quickly,¡± He gave her another smile, ¡°I guess we both learned something new today.¡±
¡°Not meaning to be rude Master Porain, but could we be excused?¡± Lilac was polite as she shifted behind Zira, ¡°We had plans to climb up to Overlook Point.¡±
¡°Really? I heard that trainees weren¡¯t allowed up the Point,¡± Master Porain looked between the girls.
¡°That¡¯s right, but I got special approvals from the headmaster.¡±
¡°Is that so, then I shouldn¡¯t hold you here,¡± He smiled at the girls as they saluted him respectfully and headed out of the Lunch Hall. When they were out of sight his smiled faded and he turned toward the Medical Wing.
Lilac led Zira and Namari toward the ocean nearest to their dorms, which would take them through a small forest to reach the water¡¯s edge. Some time into their hike, a small opening in the trees showed the rocky beach below. Admiring the view, Zira realized she had never heard of the place they were headed toward. ¡°What is Overlook Point?¡±
¡°Really? You don¡¯t know?¡± That was Lilac; she made sure to stay beside Zira during their hike.
¡°Really,¡± Zira grumbled.
¡°Right, wouldn¡¯t have asked if you knew.¡± She wore the smile that she did sometimes when she was wanting to tease someone instead of giving a straight answer. Zira gave her a level look until she relented, ¡°Oh, well, you know.¡±
¡°Nope, don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Overlook Point is a cliff that overlooks the ocean below,¡± Lilac ignored Zira¡¯s interruption.
¡°Yeah, kind of guessed that might be part of it, Overlook being in the name of the place.¡±
¡°That does make it a bit obvious,¡± she gave a big grin, ¡°But what you don¡¯t know is the stories that go with the Point.¡±
¡°Right, go on.¡±
¡°Well, you see, trainees can¡¯t go there, which of course makes me want to go there even more.¡± She gave another grin; Namari was strangely quiet walking before them. She neither made eye contact nor acknowledged the two girls walking not far behind her. ¡°You see, the story goes that one of the trainees some ten years back was being bullied by his fellow classmates, so to teach them a lesson he called them out to Outlook Point, where he had some elaborate plan in place. The problem was, it all went wrong, and when he jumped from the cliff his fail safes failed to save him. As any who threw themselves from the height of the Point, he was thrown against the cliff face by the ever-relentless ocean. Therefore, getting all trainees banned from Outlook Point,¡± she gave Zira a grin, ¡°What do you think?¡±
¡°Kind of depressing,¡± Zira could see they were finally approaching the exit to the woods. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of ending it all, are you, cause if you intend to throw me¡¡±
¡°STOP IT!¡± Namari cried out as she turned to look at Lilac and Zira, tears were running down her cheeks, red rimming her black eyes. ¡°Just stop it,¡± she spoke softer the second time, ¡°Why are you making a joke out of it? Why are you laughing over nonsense? Why didn¡¯t you let Master Porain try and help you?¡± She was breathing hard, more tears trickled down her cheeks.
Zira looked first at Lilac, then stepped forward, taking Namari¡¯s hand in her own, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Namari, I didn¡¯t mean to make it seem like I didn¡¯t care, or make you feel uncomfortable,¡± she gave her friend a weak smile, ¡°I make jokes, and I laugh at nonsense, cause laughing makes me feel like I¡¯m still here.¡± Zira wiped the tears from one of Namari¡¯s cheeks with her hand. ¡°And explain, how could Master Porain help?¡±
It took a moment for Namari to compose herself long enough to answer, ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±
¡°Really,¡± she gave her friend the same dry look she had given Lilac earlier, Namari let a small smile sneak through.
¡°Master Porain was the high ranking Kander who stopped your shadow when it went out of control.¡±
¡°I had no idea; do you know how he did it?¡±
¡°That wasn¡¯t public knowledge,¡± Namari looked disappointed she couldn¡¯t find out how he had completed the feat.
¡°Do you think we should head back? Maybe he can help.¡±
Namari hung her head, ¡°In truth, I begged Master Aldean to bring the high ranking Kander who took down your shadow to try and fight The Hollow. It took several days, but he finally gave in. The problem is that when Master Porain arrived, he told me,¡± her voice cracked again, ¡°He said he likely couldn¡¯t do any more than what Master Aldean was already doing.¡±
¡°Oh, is that so,¡± Zira thought a moment before she wrapped her arms around Namari¡¯s waist, ¡°Thank you for trying, we wouldn¡¯t have known if you hadn¡¯t got him to come here.¡± She squeezed a bit tighter, ¡°Just think, if you hadn¡¯t, we would have always wondered if he could have been the one to help.¡±
Namari gave another weak smile, then rubbed her fingers together, causing the moisture on her cheeks to move away from her face and eyes. With a bit of difficulty, she directed them toward the flask on her left hip. That done, she faced Lilac and Zira, trying to put on a fake smile.
With a look between Lilac and Zira a decision was made. Zira squeezed her friend¡¯s waist tighter as Lilac wrapped an arm around her from the other direction, squeezing as well. Then, without warning, both of them switched to tickling their friend.
Namari tried to squirm out of her friends¡¯ grips, letting out a laugh as she jerked to get away from their onslaught. It took some moments before she was able to escape the two girls, running toward the light she had seen coming from the exit toward Overlook Point, Lilac and Zira hard on her heels.
Story 5 - Starry Night Part -2.c
Futo ¨C Spring ¨C Ray ¨C Gitta (2nd Month, 8th Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Zira followed her friends out of the woods and into the light of the evening sun. Her eyes watered from the intensity of it; forcing her to cover them with her hands.
¡°Oh my,¡± she heard Namari exclaim just in front of her.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she cracked her fingers, allowing some of the light to pass through. The sight caught her breath, a magnificent golden tree bathed in the sun¡¯s evening glow stood before her. Its leaves sparkled in the light, as the evening breeze tossed them gently on their branches, causing their twinkling to shift and dazzle. Part of her mind told her she had seen this tree before, but for the life of her she could not remember where.
¡°Amazing,¡± Lilac added from beside her, ¡°Have you ever seen anything so enchanting?¡±
¡°Nope,¡± Namari said at the same time Zira put in, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±
¡°I hadn¡¯t heard about a golden tree out here,¡± Lilac indicated for the other two girls to follow her. Standing at the base of the trunk Zira felt even smaller than she was.
¡°Are you sure this is a normal tree?¡± Namari asked, ¡°Is it an oak? I¡¯ve never seen oak in this coloring. Maybe it¡¯s aspen, no that can¡¯t be the leaves are all wrong and aspens are small. Birch, maybe¡¡± She trailed off as she paced around the tree. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right either, the trunk wouldn¡¯t be this large.¡±
Zira and Lilac exchanged looks, before Lilac shook her head and the two split to catch their friend on the other side of the trunk.
¡°Do you see this gold bit here?¡± Namari asked as she caught sight of Zira coming around the tree trunk, ¡°I think it¡¯s¡¡± she squealed when Lilac threw her arms around her, pinning Namari¡¯s arms to her body. Zira rushed forward, tickling her friend once again. Through the giggles and the squirming, she got out, ¡°Fine¡ I¡¯ll stop.¡± And with that the two girls released their friend, all three of them laughing. At some point they had fallen to the ground and were looking up at the tree''s foliage above them.
¡°This really is a massive tree,¡± Zira said as she watched the twinkling leaves in the waning light.
¡°Yeah,¡± Lilac breathed out, ¡°But this isn¡¯t what I brought you here to see.¡± She pushed up from the ground, her two friends following behind her, ¡°In truth I didn¡¯t know it was here, no one told me about it.¡±
Zira was surprised to hear this. If she had been told about Lookout Point who wouldn¡¯t have mentioned such a magnificent tree? ¡°Then what are we here to see?¡± Lilac was leading them to the edge of the point.
When they stood near the edge Zira felt her breath catch again, the ocean in the setting sun painted an amazing sight. ¡°This,¡± she drew her hand out toward the ocean and the horizon, ¡°I wanted us to watch the sunset together,¡± Lilac gave her friends a warm smile.
All three sat, not far from the edge of the point, watching as the sun slowly dropped toward the ocean the colors like fire on the water below them. ¡°Best birthday ever,¡± Lilac spoke softly, the other girls barely hearing her over the crashing waves on the rocks far below.
Zira did not know how long they sat there, a sudden movement in the corner of her eye caused her to look toward her friend Namari. The Hollow¡¯s creature was hanging from her back, one hand threaded into her ponytail for balance. She could not understand how her friend could not feel this creature hanging from her. He grinned at her, jumped from Namari¡¯s back, then started beckoning toward the golden tree and the woods beyond. Zira clenched her teeth and launched to her feet, she knew the call of The Hollow as well as she knew her name, resisting it was hard. She brushed herself off, disguising her sudden jump to her feet. Lilac and Namari were watching her warily. ¡°We should move around,¡± her fist was clenched, the pull a tantalizing treat she wanted nothing to do with at this moment.
With a glare at The Hollow¡¯s creature just at the base of the golden tree she thought toward it, not this time. Then grabbed her two friends, ¡°Race you,¡± she was off, passing the golden tree and toward the woods, her two friends following not far behind.
Getting back to the dorms took a little over an hour, having slowed down once they entered the woods. For the most part the trip back was filled with giggles and silly conversations. Zira could not remember what they talked about now as she lay down in her bed. Namari on one side and Lilac on the other. They had both fallen asleep quickly after cleaning up from their adventures. Zira could feel the creature waiting for her. If she closed her eyes, she wasn¡¯t sure she would be able to come back again.
Carefully Zira pulled her arm first from Namari¡¯s grip, then a hand from Lilac¡¯s. Sliding to the end of the bed as slowly as she could to keep from waking her two friends. She need not have worried; they were so exhausted from the day''s activities neither of them stirred. Once she was free of the bed, she threw a robe on and headed toward the door.
At first, she didn¡¯t know where she was going, she just knew she wanted to keep moving. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness when she got away from the main compound and the lights that always seemed to burn there. Zira was looking at the woods she had come out of with her two friends just a few hours before. To Outlook Point then, she thought, as she stepped into the darkness of the trees. Since her first Zitta was installed, Zira had found that darkness never seemed as dark to her as it was for some of the other trainees. Katovian, Byevern and Yadoh, depending on what mammal they represented were all rumored to be able to see easily in the dark as well.
Zira easily navigated through the trees. ¡°Boo!¡± She jumped, spinning around scanning the trees.
The Hollow¡¯s creature was hanging from a branch not far from her. Zira rolled her eyes, turning away from the creature, ¡°Not now.¡±
Her next step seemed to put the chess board before her, ¡°Now!¡± The creature insisted.
Their chess game now hovering before her, Zira could see her king was still in check, the creatures queen poised to take it. Zira reached out and moved her pawn into the creature''s way. And started to walk through the woods again. She paused when the creature moved a pawn to the other side of the board, freeing up his rook.
Zira thought a moment before she moved her knight on the same side of the board. She started walking again, it was strange to feel herself in both places. Her mind was clearly slipping into The Hollow, but at the same time she could still move her body in the real world. She moved as quickly as she dared through the woods. The creature moved his rook as she expected, the next couple of moves were small, one of her pawns, his knight, her knight, his queen. None of the moves seemed to give either of them an edge in this fight on the game board.
The opening in the trees she and her friends had gone through just that evening was finally coming into view ahead of her. The Hollow¡¯s creature moved his queen, escaping her knight; she took one of his pawns with her bishop. The exit to the trees was moving ever closer. The creature moved a pawn near his king, poised to take her bishop. Zira retreated, the creature taking one of her knights with his queen instead.
Zira nibbled on her nail, trying to come up with some strategy. She felt that if she lost to the creature in this game, it would be the last time. She moved her pawn, poised to take the creature¡¯s knight, and freed up the area for her king.
The creature ignored the danger to his knight and moved his queen into striking distance of the pawn¡¯s current position. Zira took the knight, not realizing she was opening up her rook to the queen''s attack. The creature did not hesitate; he took her rook.
Zira was struck by a gust of wind as she stepped out of the trees. Her mind still on the game being held in The Hollow she did not notice the golden tree as she moved her queen to cover the bishop the creature¡¯s queen could have taken. He seemed unfazed by her choice, taking the pawn before the queen instead, aiming for the knight just on the other side of it. Zira could see she had this knight covered with her bishop, so she moved a pawn to the other side of the board instead. She passed by the golden tree, heading toward the edge of the cliff. The creature moved his bishop, removing another of her pawns, but leaving its queen cradled in the corner on her side of the board.
Sitting down at the end of Lookout Point, she dangled her feet over the dark ocean below her. Only the light crash of the waves against the base of the cliff told her it was down there at all. The board now hovered to her right, as though the creature was afraid to station itself over the empty air before her. She filed this knowledge away for another time, then removed his bishop from the game with her queen. He grumbled at the loss before he moved his rook into position to take her queen. It was covered by the pawns he had not moved yet. Zira retreated with her queen, moving it instead into checking his king. The grumble intensified, and when the creature realized his only choice was to move his king, he roared aloud. Zira expected this response, he was predictable that way. She didn¡¯t notice the crackle of breaking bark behind her as she studied the board. Once she was sure her queen would be safe, she moved it forward, taking the pawn before it.
The creature¡¯s composure was starting to slip. Where it didn¡¯t move before, it now rocked back and forth. Finally, it moved its rook next to the king, discouraging her from killing it with her queen. She took the pawn beside her queen instead.
The creature took this moment to line his rook up with her queen, grumbling that his queen was still stuck in the corner, no way to escape. Suddenly Zira jumped, something had touched her hair in the real world. Her eyes darted around. She still had not fallen fully into The Hollow, she was surprised to realize this. A beautiful woman with long golden hair stood behind her, placing a gentle hand on Zira¡¯s head.
¡°There you are daughter of the Shadows,¡± she spoke with a gentle voice, taking a seat next to Zira. Zira stared at the woman in shock, she had what looked like white-gold bark protruding in patches on her exposed skin. Her golden eyes showed an agelessness that did not match the youth in the woman¡¯s features. A thought occurred to Zira, she turned to where the golden tree had been. Zira was not surprised to find it was gone was this woman the golden tree? Zira racked her brain, has this happened before? The Hollow¡¯s creature was raging beside her, tugging on Zira¡¯s hair, trying to turn her back toward the game, forcing her to make her next move.
Zira forgot she was staring, her mouth agape, until the woman spoke again, ¡°You must continue,¡± she gave Zira a lovely smile, ¡°The darkness¡¯s beast will not let you stop now.¡±
Trying to clear her mind, what did she say? She thought to herself, can this woman see The Hollow¡¯s creature and our game? Zira was confused now, she knew the creature was all in her mind, no one else could see him as he held onto their shoulders and pulled their hair. None of her friends acknowledged him as he yelled for them to leave or demanded that she stay. It took some time before Zira spoke aloud, ¡°You can see him?¡± She indicated the creature sitting on her right, the opposite side of where the strange tree woman now sat.
¡°Not like you see him,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°But I can tell he is there, and I know enough of his kind and where they come from.¡± She indicated in the same direction Zira had, ¡°Now finish your game so we can talk in earnest.¡±
Zira turned from the woman and back toward the game, the creature¡¯s angry face lit into a grin, ¡°So, you¡¯re not just in my head,¡± she mused aloud before she moved her queen away from the rook, putting his king in check again. She could see he only had one place he could run to, unless he moved his rook to defend the king''s location. The creature chose to move his rook. Zira again moved her queen, putting his king in check once again. This time the creature roared in frustration, glaring at Zira. He gripped the edge of the board flipping it, throwing the imaginary pieces all over the point. Zira watched, shocked as the board righted itself and the pieces returned to its surface, exactly where they had been placed a moment before.
The Hollow¡¯s creature roared again, grabbing his king and slamming it down in one of the two safe places he could move it. Zira noticed she could easily check his king again, but this dance was getting her nowhere. Instead, she moved her knight toward the creature''s end of the board.
Zira could feel the tree woman combing her fingers through her loose hair.
The creature gave an evil grin, lining his rook up with her queen. Zira wondered if he was getting frazzled, because he left the rook unprotected. She moved her queen, taking his rook. The creature roared again, looking around frantically as he decided which piece to move next. He settled on the pawn before his king, allowing it more movement. Zira shifted her own rook down the board from his king and the pawn before it.
The creature¡¯s queen finally free, and his king not immediately in danger he moved it forward, stopping just before his own pawn, putting Zira¡¯s knight in danger. Zira moved her knight to the only place safe for it, against the wall just one row from the back. He looked from her to the remaining pieces on the board. With another evil grin in her direction, he moved his rook next to his own king, giving it some protection, but not going far enough that Zira could take it with her queen. The tree woman stroking her hair seemed to be calming Zira down, she thought a moment before she made her next move. Once she was sure the creature could not kill her knight she moved it forward, taking his bishop, ¡°Check¡± she called aloud. After some study of the board, she added with a bit of shock, ¡°And mate.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
The creature launched up from the ground beside her, throwing the board from the cliff. His eyes were circling back and forth in his head, rage clear in his features as he picked up rock after rock, throwing them from the cliff. When finally, he looked at her, his eyes registered her position next to the edge. When Zira went to push away from the cliff the tree woman stopped her stroking, putting pressure on the child¡¯s shoulder holding her where she was.
¡°That¡¯s enough, you,¡± the tree woman called out, the creature paused in his menacing advance. ¡°You know the rules.¡±
He shrieked again, ¡°She cheated!¡±
¡°I did not!¡± Zira cried out as the tree woman said, ¡°You know very well she cannot.¡±
Again, The Hollow¡¯s creature shrieked at the top of its lungs and demanded ¡°I will have what is mine!¡±
¡°She was only yours if you could beat her in the final game,¡± the tree woman was calm, responding directly to the creature.
¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t see him,¡± Zira shifted to look at them both, taking care not to move too close to the edge.
¡°Oh, well, I likely don¡¯t see what you do, child,¡± she spoke in a motherly tone, ¡°but I do see the darknesses beast, as I would see it.¡± She directed her gaze back toward the creature, ¡°Now away with you, she is free of your hold.¡±
The creature growled and charged toward Zira, when the tree woman waved a dismissive hand in the air the creature turned to smoke taking away the darkness it brought with it. Zira stared, her eyes on the woman, did she just use a casting? Zira thought, looking for any Zitta on the tree woman¡¯s body.
¡°Now,¡± the tree woman started, but when she found Zira staring at her puzzled, she smiled, ¡°What is it child?¡±
¡°How did you do that?¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to be more specific.¡±
¡°How did you banish him just like that? I don¡¯t see any Zitta on you, how can you cast without Zitta?¡±
¡°Oh, that,¡± the tree woman smiled again, ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything the Goren¡¯s people tell you.¡±
Zira was disappointed that she would tell her nothing more, so she asked instead, ¡°Why did you help me?¡±
¡°Child, I did nothing you couldn¡¯t do on your own.¡± Zira did not believe the woman before her. How could she have banished The Hollow¡¯s creature?
¡°Will he come back?¡± She finally asked.
¡°In a way, but you¡¯ll likely never see your creature again, and the darkness will not have the same kind of hold on you, when you do find yourself staring into it.¡± She spoke as though she too had suffered through the effects of The Hollow.
¡°How can you be sure?¡±
¡°It is just how the power works, child.¡±
¡°So does everyone have to go through The Hollow then?¡± Zira was confused, only those who lost their Zitta seemed to suffer from The Hollow.
¡°Is that what you call the shadow lands, The Hollow? Interesting,¡± she leaned back, looking up at the star filled night sky. ¡°These Zitta that you mentioned, they are truly the problem. There was a time when each child who could manipulate the power had to cross into the shadow lands and meet their other half. It was only after their shadow-self gave them permission, and connected with them, that allowed them to use the magic,¡± she turned toward Zira, seeing the confusion there, ¡°Think of it this way, there are two versions of Semi, one is the Shadow world. In the Shadow Semi, magic is abundant, everything is coated in it, but the inhabitants cannot use this magic themselves. Then there is this version of Semi, the light world. Light Semi only has small amounts of magic. In this version of the world the magic is inside its inhabitants and rarely found in the world around them.¡± She checked to make sure Zira was following, when she did not find her too confused with this description she went on, ¡°But in Light Semi those who can manipulate the magic must meet specific requirements before they can use it. The casters¡¯ minds must be young and flexible, yet not so immature that receiving the ability to cast would become a nuisance. Even still, only a small bit of magic transfers from the Shadow Semi to the child in the Light Semi. These small manipulations of the power help to keep the balance between Shadow and Light Semi, bleeding off the excessive production of magic in the Shadow realm.¡±
¡°Wait,¡± Zira called out when the tree woman stopped for a moment, ¡°So you¡¯re saying some of us should have access to the magic even without Zitta installed?¡±
She smiled, ¡°All of you with the Zitta installed would have access to the magic even without them installed. The difference is the amount you would have access to,¡± she shifted on the cliff, looking back out over the ocean. ¡°The Zitta allows for those here in Light Semi to use a great amount of power from Shadow Semi. Draining the power from the shadow realm causes it to die off, throwing everything out of balance.¡± Zira was looking into her hands, the faint glow from the Zitta under her right eye giving them an eerie red hue.
¡°So why do we get the Zitta then? Especially if it is hurting this Shadow Semi.¡±
¡°To explain that first you would have to know how it was before. When a child was born in Light Semi with the ability to pull magic from the other realm, another child would be born in Shadow Semi. These two children would grow up simultaneously, neither knowing the other existed until the day arrived for the magic to start shifting through the child in Light Semi. After the first time the child uses the magic, they and their shadow self would fall into a world, something like a halfway state between Light Semi and Shadow, meeting each other for the first time. Here the Shadow child would test the Light one, checking to make sure they are worthy of manipulating the magic of their Shadow realm.¡±
Zira¡¯s mind was struggling. Had she been made to meet her Shadow self, was that who The Hollow¡¯s creature was? Guilt pulled at her heart, hearing the shrieks of the creature again in her mind. The Hollow¡¯s creature had been fighting to drag her further into the darkness. ¡°Was the creature me from the Shadow Semi?¡± Zira asked, not realizing she had interrupted the tree woman during her descriptions.
¡°Yes and no,¡± it did not satisfy Zira to hear this, ¡°There was a time the creature you saw would have been you from the Shadow Semi. However, with all the magic bleeding off from their land it twisted the people there. What you met was one of the beasts the Shadow Semi created in a final effort to restore the balance.¡± The tree woman was staring at Zira now, she could feel those ageless eyes, trying to figure out what was going through her mind.
¡°Then¡¡± she paused looking out over the water before them, ¡°How do we restore the balance?¡±
¡°That is the question,¡± the tree woman smiled again, ¡°And the reason I have approached you.¡±
Zira turned, surprised, ¡°but what can I do?¡±
¡°More than you think,¡± she brushed a strand of Zira¡¯s hair out of her face, locking it behind her ear, ¡°You¡¯re no ordinary child. Have you ever wondered why it was shadows that you could manipulate? Or why there have been so few of your kind throughout the entire history of the Goren¡¯s rule over Light Semi?¡±
Zira looked at her surprised, she barely knew that she was a shadow caster, let alone have time enough to look into those who could use shadows in the past. Realizing she had confused the child; the tree woman pressed a gentle finger against Zira¡¯s forehead.
A storm of memories rushed through her mind. The day she got her 5th Zitta, her first mission, Master Porain always there for her Zitta installations, becoming a common acquaintance in her life. Being taken to Goren on her 16th birthday, Porain his personal Kander as well as three others. Reading a book about the last shadow caster. She whimpered aloud when the report of Lilac¡¯s death was presented to her and Namari in another memory. Her leaving Home Base to set out on her own. Her mind circling around all her memories, collecting them all. She curled up, pulling her legs from the cliff side, tucking her head into her knees.
¡°What did you do to me?¡± Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she continued to stumble through her memories. A cold hand pressed against the back of her neck; the storm of images started to slow down, allowing her to sort through them.
¡°I was just restoring what was yours,¡± her smile was as radiant as her leaves dancing in the breeze had been. ¡°You needed to remember who you are, and that this is all but a dream of your childhood.¡±
Zira was confused now, if this was a dream, then how was this tree talking to her, how did she know all this information. ¡°Who are you?¡±
That brought a smile to the tree woman¡¯s face, ¡°I thought you would never ask; I am Gamiani Osisi, oldest of the Osisi.¡± She gave a quick bow, Zira uncurling, moving away from the woman and the cliff. ¡°I sent you into this dream so we could talk.¡±
Zira was wracking her brain, trying to figure out where she had heard the name. A lifetime of memories now at her disposal. Osisi, the woman Puurimi, Zira remembered meeting her and she said something about a Gamiani and true dreams. ¡°You¡¯re the golden tree from the grove.¡±
¡°You do remember me.¡± Gamiani the tree woman smiled.
¡°Then, I never met you in my childhood?¡± She looked around the scene before her.
¡°You did, we had a conversation much like the one we are having now, the only difference was that you thought everything that happened that night to be a dream, forgetting it all in the morning. Which was best, since the medical team at your facility questioned you day in and day out to find out how you came back around.¡± She stood, turning toward the night sky, just inches from the edge of the cliff. ¡°Now come here, stand beside me. What I truly wished for you to remember is about to begin.¡±
Not seeing any harm in it, Zira did as she was bid, standing next to Gamiani, the tree woman, turning her eyes up to the sky, ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± She asked after a time.
¡°This,¡± Gamiani gestured her hand just as the stars started to flit in and out across the night sky.
¡°Shooting stars,¡± Zira breathed out, watching as thousands of little lights danced across the night sky. Suddenly a star larger than all the rest came into view, this one moving slower than the others. Zira couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the larger star, staring in amazement. ¡°What is that?¡± She asked as it passed out of view, dropping below the horizon.
¡°That, little one, was the Guardian Dragon.¡± Gamiani had been bowing to the larger star as it passed, only straightening again when it was no longer in sight. ¡°Every 20 years or so, he passes by all those stars that are part of his domain.¡± She looked down at Zira, a mere child of no more than 9 years of age, ¡°This is what is important child. The Guardian Dragon is testing each of his stars as he approaches. Checking them to see that they are healthy, and everything is kept in balance. If one of his charges starts to fall out of balance it becomes a threat to his other stars,¡± she turned back toward the night sky. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he too can feel that this land has started to die, that it has been falling out of balance at a quicker rate than it had been before.¡± The last of the shooting stars twinkled out of sight, leaving darkness behind. ¡°We need to start correcting the balance, those before you have failed. You cannot afford to fail. If the balance is not corrected in the next 20 years. I fear when he passes again, the Guardian Dragon will likely deem Semi a threat to his other charges. Dealing out a harsh fate, as he seems fit.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure what I could do, even if I¡¯m not a child, I don¡¯t have that much power.¡±
¡°That is where you are wrong. You remember the mention of other shadow users?¡±
¡°Yes, I read about Huam the last Hije, shadow caster. He was trying to find something in his journals, but he never mentioned what. Unfortunately, the books just end after he gets his 8th Zitta installed.¡±
Gamiani was nodding her head, ¡°Right, Huam he was a good kid,¡± she gave a quick smile, ¡°He too was tasked with restoring balance.¡±
¡°Then what happened to him?¡±
¡°I wish I could tell you. I felt more than I heard of his passing. The only thing I knew at the time is that he had been in the area you call Home Base when it happened,¡± she gave a sad look out at the night sky, the stationary stars once again twinkling. ¡°What is your name? I did not think to ask it when you were a child, and as such I would like to know it now.¡±
¡°Zira,¡± she said as she stared at the tree woman. Gamiani scared her. Was Zira now to pick up this mantle of returning the balance to the world? Was that even possible? How could one person do anything?
¡°Zira, that is a lovely name. It is time Zira.¡± Her gentle voice enveloped Zira as she turned to face Gamiani.
¡°What is?¡± With that the Osisi woman pushed her from the cliff. Zira felt her heart accelerate, her mind racing, was she going to die after all? The sensation of falling, wanting to panic but for some reason she was calm. If this was her fate, she had no energy to fight it. Darkness rushed toward her, circling her in its layers, protecting her, calling to her, embracing her.
A strangely familiar beeping sound seemed to be coming from somewhere in the darkness. Her mind tried to place where she knew that sound. Suddenly she felt as though she had fallen into a vat of tar, her body heavy, her eyes sealed shut as she heard that beep again. You can do this, she thought to herself as she tried to force her eyelids to open. Her throat felt dry and scratchy and her stomach hollow, she started to regain senses she hadn¡¯t realized had been lost. Finally, her eyes cracked open. The light was a dull glow as if the morning sun was just peeking through the trees. Trees, Zira thought, was I in the woods? Her mind was struggling to catch up with her current situation. Moving her eyes about she took stock of the area she was tucked into. Dark blue roots were encircling her, cradling her as she tried to move her muscles slowly. The pain told her she had been in that position for some time. Beep, that familiar sound rang through the woods again. Zira tried to flex the muscles in her legs and bit back a cry of pain; they too were stiff and uncomfortable.
It took time, and pain to get her body to finally move. She sat up, her back pressed against a dark blue Colour wood tree trunk. She was sure had not been there when she had fallen asleep. The residue of the fire she had burned that night in the woods was a vague memory for her, as if months had passed since she had fallen asleep. Beep, she looked down at her ring, it had been going off at regular intervals, warning her of a message. She pressed the carving on her ring, and twisted her arm so she could see the HUD that appeared above her bracelet.
¡°2,583 unread messages¡±. She stared down, unsure what she should do, how she could have missed so many messages. She noticed that all but eight of them were from the Home Base.
Zira scanned through the messages, the 2,575 messages from home base all had a heading, ¡°Vitals low, report.¡±
Beep, another message came through, ¡°Vitals reported, stabilizing, report.¡± She clicked on the last message, her heart in her throat as she responded.
¡°12 Zitta Zira Kander reporting,¡± she added, ¡°A lapse of judgement ended in being drugged and put into a coma like state.¡± Zira noticed the date when she hit send. Goroh ¨C Autumn ¨C Mune ¨C Forte (5th Month, 3rd week, 24th day) exactly two weeks from the day she had fallen asleep. Her mind was reeling at the possibility. How had she been asleep for two weeks? How had she lived through two weeks with no water or food? She stared at her hands, Beep, another message came through.
Zira read, ¡°12 Zitta Zira Kander, Position, unknown, report position.¡±
¡°In Colour Woods on Gillian Continent to the south of Suthen City.¡± Was the response she sent back to the Home Base.
¡°Report condition,¡± The response came only moments after she hit send.
¡°Hungry but otherwise appear to be in good health.¡±
¡°Report twice daily until advised otherwise.¡±
¡°Understood,¡± she responded and returned to her other unread messages. Answering the Home Base had cleared all the messages related to her health. The remaining eight messages were all from her friend Namari. After reading through each of them she understood what had happened. When the Home Base could not get ahold of Zira herself, they had contacted Namari to see if she could get through to her. Zira smiled as she wrote, ¡°Sorry to worry you, just chose the wrong vegetation to burn for my campfire.¡±
The response was nearly instant, ¡°You had me so worried!¡± Zira could picture her friend yelling at her, then grabbing her in a hug.
¡°Sorry won¡¯t do it again.¡± And with that, she pushed up to her feet and tried to dust off the dirt, she seemed to have collected during her two-week nap.
She looked at Puurimi the first Osisi she remembered meeting, now a large dark blue tree that seemed to have been guarding her as she slept. After a moment she headed away from the clearing, her mind running through what she had learned in the dream that took her back to her childhood. So, the Guardian Dragon, she thought as she turned back toward the clearing once more, catching sight of a golden tree not far from where she had camped, ¡°Gamiani,¡± she breathed and turned back in the direction she had been heading, a faint smile on her face.
END
Story 6 - The Rebel Camp
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Zet ¨C Fin (4th Month, 52nd Day, 6th Week) Year 827 GE
Lilac Roarvarian, once known as 8 Zitta Lilac Kander, fiddled with the earpiece she called her toun. She could hear the vibrations coming from all over the Pujar Fortress, every boot scrape, every tap of the finger, everything that could create a physical response to the surrounding rocks. The toun wasn¡¯t for those noises, but the distant voices that came as garbled vibrations without the converter to turn them into sounds and words that made sense. The Byevern were known for having excellent hearing. A little-known fact was that the Byevern did not hear sounds so much as the vibrations made by sounds in the air. It was only when someone was close that sounds could be taken clearly without needing to be converted from vibrations.
Byevern¡¯s native language used mostly vibrations mixed with clicks and whistles. If she had remained with her Byevern family, she would have learned to translate the sounds naturally, not needing the assistance from her toun. It wasn¡¯t until her ¡°recruitment¡± to the Rebellion that she learned she could not even speak to her kind. Common was the only approved language used by all those under the Goren¡¯s rule, and the only one taught to those who trained at the Home Base.
Lilac turned toward the entrance to her quarters, did she hear that right? Reinstalling her right toun, her left was still in, she listened to the surrounding sounds. It was a garble of overwhelming noise before she adjusted the devices, removing as much of the excessive sound as it allowed. The toun had been made thanks to a Jord-Kinroh, a Land-Metal caster who formed it to fit her ear perfectly, somehow imbuing it with the ability to shift and grow as she had. The devices would allow vibrations through tiny channels inside the earpiece, converting it to voices or sounds. It had also taken the help of an Umoya-Valo or a Spirit-Light caster. They had adjusted the devices, giving her the ability to manipulate what sounds would come through depending on the patterns she traced along the cuff. Lilac would be hard-pressed to explain how the toun worked completely, only really needing to know that they worked and the ones she wore now were the third version made by the casters. The first one had distorted the vibrations, making the converted sounds flat and hard to understand. And the second had caused a loud screeching noise each time she turned them on, and sound passed through the channels.
¡°¡ It was a jakoreen¡¡± The woman who spoke was close enough to Lilac¡¯s dwelling she could not phase out the voice without losing the sound she was looking for.
Tap-click, tap, tap-click, the distant sound of a familiar boot step came to her ear then. She pushed up from her bed, heading toward the exit and out toward the square. She could hear the noises from all over the Pujar Fortress, threatening to drown out the subtle sound she listened for intently.
¡°¡ No such thing as jakoreen¡¡± A man was shaking his head as Lilac rounded the corner, catching sight of the two adults discussing a children¡¯s tale. There it is, she thought, as she caught the light, tap-click, tap, of the steps she was listening for. After a brief pause, she gauged the direction of his steps. He was heading toward the fountain where they always met.
His steps were light, lighter than any of the other fighters in the Pujar Fortress, except for a slight clank each time the stud touched the ground. She had asked him once why he always put a stud in the heel of one of his boots. He explained, ¡°It makes it easier for you to recognize my steps,¡± with a smile he added, ¡°Least I can do, since I¡¯m the one who dragged you here.¡±
Lilac had been upset in the beginning, worrying about her friends Zira and Namari. With time, she found freedom here in a way she never could, while under the direction of the Goren and his people. She was torn between wanting her friends to join her and making sure to keep them as far away from her and the rebellion as possible.
Her heart had been in her throat since the day it had been announced that a fight had broken out in a coffee shop. The Kander responsible was Zira, her childhood friend, and now the rebellion had placed a mark on her. Whether they killed her or recruited her, was left up to the one sent to deal with the mark.
¡°You¡¯re late,¡± she accused as she turned a corner, just a block from the fountain, her friend, and recruiter stood there. Dameen, a Jariven with pale-gray skin and blue-gray eyes, looked at her, his eyes bright as a grin lit his face. Lilac still found it hard to believe this man was a second phase Jariven in his 125th year. He was always smiling and joking with those around him, rarely acting his age.
¡°As patient as ever, I see.¡±
¡°Well?¡± She asked, not bothering to explain, Dameen would know what she needed to hear.
¡°You were right, as much as I hate to admit it,¡± he scratched his cheek and averted his eyes from her.
¡°So, she¡¯s alive then?¡± She needed to hear him say it, to admit he had not gone through with the Council¡¯s orders.
¡°She is, much to the Council¡¯s dismay¡ Or it would be, if I had reported to them first.¡± He gave Lilac a stern glare. ¡°Are you going to join? It would be best if you did, I might need your help on this one.¡±
Lilac nibbled her bottom lip, a habit she picked up since joining the rebellion, ¡°Do you really need me there? You know they don¡¯t like us.¡± She meant the Kander forcibly recruited by pulling them from the field and holding them until only punishment awaited them if they returned.
¡°I know you like to avoid the Council, but if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, what could I do?¡± She looked away, not wanting to remember that first year in the fortress. Since her ¡°recruitment¡± there had been 12 more Kander taken from the field, only one other accepted the anti-Goren beliefs, aside from Lilac. He was eight years older than her, and mostly kept to his group inside the walls. The other 11 were kept separate, and in a sedated state. They would spend a part of the morning visited by residents from the Fortress, trying to convince them of the errors in Goren¡¯s way of doing things. Part of her understood, the Kander were dangerous, having access to a power that most of the citizens did not. And yet, it was hard seeing the blank eyes of those who also bore the Zitta.
¡°I think,¡± he looked away, serious a moment, ¡°They need to understand what is at stake for the Kander when orders are not followed. Would you mind telling them what you told me, about the Kander Dimmin?¡±
She had grown close to Dameen over the last two years. He had asked once why she never tried to leave. That had spurred her to tell him the tale of Dimmin, a 5th Zitta Kander, who had been ¡°liberated¡± by the rebellion, and yet caught again by the Goren¡¯s people. Each Zitta had been torn from his flesh, nothing to dull the pain, the screams with each extraction still ringing in her memory. She shut her eyes, trying not to think of the horror and sighed, ¡°All right, let''s go.¡±
With an apologetic look, then a reassuring smile, he turned toward the Council Hall, a large building on the east side of Pujar Fortress. ¡°They didn¡¯t have all the facts,¡± Lilac was surprised to see her friend irritated, ¡°They sent me to kill her and all she did was defuse the situation.¡±
Lilac was hard on his heels when they entered the Council Hall, ¡°I told you she wouldn¡¯t just start a fight.¡± After a short pause, she added, ¡°So, how did she seem? Was she alright?¡± Grabbing Dameen¡¯s arm to stop him, she continued, ¡°Was she eating? Did she look healthy?¡±
¡°Enough, Lilac,¡± Dameen finally stopped her. Looking down, he stood a head taller than her. With a grin, he said, ¡°You would think you¡¯re her mother.¡± Flicking his hand toward the hallway, they started to walk again. ¡°Besides, how is a man to answer when you just keep asking questions?¡± When he looked at her, she was staring, pleading clear in her bright-green eyes. With a chuckle, and a sigh he spoke, ¡°Alright, she seemed okay, a little put out in truth. As far as eating right, I wouldn¡¯t know. She did eat a hearty dinner and didn¡¯t complain about its contents on the one meal we ate together. As far as health goes¡¡± He couldn¡¯t hide the faint grin, ¡°She is quite healthy. Now if you don¡¯t mind, I need to¡¡± He indicated the large door they were standing in front of. ¡°You ready?¡± When she nodded, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
With only a momentary hesitation, Lilac followed Dameen into the room, six women and five men were seated around a large table. Most of the races on Semi were represented in this room.
¡°Dameen,¡± a Katovian woman purred as he walked up to the edge of the table, Lilac at his side. ¡°You are late, my brother.¡± Sammi Swiftpaw, the Katovian Council member was striking, with the marking of her Balinese feline counterpart; bright-blue eyes, full lips, pale tan hair with a dark-brown mask going up from the tip of her nose to a point in the middle of her forehead and cradling both of her striking eyes. Not all Katovian sported the ears or whisker of the felines, from which their race had evolved from, but Sammi had both.
Dameen smiled at the woman with strong cat features, ¡°No later than expected.¡±
¡°As smooth as ever,¡± her voice carried a flirtatious note, ¡°And what of the Kander?¡± Lilac stiffened as the Katovian Council member gave her a sidelong glance. For the most part, the Council avoided the ¡°liberated¡± Kander like herself. Lilac felt no love for this Council member in particular; Sammi was too much like her feline counterpart.
¡°Alive and well,¡± Dameen directed a smile at the Katovian Council woman. Lilac was secretly glad to see her smile fade, a look of reproach taking its place. Dameen¡¯s eyes scanned the room until stopping on the Duran man sitting at the head of the table. ¡°I met with the target. Dagallan, she was not the monster the reports described,¡± his smile faded as he continued, ¡°So, I broke bread with her and enjoyed the firework show instead.¡± He never took his eyes from Dagallan at the head of the table. Lilac did not miss the subtle shift as Dagallan, the Duran, would not make eye contact.
Dagallan shifted under Dameen¡¯s cold eyes. It was rare enough for Dameen to show his anger that the other Council members in the room also averted their eyes. Dagallan squared his shoulders, before staring at Dameen with indignation, ¡°Dameen you know we trust your judgment,¡± He took a deep breath, unclenching his teeth, ¡°But she is a 12 Zitta, she is dangerous and should be dealt with accordingly.¡±
¡°Did you even talk to your nephew about the incident?¡± Dameen walked around the table toward the Duran man and Dagallan averted his eyes. ¡°Because I did. He started it, and she did everything she could to finish it without having to shed blood,¡± he stopped next to Dagallan¡¯s seat, ¡°Look at me.¡± The room was silent as he loomed over the Duran Council member. ¡°This council is not your personal playground.¡±
Dagallan pushed his chair back from the table, slamming his hand as he turned to look Dameen in the eyes, ¡°I would never¡¡±
Dameen cut him off, ¡°Don¡¯t lie, I know you carry a grudge against the Kander. Just because your son was taken does not mean the rebellion is here for your personal grudges.¡±
Launching to his feet, Dagallan, a half head shorter than Dameen, stared up into his eyes, ¡°I¡¡± He paused, looked around. After studying the room, he looked back toward Dameen and sat back down. He could not deny that the choice to send someone after this Kander stemmed from his prejudice. Looking away from Dameen and everyone at the table, he grumbled instead, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Lilac was surprised to hear this Council member admitting he had done something wrong. Her experiences with those in power were always ¡°I am right, and you will simply obey.¡± Lilac had not even considered that the guilt or innocence of a target could be checked or would be. She had been raised simply to follow orders.
Dameen¡¯s shoulders relaxed slightly, ¡°As long as you understand,¡± he turned to the rest of the room. When no one else spoke, Dameen continued, ¡°Goh, Dagallan¡¯s nephew was stopped by his friend, de-escalating the situation, and making it so that the Kander did not have to act. If it hadn¡¯t been for his friend being with him, he would likely have suffered far worse than having to buy a Kander a replacement drink,¡± he stepped closer to the table, slamming his hands down and leaning toward the Council members. ¡°Since when do we target someone for not fighting and killing anyone?¡± He asked, his voice dark, a contrast to the Dameen everyone at the table was used to seeing. The leaders in their seats shifted uncomfortably. Dameen pushed back from the table and directed his eyes to Lilac. ¡°Tell me, Lilac, what is it like when the Goren issues orders to the Kander?¡±
Lilac hadn¡¯t realized that Dameen had noticed the similarities in their leadership structures until that moment. She squared her shoulders and stepped up to the table, all eyes were on her now. ¡°A Kander cannot question orders and must accept any job that is issued in the area they are currently traveling through. If an order is issued and no other Kander is nearby, then any who have been there and can portal into the location are required to do so. If this is not done or a job is not accepted in a timely manner, then punishments will be issued,¡± She looked around the room.
¡°Dameen you have already made your point,¡± the Zutu woman known as Gina Little said, avoiding looking toward Lilac. ¡°We will make sure the rebellion is not used for personal tasks in the future.¡±
¡°Have I really made my point? It''s not just personal issues that are a problem,¡± he was glaring at the Zutu woman. Lilac shifted uncomfortably; she was sure she wasn¡¯t the only one surprised to see so much anger from Dameen. He walked back around the table, looking at each of the eleven Council members, before he stopped beside Lilac. ¡°I will not kill anyone who has done nothing wrong.¡± Dameen made sure to look each person in the eye, each turning away depending on their personality. Dagallan took a pink-gray hue before he too averted his eyes. It had been his job to investigate the disturbance and find out the appropriate response. When he had heard it was his nephew involved in the incident, he had called for the Kander¡¯s death instead of looking deeper into the issue. ¡°Now, unless you are thinking we must follow orders unquestionably, then perhaps we should take this as a learning situation and revise our practices.¡± He placed a hand on Lilac''s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m sure not just me, but my friend Lilac here, and they would hate to see our little Rebellion going down the same path as the Goren Empire.¡±
Lilac would have blushed if she were a warm-blooded creature like many of those in the room with them, ¡°That would be a shame,¡± she added for emphasis.
¡°That being the case,¡± Dameen continued, ¡°From now on, if the person investigating a situation finds that it is of a personal nature,¡± he looked directly at Dagallan again. ¡°Honoring those around them, that case must be turned over to another to investigate. Are we all in agreement,¡± he looked around the room, each of the council members nodded until he reached the one who was assigned to investigate Zira¡¯s case. ¡°Dagallan?¡± Dameen pressed, and the man nodded his agreement. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided.¡±
¡°Dameen,¡± Gina spoke up, her bright yellow hair tied up in a wolf¡¯s tail swung as she turned toward them, her black eyes fixed on Dameen. When he made eye contact with her, his eyes were still irritated. ¡°I understand you checking on the target and the story, but this 12 Zitta Kander is dangerous regardless.¡± She glared toward Lilac, drumming her fingers on the table, ¡°And if what our former Kander says is true, then she must follow any order issued by the Goren. Even if she had been innocent in this situation, who is to say the same will be true in another? Kander kill for the Goren that is the truth of the matter.¡±
Lilac could feel her blood boiling, did this Zutu think they had a choice in the matter? She stepped forward to give this woman a piece of her mind, but before she could, Dameen stepped between her and the table, leaning menacingly toward the Council member, his face inches from the woman¡¯s, ¡°And what makes me any different.¡±
She swallowed hard before she recovered her composure, ¡°You have the courage to make a choice.¡± She straightened her shoulders, leaning away from the Jariven inches from her face.
Dameen pushed back from the table once again, and walked around behind Lilac, she had not realized her teeth were still clenched in rage. ¡°Lilac,¡± he started, ¡°What happens when a Kander is punished for refusing a job?¡±
It took her a moment to realize he was asking her to speak to these people again. ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± A Hisanni man with light blue hair and amethyst eyes spoke, ¡°We understand your point Dameen.¡±
¡°Do you really?¡± He glared at the man, ¡°Do you understand that most of these children are pulled from their homes simply because they show an aptitude for using casting arts? Where they are typically brainwashed into thinking they are the enforcers of the Goren. If they go against the Goren¡¯s wishes, they are not only punished for any small transgressions, but they are tortured in the case of a larger transgression. Or did you think Lilac here could just go back to the Home Base without any repercussions because she was brought here originally against her will?¡±
Dameen turned toward her again, ¡°Tell them what you explained to me.¡±
And with that, she swallowed hard, looping her hands into the belt at her waist, trying to keep from fidgeting. She did not like to remember that day. ¡°5 Zitta Dimmin Kander was found after several years of inaction. His tracers had been removed, his Zitta covered, and his appearance altered. Dimmin was dragged back to the Home Base. By the time I saw him, he was resigned to his fate. I was 13, Zira, my close friend, only 11, and Namari was 12. It wasn¡¯t until we entered the great hall that we realized all Kander had been summoned back to the Home Base. It was crowded, every space filled, everyone there had faintly glowing Zitta visible¡¡±
¡°Get to the point,¡± The Zutu woman, Gina grumbled.
Dameen turned a cold eye on her, ¡°She¡¯ll tell it how she pleases,¡± He glared at all those in the room, ¡°No interruptions.¡± When he looked back at Lilac, his eyes were gentle, nudging her to continue, ¡°Please, continue.¡±
¡°Like I was saying, the room was packed, I remember Zira cracked a joke about not needing light or anything, it was a weak joke, but Namari and me, we laughed. That was until they called silence to the room. Mind you, at the time I was only a 5 Zitta myself, and well, Zira she already had 7, Namari had just got her 3rd. So, when this 5 Zitta was chained down to a post, his arms held out to his sides, we didn¡¯t know what was about to happen. We didn¡¯t fully understand the consequences of going against the Goren¡¯s orders,¡± Lilac swallowed hard, her mind picturing the horrors that had occurred that day. Not wanting to describe what she had seen in detail, she summarized, ¡°They tore them out, each one of his Zitta. No sedatives, nothing to dull the pain. If we looked away, we were punished, if we watched we would never unsee the horror. His screams cut through the silent Great Hall, not a single Kander in that room dared to say a thing. I can still hear his screams,¡± she paused and swallowed hard, a precious tear escaping from her left eye, she didn¡¯t dare look at those who sat around the table, she only stared at Dameen¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It went on all day, when we were finally released to return to our bunks the sun had set.¡± Lilac looked up then, ¡°She was crying silently for that man, someone we didn¡¯t even know, all I did was stare in horror, but Zira she was crying. She knew the pain of having a Zitta¡¯s connection lost,¡± she looked at Dameen¡¯s face, he was surprised to hear this.
Lilac touched a point on her cheek just under her right eye where Zira had her first three Zitta. ¡°It broke.¡± She spoke softly, ¡°it almost killed her.¡± And with that, she turned and fled the room. The memories from that day. The images running through her mind, what they would do to her if she were ever caught. Zira¡¯s pale face as she lay dying after her 3rd Zitta broke.
What if Zira caught her, or Namari, what then? She was at the fountain in the underground fortress before she realized where her legs were taking her. She was crying in earnest now. Tears dripping from her eyes onto the fountain surface. Water was precious to a Byevern, but she couldn¡¯t stop. Her eyes would hurt, and it would be hard to see the next day.
It was some time before she heard the quiet steps that were Dameen¡¯s coming to find her. He knew where she liked to spend time and would search the fountain eventually. When his footsteps finally entered the clearing, she asked, ¡°Well?¡± Just as casually as she had asked him before, not acknowledging her break down.
¡°There will be some re-evaluations going on. Especially regarding Kanders,¡± he took a seat on the fountain next to her. ¡°Sorry to make you relive that again.¡±
Lilac shrugged, not trusting her voice, ¡°They didn¡¯t understand the severity of the punishments given to the Kander, and how much they could hurt one just to make a point.¡± Dameen wrung his hands in his lap. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to explain. It was hard enough when you told me the first time.¡±
¡°It''s okay,¡± her voice was rough, ¡°They needed to know how they keep the Kander in line.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, you know Dimmin was one of the first Kander we liberated.¡±
¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Was all she said before she pushed up from the fountain. ¡°What¡¯s eating you? I can tell something is really bothering you about all this.¡±
Dameen looked her in the eyes seriously, no look of humor to be found. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it''s my fault that you can¡¯t return to your friends. I didn¡¯t understand the severity of liberating the Kander until you explained the situation to me.¡±
¡°I chose to stay, remember.¡± Lilac tried to soften the moment, ¡°It''s not like I didn¡¯t understand the consequences.¡±
¡°Right,¡± was all he said. He would not make eye contact with her. Blaming himself again for the Kander in the Fortress, who would never be able to leave. When a Kander left it was at great risk of being discovered by the Goren and his followers.
Lilac noticed a sheet of paper in his hand and grasping for a change of subject, anything, she asked. ¡°What is the note about?¡± With a grin, she added, ¡°Not a love letter, is it?¡±
He gave her a weak smile and handed it over, Lilac read it aloud, ¡°Anton Reed, Callen Stafe, Lur Made, and Zizi Rin all killed in Suthen City by 12 Zitta Zira Kander.¡± Lilac swallowed hard and looked at Dameen, ¡°What is this?¡±
¡°A report we got after you left; it looks like this all happened yesterday.¡± Dameen looked down into his hands, ¡°Reed was a pain, working on his own and going against the Resistance¡¯s suggestion to lie low,¡± He paused. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised to hear he was targeted by the Kander, last I heard he stole a weapon from one of them.¡± With that, he pushed up from the fountain, standing a head taller than Lilac, and looked down at her, ¡°It''s too bad that Zira was the one who completed the mission.¡± With a sigh, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll head to Suthen City in the morning.¡±
Lilac could see the disappointment, but she could also see he was wrestling with the fact that he understood she did not have a choice in the matter, ¡°You know once the face markings go on we¡¯re required to eliminate all those who engage.¡± She looked up at him, trying to recover his good humor.
¡°I know,¡± grumbling, he seemed to be wrestling with himself, when finally, his curiosity won. ¡°What did you mean she knew what it felt like to have a Zitta removed?¡± He burst out, ¡°How did one break?¡±
Lilac laughed. With everything going on, the thing that had caused him to question was her mention of Zira¡¯s broken Zitta, ¡°Of all the things you have heard today that is the one eating you up.¡±
¡°Just answer the question,¡± Dameen was looking away, a faint flush lining his cheeks.
¡°Awe, are you fascinated with my pink haired friend.¡± Lilac was pleased to see the flush deepen.
¡°Fine, whatever, I don¡¯t need to know,¡± and he turned, heading toward the exit from the fountain area.
¡°Wait,¡± she grabbed his arm, ¡°I¡¯m just teasing,¡± she smiled up at him when he turned to face her. ¡°Zira was 9 when she got the third Zitta installed. The problem was the power it awakened was too strong for the Zitta, which almost killed her. It was like the Zitta went out of control. The power cut off the surgeon''s arm and sliced the Zitta in two. With the loss of the Zitta connection, Zira went into a coma for nearly 4 months, her body going through severe withdrawals. And that power,¡± she paused and shuttered, ¡°It ran amok for the first two weeks until a higher ranked Kander got it in order.¡±
¡°What was the power?¡± Dameen looked concerned.
¡°I don¡¯t know, she named it the Shadow Assassin, but Zira refuses to use that casting.¡± Lilac looked around, making sure no one was present, ¡°The 4th Zitta¡¯s entire purpose was to keep the 3rd in check. And Zira didn¡¯t wake up until the 4th Zitta was installed. That being the case, Zira really only has 10 castings,¡± once she said it, she wondered if she should have kept that information to herself. Dameen was the sword arm of the Resistance, and her friend, she had to remind herself. But now that she had said it, she understood that she could not unsay it.
Dameen smiled at her, ¡°Is that so.¡± Was all he said before he walked away from the fountain, Lilac on his heels.
Lilac grabbed his arm again, stopping him, ¡°When you get to Suthen City, if you see Zira acting strange.¡± She released him and grabbed the top of her belt again, ¡°Do me a favor.¡±
¡°What is it?¡± Dameen was curious now, ¡°Why would she be acting different?¡±
¡°Well,¡± She paused, ¡°Just don¡¯t judge her alright, she was never very comfortable completing missions.¡±
After a time, Dameen just looked at her, studying her face. He smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±
END
Story 6.1 - The Rebel Camp - Byren Lanni
Yotto ¨C Summer ¨C Zet ¨C Fin (4th Month, 52nd Day, 6th Week) Year 827 GE
Byren had felt his hope die four weeks ago, when the image of a ¡°Zira Kander¡± was shown to the council. The order to eliminate her had been issued, due to reports claiming she had attacked Dagallan¡¯s nephew unprovoked in a coffee shop. When Dameen returned to the Council Hall that afternoon, claiming he had gone against his orders, pronouncing he had found his target, ¡°Zira Kander¡± not guilty of starting an unprovoked fight. But in turn finding out she had simply been trying to defuse the situation Dagallan¡¯s nephew had started. Dameen had refused to kill her, deciding a change in their processes was in order. Byren¡¯s heart had lifted, hope once again kindled.
It was over eighteen years ago now, that he and his family had suffered the effects of the Goren and his need to take all those who were born with the ability to cast. He had not been home; the day the Goren¡¯s Kander came to take his little girl, she was only 3 years old and a happy natured little one. His wife and three sons had been home. The oldest, Buthar, had been killed trying to fight against the Kander taking his only girl child. When Byren had arrived home, he found his wife Zimari cradling her dead son to her chest. His other two sons, Zuthen and Burren, were nowhere to be found.
At first Byren had assumed the worst, he had thought he had lost all his children, his wife refusing to speak, drowning in her loss. It wasn¡¯t until that evening, the younger two sons returned.
¡°Sorry Da,¡± Zuthen the older of the two hung his head, ¡°We couldn¡¯t get Zira back.¡± It had been days until they started to move again, the funeral pyre for their eldest son had been a beacon, lighting a fire in their small families'' hearts.
It would be another two years before Byren finally found word of the Resistance and pushed to join. His wife Zimari had remained a shell of the woman she had been, not really recovering from the loss of two of her children.
Zuthen and Burren thrust themselves into their studies. Zuthen studied the blacksmith''s trade, becoming an excellent swordsman as well as a Master blacksmith. Burren focused on book learning and swordsmanship. He learned how armies move, hunting any book he could on ancient wars and the effects they made on the world around them. Byren also changed his path in life, deciding to learn more about strategy and warfare. When they were finally recruited by the rebellion, they all three moved up in the ranks with their hard work showing. Byren had been recruited into the Council as the voice of the Hisanni. He took his role seriously, putting out an effort to learn what his people felt or needed.
He walked into the house assigned to his family. Burren was still out on a mission, but Zuthen and his wife Zimari were both home. ¡°I have word,¡± he spoke softly as he entered the dining room. Zuthen stopped what he was doing, papers spread out on the table before him. His mother looked lost; her light pink hair had been cropped close around her head. To Byren even that could not diminish the beauty of the woman he loved.
Weeks prior when ¡°Zira Kander¡± had been labeled as a target, Byren had kept the news to himself, not wanting to get the hopes up of those he loved. He understood the girl calling herself Zira was not the same little girl who had been taken from her home, but that did not change his determination to give her the choice to return to her family. Dameen was a good-natured man; Byren could not see him killing someone without first checking the whole situation before moving.
¡°What is it?¡± Zuthen did not have to ask about whom the news would be, they had all joined the rebellion with the sole purpose of finding their youngest child and bringing her back. They also intended to make sure the Goren no longer took the children who could cast. Burren, the middle child, was on a mission just then, recovering two children who had shown signs of casting before the Goren could get his hands on them.
¡°Zira, she was in Suthen City.¡± Byren looked at his second son, ¡°Dameen has been sent to deal with her again.¡±
¡°Again?¡±
¡°Right, I didn¡¯t tell you. Back at the beginning of Yotto-Summer she appeared in Geidor city. Allegedly, she started a fight with Dagallan¡¯s nephew and his friend. Dameen found out that wasn¡¯t the case when he met her and let her live,¡± Zimari, his wife, came to the table, taking a seat, unusually quiet. ¡°I was worried we were about to lose our youngest, I didn¡¯t want anyone else to worry about it. She went to Suthen where she was issued a kill request and complied, now the Council is after her throat again.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
¡°So, you¡¯re saying you have had word of her since the beginning of the month?¡± His wife¡¯s voice was calm, yet Byren could feel her frail grasp on her temper start to slip. When he said nothing, she lashed out, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us!¡± Byren held his tongue, knowing she was not done. Launching up from the table, she shouted, ¡°We could have protected her!¡±
Zimari started pacing the dining room, muttering under her breath. Byren finally approached her, gently gripping her shoulders, turning her to face him, ¡°Love, I didn¡¯t dare interfere. Lilac the Kander we converted; I knew she would speak for our Zira¡¯s character.¡± When she glared at him, her mouth set in a stubborn line, he continued, ¡°Dameen is a good sort, he would never attack someone if he found them to be decent enough to save instead.¡± He looked down into his wife¡¯s eyes, she stared at him, starting to waver in her anger, ¡°I was hoping he would bring her here.¡±
He released her shoulders, letting her turn away from him. Spinning back around, she jabbed her husband in the chest, ¡°You risked everything on a hope!¡± Her voice cut through the air in the room.
Zuthen stood and walked over to his parents, putting a gentle hand on his mother''s shoulder, he advised, ¡°Mother, please calm down. If she completed a mission in Suthen after Dameen failed to kill her in Geidor than what is going to happen next?¡±
Byren stepped back from his wife; he would be sleeping in the guest room again tonight if the anger in her eyes was any indication. ¡°Dameen is going to observe her for a time before a decision is made.¡± He looked down at his hands, ¡°Lilac, the Kander working with us, explained¡¡± He paused, swallowing hard, the vague image of Dimmin, a Kander he had known from before he was on the Council, flashed through his mind. ¡°She explained why Kander never go against the Goren¡¯s orders.¡± Byren did not dare repeat all that he had heard during that meeting. If his wife knew the consequences of her daughter abandoning her post with the Goren, she would choose to leave her under his direction.
¡°Let¡¯s just say, it was an unpleasant image she created,¡± He looked down at his hands, ¡°If we can avoid it, I would rather not have to put our Zira in that situation.¡± When he looked up again, he could feel the holes his wife was burning into him, ¡°Please don¡¯t make me tell you more than that.¡±
She brushed her son¡¯s hand from her shoulder and stepped toward her husband, ¡°Then tell me why I can¡¯t approach this Lilac you keep mentioning here in the Fortress? I would like to learn more of my daughter. And if she truly knows her, then I would like to know everything she does.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t¡¡± Both Byren and Zuthen said together. She looked between her husband and her son, tears welling up in her eyes.
¡°You know we don¡¯t want anyone to know our connection to her, that way it can¡¯t be said we are using the rebellion for our personal revenge.¡± Zuthen was the one who answered, Byren stared at his son, he had nearly said the same thing as Dameen. It was the reason he had volunteered nothing when the first order to kill Zira Kander had been issued. They had all worked hard to get where they were within the rebellion. It would not do for others to think they would use the connections within the rebellion for their agenda.
¡°He¡¯s right, Love, it¡¯s important we keep this to ourselves.¡±
¡°If we could,¡± his son started, ¡°Would it be possible to follow Dameen, to find out more about her situation, maybe even see for ourselves what kind of person she is?¡± Zuthen looked hopeful, holding his father¡¯s eyes.
Byren thought for a time. If they didn¡¯t use the resources or the connections from the fortress, could they? He turned it over, it would be nice to check up on the girl, find out if she really was his lost daughter. With a quick glance at his wife, he knew there was no doubt. The child in the picture, shown all those weeks before, resembled his wife so much the only difference he could see was in her eye color she had gotten that from him. His two sons also had the light-pink hair of their mother and the purple eyes of their father. Burren resembled Byren with his sharp nose, pock marked skin and deep-set eyes. Zuthen was nearly a perfect example of marrying Byren¡¯s and his wife¡¯s features into one being. He had the deep-set eyes from Byren, but the small nose, high cheekbones, and perfect skin from his wife. Zira resembled her mother with a small nose, high cheekbones and flawless skin.
¡°I¡¯ll make sure to stay out of sight,¡± Zuthen offered, he was clearly getting excited about the prospect of going on this mission. ¡°We could say I¡¯m just checking to make sure Dameen does his job correctly. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time two hunters were assigned to the same job.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± Byren was pacing the length of the dining room now, his hand running through his light blue hair. ¡°We can¡¯t use the rebellion for personal reasons.¡±
¡°I understand that.¡± Zuthen offered, ¡°And we won''t really, we¡¯ll just be checking on the potential target, and see that Dameen is doing what he said he would.¡±
Byren¡¯s head hurt; they both understood the consequences. With a few more passes across the dining room, he turned to look at his wife and son. Still wavering in his choice, he said, ¡°Do it,¡± Zimari lit up turning toward their son who had a look of excitement, stifled by his sense of duty.
END