The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out over the open sea. Cannon fire volleyed between the Midnight Lily and its attacker, shredded wood and shrapnel erupting from the tops and sides. The crew of the Lily fought boldly as the attacking pirates, covered in bright red and yellow tattered clothes, overwhelmed them all. Verina didn’t care about the lives of the crew or the wellbeing of the ship. She just simply wanted something to stab.59Please respect copyright.PENANAKBFz5BIy3Z
From the moment Fwen had awoken her and she smelled the sweet scent of smoky disaster above them, Verina’s heart was pounding. The Noctide royal had let her guard down to sleep, and it took Verina all the self-control she had to not make it a permanent rest instead. Istio had commanded that she wait and see how things turned out. The goddess of war even told her that Fwen could prove to be a useful pawn in the long game. Verina had no choice but to obey.59Please respect copyright.PENANAgMNZdAWWbU
Now, nothing would keep her from doing what she did best. She was a beast let out of her cage, a rabid animal ready to rip apart anyone in her way. Her hand reached up and grabbed a rope hanging from one of the masts. She ran and jumped, using the motion to swing across the gap between the two ships. She drew her dagger mid-flight and landed on one of the pirates at the ship’s edge. A couple of quick stabs and a roll led her to her next target, then the next. She laughed giddily at their screams.59Please respect copyright.PENANAx99vehG579
Verina looked back toward the Lily and caught sight of Fwen being surrounded by a group of scoundrels. She thought about throwing one or two or her blades over to help, but held off. ‘Let her have her fun too,’ She decided.59Please respect copyright.PENANAZvbIpbj220
“Noklintei!” Fwen shouted from the middle of the crowd. The words carried a dark magic aura across the air that ran a slight chill down Verina’s spine. Shadowed tentacles whipped out of Fwen’s back and wrapped themselves around various parts of the pirates’ bodies. A few moments of snapping and crunching later, Fwen stepped over the bodies of her victims and made her way across the deck. Verina was impressed.59Please respect copyright.PENANAZb6wXfyEqA
‘She’ll definitely be a good asset,’ Istio hissed. ‘Just make sure you stay in control, and don’t let her gain the upper hand.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAj4CGetIlNf
Verina stabbed the pirate sneaking up behind her in the gut without even looking his way. ‘Yes, Istio. I’ll play along as you commanded.’ 59Please respect copyright.PENANAtX8eCIgnv8
A loud thunk drew her attention towards the center of the deck. An inhumanly tall man with a blazing red coat, long wavy blonde hair and the body of a barrel stepped towards her. His wooden left leg thunked heavily against the ship’s deck with every step. Verina guessed the middle-aged man was the captain of the pirate’s crew, and an intimidating one at that.59Please respect copyright.PENANALrEpdf23YK
“You think you can hop aboard my ship and stab all my crew down with that little toothpick of yours?” the Captain growled, his jaundiced eyes drawing her attention. He tugged at the oversized cutlass by his side. 59Please respect copyright.PENANACxdcA48oEg
“That’s what you call a crew?” Verina mocked. She crouched down and angled her dagger. “They all seemed like sorry excuses for men to me. Even died with tiny whimpers.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAjchaHOTfG0
She hit some sort of nerve in the Captain and he let out a guttural roar. He charged forward and swung his sword down toward the space where Verina was standing. She leapt back, spun her dagger and jumped to the Captain’s side. She stabbed him once in the ribs and then in the right thigh before he smacked her away. Verina tumbled into a roll and thrusted her dagger into the wood to stop her momentum. The Captain followed closely behind with a boot to her chest. It knocked her onto her back and filled her lungs with fire. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAOPgS6wb7jn
“All that talk for two good hits?” He said as he stood at her feet and pressed his sword against her neck. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAOERlEz2BE3
“Where’s the fun in killing you outright when I can make you suffer first?” Verina responded smugly. She kicked the Captain in his right kneecap and made him buckle. She took advantage of the moment and scrambled around him to grab her dagger and jump on his back. She tried her best to wrap her legs around his torso, squeezing with all of her might as she started to stab and slice with no plan in mind. After the first twenty, she stopped counting. Her vision tunneled and she lost control of herself entirely. All the anger she had welled up in herself over the years leaked outward into her blade. She felt possessed, yet oddly at peace.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVLWlYl2mh4
“- to stop, Verina!” Fwen’s voice broke through her haze. A sludgy tentacle wrapped around Verina’s hand and kept it in place. She looked up at the young Noctide woman in a dulled stupor. Fwen’s pallid face looked even more drained in the rising sun. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAXDeFbz5hLa
“It’s over,” Fwen stated. “I won’t tell you to stop again.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAHCLjJWUBqr
Verina looked down at the ghastly acidic mess that was under her. Her breathing had become strained and heavy at some point, and the muscles across her entire chest felt like they were pulled in every direction. Her right arm was numb. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAkjqoK0pC72
Verina turned her attention to Fwen. “Did I do this?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAqwlBgL1vKW
Fwen gave her an odd look in return and extended a hand. “Are you okay? I mean beyond the obvious ‘killing to please your goddess’ bit.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAyfZY859AlU
Time seemed to slow as Verina fell deep into her thoughts. She stared at Fwen’s hand, elegant and surprisingly dainty, and wondered if she should accept. There was never a single person in her life that had thought to care about her, or even so much as fake it. While there was a strong chance Fwen was just doing so in an attempt to win her trust, something about the gesture seemed genuine. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA5grTi1jhrS
Verina took Fwen’s hand and stood with her help. Her legs wobbled from hours of squeezing a corpse. As the sun rose from the ocean, she looked out toward the Midnight Lily. Its sails had been shredded down to a bare minimum, masts were cracked in half and hardly holding, and holes from cannon fire dotted the deck and side. Charred marks ran along most of the edge and up the pillar of the central mast. The crew of the Lily, a fourth of what it once was, tossed the bodies of the pirates into the choppy waters below. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAAbCeIcqQ3x
“Captain Halnaur informed me we should still be able to make it to Selenti, but barely,” Fwen told Verina. “Our lack of sails will cost us a day's travel, but our ignition crystals could provide us a necessary boost, should we need one. That means, unfortunately, that we will be unable to fire the cannons should we get attacked again.”59Please respect copyright.PENANACYDdM2gEmO
Verina locked eyes with Fwen, raging fire against glittering gold and green. “Then we take them on ourselves. Anyone and everyone foolish enough to come at us. What better pair than death -”59Please respect copyright.PENANAlueHNCxHnW
She paused for emphasis, pointed at Fwen, then pointed back at herself.59Please respect copyright.PENANA2IqaHQdofS
“- and war.”
_____________________________________________________________________
Utic braced himself as the sand barge skid against the harder rock of the Font and came to a steady crawl. The back engines hissed and blew out a puff of saffron-tinged smoke. Orghov guided the barge in carefully, anxious to avoid scratching the side against the wood of the dock. There was a shudder of metal, then a stop.59Please respect copyright.PENANA9OTyyDMpB5
“Another clean landing,” Orghov said triumphantly. He shook the sand off of his beard and coat.59Please respect copyright.PENANAEZ7fwExbcg
Utic peered down the docks. The fishing village of Konasus was the arrival point for any travelers anxious to see the Font. A multitude of shacks and huts lined a number of sprawling dirt roads that stretched back to the edge of the hillside. In front of him was the market with stalls squished tightly together, each selling various types and colors of aquatic wildlife that could only be found in their backyard. The area had a strong smell to it that threatened to cling to his clothes. Further down the hillside, just barely in view, was the cusp of the Font itself. It was a massive stone bowl that was said to produce a rainbow of glowing colors at night. Travelers to Montenau talked often about the purple squids that would gather during their mating season and splash geysers of water into the air. Utic shivered at the thought. He had dealt with one too many squids already.59Please respect copyright.PENANAjz9cJyreev
“Enough daydreaming,” Orghov uttered with a hard pat to Utic’s back. “You go on ahead and try to find someone to take you the rest of the way to Prodigium. I’m going to find some buyers for my wares.” 59Please respect copyright.PENANANNPN8fpEFP
He guided Utic toward the barge’s railing and kicked the ladder down. As the Tomekeeper descended, he gave a small wave and a few parting words. “Reconvene by sunset. I don’t want you by yourself come nightfall.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAX07ZFO4lDO
Utic nodded and dropped off the stairs and onto the dock with a thud. He made his way down the path and into the market. Crowds of people bumped and shoved him as he tried to make his way through. Panic quickly set in. While the crowds in Montenau were bad, there was plenty of space for people to spread out within the market’s main square. In Konasus, the same number of people were shoved onto roads a quarter of the size. He could feel his chest getting tight. Utic pressed against the swarm of people around him and forced himself out of the mass with a stumble and a gasp.59Please respect copyright.PENANAB5X4MYlsNr
Utic didn’t know where to begin looking for travel in the overcrowded market, so he opted to go down one of the side roads instead. It curved and rolled down to the edge of the village and closer towards the Font.59Please respect copyright.PENANAXJa9ZxLg37
‘Are you okay?’ Verna asked. ‘I can feel the stress on your body.’59Please respect copyright.PENANA0mBThJHN86
‘Yes, Verna,’ Utic responded quickly in his mind. ‘I’m just trying to find an alternative. Don’t worry.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAHM42RVWTKr
‘I trust your actions, keeper. Besides, it’s nice to gaze upon the Font again.’59Please respect copyright.PENANALZKdkxQ2YP
‘Were you there when it was created?’ Utic inquired. He quickly realized it was a horrible question to ask. Surely the gods knew of each other’s feats.59Please respect copyright.PENANAPipER2PME6
‘Do not assume, Tomekeeper,’ Verna remarked. He forgot that she could hear his thoughts. ‘I was not present when Drinex created his Font. In fact, I didn’t know until he surprised me with it.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAH15GAmVMQK
Utic stopped outside the door to a shack covered in gleaming shells. ‘Wait, what do you mean? Were you two together?’59Please respect copyright.PENANA4yuYD3fCty
Before Utic could get an answer, the door swung open and whacked him in the face. He felt his nose squish in and cried out as he was thrown onto his back. He threw his hands over his face as a pounding pain started to develop behind his eyes and forehead.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVgGUVRJsoX
“Oh no! I’m sorry!” A high-pitched, animated voice yelled out. “Please forgive me. Oh, by the grace of the Queen, I really am sorry.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAMW83cxwBCe
Utic removed his hands and blinked. The sunlight flared against his newly-sensitive vision. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the blurry shape of a younger woman kneeling in front of him. He blinked again and his vision cleared. The densely packed curls of the woman’s turquoise hair and her shining emerald eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen, complemented beautifully by the sepia of her skin. He was at a loss for words. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAg7pyOUVQBq
“Are you alright?” She asked as she pressed her hand against his cheek and looked him over.59Please respect copyright.PENANAsDDY0lOt7g
Utic blushed and scrambled to his feet. “That was my fault. I should have been paying more attention to where I was walking.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAH88ud56WLG
The woman looked down in embarrassment. “Um, do you mind helping me up? I’m having a hard time standing.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAG4d0a61ASz
Utic obliged and held out a hand. She took it and stood, shaking the entire time. He placed his arms under hers to help provide support.59Please respect copyright.PENANABRrAWPxVB0
“I know you asked me, but, are you okay yourself?” He questioned. “Maybe you’re a little dehydrated?”59Please respect copyright.PENANA7HieGIRAYO
The woman let out a snort and covered her face immediately in shame. “That’s one way to put it, yes. I’m from Anqua, actually. This whole land thing is very new to me.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAw2femSDVQr
Utic’s eyes went wide. “Anqua? You mean to tell me you’ve traveled all this way? Why?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAnI9ERGfvZE
‘She’s a Tomekeeper,’ Verna interrupted. ‘I can sense it. I’m not sure why Drinex chose a young woman this time, though.’59Please respect copyright.PENANATPWgorVbkm
“A Tomekeeper?” Utic accidently said aloud.59Please respect copyright.PENANAqqtorhNZwn
The woman froze.59Please respect copyright.PENANA1HNFBtoYme
“You’re Drinex’s Tomekeeper?”59Please respect copyright.PENANACOSasKk9t0
“Uh, how did you know that?”59Please respect copyright.PENANA2plnSPpMAL
“Well, you see… Um,” Utic stuttered. “Verna says hello.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Tuvhe watched the snow drift down across the graves as he sat under the cemetery’s lone tree. The gnarled branches above him creaked under the building weight of the snow, but never broke. It reminded him of his own spirit, in a sense. He removed his gauntlet and slowly ran his hand over the rough edges of the six markers in front of him. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAVzp1OLopPw
“I’m sorry I failed you all,” He uttered quietly. “I promise I’ll make things right. I’m heading home.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAZ1yBPcjt7r
Tuvhe shimmied his gauntlet back over his hand and kneeled down. The snow crunched softly under him. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to come back. I’ve been cast out. If I return, I’ll come here right away and share all my adventures. I’ll tell you how much Prodigium has changed since we left. And if I can’t return, well… I’ll always carry you all in my heart.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAmLB0KWz0Yw
The snap of a twig behind the tree drew his attention. The flit of a white dress and crystalline eyes disappeared behind the trunk. Tuvhe looked back towards the graves of his younger siblings and gave a bow of respect. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbGBDrIk74w
“I could sense you watching,” Tuvhe said aloud to no one in particular. He was met with silence. “I just want to say before I leave that I’m sorry. I know it might not mean much, and you might not ever forgive me, but I’m sorry for hurting you. I was hoping to make things up some way, somehow, but I’m sure you know better than anyone that my hands are tied.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA6wUcTCV9Qv
A snowball impacted the back of his head and burst into a cloud of white powder.59Please respect copyright.PENANAJPH29irJmo
“I should have expected that,” He continued. “If this is the last time I see you, just know that while I don’t deserve you in any capacity, I do love you. Dearly.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAj66bU9pFNN
Tuvhe stood and wiped the snow from his hair. He paused for a response, then made his way down the hill toward the cemetery gate. Steps away from the gate, another snowball splashed against his armor. Tuvhe swiveled to face Rialev as she stood on the hilltop. Her dress billowed in the breeze. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAgsmX1R6wn2
“Tuvhe Vull, you are an idiot and a coward,” Rialev asserted. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked off to the side. “You’re right. You don’t deserve me. So when you come back - when, not if - I want you to ensure you’ve become a man that does.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAUVHMh1SJKx
Tuvhe placed his hand on his heart in response. No more words needed to be shared. He opened the gate and walked down the cobblestone path toward the city’s main archway.59Please respect copyright.PENANAQv60ZSEe89
‘Do you trust her? Despite the fact that her father is clearly hiding something?’ Eslen asked. He had been silent since his outburst in Yegori’s Forum. Tuvhe didn’t know if it was from shame, or simply because he had nothing else to say.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFFf11AmXgw
“I trust her more than I trust you after what you did,” Tuvhe stated boldly. There was no point in hiding his secret any longer. Word of his newfound partnership had spread quickly.59Please respect copyright.PENANAT7k0tmruCL
‘I only stepped in because I saw that something was wrong,’ Eslen explained. ‘This place is sick. It has a dark presence festering beneath its surface that needs to be cleansed. The Duke has something to do with it, but I don’t know what yet. Help me obtain my justice, and I’ll see to it that you get yours as well.’
_______________________________________________________________________
The sounds of low incantations reverberated off of the glassy surface of the obsidian fight pit as Zall Destus entered. Lave bubbled around the pit’s perimeter and gave off a scorching heat that would have cooked most people alive. Such was the blessing that Hilaster, god of fire, gave to his people. To Zall, and the other Pyrolites, the heat of the volcanic Hilaster’s Peak was nothing unusual.59Please respect copyright.PENANA7XoZyBblf9
Zall stepped up to the ivory totem shaped like their sacred animal, the Hilvundata, and dipped his fingers in the bowl of thick tar that sat atop it. He smeared it across his face and arms in the style of the Pyrolite’s spiritual symbols and was careful to avoid the spiraling black tattoos that covered his arms and chest. They were a work of art dedicated to Hilaster himself, a sign of pure devotion to the Betrayed that took years to develop. Every spiral was a battle fought, and every spike that ended them a kill taken. Zall was among the most decorated of the Pyrolites, and Hilaster chose him for that exact reason. The Tomekeeper walked to the opposite end of the pit and faced its entry.59Please respect copyright.PENANACbGPYMCD8U
“Bring in the next combatant!’ Empress Bahn yelled from her extravagant wicker throne at the top of the pit. Her jewelry, composed of platinum, Hilvundata’s fangs and red diamonds, jangled as she waved her arm toward the entry. The chanting below her increased in volume. Zall studied the Empress diligently. She was only slightly older than he was, and her flowing white hair - dyed from a mixture containing the volcano’s ashes - stood out among the jet black of everyone else. Her skin was a dark olive compared to Zall’s light brown, but their chestnut eyes were the same. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAA8gtu82Urj
Zall hated her with every fiber of his being.59Please respect copyright.PENANA9TV8W0etSz
Bahn had taken everything from him. All that he scratched and clawed for was stripped away in a singular moment on her behalf. She caught him staring and gave a wicked smirk that made his blood boil. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA0kioMrpRq2
Thunderous footsteps drew his attention back toward the entry where a blaishand, a muscular mammoth of a soldier clad only in leather straps, made his way in. The blaishand pushed the totem over and roared. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAOTPwGt1iAa
‘So the Empress wants a challenge?’ The raucous voice of Hilaster noted. ‘We’ll make this quick then. Show them who you are. Show them that everything burns.’
Zall took three steps forward and snapped his finger. “Behfuohil.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAhJQ72SH1uq
A ball of flame launched from his hand and onto the ground where it erupted into a full column of fire. The column shot forward and engulfed the blaishand. As his screams filled the arena, Zall summoned another column. The second column swerved around the burning man and hit the spilled grease of the totem, igniting it instantly. The pool of flames flickered furiously. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA5nbHk2DGcj
Zall watched as the blaishand dropped to his knees, screams silenced. His blood began to boil again. “That’s all you have for me?” He snarled at Bahn. “This weakling that couldn’t even withstand a slight singe?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAIaEAWTcW6Y
Bahn stood, furious, and clapped her hands together. Five more blaishands quickly made their way out into the arena.59Please respect copyright.PENANAyIElrNPIAL
“That’s better!” Zall hollered. His body shook with excitement. “Now watch them burn!”59Please respect copyright.PENANA5jAJD6koXf
‘That’s right,’ Hilaster egged him on. ‘Make them suffer. Make her pay for ever doubting you.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAWpqKlhWyqi
“Hilasev!”59Please respect copyright.PENANAF7OjvRA8UW
Balls of white fire rained down onto the blaishands and against the obsidian floor. Zall basked in the heat of it all. For the first time in years, he laughed.
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Irada held the smelling salts under the mystery man’s nose and hoped for the best. He had grown sore from carrying his weight around the farm and opted to finally put the man in a bed of hay in the barn. It was a simple solution, but it would have to do until Irada could wake him. The man’s nostrils flared at the smell of the salts and he bounced up with a gasp. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHDTaJwxSik
‘I told you!’ Heivara cheered.59Please respect copyright.PENANAJp7HS7O3Ii
The man scooted off the hay and fell to the barn’s muddy ground. Irada quickly dropped down to help him back up. “Are you alright, mister?”
The man waved Irada away and winced in pain as he tried to walk. He gave up after a few steps and crumpled to the floor. Irada watched from behind, unsure of how to proceed.59Please respect copyright.PENANA1Arz0eOQqd
“I got it,” the man groaned with a mouthful of what Irada hoped was just mud. “I just have to get my legs to respond.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA5YyC2JNdlO
He rolled over and tugged at the laced v-neck of his shirt. His hands trembled slightly. Irada reached over and grabbed a flagon of water.59Please respect copyright.PENANAZNXVZanR6r
“You should drink up,” Irada told him. He offered the flagon. “I’m not sure how long you’ve been out, but that should help.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA1zn8m3nw0o
“What do you mean?” The man questioned in a brash voice. He ran his hand through his short taupe hair. “Where am I?”59Please respect copyright.PENANATXIsz3J2HG
.“I found you out in the fields on my rounds,” Irada recounted. “I was gathering corn when I saw your body. I carried you to my wagon, came home, and now you’re here. I’m Irada, by the way.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAr8vypsEcFt
“Yeah, yeah,” The man said impatiently. He pointed his thumb at himself. “Qio. Qio Lod. That still doesn’t answer my question, though. Where is ‘here’?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAgikQTODLaH
“The Varlan Plains,” Irada answered. “We’re outside the village of Dwelar, to be specific. Small place of about eighty people.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAMNE2G3BtRw
“The Varlan Plains?” Qio repeated angrily. “No, No, No. I need to get to Prodigium as soon as possible!”59Please respect copyright.PENANArgbkHu3ctr
Irada stepped back and thought about the odd situation he found himself in. If Qio was in such a hurry to get to Prodigium, and given his unusual arrival, that meant that he was a Tomekeeper as well.59Please respect copyright.PENANAzqnxJgf8ov
‘Correct,’ Heivara confirmed. ‘I can sense it.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAJL8KbDhVme
‘Is there any way to mask that, Heivara? I don’t know about this guy. I don’t want him to learn about us just yet.’59Please respect copyright.PENANA2MBCGvptEh
‘We’re only detectable to one another once our magic is used,’ Heivara informed him. ‘Think of it like a big smoke signal. Since you haven’t used any yet, you’re hidden for now.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAnyBjzNIjXJ
Irada pulled himself out of his mental retreat and saw that Qio was already outside of the barn. Irada followed and called out to him. Qio whipped around in frustration.59Please respect copyright.PENANADzPnTVUkeG
“What do you want?” He snapped. “I need to go. Now.”59Please respect copyright.PENANADzx7X98z8A
“First, I need you to breathe,” Irada responded. “I can tell you’re still having a hard time walking. You’re stumbling like a newborn foal. Dwelar is right between Selenti and Prodigium. I can grab the wagon and we can head out, but you’ll have to let me take care of a few things first.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAZhlj4PhkTS
“And if I refuse?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAvVuDX9zLVM
“Then you’ll be walking your way to Prodigium, because no one will want to deal with that sore attitude.” 59Please respect copyright.PENANACStooMqMAO
Irada didn’t want to call Qio on his rudeness, but he had no choice. He wanted answers about the Tomekeepers, how Qio ended up in his fields, and so much more. There was no way that he could let Qio walk away. Irada held his breath and hoped that his reasoning worked.59Please respect copyright.PENANATMvJ5n9uJi
Qio let out a deep sigh and stuck his hand out. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t mean to be harsh, I’ve just had a bit of a rough journey so far.”59Please respect copyright.PENANALcMIvWejJK
“Well, tell you what, Qio. You can tell me all about it while we wrap up my duties,” Irada proposed and shook his hand.
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I’el desperately wanted to throttle Kliev, and they had only been together for a few hours. Something about the way he spoke, like he was the smartest and mightiest man in Lidaesea, rubbed her entirely the wrong way. He refused to apologize for covering her in grimphon gunk and kept spouting something about ‘saving her’ then immediately tried to flirt with her after. It was maddening. She thought back to her sweet Friston and how he could never be so crass. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAAlZsTw8nRl
‘Strength in numbers,’ Noli had told her, as if that would have smoothed things over. I’el looked back at Kliev as he curiously approached a white ball burrowed into the ground.59Please respect copyright.PENANAToL6PlD6Gs
“No, don’t touch that!”59Please respect copyright.PENANA3PX9Eb6o95
It was too late. I’el jumped forward and tackled Kliev to the ground as the puffpom whistled and rose into the sky. It vibrated with a shrill whine and shot its thorns into the ground around it. I’el felt one stab through the wool of her pants into the back of her calf.59Please respect copyright.PENANATJ1iWH6mcn
“Thanks for the save, beautiful,” Kliev said with yet another wink. “Want to make sure I didn’t get hit by one of those nasty needles?”59Please respect copyright.PENANA54hZBujVOH
I’el plucked the one from her calf and stabbed it into Kliev’s shoulder. He cursed from the pain. “Oh look. I found one,” She fumed.59Please respect copyright.PENANA2MdrXpKcOu
I’el picked herself up and checked for more thorns. The tangles of her hair fell in her face. It still smelled of grimphom. She shook them back into place and glanced down the path. They just needed to cross the river and make it around the bend to Silver Falls. Kliev stepped up behind her.59Please respect copyright.PENANAb4zw4cQg1f
“What’s the plan?” He inquired.59Please respect copyright.PENANAs2ySh1EFgX
“We go a bit further down. There’s some rocks that we can hop across and from there, nice and easy.”59Please respect copyright.PENANANLqWgGObFi
Kliev pressed up against a hefty log and crossed his arms. “Nothing’s going to try and eat me, right?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAOu9w3BTgvK
“Nothing except that beareetle you’re leaning on,” I’el answered. She knew it was harmless, but Kliev didn’t need to find out so soon.59Please respect copyright.PENANAba9jbSeLOP
The log shuffled and shook as the beetle’s head poked out of the log’s open end. The white bony casing around it gave it the appearance of a bear’s skull. The beareetle screeched and Kliev hopped back in response. His ears quivered lightly. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA1eepUR6qZo
“You’re fine, bunny boy,” I’el teased. “He only eats plants.”59Please respect copyright.PENANANYuJsU7MN4
Kliev adjusted his vest and posture. “Yeah, I totally knew that. I was just playing along with your joke. You know, letting you have a laugh.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAK0adG4EdjY
I’el raised an eyebrow at him and nodded slowly. She turned and started walking to the river. Noli popped back into her head.59Please respect copyright.PENANAKqCK7Wv3yy
‘You don’t have to be so mean to him,’ She said. ‘He’s just trying to impress you.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAAoS7OWrCBo
‘I’m not a fan of the tough guy act,’ I’el responded. ‘I like the soft, sweet nature of a man like Friston. You know, someone who will sing me songs while we lay in a field and stare up at the moons.’59Please respect copyright.PENANA2YcSu56nt7
‘I find that sometimes plants grow stronger when they venture into unknown soils,’ Noli remarked. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA4ZWptw4DjG
The soft trickle of water signaled that the duo had reached their destination. I’el looked across the gently flowing river to the path on the other side. There were a handful of large rocks interspersed through the river, just wide enough to jump on. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAJVte8mMltA
“Last one to the other side has to sleep in the buff tonight!” Kliev announced as he sprinted ahead of her. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbvTJowEoUp
I’el felt her cheeks get hot when she realized what Kliev had said and rushed to get across the rocks herself. Her jump was further than a human’s, which meant she could cross two or three rocks at a time, but it was no match for the fantastic leaping ability of a Wojlidoj. For every three she passed, Kliev passed five.59Please respect copyright.PENANA4r3SFlRMQf
‘You’re going to let him win?’ Noli asked in surprise. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAVFPPSa9ENX
“No way!” I’el shouted. “Nolavohpe!”59Please respect copyright.PENANAmmb7Ox1Meo
Vines sprouted from the riverbed and wrapped around Kliev’s ankle. They tugged him into the water with a splash. I’el laughed as she got ahead of the soaked, and sulking, womanizer. She landed awkwardly on the next rock and slipped into the river face first. The rush of cold made her whole body tingle and shake.
I’el dragged herself out of the river and spat out the water in her mouth. Kliev followed behind her as she wrung out the excess from her clothes. 59Please respect copyright.PENANANdDhANBi2n
“Let’s call it a tie, yeah? No one loses,” He muttered in defeat.59Please respect copyright.PENANAo77H5PDA6v
I’el agreed and pushed through the treeline and around the small hill to the breathtaking view of Silver Falls straight ahead. The log cabin of the trading post rested on a floating platform in the middle of a lake, connected to the mainland by a rickety bridge. Towering behind it was the titular waterfall, its rapids like cascading currents of liquid mercury. I’el loved everything about it.59Please respect copyright.PENANA8roKwqPYu9
“What is that?” Kliev quaked and pointed. I’el turned to investigate the shadow that eclipsed them and the chirps that accompanied it.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVkDQHLAWSP
“Oh, that?” I’el breathed a sigh of relief. A ship attached to two canvas balloons and drawn by swarms of thistlewisps, human-sized birds covered in flowers that grew from the moss on their feathers, emerged from the clouds. “That’s our ride!”59Please respect copyright.PENANAcsd6krOX0S
‘My, those have gotten bigger,’ Noli noted.59Please respect copyright.PENANA6npdACL6MU
“I thought you said we were getting on a boat?’ Kliev questioned in disbelief. His voice and expression dripped with fear.59Please respect copyright.PENANADm5CoqCL6O
I’el gave him a bright, goofy smile. “Uh, yeah! That is a boat, silly. An air boat. How else would we get to Selenti?”
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Yonni clung tightly to Utic’s back, her new legs supported by his arms as they ran through the marketplace. At that moment, she was thankful the woman in the shell shop had been nice enough to gift her a pair of what people on the land above called “pants”, even if she didn’t seem to fully believe Yonni’s story. Even better, her detour had put her on a collision course with another Tomekeeper.59Please respect copyright.PENANAl2J5PYg1w5
‘Things are looking up from here,’ Drinex added. ‘We can get to Prodigium that much quicker, and you have someone to travel with to keep you out of trouble. Though I’m not certain why Verna chose a young man this time.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAjMuBGlF15r
‘What is the story between you two, anyway?’ Yonni pried. Drinex’s personality seemed to become more pleasant now that Utic and Verna had arrived. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAdlaQYCX5T3
‘One for another time,’ Drinex stated succinctly.59Please respect copyright.PENANAJzVSwL9Pmc
Utic slowed as they arrived at a rusted barge, his breath shallow. “Just have to climb the ladder,” He wheezed.59Please respect copyright.PENANA5KA3IajZmF
Yonni didn’t respond. She stared out across the sand and rock as the sun set. Streaks of orange, yellow and red melted together with splotches of blue and purple and blanketed the horizon in one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. “You get to see this every day?"59Please respect copyright.PENANAJi8tjNLZGi
Utic took a break from climbing to gaze in the same direction as Yonni. “The sunset? It’s great isn’t it? In Montenau, there are these square balconies that you can go up to and watch as it sinks behind the dunes. Maybe I can show you sometime.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAM2KLXaie3v
“I’d like that,” Yonni replied enthusiastically. “It sounds like a great time!”59Please respect copyright.PENANAr62YeWAhDg
She was happy that Utic was so friendly, even if he came across as a bit unsure of himself at times. He seemed like a good-natured person, though, and a great guide to show her around the land above. Thoughts of the other Tomekeepers entered her mind. She wondered if they would be just as warm and welcoming.
Utic clasped the barge’s railing and pulled them both over the edge. He crawled to the center of the deck, Yonni still tightly attached. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAtA5KoIfauN
“Orghov!” He called out. “I’m back!”59Please respect copyright.PENANAuCq3czUHiW
A hatch on the floor of the barge was thrown open and an old man with a white beard and goggles popped out from inside. He offered them a mischievous grin.59Please respect copyright.PENANAiC3Sb3czrr
“What’s this, Utic?” The man asked playfully. “Making friends?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAvM7jNqrCxa
Utic helped Yonni off of his back and walked over to meet the man. “You won’t believe it, Orghov. She’s a Tomekeeper! For Drinex, in fact. She came all the way from Anqua, and now we can head to Prodigium together. Isn’t that great?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAvTA5M1DAzM
“That’s amazing!” Orghov exclaimed, arms outraised. “I’m glad I sent you into the village then. Were you able to find transportation?”59Please respect copyright.PENANA8x8v4v9MII
Yonni watched as Utic silently cursed to himself. “No, I forgot in my excitement, then saw the sun was setting and came right back.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAx8mr4HFOwv
“No matter,” Orghov replied. “I worked out a deal and think I can get everything settled.”59Please respect copyright.PENANASrWKY4m8xn
The old man turned to Yonni and pulled his goggles down. Dark tattooed lines spiraled out into sharp points from around his eyes. Something seemed off. “Two Tomekeepers. My, have I been blessed tonight.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAXucY0ianAA
Yonni felt a hard object whack her against the back of her head and she fell over. Utic yelled something she couldn’t make out before he was silenced by another whack. She heard the thud of his body hit the barge and Drinex’s voice call to her, then the old man’s froggish laughter before she faded to black.
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