Campaign Log: Confessions of a Forked Tongue

[coronatiger]

4th of Ratanu, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

I was startled awake by the sound of Kraa returning to Grogg, and sat up so abruptly that it woke Yana too. It was still dark, so when she held up a hand, I was concerned that something was terribly wrong, for the hand had large spots of discoloration, discernible only as a different grey against the familiar grey of her skin. Yana dispelled the mystery, though. “I’ve bled. It was my period after all. Perhaps you did pass it on.” I hurriedly lit a candle and helped Yana wash the blood off her hand. I gave her a fresh cloth to deal with the blood between her thighs herself, hesitant to approach her sensitive region. I inspected the bed instead. There was nothing to be done about the blood on the bedsheet, except covering it with a towel. We’d warn the innkeeper to have it washed when we left.

We got some more sleep, before Hylda’s voice woke us. She was downstairs at the bar, demanding breakfast for herself and “Grogg Orgalogg, bane of Gromgar”. I slipped on a dress and left the room, waiting for Hylda in the hallway. When she came upstairs, balancing a huge meal in her hands, I blocked her way and told her that if the wrong people overheard Grogg’s name, they would make trouble for us. She pretended not to hear, but I didn’t believe she wanted to get Grogg in trouble.

I returned to Yana, who was in the process of getting dressed. I put on shoes, and we went downstairs to have breakfast ourselves. Xipil was there already, so we joined him. He told us he had seen two Amrosh riders traveling south in the night. I said it was unlikely they were after us, and reminded them that if we stayed away from Amrosh people, everything would be fine. I squeezed Yana’s hand to tell her that I didn’t mean that we had to stay away from her. She smiled at me, understanding.

Wolfram joined us, and food arrived. Xipil asked if we should expect colder weather soon. I explained that as far south as we were now, the weather wouldn’t be an issue. Heading into Orkheim and looking for the Night Mirror, we should probably acquire warmer clothes. We could get that in Istan, and Yana could customize something for Xipil.

Xipil told us there was a volcano in his homeland which was supposed to be the entrance to the Underworld. Wolfram interjected that the Realm of Death lies in the deepest part of the Underworld. The only things that lived near the volcano were snakes, and there were priests there with forked tongues. The snakes guarded the gate to the Underworld. Talk of death made Xipil request that we burned his corpse, should he die. We promised to do so.

Talk shifted to a discussion of how the goddess of the moon was seen differently here in the north compared to in Xipil’s homeland, far to the south. Neither Yana nor I found it particularly interesting, so we focused on our food. The discussion progressed to demons and the undead, and I made sure nobody came close enough to overhear.

Xipil and Wolfram realized that this was no topic for debate in an inn’s common room, and we wrapped up the meal. Wolfram stood. He would tell Grogg and Hylda we were leaving. Xipil went to get his gear, and so did Yana and I. We loaded up the cart, and Hylda volunteered to be the first to pull it.

When we had walked for a couple of minutes, Grogg asked Xipil if he was contagious. As I was walking in the back with Yana, I didn’t catch everything that was said, but I understood the comment had something to do with how their skins were changing. Grogg scowled at me, and I pretended to focus on something else. Xipil smelled Grogg’s finger and asked what the mysterious dust on it was. Grogg didn’t reply, but instead came back to Yana and me. Xipil followed. Grogg pointed at his skin and asked if it was my fault.

Looking at Grogg’s skin, I realized that the metal parts, which had previously been marbled, were now covered in a scale-like pattern. I told Grogg that if this turned out to be Your blessing, that would be great, but the scales could just as easily be fish-scales as snake-scales, or something else completely. Grogg seemed relieved with my answer; he really hates snakes, and wants nothing to do with them. He gave me a ring, a silver band set with a yellow, translucent stone. It was a gift from Kraa, as thanks for my kind words earlier. I thanked Grogg, and, pulling out the spirit-seeing ring to confirm that Kraa was on his shoulder, thanked Kraa too.

The ring looked to be locally made, for a wedding or an engagement. Yana mentioned that the gem was called a sunstone, and added that she thought the ring was pretty, although she expressed concern that it might be stolen. I knew her well enough to realize that this concern was a charade, or possibly a private joke. I gave her a smile and squeezed her hand.

Xipil wanted very much to study the ring, for it was the source of the dust that Grogg had on his hands. He asked Wolfram and Grogg to smell it, and I asked Grogg where Kraa had found it. He pointed towards the north-west, towards the river paralleling the road. Xipil said the ring wasn’t magical, but he was so curious about the dust on it, he wanted Wolfram to transform into his bear shape, as he would then have a sharper nose. The king’s road was well travelled, and Wolfram didn’t want to risk being seen, so we decided to put up a tent when we stopped to have lunch, so Wolfram could transform in private.

I asked Yana if she knew what a sunstone symbolized. She replied that it represented marriage, and eternal fidelity sworn in front of Mitra, the sun god. She voiced disdain for those who thought that a marriage between one man and one woman was the only valid union. Her statement made no sense. Marriage was about starting a family, and having a family included making children, which required one man and one woman.

This seemed like a sensitive topic to Yana, so I waited until we were alone again to ask her what she meant. She couldn’t spout nonsense and not expect me to challenge it. I told her I knew that many people grew old without marrying, and that lots of marriages left one or both parties unhappy. That had no bearing, though, on the fact that marriage was supposed to be the happy union of a man and a woman, the seed of a new family. Failure is what makes us human, but that shouldn’t stop us from striving towards the ideal. We heard horses approaching from behind, and saw a patrol of soldiers. We remained quiet until they were out of earshot, which gave Yana some time to think. Xipil and Wolfram picked up their never-ending discussion about magic again.

“But shouldn’t happiness be the ultimate goal?” Yana asked. No, serving You to the best of our abilities should be the ultimate goal. “I agree that happiness is important, and we should seek it when we can,” I answered. “Would you be happy, married to a man you didn’t love?” she continued. “No, I wouldn’t. But some people marry for other reasons than love or happiness, you know. Political alliances, for instance. When I was young and miserable, in Khordak’s inn, I often dreamed about being a princess, that the king would barge in and reclaim me as his daughter. If that had happened, I imagine I would be married off by now, to strengthen the king’s ties to some noble house.” “I can’t see you going willingly into such a union,” Yana asserted. “Would you ever accept being a brood sow, a bargaining chip?” “Yes,” I replied. “If Ashtar requested it.” “Ashtar can…” Yana began angrily, then tempered her voice when she saw the shocked expression in my face. “Ashtar can surely not force you to go through something so demeaning?” “She can, but I sincerely doubt that this is Her will. The gifts that Ashtar has bestowed upon me indicate that She has other plans for me, and I don’t believe that you’ve forgotten that I’m on a holy quest now. How could I seek Her true sibling if I was bound in marriage?”

[coronatiger]

We were approaching another checkpoint, and Yana could tell my attention was turning towards that. She spoke rapidly, to cram in as much as she could before I had to take action. “Listen, life in a union of one man and one woman isn’t for everyone. What if two men were in love with one another, or two women?” She must have realized she was speaking nonsense again, for she changed her approach. “Or what if two women who cared very deeply for one another, like you and I, decided that they both loved the same man, and he loved them both in return. Should they lose their friendship because society says he can only be with one of them?” “I haven’t found my soulmate yet, and I doubt I ever will. I don’t think that’s what Ashtar intends for me. But if he should show up, I wouldn’t let him get between us. I love you too much for that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make sure the others don’t do anything stupid.” Yana got a peculiar look on her face when I let go of her hand and hurried to catch up with the cart, like she couldn’t decide between indignation and happiness.

The patrol had stopped at the checkpoint, but were now mounting up again. There were two merchant’s wagons waiting in line in front of us, which gave me time to direct everyone to take their backpacks from the cart, and to remind them to let me do the talking. I heard that the merchants were asked where they were going, which was unusual, and they both replied Byblos. No surprise there, as Byblos was the nearest city in the direction they were headed.

The guards looked us over and asked where we were headed. I said we were on our way to Byblos. Venturing further from the routine, the guards asked what our purpose was there. I explained that we were visiting family. They were free to search the sacks on the cart, I said, even though it was only some food for the journey and the troll’s personal belongings. The guards chose to go through the sacks, scratching their heads at the two frogs that Xipil had entrusted to Grogg. They counted Wolfram’s weapons, and finally declared that the toll was two gold pieces. Grogg fumbled with his pouch, and eventually produced three. I made sure the guards didn’t take more than two of them, but that made them suspicious. I launched a spiel about being honest travelers who gladly and promptly paid the toll, but who didn’t expect to be taken advantage of when our troll miscounted the payment, not while Mitra looked down upon us from a clear, blue sky. The guards took the chastisement kindly, and we gave each other Mitra’s blessing.

Yana took my arm once we had put some distance between us and the checkpoint. She thought I had handled the guards masterfully. “So… You love me, do you?” she asked. “Sure,” I replied, “I said as much not half an hour ago.” Why was she so hung up about it? If she hadn’t realized it before I told her, I had seriously overestimated her mental capacities. “And do you love anyone else?” Yana’s tone of voice indicated a deeper meaning to the question. “I love Ashtar. And Rhuk. And snakes?” I added hesitantly. Yana looked disappointed. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the snakes.

Lunchtime was coming up, and we found a place by the road where we could set up the big tent, Grogg’s and Hylda’s, so Wolfram could transform into a bear without passersby seeing. I gave him enough time to complete the change, then I followed with Xipil. The spirit bear smelled the ring, and Wolfram transformed back to his giant human shape. He could think more clearly when he wasn’t a bear, he said. Not being able to speak as a bear necessitated turning back, too. He explained that he smelled plant matter on the ring, charred and dusty. It also smelled of ash or stone. He didn’t think the plants had burned, which he found odd. Out of the blue, he asked if any of the demons we had learned about was associated with ash. Xipil reminded us that Yori’s aspects were ash and rage, and asked if he could take a look at my aura, in case this ring was demonic. I didn’t mind, but I sensed the question was more for Wolfram’s benefit, as he has insisted strongly that Xipil ask before doing magic.

Wolfram left before Xipil cast his spell. The lizard man studied me, and declared that my aura had changed since last time he saw it. A hint of death lay over me, and something else too, that he couldn’t identify. I asked if he had gotten a good look at the ring, and Xipil repeated that it wasn’t magical. “So, the world won’t go under if I put it on?” I joked.

When we continued after the meal, we discussed when we should turn east for the stone circle. The king’s road only went as far as the capital, so if we were traveling further beyond Byblos, the only completely legal mode of transport was on the river. There were roads continuing both north and east, but we weren’t guaranteed passage there like here on the king’s road. Yana asked what we’d say to the guards at the gates when we left Byblos, if they asked where we were going. No, there was no reason for us to enter Byblos, only danger.

We needed to stock up on food for the trek overland to the stone circle. While there would be farms and villages most of the way, it would be best if we passed as unobtrusively as we could. So as not to rouse suspicion, we decided the smartest thing to do was to stop at every inn along the road for the rest of the day, and have Yana and me go inside to buy a little food at each place.

Yana and I spent the rest of the day discussing what to say at each inn. It was a game that paid off very well, for the people at the inns were welcoming and gave us good prices for the rations. We found an inn to stay the night at before the day died. It was half-full, with too many people in the common room for Wolfram’s taste. We got three rooms, and hurriedly moved upstairs to deposit Wolfram in the room he would share with Xipil. He asked if Xipil was a woman, since he had shared rooms with Yana and me before, but Xipil said he wasn’t.

Hylda had found the time to draw Wolfram in charcoal on paper, probably while we were having lunch, and gave him the artwork, which Wolfram displayed to us all. Hylda had put too much focus on Wolfram’s muscles, but overall, it wasn’t too bad, even though I thought I could have done a better job myself, despite not having practiced drawing for several months.

We put the luggage away, and returned downstairs to get some food. Since I had paid for the rooms, Grogg decided to pay for our meal. Wolfram brought his up to his room, but the rest of us enjoyed the jolly mood of the common room. Xipil watched the other patrons carefully, but there was nothing to see. People were just eating and drinking and having a good time.

After the meal, Yana and I wished the others good night and went up to our room. Yana changed rags, and we brushed our teeth. I blew out the candle, and we went to bed.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.

Grogg and Hylda retired early, too, but not to sleep. We could hear them, loud and clear. There was no doubt what they were up to. Hylda screamed Grogg’s name several times, but changed to “Monster Killer” just as I was on the verge of going to remind her not to use his real name.

Sleeping was difficult with all the noise next door, so I asked Yana for a song. All the talk earlier about love and marriage seemed to have gotten to her, for she picked a romantic song, and when that was done, another. And another, and another after that. She sang so passionately, if I hadn’t known there were no men in her life at the moment, I would have thought she was in love.

[coronatiger]

5th of Ratanu, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

Yana and I woke when an ear-shattering crash resounded through the inn. It was high-pitched, almost like a singing thunderclap. Suddenly awake, it seemed to me that something had broken on the other side of the wall, in Xipil’s and Wolfram’s room. I leapt into action, grabbed my knife belt and slipped it around my waist before running into the hallway to knock on their door. Yana shouted after me if she should follow, but I told her to stay at a safe distance. She asked if I considered the bed safe, and I said I did. One of the other guests stared at me from her door, and I realized that I wasn’t wearing a single thread, only the belt.

I got no reply from Xipil or Wolfram, but Grogg arrived and forced the door. Kraa was making a racket, but I didn’t believe Grogg would like it if I hushed his familiar. Xipil lay on the floor in an unnatural posture. Wolfram sat on his bed, leaning against the wall, a red smear behind his head. The star box stood on the middle of the floor, glowing weakly. I immediately noticed that the glass was fractured, and a glowing liquid leaked out. There was a large puddle around the box, and the liquid glowed brighter than the box itself.

I heard Kraa fly into the room. “Hala! Bring my pack!” I called to Yana, using her alias. I examined Xipil first, since he was the closest. He was glowing, but that was probably because he had spilled liquid on himself. I decided he was in shock and extremely exhausted, but not in mortal danger. Wolfram was in the same condition, but he was cold sweating unlike the lizard man. His head injury was superficial, and had almost stopped bleeding already. What they needed was rest, so I made them as comfortable as I could.

Yana swore when she entered the room. I asked her to close the door and give me my pack. Grogg sat down on the floor, sniffing the glowing liquid while Kraa took a bath in it. The liquid covering the spirit bird made it visible, even without the ring. Grogg said I had to remove Xipil from the “water”. I asked Yana to help me move him to his bed.

Yana pointed out that the star box was leaking, so I put it in its wooden container. That wasn’t completely sealed, so after dumping the washing water from its basin out the window, I put the wooden box in the washbasin. Yana and I gathered up as much water as we could with towels and twisted them over the washbasin to collect the glowing liquid there. When I looked closer at the liquid, I noticed there were lots of tiny particles in the clear liquid that made it glow. Grogg licked his wet hand and wanted me to look at his tongue. It was glowing.

I would very much like to ask Wolfram or Xipil what happened, but they needed rest, and I wasn’t even sure I would be able to wake them yet, had I tried. I pulled my grey dress from the backpack and put it on. Yana had wisely dressed before venturing out into the hallway. Grogg left, but returned in a few seconds with sewing thread, which he dipped in the glowing liquid in the washbasin. As long as he didn’t interfere with my patients, I was satisfied.

After a while, we heard someone knock on a door down the hall. “Room inspection!” From the following conversation – Yana and I stood with our ears pasted to the door to listen – it became clear that the staff was checking on all the guests, that they were all right. The guests at that first room were panicking, and the staff needed some time to move on to the next room. I declared that I would make sure nobody came inside this room. Yana asked if I was going to undress, or if she should. I didn’t pick up why at the time, although in retrospect, I realized she was talking about making a distraction. I simply stated that I was going into the hall, to guard the door.

Other guests peeked out of their rooms, or came all the way out to talk to the staff. I walked up to the group, making sure that my glowing hands were hidden. They were saying that we had to pray to Ratanu to judge us fairly. I voiced agreement. When the inspection arrived at our rooms, I explained that we were all fine, and there was no need for them to come inside to check out my friends. All my companions except one were in here; we had gathered to make sure we all were all right. That room there was empty, and my last friend was in there. I nodded towards Yana’s and my door, then Grogg’s and Hylda’s. The inspectors passed Xipil’s and Wolfram’s door and went directly to check on Hylda, receiving a growl for their trouble. They asked me to explain about Ratanu to her. I said I would, then returned inside to check on my patients. Their conditions were unchanged.

Someone chanted to Ratanu in the hallway, summoning people to the common room to pray: “Prayer for Ratanu! Ratanu judges everyone fairly!” I found a corner and knelt, praying to You instead. Grogg sniffed Xipil and Wolfram when he was finished dunking his thread in the glowing liquid.

After a while, Xipil began to stir, a sign that he might be coming around. I found the most pungent poison vial and held it under his nose, waking him. “What happened here?” I asked. Xipil seemed disoriented, and claimed that they had met Krull. I found it hard to believe that Krull had come here, but I asked Grogg’s opinion anyway. “Have you smelled Krull here?” I queried the sharp-nosed troll. He replied that he only smelled mountain water.

Xipil stared in confusion at the starlight in the room. I explained that they had broken the star box, and that it was leaking. Wolfram shifted on his bed. Xipil theorized uncertainly that the water inside the star box could come from the Night Mirror, the lake in the mountains of Orkheim. He asked to see the box, and I brought the washbasin with the box-in-a-box. Xipil thought that the water still contained energy. I tried to get him and Wolfram to relax, but Xipil insisted on prodding the star box. He asked why he could see Kraa now. Grogg believed that we always could see Kraa, but I explained that Kraa had drunk star water and bathed in it.

Even though Xipil still seemed befuddled, I asked again what had happened to make the star box crack. Xipil and Wolfram appeared to have had a shared vision. Although some elements were different, I figured that was because a human and a lizard man interpreted things differently. The star box had evidently allowed them to commune with Krull, too. Wolfram thought Krull was unhappy that Tivito controlled a demon and that one or more of them could roam free, and suspected Krull of intending to unite the orcs for an invasion. Xipil seemed to trust Krull completely, and had been about to reveal everything to him, when Wolfram had interrupted. Wolfram didn’t think we should share our plans with him, and I agreed. Neither Xipil nor Wolfram seemed to know how the star box broke. It probably happened while they were having their vision.

The loud noise of the star box fracturing had awakened the whole inn and probably many of the nearby farms, and even though it was the middle of the night, some of the others wanted to leave immediately. What if Tivito showed up? I said that Tivito wouldn’t arrive before a day or two had passed, if they noticed anything at all. Yana volunteered to go get some water, and at the same time check the mood around the inn. I told her that was a good idea.

Yana returned a few minutes later, informing us that that group in the common room would probably pray until dawn, at which time they’d send someone on horseback to alert the authorities that something had happened here. Xipil thought we should get moving as soon as it was light outside, and I agreed. Leaving while it was still dark would be seen as highly suspicious, especially after what had just happened.

Xipil asked what we should do about the star water. Grogg asked if we could drink it. Wolfram thought that was a bad idea. I agreed, considering what had happened to Kraa. Grogg left the room, and Xipil said he shouldn’t show himself, for he was glowing, so I dashed after him. There were glowing footprints on the floor and Grogg’s door knob. I caught up with Grogg at the top of the stairs and asked what he was doing. He said he was going outside to fetch dirt to remove the sparkle we had spilled. I pointed out that he was glowing and suggested we send Hylda instead. Grogg said that Hylda was sleeping, so I proposed Yana.

Yana, Grogg and I set about cleaning up the mess while Wolfram and Xipil found their beds. When we had removed as much glow as we could, I suggested going for a bath in the river, half a kilometer away, but the way we were glowing, getting away unseen might prove impossible. We decided to get some rest instead. I asked Grogg about keeping watch since Xipil had mentioned it, and he volunteered.

Returning to our room, Yana and I noticed an elderly man staring at us from the other end of the hallway. He seemed harmless, so we ignored him. I put my knife belt on top of my dress, on top of my backpack, within easy reach from the bed. Then we went to sleep.

[coronatiger]

We woke when someone knocked on the door about an hour later. I asked who it was, and Wolfram replied, “It’s … uh … Little Bear.” I let him in and closed the door behind him. He was clearly uncomfortable with my lack of clothes, so I draped my hair to cover my breasts – it was just long enough – and folded my hands to hide my crotch. Wolfram focused intensely on my eyes when he explained that they had overheard someone accusing us of using magic, and asked if that would present a problem for us. The others didn’t know the laws or customs here in Arland very well, so they had sent him to ask Yana and me. I explained that the lower classes were wary of magicians, but magic wasn’t illegal or anything. He didn’t have to worry.

Yana whispered that someone stood outside listening. She was sitting on the bed with a blanket covering her nudity. I opened the door slightly and put my head outside. The elderly man was on his way back to his room. His feeble attempt at feigning innocence shouted guilt. I smiled to myself and closed the door. I repeated that we had nothing to worry about, as long as Yana or I did the talking.

Someone tapped faintly on the wall from Xipil’s room, so I walked up to the wall and asked what they wanted. “Riders!” Xipil replied in a low voice, so I repeated it to Yana and Wolfram, who were farther away. I moved over to the window and glanced between the wooden shutters. There were indeed two riders on a field a short distance away, probably watching the inn. The Night Riders stood completely still, and believed that darkness and distance prevented them from being seen. I asked Wolfram to relay this to Xipil and Grogg: The Night Riders couldn’t see inside the shutters, and they were observers primarily. They would report what they’d seen, which wasn’t much yet, and not interfere with us. If they were still there in the morning, they’d take note of our strange party, but we’d be long gone before anyone could take action.

Wolfram left, and Yana and I returned to bed. So I wouldn’t get sparkles all over her, she insisted I turn my back and allow her to hold me, instead of the other way around; she showed me that one of her breasts was glowing with a vague handprint, and with a peculiar look in her eyes, promised to rub it off on me again. Yana asked why I didn’t put on my dress before admitting Wolfram. I explained that his errand could be urgent, and then he was so respectful, looking me in the eyes while we talked, even though I could tell he struggled. Dressing would be an admission of weakness. Yana wasn’t completely satisfied with my arguments, but we both wanted to go back to sleep.

Increasing brightness between the shutters declared morning was on its way. Yana and I got up and dressed, but not before she had wiped off a glowing smear on her right hip and thigh. It seemed my hand had wandered during the night.

I went to wake the rest. Xipil was already up, and still glowing. “Time to go?” I asked, but considering that several of us were contaminated to one degree or another, we decided to wait for full light. I sent Yana downstairs to get breakfast, since she was the one, apart from Hylda, with the least sparkles. She returned with food and with knowledge that the inn was soon sending out the aforementioned riders to alert the authorities. They would borrow horses from a merchant’s wagon. Not wanting to rouse any more suspicion, Yana didn’t pry for more information.

Everyone except Hylda had breakfast in Wolfram’s and Xipil’s room. Once we’d eaten, Wolfram did his morning workout in a corner, and Grogg went to check on Hylda. Xipil filled a water skin with star water from the washbasin. Yana began altering and combining two other water skins to hold the star box so it wouldn’t leak and leave a trail to be followed. I asked if Xipil, Grogg and I should go down to the river to bathe in the meantime, as we were the ones with the most glow. Unlike Yana, I hadn’t taken much care to avoid getting the stuff on me last night. Xipil thought it might be seen as suspicious to leave and then return, so we put the star box in a jute sack until Yana could finish sewing. We gathered up Grogg, Hylda and our belongings, and left. The old man was glaring at us when we passed the common room, as if declaring that he disliked the way today’s youth conducted themselves.

We followed the road, planning to go down to the river as soon as the inn was out of sight. The two Night Riders came in the opposite direction, very slowly, and we saw them dismount and enter the inn. Xipil mentioned that the man on the boat knew “Mork’s” real name. And thanks to Hylda, so did everyone at the inn. However, it seemed unlikely to me that these two were Moon Shadows, and even though the Amrosh intelligence agency would learn about the incident last night, it would take some time. As I had told Wolfram, we’d be long gone when and if they got here.

Yana picked up her project, and Hylda sat down to draw, while the rest of us bathed in the river, washing both ourselves and our clothes. Grogg was unable, or perhaps unwilling, to wash Kraa, so the spirit bird still glowed when we emerged from the river. I asked to see Hylda’s drawing as I didn’t want evidence of my presence to be displayed for posterity, but I wasn’t in it. The drawing showed Grogg and Wolfram brawling in the water, even though Wolfram hadn’t gone near the troll. In fact, he had chosen to bathe around a small bend from the rest of us.

Since Kraa was still glowing when we moved on, Xipil asked Grogg to hide it inside him. No matter what Grogg said, Kraa remained on his shoulder. I offered to materialize Kraa so we could stuff it in a sack, but that didn’t sit well with Grogg.

Xipil asked what cover story we should agree on, in case we were asked, for we would soon leave the king’s road and venture where we had no right to be. I proposed taking up the job as guide to eccentric foreigners, but with Lunari gone, none of the obvious foreigners looked wealthy enough to fund a sightseeing tour. Instead, I took the role of the eccentric foreigner, with Yana playing the part of guide. Wolfram and Grogg would be my body guards, Xipil my secretary, and Hylda my slave.

When we left the king’s road, most people pretended not to see us, but two small boys in a tiny village stared until their mother spoke sharply to them. We passed farms during the day, and the people there behaved the same way as those in the village. It was safest not to draw the attention of strangers.

After one of his stints at pulling the cart, Yana and I got Wolfram alone. I told him how grateful I was for his gentlemanly behavior last night. I didn’t usually receive visitors stark naked, but his arrival in the middle of the night had me worried that something might be afoot. In the future, he might want to ask if we were decent, to give us time to dress if the matter wasn’t too urgent. Wolfram mumbled unintelligibly into his bushy beard and picked up the pace for a minute, putting some distance between us and him. I glanced at Yana to see if she understood him, but she just shook her head.

At lunch, we discussed what to do tonight. There was nowhere in the endless sea of fields to hide, at least not for the biggest of us. Xipil pointed out that it would fit our cover story to hire rooms at an inn. The issue was Kraa, who was still glowing, and who didn’t want to hide. Grogg and Xipil put some star water into the wooden box that used to contain the star box, and Kraa jumped inside it, drawn by the glowing liquid. Grogg put a cloth over the box, and Kraa seemed convinced that it couldn’t get out, even though the tips of its wings poked out through the wood when it fluttered around in there. Grogg sang to calm the bird, but failing that, he removed the cloth, and Kraa flew out. Xipil suggested we send Kraa to fetch something for us. I suggested sending it with a message to Queen Isa; that should keep it away for a few days. Grogg proposed to sleep in a tent, outside the inn. If he went inside before sunset, and stayed hidden until sunrise, we should be fine.

After we had walked a little further, two riders approached us with great speed. Xipil asked Grogg to send Kraa to the river to fetch a stone. Grogg was a little too vague for my taste when he sent the bird off, but at least it left. We continued with Yana and me in front until we met up with the riders. I smiled and greeted them, using Lunari’s dialect to sound foreign, and was so charming that they only gave us the blessings of Mitra and Ratanu before hurrying on. No questions were asked.

We found a village with an inn when the sun was approaching the horizon. Yana, Xipil and I went to ask about rooms. I paid for food and lodging, and learned that the villagers didn’t want us to use tents, but they had an empty stable where Wolfram, Hylda and Grogg could stay.

Xipil, Yana and I sat down to eat outside the inn like the locals, but not at the same tables as them. We overheard two of them talking about bad crops caused by drought somewhere to the east, and they considered going out there to help out with their own surplus. One of the farmers wanted to sell their food, but the other wanted to give it away for free. Xipil asked, “Ashes?” I immediately recognized the veiled reference to the demon Yori, who should not be spoken of in public. Xipil apparently believed that Yori might be influencing the situation the farmers were discussing, and I told him he could be right.

[coronatiger]

Grogg and Hylda wandered off, and Xipil ran to see what they were doing. When he came back, the innkeeper asked me to make sure my people stayed inside as much as possible after sunset. There was an outhouse behind the stables that they could use. I sent Xipil to relay the message. He walked over to the stable and talked for a little while with Wolfram, before returning to my table. Hylda and Grogg returned to the village just before the sun went down. I blew a small sigh of relief, and then we found our rooms.

We brushed our teeth and washed the day’s dust off our faces. Yana asked if I had considered her question at all today. It almost seemed like she knew I hadn’t. “I… Look!” I had been staring out the window; there was something off about the view, something I hadn’t been able to identify. Not until now.

Yana hurried to my side and squinted as she tried to see what I had seen. “Should we inform Xipil and the others, or do you think they’ve noticed already?” I asked when she’d had time to realize what was going on. But Yana hadn’t perceived what I had. “I don’t see anything,” she declared. “It took some time before I figured it out,” I said. “But it’s not getting any darker outside. The sun must be hovering over the horizon, like when the storm came to Ur,” I guessed; our room faced east, so the sunset was behind us. “What are you blathering about?!” Yana asked annoyedly. “It’s getting darker by the minute! The sun is obviously setting!”

When Yana said it, it was obvious to me too that it was getting darker outside. It was as if there were two images on top of one another, one vivid and colorful, one that showed light and dark. When I concentrated, I could see both images, but one of them was so much more powerful than the other that if I didn’t pay attention, it was as if light and shadow didn’t exist.

“About your question, Yana. I still don’t know why you make my feelings so jumbled and confused. But there is one thing that’s been gnawing on me since Sam. I can’t explain it, and so I believe it’s related. It hurts, the way you avoid meeting my eyes. I know you’re afraid of what you’ll see, but I also know that you don’t want to cause me pain. So, could you examine my eyes, please? I need to know if they’ve changed their appearance further. You heard Xipil’s description of them in the temple.”

Yana took my hands and visibly steeled herself. Then she met my gaze. When her beautiful, green-gold eyes peered into mine, happiness filled me, and I couldn’t resist pulling her into a hug. We stood like that for several minutes, then Yana broke the silence. “You know, I can’t see your eyes from here. As nice as this is, I think I need to study your eyes, for both our sakes.”

We pulled apart so Yana could look at me. She touched my cheek gently with a trembling hand to turn my face towards the candlelight and away from it. The lovely, familiar tingling, that burning sensation, spread from her touch. “Do you feel it, too?” I asked. “What’s that?” Yana replied distractedly. “It’s so nice when you touch me. It’s almost as if I’m on fire, but in a good way. Do you feel the same when I touch you?” “Sometimes,” Yana answered. “It depends on the situation, and where you touch me. It’s particularly nice here.” She indicated her chest. “You can touch me while I examine your eyes, if you want.” I cupped her breasts in my hands and felt her poke at me through the bodice.

“It’s been really long since you’ve been with a man, haven’t it, Yana? And you really miss it.” “What makes you say that?” “Well, first you asked me to kiss you, since you forgot how it felt. Then there’s your recent penchant for love songs. And now, I’m fondling your breasts like a lover would. As pleasant as it is, I feel like I’m doing something I shouldn’t. If you’re as desperate as you seem, wouldn’t you rather flirt with a nice local boy, than be in here with me? I’m sure you’d hit it off with anyone, although that young, blue-eyed farmhand kept glancing at you while we ate, just now.” For some reason, the words tasted like ashes in my mouth.

“No!” Yana snapped. “I would much rather be here with you. I’m comfortable in your company. Your touch gives me much better goosebumps than any stranger’s caress ever could. And for the record, that farmhand was looking at you, not me.” Yana’s words were like balm on a wound, although I grimaced at her comment about the farmhand. I supposed she didn’t find it appealing, the idea of a one-night stand. Come to think of it, my ‘vast’ experience on matters of the heart told me that it was generally men who preferred such brief trysts, and in particular those of the married variety. “I don’t see anything new in your eyes, though,” Yana said, avoiding the subject. “When I squint into the shadow, I can just make out the elongation of your pupils that Xipil mentioned.” Even though she often hinted at the topic of love, she didn’t want to discuss it directly. If I had been a man, I would have thought she was flirting.

So, my eyes didn’t look any different. That was good. Maybe the grey I used to see when it got darker was Your way of acquainting me with my new eyes. Now that I was familiar with them, I didn’t need the grey anymore.

“We should probably get to bed. It’s going to be an early start tomorrow,” I postulated, letting go of Yana so we could undress. I would blow out the lights afterwards; it wouldn’t be fair to undress in the dark and bereave Yana of the sight of me, when I could delight in her beauty, light or no. Yana messed up the other bed, as it might cause talk if it looked unused. Anything we could do to avoid more talk than we already were causing should be done.

I climbed over Yana before slipping under the covers, but she turned to face me. “Nuur-Karif? Would you like me to teach you how to kiss? Your technique has much room for improvement.” What was she talking about? My kisses had been the downfall of mighty men! As much as I was offended by her implications, when I opened my mouth, only a feeble “Yes, please!” came out.

Yana grabbed my head and moved in; I puckered my lips in anticipation. She was as sweet and soft as I remembered. I tried to focus through the fireworks going off in my head, to pay attention like a diligent student. She began cautiously, nibbling at my lips like she was familiarizing herself with the contours of my mouth. When she’d found the precise center and I believed I had the fireworks under control, her tongue darted out, prodding at my lips. I gasped, and she slipped her tongue inside my mouth. I recoiled and nearly pushed her off the bed. “Are you crazy?!” Yana was stunned with indignation and surprise. I didn’t think she understood what I meant, so I took her hand, put one finger into my mouth and bit down, ever so gently. Yana’s eyes widened in realization at the sharpness of my fangs. She wisely didn’t pull her finger away before I let it go; sliding it along the razor-sharp point would certainly draw blood. “I would never do anything to harm you, Yana, and I won’t let you cut yourself on me by accident either.” “P-p-poison?” Yana stammered, but I reassured her that I had full control of my venom glands.

It took an immense feat of willpower for Yana to turn her back on the deadly snake, but she did, and squirmed into my embrace. “Never fear, Yana, not when I’m nearby. You’re safe with me.” I held her until she stopped shivering. “Let’s pray. Can you reach the floor?”

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.

[coronatiger]

We hadn’t slept long when someone tapped on the window shutters. In this one-story building, anyone could reach our window, but who could be out at a time like this? The locals, with their Mitra-beliefs, would certainly not venture outside at night. Of our companions, only Xipil knew which window was ours, so it had to be him. I still put on my knife belt before peering out through the gap in the shutters. To my surprise, I saw an elderly man, cloaked and most assuredly not Xipil. I put on my own cloak to cover myself, then opened the shutters, just as he was about to tap again.

The stranger gave Your sign, a little nervously, I thought. I replied in kind, and he asked in a whisper if I was the priestess who was here to help. I said that wasn’t why I was here, but I would help if I could. We agreed to talk in the chapel. Yana and I dressed and climbed out the window. The man was nervous that more people were coming along, but I sensed no malice, only fear of discovery.

The elderly Ashtarite showed the way to the chapel. I immediately noticed that the door behind the washstand was protected by a padlock. I guessed they were afraid that someone would wander in uninvited. We did a quick ritual cleansing, and the man unlocked the door, and we entered.

A woman sat on the floor amid the snakes. I was pleased to see how expertly she handled them. While she looked to have a few years on Yana, she was young enough to be the other’s daughter. Xipil was there, too. He sat and prayed. The man said that he understood that we knew each other, but his tone of voice made it a question. I confirmed it, and he relaxed a little.

“Your friend has told us that those we look for may be Night Riders,” the man said. I told him to start at the beginning, for I didn’t know what he was talking about. He explained. Within one day’s travel, there was only one other chapel. A priestess there said that something is trying to steal people, souls, from You, in that region to the east where they’re having a poor harvest. Something more was wrong than the crops not growing as they should. The priestess didn’t want anyone else to be stolen, and had charged them, this man and his niece, with protecting some riders who were heading for that region. The niece among the snakes nodded agreement; she had been the one to talk to the priestess in the first place. The uncle told us there were two sets of ruins about two days east of here which the locals claimed was cursed. And they had to prevent those riders from going near the ruins, but if they were Night Riders, they weren’t sure they could convince them to stay away. Night Riders famously poke their noses where no-one wants them to go.

I knelt among the snakes and initiated a prayer. There had been no mention of rank while Yana and I were there, but either Xipil had said something, or the confident way I had taken command of the interview revealed that I outranked the locals by a fair margin. They followed my lead, almost instinctively. I received no clear response about the locals’ mission. I believed that the ruins were where we were headed, but I am no navigator, so I asked Xipil to confirm my suspicions. Both he and Yana agreed. Of course, as we got closer to Amrosh territory, Yana would be more and more familiar with the land. She’s grown up there, after all.

I told the locals that our mission was not the same as theirs, although the two could be connected. I didn’t reveal any of our plans, but I believed that if we could take care of the demon, there would be no need to protect the riders anymore. The locals wanted to visit the priestess before going east. Xipil thought they wouldn’t have time for that, so I prayed for guidance again. Again, I got no clear response, so I had to make a decision on my own. I instructed the locals to go to the priestess, consult with her, then return here. Our presence in the east could solve their problem, and in that case, there would be no need for them to go. I promised to keep in mind their mission to protect those riders.

We got a promise of the traveling rations the locals had gathered for their journey east, and when I asked, information about traveling in these parts. We prayed again, and said goodbye.

Xipil joined Yana and me when we climbed back through our window; we needed to talk privately. Xipil being locked up the way he was screamed at me that this was a situation where he needed me to pull his tail out of the fire. What happened? Xipil explained that he ran into the Ashtarites when he was out looking for Night Riders. He had circled the village, but saw nothing, and on his way back he got complacent and was discovered, luckily by Ashtarites. Yana thought he should have warned us before going on such an excursion.

Xipil asked Yana what the relations were between Amrosh, Night Riders, Moon Shadows and Kabal. She was reluctant to speak of Kabal, saying only that they are a cult more common in Amrosh land than elsewhere in Arland. Being a Night Rider is a service one can do for Amrosh. Young adults often did a stint as Night Riders before settling down. As we knew, the Moon Shadows are Amrosh’s intelligence agency. They were not to be messed with, and Yana had good reason to stay away from them, like me.

Xipil wanted to know if Night Riders knew magic. Yana didn’t think so, even though Xipil claimed to have seen a Night Rider with supernatural eyes. Magic among the Night Riders wasn’t any more common than elsewhere in the population. What about Moon Shadows? Could they travel under the guise of Night Riders? Yana believed they could, but she didn’t want to speculate. That would only be depressing.

When Xipil left, I asked Yana one more question. When we attacked the Kabal temple in the Evening Fort, there had been a magical explosion which disintegrated every clay item that was somehow connected to spirits. Yana had had an heirloom that turned to dust in that explosion, even though she wasn’t anywhere near the temple at the time. She hadn’t been willing to talk about it at the time, but I asked her now what was the deal with that heirloom. Yana explained that it had been a moon-shaped horse, a gift from her mother. The moon-shaped horse was a symbol that only the noble family was allowed to use, so she had tried to keep it secret. It would be bad if the wrong people saw she had it. Despite my belief that it had to be spirit-related to be destroyed by the magical explosion, Yana insisted that her heirloom didn’t have anything to do with Kabal. I gave her a hug and told her how sad I was for the loss of the gift from her mother. I knew how cherished a possession it would be for me if I had something from my own mother.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.

[coronatiger]

6th of Ratanu, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

I must have had a wet dream, for I woke with one leg wrapped over Yana, rubbing myself against her hip. Mortified, I scrambled out of bed. I could tell Yana was deeply offended, for she tried to grab me. I avoided her hand, but apologized profusely. My words soothed her, and I blew a sigh of relief when she said it was all right. I would never have thought she could forgive something like this, but she seemed sincere.

I realized what had woken me. The villagers were agitated. We dressed hurriedly, and Yana put on a fresh rag; she was still under the red veil. I heard a strange cough from Xipil’s room, so I knocked on his door and asked if he needed help. He said he was fine, so Yana and I went outside, passing Hylda who was badgering the innkeeper about food for “the monster killer”. Our host said they were baking to celebrate the Sun Bird, but Hylda wanted food immediately, and paid silver for it.

The village was abuzz with talk about how the Sun Bird had arrived with the sunrise, and had flown into the stables. Kraa was back, apparently, and still glowing. An old man pulled Yana and me around a corner. “This isn’t the Sun Bird! I saw it when it arrived, and it didn’t come from the rising sun! You two nice girls need to stay away from those suspicious strangers!” The geezer was going out to the fields to work, and invited us along, as this wasn’t a good place to be. We thanked him for the warning, but we hadn’t even had our breakfast yet, so we couldn’t possibly come with him.

Yana and I returned to the front of the inn, where we could keep an eye on the stables. Xipil sat down with us and asked Yana to find out how long the drought to the east had lasted. She rose and went inside. Wolfram joined us just before she returned. We would soon be served sun buns, Yana reported, to celebrate the coming of the Sun Bird. The innkeeper had warned her not to travel east, where there was a famine, and where honor was lacking, too. Xipil thought this meant cannibalism, but Yana believed that the people farther east simply didn’t go to bed as early as the Mitra worshippers around these parts. When the crowd became too much for Wolfram to bear, he excused himself, and Xipil joined him, asking me to bring sun buns, and to meet them on the outskirts of the village when it was time to leave.

A group of locals, mostly children and young adults, converged on the stables to look at the Sun Bird. Grogg proudly displayed Kraa and held up food to his shoulder so the bird could pretend to eat. One particularly eager boy was speaking to the troll, but it was impossible to hear what they said over the buzz of voices. The boy suddenly dashed off, but I didn’t think Grogg had scared him, for the rest of the kids kept pointing at Kraa excitedly. I paid close attention, in case I needed to intervene.

The boy returned, handing something to Grogg, which he held up to Kraa. Once Grogg realized that Kraa didn’t consume whatever foodstuff it was, he plopped it into his own mouth. Hylda whispered to Grogg, and the children overheard and pulled back. The adults took them away from the stables. I was just about to walk over there to investigate when someone rang a bell, and people flocked to the inn, the village goodwives sharing out their steaming sun buns.

Kraa took off, which had everyone talking. Someone claimed it was natural that the Sun Bird flew off, since it’s a messenger who arrives early in the morning. A flute played up, and the villagers sang sun songs. I thought this was a good time to get going, before the more critical voices could speak up. I told Yana I’d get our packs, and asked her to notify Grogg and Hylda that we were leaving. She proposed to meet where Xipil and Wolfram were waiting. Bringing our backpacks outside, I could hear Grogg bellow for Kraa. I asked politely if I could take some sun buns for my friends, and said goodbye to the villagers.

I arrived at the rendezvous just after Yana, Grogg and Hylda, and put the packs on the cart after handing out sun buns. Then we started walking. Xipil asked what had happened in the village after he and Wolfram left, and I told him the villagers thought Kraa was the Sun Bird. It was good that it arrived just when it did, at sunrise, Xipil said, otherwise the villagers could have tried to burn us, and to slaughter Kraa. Grogg welcomed them to try, but Xipil believed the villagers could have summoned Tivito, who had the power to harm the spirit raven. Wolfram said he wouldn’t mind that, for that would give us the opportunity to thin the ranks of our enemies. I grimaced to Yana. I had no empathy for Tivito, but I wasn’t going to kill anyone, not without a divine command.

We were so busy debating that none of us noticed the old man from this morning before he jumped into the path in front of us, waving a pitchfork at Grogg. He wasn’t very eloquent, but he got his message across, loud and clear: He wasn’t going to let Grogg kidnap Yana and me. Thinking quickly, I grabbed Yana with one hand and the old-timer with the other, and began running into the fields. Grogg shouted after me, “Nuur-Karif! You mustn’t kill the old man!”

I cursed silently. The reason why I had run was because I didn’t want Grogg, or anyone else for that matter, to attack the poor farmer. I suppose the big troll didn’t consider an old man with a pitchfork a threat.

We stopped running after a few hundred meters. I prepared a lie about my name, but it wasn’t necessary. The old man was either a little hard of hearing, or too agitated to discern my name when Grogg yelled it. I thanked the farmer for his timely rescue, explaining that the gruesome troll must have tried to scare him away from us by insinuating that we wanted to kill him. “Two nice, young girls such as you?! I didn’t believe him for a minute!” The old man looked us over, but didn’t spot the knives hidden behind my back, under my cloak. “Thank you again, so much, for saving us from that horrid creature,” I said, shaking his hand. “But we really have to go. We will find our own way east, avoiding those scary people,” I promised.

It took us a while to catch up with the others. Xipil and Wolfram were discussing where to go once we finished our business at the stone circle. I smoothly diverted the talk to what we would do at the stone circle itself. Xipil thought there might be Kabalists there, and mentioned that those were the guys who killed Lunari, prompting Grogg to growl that they should be exterminated. Wolfram reminded us that we had agreed not to release anything before talking it over first, and shot a glare at Grogg, but Darvan’s liberator missed it.

Yori, the demon held at or near this stone circle, was associated with rage as well as ashes, and Yana was worried what that might mean for us. Grogg simply said that if we got angry, we could just sit down and sew. Wolfram was concerned about potentially unfriendly locals, and Xipil thought we should avoid them. Yana was afraid that if we used violence to keep the locals at bay, that might open us to Yori’s rage. We decided that Yana and I would go first when we approached farms and villages, to feel out the mood among the locals. If we had to spend the night in the fields, Wolfram wanted Grogg and Hylda to restrain themselves; they’d been quite noisy lately.

Two wagons escorted by a dozen mounted soldiers were coming from the north, and would reach the intersection before us. I told the others we should refrain from doing anything suspicious, like slowing down. Yana and I could talk our way past them if they turned towards us. Grogg believed that our party would easily defeat the soldiers if talking failed.

The soldiers and the wagons turned east when they reached our road. I asked if Yana and I should run and try to catch up with them. What if these riders were the ones we’d been warned to save? Xipil thought running would seem suspicious. I knelt to pray, and Xipil joined me. You told me that these weren’t the riders we were looking for.

[coronatiger]

Even though we made good speed, the other party was faster on horseback, and disappeared from view. We approached a tiny village, almost only a couple of houses along the road, and Yana and I went ahead to talk to the villagers, while the others looped around. We talked to a woman who was washing clothes, and everything seemed fine. We caught up with the others on the other side of the village, out of sight of the locals.

Xipil managed to get me alone without alerting Yana about it. He wanted to know about her clay object, the one that had broken in the storming of the Kabal temple. I explained that she got it from her mother and forcefully denied that Yana knew anything about any Kabal connection to her heirloom.

We neared another village, this one of a more normal size, and saw soldiers guarding the perimeter. It was likely the same troops we’d seen earlier, but we couldn’t be certain. Should Yana and I go in while the others went around? Xipil said yes, and the others didn’t object, so Yana and I walked up to the two soldiers standing guard by the road.

There looked to be some agitation inside the village, even though most of the locals were working the fields. The soldiers asked who we were. I said we were travelers, and the soldiers suggested we turned around. I wanted to know why, and they said there was a famine. That wasn’t a problem for us, I assured them, as we brought our own food. They wanted to see our papers, so they’d know we had a right to be there, and said we didn’t look like people from these parts. I confirmed that I wasn’t local, but indicated that my companion was. Yana told them we were on our way to her village, rattling off a list of places where we would be going. I got the impression that the soldiers didn’t know the area well enough to know if Yana was bluffing or not, but she delivered her speech convincingly enough. The soldiers needed to confer with their sergeant, and asked us to go back a bit and wait there. One of them pointed to a tree fifty meters back.

Yana and I sat down by the tree and waited. One of the soldiers brought the sergeant. The sergeant was initially distrustful, and asked how he could know we had lawful intentions when we had no papers. I pointed at the sun and swore to Mitra that we weren’t up to anything illegal, and that we took responsibility for our own safety. “I know you were only doing as you were supposed to in calling me over,” the sergeant told his man, “but these girls clearly pose no threat to anyone. They’re obviously as honest as the day is long. Take them around the village and let them be on their way!”

We circled around the north side of the village, escorted by the soldier. Some kind words and a couple of smiles made him forget all about the mild rebuke the sergeant had given him, and he wished us pleasant days and safe travel when we said goodbye. The troops didn’t want us to enter the village. That much was glaringly obvious. But neither Yana nor I were curious enough to check out something that didn’t have anything to do with us. That would only provoke the soldiers.

We located the others and I described what little we had seen. Even Xipil believed that sneaking up to have a closer look at the village wasn’t worth the risk, and he agreed that it didn’t concern us. Grogg, on the other hand, proposed that the soldiers might be there because of the demon. Fortunately, he was easily distracted, for Kraa arrived with a whittled, wooden horse for him. The rest of us agreed to move on, pulling him along.

Half an hour later, a group of forty to fifty people came towards us, with quite a few animals in tow. Wolfram thought they might be refugees from the famine. I pointed out that they would tattle to the soldiers about us, convincing the others to hide. Yana and I continued along the road, for it could rouse suspicion among the soldiers if the two of us were not seen going in the direction they expected. I was certain the soldiers would interrogate these people when they reached the village.

Three men, one around Yana’s age and two older, jogged ahead of the flock. I saw that most of the farmers and villagers were armed with bows and axes. When the three men came near, they stopped and asked what we were doing. I told them we were traveling. Our apparent innocence made them reveal that they were going to demand back what they had given in taxes, because of the drought. Some of the farmers drew arrows, and I pretended to be afraid, asking if there were robbers and bandits nearby. “That’s for sure,” one of the older men said, “and you’d better not trespass on our land!” I promised we weren’t looters, and thanked them for the warning about the bandits. Someone in the back called out, “Let the idiots pass! If they want to starve, if they want to be raped, that’s not our problem!” The crowd parted to let us by. One man offered a silver coin for a round in the hay, but others stood up for our honor, and a small altercation broke out. Yana and I hurried away.

We slowed down when we had put the farmers behind us, so our companions would overtake us. I passed on the warning about bandits, and Xipil asked if we should begin travelling by night, but I told him it wasn’t necessary. Yana noted that farmers aren’t allowed to carry bows on the roads here. Xipil thought they would be executed, for that if not for demanding their taxes back. He could be right. Those airheads were likely to storm the palace if they got as far as Byblos.

Further on, we came upon another village, and Xipil noticed someone running away. I didn’t see them, not until Yana pointed them out. “Pillagers?” I proposed. “Or someone afraid of pillagers?” Xipil countered. Either could be true. We decided to send Xipil ahead to look for an ambush.

He came back a couple of minutes later. Planks were nailed over many of the doors and windows, and someone had painted “We’re out of food!” on a wall. Xipil reported that the village seemed deserted. He suggested we refill our water skins from the well. Grogg, Yana and I took care of that, and Xipil checked out a door that wasn’t nailed shut, discovering that it was barred from the inside. “That suggests there are people there,” I offered. Xipil asked me to knock on the door, so I did.

There was an old woman inside. She refused to leave, she said. She was born here, and was going to die here, too! I found a bit of food in our cart and brought it up to the door. I offered it to the woman, saying that she didn’t have to open the door until we had gone. That convinced her I had no ill intentions, and got her talking. She said that with the famine, the villages raided each other, and she had heard someone speaking of burning the large farm south of here. Grogg felt bad for her and asked me to leave another ration for the woman.

When we resumed walking, Xipil asked what we should do about lodging tonight. I said I thought we’d be safest if we found another deserted village, or a farm, and made barricades inside one of the houses. Until then, it would be best if Xipil scouted ahead.

Grogg sniffed in the air. I asked if he smelled anything. He said he could smell ashes. Wolfram asked if it was the same scent as had been on the ring Kraa gave me. Grogg thought it was. The grain on the fields looked shriveled, and when I touched it, it turned to dust. Grogg sniffed my fingers. With the crops gone bad, it was no surprise that there weren’t any people working the fields. We spotted some people, far to the north, but at that distance, it was impossible to tell if they were farmers, travelers or something else entirely.

The farms we passed were abandoned. We stopped for lunch at one of them, and I sent Xipil up on the highest roof to look around. There was a village a couple of hours to the east, and burned ruins to the south, probably the big farm the old, stubborn woman had told me about. Wolfram asked Xipil if he could find a way around the village. He claimed they could have evil in their hearts, but I thought he was more afraid that there might be a crowd there. “Young maidens who look defenseless shouldn’t go near unfamiliar people when things are as bad as they are around here,” he stated, and I had to concede that he had a point. While I didn’t fear for my safety if faced with simple ruffians, I didn’t want to upset Yana by resorting to violence in front of her. “And nobody loses anything by us trampling the fields, such as they are,” Wolfram finished. Yana repeated that using violence would open us to Yori’s demonic influence.

[coronatiger]

Xipil went in front again when we finished eating. We hadn’t gone far when Yana grabbed my shoulder and alerted me to riders approaching from behind. I turned to look, and saw two or three of them, still far away. “You have sharp ears,” I told Yana, putting a hand on her cheek and stroking her ear with my thumb.

We agreed to hide, and I sent Grogg ahead to alert Xipil. The rest of us took the cart off the main road and looked for a ditch to hide in. Grogg brought Xipil back, and we found a deep, dry trench and took cover there. Xipil moved closer to the road to look at the riders. They passed where we had left the road, but stopped a little further on. One of the two soldiers dismounted briefly, and then they were off again.

We let the soldiers put some distance between us, and then we returned to the main road and followed after them. After a while, Xipil asked Grogg to lift him up so he could see better. He saw the soldiers stop a short distance before the village, and suggested we begin to look for a way around the village before the soldiers had to flee the cannibals and came towards us again. I chuckled for myself at his conviction that humans turned to cannibals when they got hungry.

We went around on the south side of the village. When we reached the road again, Xipil sneaked back to see if anyone was following. He caught up with us after a few minutes and reported seeing nothing special. Nobody was out on the fields, but there weren’t any reasons for people to be there either. After saying his piece, he ranged ahead again.

The next farm we passed had a dried-out well, and Xipil came back saying there was another village up ahead, looking deserted. He asked permission to check it out more closely. When he returned again, he could report that a shed had been torched on the outskirts of the village. Some houses were boarded up, but many of them had been reopened and looted. Wolfram pointed out that nails and planks were no hindrance to pillagers with all the time in the world. All it did was announcing that nobody was home.

We entered the village. The well here was dry, too, and even had some ashes in its bucket. Xipil showed me a charred bone from the burned shed. I couldn’t tell if it was human, but Hylda thought it came from a pig. She could be right. Xipil climbed up on a roof and looked around. There was another village further along the road, he called down, about an hour from here. Grogg swiped his finger along a wall and came away with ashes. He thought it had been blown in from the field, but Xipil believed that the very houses were disintegrating.

We continued east, with Xipil in front again. The next village was completely plundered and dustier than the last one. A corpse was chained to the village well. I examined the body. The man had been dead for four or five days, but was rotting away unnaturally fast. Xipil searched his pockets, and I noticed that someone had gone through them before. Probably the pillagers. Xipil looked through a couple of houses without finding anything of interest, and then we left.

Xipil waited for us at an abandoned farm. He thought this road was taking us too far south. The rest of us saw no reason to doubt him, and we agreed to find a road leading more to the north. I knew there was a road going east from Byblos, paralleling the one we were on, which we could try to follow once we got a little farther north. That road should take us nearly all the way to the stone circle, if memory served.

We found small roads and wove our way towards the stone circle, avoiding villages for the rest of the day. When it became time to make camp, we found an abandoned farm with a cow shed and two residential houses. Yana thought the people of this farm, as well as those living nearby, left quite a while ago, but they would have gone either towards Byblos or more directly north, so word wouldn’t have spread towards Sam so we’d hear it.

We moved the cart inside the cow shed, since we wouldn’t be able to fit it through the doors of the other buildings. Yana and I pitched our tent in a corner, then helped move furniture so we could barricade the door. Grogg discovered a midden heap and told us the farmers had butchered many animals; there were lots of bones on the heap.

Xipil asked how we should arrange night watches. I suggested he woke someone after two hours. Yana begged him to focus on the task. We knew he has a tendency to meditate under the stars and dream away the night. Xipil went outside and danced a spell dance while the rest of us finished the barricades. Xipil tried to entice Wolfram to join his dance with promises of improved sight. Grogg sat down to sew, and Yana and I brushed our teeth and prepared for bed. We wished everyone good night.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.

The others weren’t very considerate during the night. First, Xipil woke everyone to let us know he saw shadows moving, far away. I clung to Yana and didn’t even leave the tent to have a look. If the shadows came closer, I’d get up, but they were no threat yet. I had barely shut my eyes again when Grogg hollered for me to get him the spirit-seeing ring. I retrieved it from my pouch, put an arm out of the tent, and hurled the ring in his direction. Wolfram decided to bellow at the moon, probably in some kind of prayer. I woke again when Xipil’s watch was over, and it was Wolfram’s turn, and again when Wolfram tapped Hylda.

[coronatiger]

7th of Ratanu, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

Hylda had remained on watch for the remainder of the night. Her foolish attempt to impress Grogg left her more tired than she should have been. What if something happened tonight and nobody could sleep? By not sleeping now, she would have introduced an unnecessary weakness to the party.

Yana and I made breakfast, but Grogg was afraid to eat what I had touched, and began preparing his own food, until Hylda brushed him aside and did it for him. I finally realized why Grogg has been so unfriendly, and nearly banged my head against the wall for not seeing it sooner: He was afraid of me. Big Grogg, terrified of little, old me. Imagine that.

Xipil was sitting on the ground, studying himself; he had cast some kind of spell, but I couldn’t see anything new about him, which was obviously what he was looking for. We had some good news: Kraa wasn’t glowing as brightly as before. Hopefully, the glow would fade completely, and the spirit raven would turn invisible again.

Xipil said that the shadows had come closer during the night, and wherever they had passed, things had turned to ashes. Grogg took Hylda’s hand and licked it. There were ashes on her hand, and it turned out the shadows had come close enough that she had tried to chase them away. She should have woken us. If the shadows had struck her down, the rest of us would have no chance against them, sleeping.

Xipil took stock of our remaining water. We should have enough for three days, he said. Hylda offered to drink less, if Grogg could have what she gave up. That was just silly. I shook my head. Grogg was already drinking twice as much as us smaller people.

Xipil cast a spell to study Grogg’s and Kraa’s auras. Likely because of Wolfram, he asked permission first. He told us there was star dust in Kraa’s aura. When Xipil had seen enough, he said he wanted to look at Wolfram, Hylda and Yana, too, to check out their auras. I asked why he didn’t mention me, but he reminded me that he saw my aura not that long ago. I recalled that he had seen death in my aura, and smiled.

While Xipil studied Wolfram’s aura, I took Yana aside to pack up our tent. I had seen her twitch at the mention of her name. If it wasn’t simply an untimely cramp, she disliked the idea of being subjected to magic. We heard Wolfram’s voice declaring that it was time to leave, so I decided to bring up the topic later, if it became necessary.

Xipil pointed out the course towards the stone circle, or star circle as he called it. The crypt was further south, and I asked why we didn’t go in that direction. Xipil believed that the stone circle focused star energy to keep the demon’s prison closed. If we were going to strengthen Yori’s prison, it had to be there. All evidence pointed to the prison weakening.

Wolfram was doubtful that we could achieve anything at the stone circle, but Xipil said that the two of them would figure it out. Wolfram thought it would be better if we went straight for the crypt, in case Kabal or Tivito were there to break open the prison. Xipil didn’t believe we would be able to stop them. The only reason we had defeated the wraith in the last crypt was because Grogg accidentally broke free the demon Darvan and got his shadow animated to help us fight. I was confident we would have prevailed anyway, but said nothing, at least for the moment. Instead, I watched Grogg sit down and remove his shoes. Xipil asked what he was doing. “Nothing,” the troll replied with a half-grin belying his words. He was checking something about his feet, and Xipil asked if he was looking for Shadow-Grogg. I couldn’t see anything strange about his shadow. Grogg had stitched it back again, using the magic needle to reattach it to himself.

Wolfram repeated that he didn’t think we could discover or achieve anything at the stone circle. He was deeply concerned that Tivito or Kabal might be at the crypt. He thought we should go to the crypt first, and if nobody was there, we would know we had time to go to the stone circle. I voiced agreement, but didn’t say why, as it would only upset Xipil. He is obsessed with the stone circles, and that clouds his judgment.

Wolfram pondered out loud about the difference between gods, dragons and demons. He eventually concluded that the gods are the source of the forces we see around us, but that demons had found a way to take over some of those forces and control them, almost like parasites. My theological education was limited to You, but I believed he was right.

Grogg had been searching his feet for twenty minutes, and I asked if he was done. If he hadn’t found what he was looking for already, it wasn’t there at all. Grogg put on his shoes and stood up. Hylda tried to convince him that we should go to the crypt, for she wanted to see him fight. The glow in her eyes and the tone of her voice made me think she was getting aroused by the thought of him fighting. Xipil saw that he was outnumbered, and agreed to go towards the crypt.

Xipil believed that the shadows they had seen, the ash clouds, were powerful enough to destroy our equipment, so Wolfram had to call a stop just so he could look over his gear. Xipil seized the chance to ask Yana if he could look at her aura. Yana’s hand tensed in mine, so I took half a step forward to interpose myself between her and the lizard man, and told Xipil in no uncertain terms that he did not need to see her aura. He claimed that he had to see it now, in case she got possessed later. I was sure I could detect if a rage demon possessed calm, sweet Yana, so I ordered Xipil to go bother Hylda instead.

Grogg held his arm protectively around his girlfriend while Xipil cast his spell. Wolfram spoke up, thinking that it was risky to use magic this close to the crypt, and it would only get worse the closer we got. Xipil used that as an excuse to bother Yana again, and once more, I had to insist that he leave her alone. Xipil claimed that Yana was a spy, which caused Wolfram to whisper something to him, possibly in response to Yana and me crossing our arms as one. Yana lowered her arms and took my hand again. She was worried that we were getting agitated. She also disliked Xipil’s accusation. “I trust you,” I whispered.

As we continued towards the south-east, the color drained from the landscape, turning it grey and dusty. Xipil declared that he was going to scout ahead again, and Wolfram warned Yana and Hylda that he was turning into a bear. I frowned at the inclusion of Yana in his warning, as she had seen him transform before, when we were leaving Ur. I had of course seen him transform many times, but this bear shape was different than before. Except for a multitude of bone-white horns all over his body, Wolfram was entirely black, and not slightly translucent like earlier. This bear was also smaller than the other one, even though both were bigger than the already huge human. A supernatural aura of fear spread from the bear, and Yana hid behind me. If I wasn’t fearless enough already, her breasts pressing against my back were intensely distracting. For the umpteenth time, I asked myself why I was so fascinated by Yana’s bosom. Quite similar except for a lighter skin tone, my own was only interesting in Yana’s hands. Xipil pulled me out of my reveries, asking where such bears have their habitats, and I had to explain that they aren’t natural. Xipil’s knowledge about mammals was decidedly lacking.

We returned to the main road around noon, and stopped for lunch. The eastern horizon was grey and dusty, as if there were great fog clouds in the distance. Xipil asked if he could look at Wolfram’s aura, but received only an angry growl in reply. Wolfram turned back into his human shape while we ate, though. I guess some tasks are easier with opposing thumbs.

We continued east along the road when we were finished eating. Xipil reported that every well we passed was dry. Wolfram, now back in the horned bear shape, clawed at a tree, demonstrating that the bark was turning to ashes.

In the afternoon, we neared a larger village, with black smoke rising from it. Xipil reported that the smoke was coming from chimneys, a strange-seeming sign of habitation. Weren’t these people affected by the drought? Xipil also mentioned that there were tracks moving towards the village. Wolfram speculated that the villagers had either gathered to die together, or they were intruders, possibly Kabal or Tivito, those who would try to break free Yori. He thought that Xipil should go closer and spy on them.

It would take us about an hour to walk up to the village with the cart. Xipil suggested that we moved a bit closer before he went to scout it out, and asked Wolfram and Grogg to put on cloaks, so their armor wouldn’t reflect the sunlight. Wolfram thought we should stay put until it got dark, and then we could pass the village unseen. It should be dark before two hours had passed. We could use the rest, and Xipil could run up to the village and check it out in the meantime, protected from view by his camouflage scales. I offered to keep watch, insinuating that the others might want to get some sleep. Grogg sat down to sew with Hylda’s head in his lap; she was really tired. Yana asked if she could borrow my lap, but while it was tempting, I wouldn’t be able to look around in every direction. She had to make do with the ground, like Wolfram.