Campaign Log: Confessions of a Forked Tongue

[coronatiger]

Yana frowned. “What do you mean?” “Well, obviously, we’re both human,” I began, but Yana interrupted, “Except that you’re a snake!” I gave her a big smile as pride welled up inside me, before turning serious again. “When I was young, before Ashtar found me, I often wondered about my heritage, where I came from, who my parents were and so on. I have no recollection of any family, but I always knew I wasn’t related to Khordak, the man who owned the inn where I spent the first years that I can remember. He was too pale-skinned and frankly too cruel to be family. He even told me that I my parents never wanted me, and I believed him at the time, but in retrospect, I’m not so sure if he spoke truthfully. Maybe he was just being mean.” Yana reached out and wiped away the tear that ran down my cheek, but she said nothing, sensing there were more words waiting to come out.

“Anyway… Most people who frequented Khordak’s inn were just as white as him. None of the regulars were as dark as me, and certainly not like you.” I caressed Yana’s cheek. “I suspect I may have some Amrosh blood in me; among all the peoples of Arland, no group has skin like mine, and only your people have darker. I’ve seen some southerners come in with the trade caravans who had even darker skin than yours, and it’s possible one such as them left a child growing inside a local woman, but I think it less likely than the alternative. I also don’t think it’s very probable that I have orcish blood, like some Furkans are said to have. I’m much too small to be even one quarter orc.” “Isn’t Hylda about four times your size?” Yana joked and brought the smile back to my face. “But you’re far too pretty to be an orc,” she complimented. Her eyes smoldered as they stared into mine, and I knew she was going to kiss me. I smoldered right back at her and puckered my lips.

“You don’t know where Khordak’s inn was located, do you?” Yana asked when we had both caught our breath. “No,” I answered, “and I don’t even know if it still stands, or if that brute still is alive. I pray that he isn’t, for if I ever meet him, I’m not sure I can restrain myself from repaying all those years of cruelty. You know that it was Rhuk who took me away from that place, eventually? She stuffed me in her cart and drove away. I can’t say I paid much attention to the ride, alternating between crying and sleeping. It may have taken just a day or two, or it may have been a week or more from the inn and back to Sam. The inn may have been here in Byblos, for all I know. Or it may have been in a village far away from here. I was never allowed to go far from the inn, and while the place seemed very large, I was only a child back then.”

Yana pointed out that I had digressed somewhat from my original question. Neither of us thought that talk of Khordak made for a pleasant conversation, but alone in Yana’s presence, I could allow myself to be vulnerable. I could be that frightened child once more, but safe in her embrace. I had told Yana about Khordak before, in the chapel at the Evening Fort, but not in as much detail as I did today. It brought tears to my eyes again, and to hers, but that was all right. You know our hearts already, O Ashtar, and there is no shame in crying before You.

It was afternoon when we rejoined our friends downstairs and had dinner with them. Yana and I had cried ourselves out and found laughter and happiness again in each other’s company. What redness remained around our eyes was easily concealed. We were ready to take on the world.

I asked Wolfram if he wanted a shot of river thistle before we left for the Cracked Kettle. He replied that he’d prefer a wagon, but I reminded him that the chapel wasn’t more than a few minutes away and that it was probably the crowd at the soup kitchen that would cause him difficulty. A wagon couldn’t get him all the way to the door. Wolfram decided that he’d stay in a nearby alley.

Xipil asked if Audria knew how to contact me. She didn’t know where we lived, but I was certain she’d be able to locate me if necessary. I wasn’t spending all day in hiding, and I imagined she had considerable resources to apply to the task.

Grogg said he could smell dragon and bade Hylda remain at the inn when the rest of us left. We left Wolfram in his alley and were about to cross over to the throng at the Cracked Kettle when Grogg said he had changed his mind about coming. He used a derogatory term to describe the chapel, and I was tempted to take action, but Kraa’s inane chatter distracted me and managed to convince Grogg to come anyway.

Xipil asked if there were more exits from the chapel than the main entrance. I said no. He was only a Spawn, and I wasn’t comfortable divulging chapel secrets to someone like him, despite regarding him as a friend. I was thankful that Yana didn’t press the issue. That would have given me a dilemma, for I wasn’t sure I could deny her anything.

We washed before descending to the chapel. I recognized Enani across the room and we waved at each other. Nosora was there too, standing with two of her girlfriends. They waved and giggled at me like I was some world-famous musician. I waved and smiled back at them.

“Can you stay with Grogg and Xipil when I go up to speak?” I asked Yana. She squeezed my hand and nodded. She tried to let go of my hand, but I held on; the Meet had yet to commence. I waited with Yana and allowed Enani to initiate the Meet, but she soon announced that anyone was welcome to speak up, eyeing me meaningfully. I let go of Yana’s hand and approached the altar; Enani told the congregation that they would hear the word right from the original source.

The Ashtarites in this chapel received my thunder with enthusiasm, which shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did, for while my earlier audiences may have considered themselves the elite among us, these folk certainly did not. They had been shoved aside and felt the same righteous indignation as me. They would have applauded, had it been appropriate. After my speech, I cast a glance at Enani to see if she wanted to take over, but she allowed me to continue, so I went on, leading everyone in prayer.

Throughout the Meet, I kept an eye out for anyone that didn’t look receptive to my message, and I talked to them individually afterwards to determine if I needed to worry. I wouldn’t want a Tivito spy to hear what I said, but I determined that none were present. I addressed the concerns of my brothers and sisters as best I could. Things might not suddenly be all right by tomorrow, but if we all trusted in You, were open and honest with each other and helped out where we could, all would be well in the end. Many of my brothers and sisters thanked me for my inspiring words. Many asked me to confirm that there was agreement between the two temples. I gave them the same challenge. “Trust Ashtar to see that all will be well!”

Xipil signaled that it was time to go. It was getting late and we needed to go via the alley on our way back to the inn. Sneaking around during curfew with someone as big as Wolfram and Grogg might be challenging. I thanked those around me for the opportunity to come to their chapel and talk to them, and I said I would gladly come back if circumstances allowed. “Everyone is welcome here,” they replied, quite a change of tune since my last visit, when Enani hadn’t even allowed me inside.

We picked up Wolfram in the alley and hustled towards the Lame Mule after assuring him that everything went according to plan. After a quick meal in our private meeting room, Yana and I said good night to our friends.

“I told Jaryn I would check up on Audria today, didn’t I?” I asked Yana around my toothbrush. “Should we pop out and look for her? We could drop in at the Terrace of the Evening Sun, too, and see if Jaryn got settled into his new room all right.” Yana asked if it was important enough to break the curfew and I agreed that we could visit the temples in the morning. I really believed it wasn’t urgent to see the priests; Yana’s smooth-skinned nudity wasn’t affecting my decision in the slightest.

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.