Azra of the Burning Sands (Genesis Project) (19 page)

The Councillors stopped for a moment, as the door to the room opened and the figure of Nid – Ahaki’s aide – came shuffling in.

He moved up next to Ahaki and leaned in to whisper in her ear, ‘Ahaki, there is a young man outside who is adamant he need to speak with the council. He seems injured.’

Ahaki looked at the councillors. ‘I motion we recess, and return with calmer heads.’

The other Councillors agreed in a smattering of acknowledgements.

A Wyzard in silver robes hammered a gavel on his table and said in a booming voice, ‘We will reconvene in one urrh.’

*

Ahaki and the other Councillors exited the chamber, and she spotted Dykyn Rahva standing off to the side, watching them leave. His robes were tattered in places. He seemed flushed. Ahaki walked over to him.

‘What happened, Dykyn?’ she asked, concerned.

‘That
thing
attacked me!’ the boy said with malice, his red eyes flaring.

‘Is he contained?’ Ahaki queried.

‘What?’ Dykyn asked, confused for a moment. Then, ‘Yes, the guards kept him in his cell. But he
should
be punished. He
doesn’t
know his place.’

‘How did he attack you?’

‘He grabbed me through the bars, tore off a piece of my robe, and part of my hide by the feel of it.’

Ahaki motioned Dykyn to turn around and examined the wound. Four bleeding cuts sat on his back, exposed to view by the missing chunk of torn robe. The Wyzard touched around one of the wounds, gently, and Dykyn hissed in pain. He pulled away and turned around to face Ahaki.

‘Sorry,’ she said.

‘It’s still quite tender,’ Dykyn winced.

‘You’ll have to be more careful around him,’ Ahaki offered.

‘Are... Are we
not
going to deal with him?’ Dykyn asked, with a flash of anger.

‘What would you have us do?’ Ahaki asked. ‘He’s in a cell.’

‘I have some ideas,’ Dykyn responded.

‘You are very worked up about this,’ Ahaki said, gently placing a hand on Dykyn’s shoulder. ‘I don’t want to do anything rash. Why has this attack startled you so?’

Dykyn winced and then turned away, running a hand through his dark hair. He turned back to Ahaki a moment later and then said, ‘Back home... when I was much younger, my Father’s Kingdom was invaded by horrible creatures called... Rodnok... they were snake men too.’

‘I didn’t know,’ Ahaki said softly. ‘Are you all right?’

‘My mother and I were kidnapped by their leader... Sarhash... he hurt us, told us every day, he would kill us... or eat us.’ Darkness filled Dykyn’s face and he snarled, ‘He was so...
arrogant
... he made me feel so helpless.’ Dykyn’s face softened. ‘Father eventually saved us... Sarhash escaped... he never paid for his crimes.’

‘Shakla is not him.’

‘No,’ Dykyn agreed. ‘I don’t even think they’re of the same species... I don’t know what Shakla is, except that he is evil and dangerous... and I will be
damned
if I let another
lizard
escape justice for their crimes.’

Ahaki gave Dykyn a tender look. ‘You may have him...
secured
, Dykyn...’ she said, and then squeezed his shoulder. ‘Shakla will not escape his justice... I
promise
you this.’

Dykyn nodded.

‘You rarely find what you are not looking for...’

-Azra, teaching Jahnyz

NAMA OCEAN – OFF THE WEST SHORE OF MILLA

A
zra held fast to the side of great sea beast of the Nehhom. Gentle Current had called it a Graath. The Speaking Stone hadn’t bothered to translate
that
word. Azra was considering it simply unpleasant.

The beast was as long as three caravan wagons end to end, and covered in scales. From between the scales there were fine wispy hairs sticking out. Normally, they would wave freely in the water as it swam, acting as feelers as it went along, but the ones closest to Azra had wrapped around him and were holding him against the beast’s side. Gentle Current rode behind him, and another Nehhom was clinging to the beast’s topside, guiding it through the murky sea.

The Nehhom had agreed to help Azra search for Kia. He still didn’t have any idea where to look, but had suggested that they start along the coast where the ship had been sunk.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to see, but he had nowhere else to go.

Ahead, he noticed something jutting up from, the ocean floor.

The Graath slowed as they approached.

The hair like tendrils holding Azra against the beast let go. The other Nehhom swam around, moving toward the object. As they got closer, they pulled stones from pouches along their side. The stones began to glow. Azra swam toward them awkwardly, glad that he was beginning to learn how to move through the water. As the light from the stones increased, Azra realized they were in front of the wreck of the ship. It sat in two halves, sitting some distance apart from each other. They were on their sides. Azra stopped swimming and stepped down on the ocean floor. There were bits of debris and detritus scattered around the area. He bent down and picked something up. Gentle Current stopped next to him, and handed Azra a glowing stone.

Using the stone, Azra looked at what he had picked up. It was a container bearing the crest of his Kingdom, containing some kind of supplies.

‘What now, Child of Sky?’ Gentle Current asked.

‘Look for bodies,’ Azra said.

Gentle current nodded, and said something to the other Nehhom. They began to dart into the cavities of the ship. Azra continued to walk around the area, picking things up and looking at them. He was looking for some sign of Kia, but also hoping he
didn’t
find anything.

He found tools, equipment, and belongings of the crew and passengers, but nothing that would point him in any kind of direction.

The Nehhom had found a few bodies, pinned in the wreckage. Azra had looked at them. They were some of the sailors and soldiers that had been on the voyage, but none of his companions.

Gentle Current swam up to Azra again. ‘These are all who perished here,’ he said.

‘Kia wasn’t one of them. She must have got away,’ Azra responded, hope in his voice.

‘What now, Child of the Sky?’

‘We go ashore. We’ll try to see who managed to escape,’ Azra said.

‘Return to the Graath.
We
will go.’

Azra nodded and began to swim towards the waiting creature. Gentle Current helped him up, and held him against its side while the tendrils got their grip. The other Nehhom got into their position easily, and the handler got on top.

Everyone ready, the Graath began to move again, its body cutting through the water quickly.

*

NOLMI – MILLA CONTINENT

Jahnyz, John, and the people travelling with them, were waiting in a four level Inn that was painted yellow and smelled of fish. Captain Phips had called in some of his favours, and apparently one of them had owed him considerably. As such, the man, the owner of the Inn, was allowing them to stay there for the night, while Phips went to meet with one of his other contacts.

The owner of the Inn, an older gentleman with a large portly form and grey hair, was sitting at Jahnyz and John’s table on the main floor, and had introduced himself as Seth Mird.

The dining area of his Inn was broad, with windows that looked out on a busy, cobblestone, street. People were coming and going. Wagons went by, some of them pulled by horses or camels, while others were pulled by large lizards, or those flat-faced, six-legged things.

There were many round tables situated around the grand dining hall, and everything was done in dark, polished wood, accented here and there with bright, yellow, panelling. The tables and chairs were of the dark, polished wood. The floorboards were too. There was a grand bar across from the windows, where people ordered drinks and food from a pretty looking woman with long, curly, red hair.

A broad entrance on the left side of the room led to a junction area. Doors led outside. An entrance opposite the dining room went into a lounge area, where many comfortable seats were set up. It was also where the front desk was, and the grand staircase that went upstairs.

The dining room was presently sparsely filled, mostly Humans – mostly Jahnyz’s fellow travellers – were about talking, but the young Wyzard saw some Joff, Jibz, and Ilorians too.

‘It’s quite the journey you people have been on,’ Seth said, looking over the tops of silver-rimmed, half-moon spectacles, drawing her attention back to the prune-faced man with the hooked nose. ‘Phips told me of your misfortunes. I can’t say I agree with this Princess’s choice to stay behind with Vosco... he’s rather...
infamous
in these parts.’

‘We aren’t really happy about it either,’ John said, ‘but she was insistent.’

Jahnyz took a bite of food off her plate. The food she had been given wasn’t anything she recognized, but these were trying times. It was some kind of fish. She didn’t like the flavour, but it helped to keep her mind off things. Still, she couldn’t help but think about Dykyn back in Sallock.

She missed him.

She was actually a little surprised at how much she missed him.

She looked at the Innkeeper. ‘How did you and Captain Phips meet?’

‘Phips used to be a sailor on a merchant ship before he signed up with the Minna Navy. Apparently he had a brother who had signed up earlier, and turned his ear with tales of adventure. Anyway, back in those days, I too was something of an adventurer. I was Captain of a ship – the
Angeldancer
– looking for a good sailing route across Nama Ocean.’

John let out a whistle, and said, ‘That’s a tall order.’

Seth nodded, smiling jovially. ‘Aye,’ he agreed, ‘it
was
at that. We were trying to survey the many small islands between here and there, to see if any could be used to resupply a ship on its way across the ocean. Without it, any ship trying to make the journey would have to carry a massive amount of supplies, and it would need to be quite large, and if both of those things are needed, it would also be expensive. Maritime trade is  hard enough as it is, despite the speed of our ships. Those few who make it rich by plying the seas between Milla and Halli, usually pay for it eventually when disaster strikes by the Ash Sea. Between monster attacks, bandits, and mysterious storms, it takes a certain kind of merchant or sailor to even bother. And it gets even worse in the Nama Ocean, the closer you get to the Zhakim Island, the more pronounced the dangers become.’

‘We heard from Vosco about the monster and storms near the Ash sea,’ Jahnyz said.

Seth made a face. ‘Ha!
He
is one of the dangers now! Makes it even harder. Scarcely anyone bothers any more, and the ones that do go in fleets too large to be a target for pirates like Vosco. Of course, if anything was to happen to one of those fleets, it would be an unmitigated disaster. Frankly, I’m amazed Phips made the run for you chaps.’

‘He did so under order of the King,’ John said.

‘Mmm. That would do it,’ Seth agreed.

Jahnyz took another bite and looked at Seth. ‘So, how do you know Phips?’

‘Ah right, I got a little distracted. Well, on one of my expeditions out to the islands in Nama, our ship hit a very bad storm. We were dashed against some rocks near one of the islands, and the ship broke apart... my poor
Angeldancer
... I floated at sea for days, stuck on a board which I had grabbed as the ship went down. It just so happened that Phips was on a vessel in the area looking for a pirate ship that had been harassing Minna merchantmen. I saw the ship in the distance, but didn’t have any strength to try to get their attention.

‘Phips saw me though. He wasn’t even in the crow’s nest, he was just on deck, but he – and no one else – was the one that saw me. They came and pulled me out of the sea. I owed Phips my life – him and his keen vision. Since then, I’ve owed him. Even though putting you all up for the night is going to cost me some money, I’d do it again in a moment.’

John stood up from the table. ‘Mister Mird, as a representative of the Kingdom of Minna, and the Barony of Hemnoth, I assure you, we will see to it that you are paid for your services. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go order something to eat.’

Seth stood up quickly. ‘John, no need to worry about payment, it’s my pleasure.’

‘No, I insist. You’ve been very hospitable to us.’

Jahnyz looked down at her drink again.

John and Seth walked towards the bar.

The door to the Inn creaked open, and Jahnyz noticed that things had quieted down. She looked up and looked to the door. Captain Phips was standing in the doorway, his arm around a blue-robed Wyzard.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, what’s say we go home?’

The weary travellers of their band let out a cheer. Captain Phips and his companion began to push through the crowd, towards Jahnyz.

Jahnyz slid her plate aside as they stopped at the table. Phips and Wyzard pulled out chairs and sat down. Jahnyz sat up a bit straighter.

The Wyzard was fairly well known in Sallock, as one of the court Wyzards of a Kingdom on Milla. She couldn’t recall which kingdom though, nor could she fathom what he’d be doing in Nolmi.

The man had a short brown beard, and thin eyebrows. His robe was made of a fabric that seemed to shimmer in the dim light. He was wearing a cloth cap over his brown hair, and had a warm smile on his face.

‘Jahnyz Lann Kohv, fancy meeting you down here,’ he said.

‘I’m sorry, sir, but you have the better of me, I don’t think we were ever introduced,’ she said.

The man feigned surprise. ‘Really? I’m startled that fine chap Dykyn never introduced us.’

Jahnyz thought back. She couldn’t remember any opportunity for such an introduction to have taken place. She could remember seeing the man talking with Dykyn’s Master though. It had been a few months ago since she’d last seen him around Sallock.

The man put his hand up. ‘No need to fret, I can see you’re really thinking about it. I am Kont Reso. I am a Master of the aspect of Energy, and dabbler in the school of Water. I also happen to be your ticket home. Or so Phips tells me anyway.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yes, I work for the Queen Jasillia, of the Kingdom of Nedin – down here on Milla. Nolmi here is an independent city under her protection. They pay her tribute, and she polices the water that is their livelihood. However, what’s more important to you and your band, is that she is also in possession of one of the few Archways on the southern continent. A mere two urrh journey north, through the mountains that protect Nolmi, and we will reach one of the cities of Nedin. It’s not the capital, but it is the home of Mahgical community of the Kingdom.’

‘And the Archway is there?’ Jahnyz asked, 'My Master was under the impression it was further Nolmi than that.'

Kont nodded. ‘Yes, her majesty the Queen had it moved from the capital, so the Mahgical community of the Kingdom would have better access to it. It was my idea actually, I suggested it to her after I returned from my last assignment. It’s mostly used to go to and from Sallock actually. It was a hassle to make the four day journey from the Mahigical city to the capital.’

Phips smiled and interrupted, ‘But my friend here is going to get us to it. We can use it to get home to the Capital.’

Jahnyz thought of something. ‘We don’t have a focus crystal for Minna city though.’

‘Normally that would be a bit of a setback, however we
do
have a crystal for Sallock – as I stated earlier, you could use it to travel to Sallock, then to Minna, get a crystal, and come back here again. Of course taking the crystal with you again, as I know your Kingdom is going through some difficult times right now, and they might not appreciate your crystals being spread all over  Antia.’

Jahnyz wondered about this man’s generosity. ‘What on earth did Captain Phips do, for you to be so helpful to us?’

‘I’m sure the Captain can tell you all about it later, I for one don’t think it’s that important. I’m just trying to help a friend,’ he said, still smiling.

Jahnyz felt uncomfortable, but couldn’t put a finger on it. ‘So when do we leave?’

The man’s smile widened. ‘First thing in the morning. I can pull some strings with the Nedinian garrison here, and get us passage to where we need to be. I must say, Captain Phips told me all about your adventure thus far, and I’m amazed you’ve all made it this far. Lesser people would have been quite discouraged by what you’ve been through so far. Anyway, I’ll let you finish your dinner. Captain Phips and I must go prepare for the trip.’