Demiourgos (25 page)

For a long time Rose sat and watched as Ruckus wiped small streams of tears from his eyes. Having never known her family she could not feel the loss as heavily as he did. She put a slender hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze attempting to make him feel as if he weren’t alone. When he put his hand over hers and squeezed back she was satisfied.

The silence was broken as the door swung open and the woman that had been questioning them earlier strode up to Ruckus. She studied him as if searching for something and then enveloped him in a surprising but bone-crushing hug. Though he was taken aback at first he cried out something unintelligible and embraced her with enthusiasm. Rose smiled as she looked on at the both of them and noticed a silvery engraved ring shining on the woman's finger. Observing that tear-filled reunion only made her want for her friends that much more.

From behind the woman came a second kurenai who stood tall with a broad build and wrinkles abound on his face and skin. His color was a shade darker than most though his hair had long since turned completely white. The crags and pits in his skin signified that he was one of the elders of their race. On his brow he wore a modest circlet with a jewel-encrusted eye in the center of it. Though still simple, his clothing was a step up from the rest of them. He strode into the room with two guards in tow and looked from Ruckus to Rose and back again. “Your name is Rose correct?”

“Yes.” She answered hesitantly, eyeing both the man and his guards. She had a feeling she knew what rank the man held. And though she wanted to desperately she did not break her golden-hued gaze from his.

“I am Corith, king of the kurenai. As emissary of our people I offer you the tribute we have stored for your return. I hope that it is sufficient for your people’s needs.” The king knelt down before her and bowed his head, causing her to start just a little. His long hair splayed around his shoulders as he knelt there before her.

Rose felt very uncomfortable; she took the king by the arm and helped him stand back upright. Her eyes once again met his and she put a hand on his shoulder hoping he would take the gesture as friendly. “I am a naarabian, one of what your people call the ancients. I am not here to collect the tribute though.”

“Please do not harm us! We can get more!” He pleaded with his hands out and his eyes wide. The genuine fear in his voice caused the guards to draw their weapons and tense up. “We merely ran out of space for the remaining tribute to be stored.”

“No! No it's not like that, the tribute is yours. Call it a gift to your people for your long service; you no longer have to store your hard-earned gains for us.” Hoping they would buy it and figuring that it couldn't be a lie if her people no longer controlled their own kingdom she attempted to deflect the situation and make it look like a reward for their diligence. It was not exactly a lie or even a half-truth; Rose had been told that she one of the last of her kind so she felt she could serve as an ambassador of sorts.

“You are pleased then?” He inquired curiously, motioning for the guards to relax behind him with one hand. One silvery-white eyebrow arched just a little and relief spread across his face.

“Yes I am. Your people have been loyal and dedicated and you have shown your fealty by upholding your end of the bargain long past the time when we last came to you.” Rose smiled at him. “Do not worry, I am pleased.”

She breathed a sigh of relief when the king embraced her in a bruising hug and called out something to his guards and the few kurenai gathered behind him. The gathered all breathed a sigh of relief as she had and each offered Rose thanks in their own language.

After the tense meeting Rose followed the two of them as they left the room and sat at a table in the adjoining chamber. The stone-carved surface of the building would have been cold and unforgiving to Rose if it weren't for the warm light and the people milling around them. She watched on as countless kurenai greeted and welcomed Ruckus home after his long absence. His name was Rokkar, or Rok as everyone called him. Though few in the city spoke the common tongue it was an upheld tradition for a chosen set of the kurenai to learn the language in case her people were to return. At least that's what she had been told by Namia who had been translating for everyone who had come to see them both.

“We must feast.” Namia said through a smile with Rok’s arm under hers. “We feast to celebrate the return of my brother and to thank you for freeing the entire city.”

“It's nothing.” Rose smiled in reply and in truth she wanted nothing more than to go along on her journey to get out of the caverns and back into the world above. Rose wanted to see her friends again and feel the wind against her body. The unforgiving underground was not something she enjoyed. After a moment of pondering she figured that a good rest and food would not hurt the passage home. “I would be honored though.”

“Good! It is settled. I will show you to your room and your belongings will be returned to you immediately.” Namia swatted her on the shoulder, a gesture that seemed to be a custom for them. She gathered that because her shoulder was quite sore from all of the attention she had gotten.

Ruckus took his leave of her for a short time and returned with a shaven face sporting a neatly trimmed goatee with a previously-hidden white streak down the center and short-cropped hair close to his scalp. She realized that was most likely the first time he had been able to shave in years. Without all of the hair he was a rather handsome character for a stone-faced kurenai.

The feast had been prepared in a short order with the king's blessing. Any manner of exotic foods greeted her at every turn. There were odd vegetable and fruit-like plates and several species of what looked like lizards and spiders splayed open for the gathered to pick at and eat. Rather than offend them Rose selected some of the less alien foods. Sitting at the long table crowded by kurenai from all walks of life she felt like a spectacle and indeed she was seeing that none of her kind had been in the city for ages. Nibbling on some form of roasted mushroom she listened as they all talked in their own language and sighed. Precious few spoke her tongue; it was at that moment that she wished she could use her magic so she could speak with them and understand what they were saying.

As she sat at the table she almost laughed at herself when she realized that Leonidus had told her that she could shape her magic to many uses. Rose decided to give it a try. Listening was not the hard part it was the understanding of how to shape the magic was. Rose closed her eyes for a moment and took in the harsh-sounding language. Taking a small part of the magic she had stored while they had been waiting in the holding room Rose superimposed an image of her speaking the same phrases and understanding them in common. A ripple of magic cascaded from her seat and all of the gathered kurenai looked her way suddenly. “Sorry.”

“Amazing.” The king said as he stared at Rose along with everyone else.

“What?”

“You're speaking our language; you were around us but a single day!” He said in jubilation, slapping his thigh and laughing. “You are one of the ancients.”

“So tell us then Rose.” The king inquired as the conversations started up yet again.

“How long do you plan on staying?” He smiled and leaned forward all the while regarding her with a curious gaze through fingers shaped into a fist in front of his face. His head came to rest on his hands as he waited for her answer.

“Actually my goal is to reach the surface; I have a task I must complete and friends waiting for me.” She replied. “I was hoping your people could assist me with that.”

“I am afraid that is a rather difficult request.” His voice had a bit of regret in it and he shook his head from side to side only slightly. “We are surrounded, demons on one side and infernis elves on the other.” The king swept his goblet to the side in his hand and then brought it back around for another drink. “We have not seen the surface world in many years.”

“There is no other way?” She said dejectedly, leaning back in her seat.

“You cannot use your magic to get you back to the surface?” He asked suddenly while his eyes danced with more questions behind that one.

“I was knocked unconscious before being brought down here and I have lost my way, therefore I cannot.” She saw something there behind the king's questioning gaze that made her wish she had not mentioned her intent in the first place. Hopefully her half-truth would not raise suspicion with him for whatever reason that he would have it.

“I see, well my apologies but the best we can do is point you in the right direction and give you supplies to put you on your way. I cannot spare any lives for such a venture.” His gaze had not wavered in the least and he stared at her expectantly.

“I would not think to order your assistance; your people have done enough to merit being free from any master.” Knowing from his reaction that she could have ordered them to assist her, Rose almost regretted freeing the city but not much. It would be against what she stood for to order their assistance and it wouldn't be right for her to represent her people when she herself didn't know enough about them to be an expert. “I thank you for what you can give me and I will set off alone then.”

“You will not.” Ruckus replied in common, drawing eyes from the few present who could speak language. “I have sworn to repay you for your freedom and I am a man of my word. I will escort you to the surface if I can.”

“I cannot ask that of you Ruckus. It will be perilous and I may not make it. Even if I do make it I have no plans on returning.” She stared at the tall kurenai for a moment and sighed when she met only silent resistance to her protests. “I see your mind is set then.”

“It is.” He replied with a nod of his head.

“So be it, I cannot stop you. You are a free man now after all.” Rose sat back in her chair and ignored the stares she got as a nearby kurenai translated Ruckus's words for all to hear. To her surprise a rumble of conversation started throughout the gathered concerning her arrival and what she had done for their people.

“King Corith she has not only freed Rokkar, a lost son of the kurenai but she has also freed the entire city. Our resources are our own and our freedom is complete. Those gathered feel that she deserves any help we can offer and more.” Namia stood up as she spoke, gathering nods and agreement from those seated around her. “We could call for volunteers to the cause. What sort of friends would we be if we did not help Rose in her time of need?”

“Dear Namia, and those gathered, do not believe that I am heartless in this situation but our resources are stretched thin. We have several mining parties out and with them half of the guard. Losing any more of our people could make us vulnerable to attack from either side. Remember that with your brother's freedom came a demon-hound sealed behind a wall of our creation. They are being hunted and the demons do not give in easily. We know that from the centuries of conflict we have endured. Without the aid of the ancients and their magic our people have suffered at the hands of those around us.” The king was standing though Rose did not remember him doing so. His speech was true to the point.

Watching on and listening even though she would have enjoyed having more than just a one-man escort through Rose knew that taking more of their people from the city could result in hard times for them. “I appreciate the thought but I would not leave your city in peril for my sake. I could not take that on my conscience.”

“My king?” A broad-shouldered kurenai called out as he stood while bowing once before the monarch.

“Roath Ironarms, you may speak freely.” The king gestured with one hand.

“As you know in a fortnight my crew is setting out of the city to head for a deposit dangerously close to the territory of the Infernis elves. We could escort Rose and Rokkar as far as the mining site and direct them from there.” The senior miner recommended. “It would give us two extra hands for the journey in and possibly satisfy our peoples' sense of justice.”

“A wise suggestion Foreman Ironarms and know that I consent to this course of action.” The king nodded his head and all gathered cheered even though some still wore looks of concern or dislike.

“I thank all of you.” Rose replied to them and smiled while trying to look calm as she realized she was about to jump into the fire again.

The celebration went well; the kurenai were a hospitable people and their hearts were definitely in the right place. Though she could not secure a safe passage through to the surface she was glad to at least have some aid. Her time in the city was pleasant at least and during her stay she learned quite a bit of their language as did Rokkar, who was quickly falling back into a comfortable pattern. Rose hated to take him away from the city of his birth again but he was determined.

While there she also took some lessons from one of the local sculptors about how to shape and mold stone, glass and gems to her liking. While she was not an expert she quickly took to the tools of the trade and could produce rudimentary carvings from softer rock and easily-sculpted materials.

She wished she could stay for safety's sake but knew that she could not. Her destiny and her responsibility to the world above were too great. When the day finally came for them to depart she watched the large doors close behind her. She wanted to return to the city with a longing that ran deep. To her surprise the amount of miners volunteering for the expedition was easily quadruple the usual amount of people willing to depart the safety of the city. She was disappointed to hear that the king had limited the amount of people set out on any one expedition depending upon the value of the ore vein they sought and its proximity to danger.