The Staff of Naught (13 page)

“I don’t like that idea,” said Lousa and turned away from the ghost whom she watched intently.

“I’m not carrying it!” said Tanner and looked a little startled at his own exclamation.

“Don’t look at me,” Hazlebub. “I’m just the witch.”

Lousa looked to Shamki who shook his head with a single no and did not elaborate. “Maybe I should carry it,” said Lousa her mouth wrinkled at the edges and her hand twitched slightly.

“We need you to help us,” said Humbort in a girlish shriek. “Let the girl do it, she’s expendable!”

“She’s my sister!” said Unerus and stood up tall but still not much more than half the height of the quarter-ogre. “I’ll do it.”

“No,” said Ariana her little jaw set firmly. “I’ll carry it. Everyone knows it’s me who has to do it. So nothing out of you!” she finished and stomped her foot exactly the way she saw Almara do when the woman scolded young Tylan and Shalalee.

Lousa looked closely at the girl for a moment before she finally gave a big sigh, “You’re right Ariana, but I want you to tell me right away if you feel something strange or if you hear voices, or if you start to get cold, or if anything out of the ordinary happens. I’m not going to let you do it unless you promise me.”

The young girl looked up at the woman and saw that her eyes had changed to the deepest of greens, like the ocean when a big storm is brewing, “I will, I promise,” said the girl and then Lousa came over and took in her in a hug that engulfed the small girl almost completely.

An hour later they were on the road in Tanner’s wagon headed west towards the Thilnog Mountains. It wasn’t too cramped in back with Ariana, Lousa, Almara, and Shalalee as the wagon hauled trade goods for long distances but the men all stayed away. In the wagon driver’s seat sat Humbort and Tanner with the merchant at the reigns while his son, Tylan, sat behind them eagerly taking in the sites.

Alongside rode Shamki on a powerful horse with a white blaze on its nose. The ghost Khemer floated near the donkeys that pulled the wagon and young Unerus walked next to Shamki. “What are the Monks of Thilnog like,” he asked the warrior who wore a heavy chain shirt and an iron helmet for the first time that Unerus had seen. “Are we going to be fighting? I heard there are lava creatures that spit fire on the slopes, is that true?”

Shamki leaned down and patted the boy on the head, “Monks fierce, bald, fight probably, spit liquid fire, burn bad,” he said and pulled up the material on his right leg and revealing a patch of skin wrinkled and discolored.

“Wow,” said the boy his eyes opened wide and a huge grin appeared on his face. “Did it hurt?”

“Hurt,” said the orc. “Pain better than dead.”

“I’m pretty good with a knife,” said Unerus. “You know from having to keep my food at the table but I don’t know how to use a real blade. Do you think you could teach me some?”

The big half-orc nodded his heavy head while the perfectly fitted iron helmet stayed firmly in place. “Good sword, long life,” said the warrior. “We practice.”

“Oh boy, oh boy,” said Unerus and jumped up and down so much that he almost tripped on a rock in the road.

“Eyes always open,” said Shamki. “Lesson one.”

Unerus nodded his head in rapid fire little motions, “Eyes always open, eyes always open.” With that he looked around carefully took note of the birds in the high tree limb, the squirrel that dashed just behind a big tree with a massive trunk, the pine wheels of the wagon that turned in steady circles, the crack of the whip from Tanner as he idly urged the donkeys on. “How do you know what’s important to look at and what’s not?”

Shamki shrugged his shoulder and his chain mail rattled a bit, “Just watch,” he finally said.

Back in the wagon the women also discussed things and Shalalee looked at little Ariana with a grin. “I like your hair, who cut it?”

Ariana immediately grinned and looked at Lousa. “It was kinda dirty before, me and my brother lived in the flops and gutters mostly unless we could find an old house with some other kids.”

“Was it awful?” asked Shalalee who covered her mouth with her hand.

“As long as Uney was there it wasn’t so bad,” said the first girl. “He always brought back food and stuff.”

“Did you ever know your parents?”

The younger girl shook her head, “Uney says they drowned on the lake but I think they just never loved us.”

“Oh, sweetie,” said Almara and reached over and to give the girl a hug. “Of course they loved you. I’m sure it was something awful that forced them to leave. Maybe your brother isn’t telling the whole truth but every mother loves her child.”

Ariana shook her head, “I know you’re trying to be nice but we were with other kids too. Kids that got burned and hit and other, worse stuff. At least that never happened to us.”

“It’s going to be okay,” said Almara. “You’ve got us now, and Lousa.”

The beauty watched for a moment until she felt the tear running down her cheek and then turned to face the other way, “I’m going to go talk with Shamki for a bit, Ariana, would you like to come with me. Maybe we can talk about that staff?”

Ariana watched as Lousa climbed out the back of the wagon and dropped off with a little spring. “You go with Lousa honey,” said Almara giving the girl one last hug.

Ariana then scooted to the back of the wagon, dangled her legs over the edge for a moment, as Lousa walked behind holding out her arms, and then jumped.

Shalalee looked at her mom, “Do you think their parents really drowned?”

Almara shook her head and dropped her eyes to the ground, “I don’t think so honey. Sometimes parents don’t love their children that much, sometimes children aren’t expected, and people aren’t ready to have them. Then, sometimes bad things happen.”

Shalalee looked at her mother who also appeared about ready to shed a tear, “Oh mom, I’m glad you and dad are our mom and dad!”

 “I’m glad too,” said Almara giving her daughter a hug. “Now what do you think we should make that crew for lunch? I’m not used to cooking for so many and that Shamki looks like he could eat the whole donkey!”

Ariana and Lousa walked along behind the wagon keeping pace easily as the trail west along the lake bottom was merely hard packed dirt and not tended on a regular basis. “I’ve never been out of Iv’s Folly,” said Ariana with a grin. “I know there are other towns on Ghoul Lake but I can’t remember their name.”

“It’s called the Lake of Ghouls actually,” said Lousa, “although no one knows why. There aren’t any ghouls in it at least.”

“What’s a ghoul?”

Lousa pursed her lips and closed her right eye while thinking for a moment. “Remember those skeletons down at the point when we go the staff?”

“Yes,” said Ariana. “They were dead but still alive.”

“Exactly,” said Lousa. “Ghouls are the same sort of thing except they have skin and muscle so they look more like a real person except pale.”

“Like a vampire!”

“No, not exactly but along those lines. The skeletons, they couldn’t really think for themselves, they just single mindedly go about whatever it is they do, but ghouls are smarter, you find them around old grave yards, cemeteries, places like that. Because they are smarter they’re more dangerous. They also carry toxin in their bite that paralyzes people.”

“What’s toxin?”

“Poison, like a snake.”

“Oh,” said Ariana and stayed silent for a moment. “What’s para … paraloze?”

“Paralyze, that means when the ghoul bites you it makes it so you can’t move and then they can kill you more easily. Have you ever seen a spider bite a bug?”

“Uney loves to watch the spiders eat things. He catches flies and stuff and then throws them into the webs; I think it’s kinda gross.”

“That’s how boys are,” said Lousa with a smile. “They never really grow up either.”

“Oh,” said Ariana.

“But,” continued Lousa, and her face lost its smile. “Is there anything about that staff you haven’t told me?”

Ariana looked down at the ground, “Sometimes, I think it talks to me but really it’s just me talking to myself.”

“I know what you’re saying,” said Lousa and put her arm around the girl. “But, if it ever does really start talking to you then you need to tell me right away.”

“Do you think Khemer really knows how to break it?” asked the girl and looked up at Lousa with wide brown eyes.

The woman looked towards the front of the wagon where a faint blue glow, barely visible in the bright sunlight, emanated. “We don’t know how far sound travels in the spirit world,” said Lousa. “It’s best if we keep our thoughts about Khemer to ourselves if there is any chance he might overhear us.”

The little girl nodded her head and looked like nothing more than one of the ancient sages at the study of some mysterious tomb and this made Lousa laugh loud enough for Uney and Shamki at the head of the column to hear and look back at the girl. The two boys seemed deeply involved in some conversation of their own and quickly turned their attention back to one another.

“What do you suppose they are talking about?” Lousa asked Ariana.

“Boy stuff,” said Ariana with a giggle. “What are the Thilnog Mountains like?”

“Well,” said Lousa and turned her head to the northwest where the great Maw lurked but was still not visible to the naked eye. “It’s really just one big volcano and some hills around it. On the other side of the mountain is a fierce tribe of hobgoblins, it’s a kingdom known as Hakor’lum and they’ve been at war with Doria for centuries. The mountain is a natural barrier to the north along with the Great Eastern Sea.”

“Why is it the Great Eastern Sea if it’s north of here?”

“That’s a good question Ariana. The kingdom of Doria …,” said Lousa.

“Why is it a kingdom if we are ruled by a queen, shouldn’t it be a queendom?”

“It should be indeed young lady. You’re right about that but we let the men call it a kingdom so they think they’re in charge. Sometimes as a lady you have to let a man think he is making the decision, but we know different.”

Ariana giggled again and covered her mouth with her hand. “Is that why you always tilt your head when you want a man to do something?”

“That’s part of it. You’ll understand more when you get older.”

“Will I ever be as beautiful as you?” asked Ariana with a look at her feet.

“I think you already are as beautiful as me but no one can know what the future will bring. Now, weren’t you interested in the mountain?”

“Oh yes,” said Ariana. “I’m sorry to ask so many questions but I’ve never been anywhere and I didn’t know there were so many places.”

“The world is big. A single emperor once ruled it all. It was called Corland back then is what everyone says but nobody really knows much about it,” said Lousa her eyes sort of looked to the sky and her hands made vague little circles.

“Why not?”

“That’s another good question young lady,” replied Lousa. “No one knows for sure what happened to the Old Empire and the Emperor but after it fell apart there were terrible wars and most of the records of what happened were lost. All that was really left was the ruins of the biggest cities, like Doria, and the old stone circles that are everywhere.”

“How come Doria is the name of the city and the country?”

“It just is,” said Lousa. “A lot of the time the queen is named Doria also but now her name is Onolodia VI. But her mother was named Doria.”

“Have you met the queen?”

Lousa shook her head. “Oh no. I’ve never met anyone nearly that important. Way out here on the western frontier we don’t get to see royal people that much. But, sometimes it’s better to be further from authority figures.”

“Why?” asked Ariana.

“Well, that gets a little complicated. How about we go back to your geography lesson?”

“What’s geography?” asked Ariana.

“Geography is knowing about the countries and land around where you live. It is a very important thing to know because then you can plan your actions appropriately. To our west are the hobgoblins of Hakor’lum and they are very fierce. The queen has fought many wars against them but never conquered them. They once controlled all this land we are walking on now but our soldiers took it from them.”

“Why do people have to fight all the time?”

“Usually because one group of people has something the other ones want but sometimes they just like to fight. The volcano, the Maw is a natural boundary and the queen has never been able to extend her empire beyond it. A powerful warrior who once was a soldier for the queen, a general, got sick of the wars and of fighting so he decided to quit and establish his own place. His name was Thilnog.”

“Thilnog was really a person? Not just a mountain?” exclaimed Ariana. “Are most places like that, you think of them as places but they were actually just regular people once?”

“Often times that’s the case, yes Ariana,” said Lousa and nodded her head with a smile.

“Was he brave and handsome?” said the girl.

“That’s what I’ve heard but this was all about fifty years ago before I was born.”

“Oh,” said Ariana. “I thought elves lived to be hundreds and hundreds of years old and never looked it.”

“I’m not fully an elf,” said Ariana. “My mother was an elf but my father was part human and part orc actually. She was a prisoner in the wars.”

“Oh,” said Ariana. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s okay,” said Lousa. “No one knows it except me. And I trust you.”

The girl gazed up at the woman whose long hair green hair blew in the breeze and smiled. “Really?”

“Really,” said the woman with a wink. “Now, this Thilnog fellow said he would never fight for anyone else again and he and some of his friends deserted the army and made a town on the side of the mountain. No one thought they could live on the mountain because there are so many earthquakes and poison gases but they found a way.”

“And they live there still?”

“Not only do they live there but they have the finest mining facility in all the land. The queen buys almost all of the iron ore they produce because it is the strongest. And the monks train in the ways of combat and they are all fierce warriors. One time the warriors of Hakor’lum tried to attack them and the monks killed so many hobgobbies that they never tried again.”