Dusk Falling (Book 1) (4 page)

Agemeer and Serrtin were gathering kindling- dry sticks and such- for a fire, leaving the Asrai’s bottle and the team’s mutual pack to sit below the trees. Using the toe of her boot, the young mage cleared a small area of debris in preparation of the fire. Luckily the area was comprised of mostly soil, the thick canopy keeping grass and other plant life from congregating too close to their roots. Trinket was making short work of those that strayed within the tree’s bounds.

Aya moved the mare’s tack closer to the trunk of one of the more massive trees before sitting down cross-legged in front of it, using the saddle as a backrest. She took up Kcrienalpralopar’s simple container and unstoppered it.

Agemeer returned, several dry branches held in his mouth. These he lay down in the area Aya had prepared. Serrtin did the same with what she had collected. Most travelers brought with them a tinderbox that they kept in their saddlebags away from possible moisture. But such was unnecessarily when one traveled with a mage.

With a gesture from her hand, the branches ignited. Not a large blaze but a controlled spark that would burn slowly so as to last long enough to prepare their supper. Most mage’s could do this adequately enough before they even had proper schooling. Controlling the energies size, power and response was the hard part. Too much energy could be dangerous. Too little could be disastrous.

~ ~ ~

Aya looked down the mouth of the bottle in her hands. The water rocked back and forth even though Aya held it perfectly still. The liquid caught the reflected firelight and turned shades no normal water could produce. She laid the bottle at a slight angle in the grasp of Agemeer’s paws as he sat beside her. The Wulf gave her a nod.

To the side of the fire, Serrtin ran an oiled cloth lovingly over the blade of her sword. After checking it thoroughly for nicks and gouges, she sat it aside. She then turned her attention to the warrant while Aya began pulling their cooking wares out of the large woven sack that habitually hung from Serrtin’s shoulder when traveling due to its heavy weight. Only when they were sure to need the Yarcka’s tremendous strength would she allow their equipment and supplies be trusted to the horse. Getting her to relinquish her sword’s oil alone was like asking a major sacrifice.

“Looks like a kid to me.” Serrtin commented, accepting the tin cup passed to her. She took a sip, realized it was fruit juice, and wrinkled her nose at the sweet taste. Looking up pointedly Aya, Serrtin caught the girl’s eye as she sat a cup in front of Agemeer. As she poured one for herself, Aya grinned widely. “He probably had a roll with some backwater nobleman’s daughter, got her with child then took off to avoid responsibility. An affronted Noble- no matter how low on the pecking order- would find a way to get back at the kid for losing the chance at marrying her off. He’d probably even stoop to lying to the Bounty Masters, getting a very serious warrant placed on the head of a waif whose only crime was not being able to keep his own desires, among other things, under wraps. Pathetic. I do hope this ain’t the case.”

“Oh?” Aya said, stirring a pot of gently boiling water over the fire. Literally over, for she had placed a small levitation spell on the battered pot, keeping it at a perfect height over the flames. She added carrots, potato slices and a bit of meat that had been wrapped in wax paper. Agemeer directed her with the correct amount of spices. “Well, the background check went through. It seems real enough to me.”

“It
is
a goodly amount of coin their fronting. Probably too good for the Circuit to turn away without just cause. If they can’t find anything in the background check then I suppose the Circuit doesn’t mind wasting our time as long as the pay comes in.” Serrtin said.

“But why would they want to keep the warrant such a secret? From what you said, it sounds like they’re going to lengths to keep this from leaking out. But to whom? And why?” Agemeer said thoughtfully, taking care not to topple the crystal bottle as he lay down. “If this was such a simple matter as you suggest, Serrtin, then the Bounty Master would not have offered it to us. He knows the value of a good team. Good teams bring in good money and are not to be wasted on Chases better caught by those less successfully inclined.”

Aya cocked an eye. “I had no idea you felt as such Agemeer.”

“Well, yes.” The Wulf responded. “I do. I know your worth to the Circuit. And to me, of course. You make this old man feel part of something worthwhile…”

Aya ruffled the fur atop his head like he was the family dog. “You are. Your knowledge is an intricate part of this team.
You
are an intricate part.”

“Thank you, my dear.” He mumbled into his furry chest, somehow muffling his words even though his mouth never moved. A little embarrassed but also little proud, he added, “You need to stir.”

The mage did as asked, stirring the roiling stew. The magical fire softened the vegetables much faster than regular flame ever would; the stew was close to done.

Serrtin rolled her eyes at the blatant display of emotion yet a smile still found its way to her mouth. She pretended to adjust her lower leg guards. “Anyway, kid or not, let’s keep our senses sharp and weapons at hand. It would not do for my legend to end here!”

Chapter 3

After their supper was finished and Aya had rinsed their bowls clean, the Asrai Kcrienalpralopar awoke from her daily slumber.

The crystal flask, unstoppered and held between Agemeer’s paws, began to glow with an inner light. The water expelled in a smooth motion out of its confinement, never spilling a drop. It shimmered as it took the secondary form it was most accustomed to when not in its natural liquid state. It grew legs and arms and then formed a head. When its shape was finalized, it began to gain color softly at first then more rapidly.

Kcrienalpralopar took the form of a Larren woman with short plainly-cut brown hair. Her bangs hung long over large deep blue eyes, framing a heart-shaped face. Her small mouth always held a pinched set, perhaps do to a hard life before gaining her freedom. Both average in height and in size, Kcrie wore an unremarkable shroud of dark chestnut. She always kept her cloak clasped tightly to her but sometimes a snatch of blue-gray and white satin trim could be seen underneath. Small pointed feet stuck out from beneath the long engulfing material.

Her watery eyes took in the surrounding area, taking stock of everything she saw. Saying nothing, she took a place beside Agemeer, folding her legs neatly to her side.

Silence reigned for a time as the team relaxed with their individual thoughts. Agemeer rested his head on his paws, holding the Asrai’s flask close to him. Sleepily, his eyes drooped as he watched the flames flicker and dance. Across from the gray Wulf, shadows took interesting forms behind Serrtin and he was content in watching them caper and play. It reminded him of a story he once read in an old tome he had purchased from a city vendor near his once-home. He promised himself that he’d tell Aya about it. Later sometime.

Aya too was watching the shadows form though not for the sake of story-making. She was pondering her skills, her shortcomings that were brought to a poignant head during their last mission and the shadows were the holes left unfulfilled as a mage. If Serrtin was wrong and the Chase they were now attempting truly deserved the title Triple Sign, was she really good enough to confront him? Serrtin had been injured albeit only lightly due to her lack of mastery over the element of fire. What if she were to fail again at a more critical moment and against someone much more powerful? The team would need a mage’s powers and she was the only mage among them.
What if she could not be relied upon to do what was needed? Sure, they had conquered a few powerful foes before but… What if, this time, she failed and her failure resulted in the serious injury of one of her friends. Or worse?

It was a miserable thought that occasionally reared in the back of her mind, a circle of self-doubt that plagued her late at night in her darkest dreams. Aya hated the way those thoughts made her feel. She tried to accept them as part of life even though Serrtin was in the category of alive and never doubted anything she did even if it was clearly wrong.

Agemeer’s gentle wisdom came back to her, “Everyone made to live in this world has these feelings from time to time- from the smallest Sprite to the strongest Inubian. Even me despite my many years. But we can learn to let our fears go, accept them for what they truly are so that they’ll no longer be a deterrent. Then the burden will free itself from our thoughts. Acknowledge what the doubts are trying to tell you and always trust in yourself. And in the friends that stand with you. We won’t let you fall too hard and we’ll always be there to lend you a hand when you are ready to stand once more. Do not forget that.”

Aya stared out into the woods around them. Starlight touched the leaves. She knew Agemeer was right, he was always right in that order. She just hoped she could be as wise as he, someday. Her talent as a mage never failed her before though power over flame would vex and try her. And she decided she wouldn’t fail it. She had to be strong. Her friends and allies needed her to be. So did her family.

“You would like to do a reading of the direction you are taking.” The Asrai stated without question.

Serrtin, who have been leaning back against one of the trees legs crossed and arms tucked behind her hand, sat forward eagerly. “He was last seen south of the Freelands.”

“I will see the visage of this person. Then I will tell you where he lies.” The warrant was passed to Kcrie’s chill hands. All eyes were on the Asrai as she stared down at the face on the paper, sleep forgotten. Minutes passed. And more, until a full five minutes had gone by and she finally blank, glancing up.

“Well..?” Serrtin inquired.

“Well what?” Kcrie growled back, thin brows bunching into a scowl. She hated when her methods were questioned. She also hated being rushed. An entire horde of mountain ogres could be crashing down towards them yet still she would take her time with her powers. Alas, Kcrienalpralopar knew what she doing no matter how infuriating she could be. “You know I require time to perform a Finding. I must dedicate my eyes to the face of which I search and only when I am completely satisfied will I began my scrying. I will need peace.”

Serrtin rankled at the dressing down but held her tongue. A good thing that, Kcrie could refuse to help of the drop of helmet and not could be done to dissuade her. The Asrai cleared her throat in a small cough and closed her eyes. She cupped her hands in front of her and clear water began to pool, filling her hands like a bowl.

She opened her eyes and looked deep into the water.

As the shadows grew and the sounds of the nightlife shifted around their campsite, a cool breeze sprung up, prompting Aya to take up her blanket. Wrapped like a baby in swaddling, Aya’s face was all to be seen in the thick cloth. She slipped out of her boots and her light armor and sat them outside the blanket.

While Kcrie sought the location of the man they were looking for, the Bren took the time to rekindle the dying fire. She did her best without resorting to using her magic, not wanting to distract her Asrai companion from the task at hand. Some searches could take hours.

The old Wulf rose. Setting the crystal flask safely with their supplies, Agemeer padded over to rest beside Aya. Without fur such as he possessed, he worried the girl would catch cold during the night and, like a kindly grandfather, he would see to it she kept warm. Besides, it would not do for their mage to fall ill. Especially not now with a new mission just begun.

Kcrienalpralopar’s blue eyes would flicker every once in a while as she searched through the images held within her scrying pool. Once and only once did she share the intricacies of her abilities with her team. The ability to seek through water was something all Asrai shared. Asrai, from what Kcrie told them, were a type of Fae water-spirit and all forms of water were connected on a spiritual level through them. Water was their medium to channel their powers and, in short, water was an Asrai’s eyes- through it they can see anywhere there was the smallest drop depending on the Asrai’s own strength. As Kcrie gazed into her hands, images from miles around came to her. Every source could show her something different. She started her search within the city of Nordek.

…a deer sipping rainwater, an elderly woman’s wash basin, a bucket of entrails that had been mopped off the counter of a butcher shop…

No good. Kcrie would need to refine her search. There were just too many images to process. She would search only for people- their life signatures were stronger, therefore easier to pinpoint. At this time of night, it could prove difficult still for most Races in Demaria were diurnal. She would try but if success did not come, early morn may promise better odds.

Some of the city folk of Nordek were still awake- including a mud spattered man slipping into a warm bath. Kcrie perused the images (some quicker than others) and by the end of the citywide search, determined the youth with the amber eyes was not in Nordek. She would need to look elsewhere.

When she lowered her hands, a little over a candlemark had already passed and stars lit the heavens visible through the canopy. Aya and Agemeer had fallen asleep. Serrtin was dozing but could be fully awake at a moments notice. As Kcrienalpralopar watched, the reclining Yarka’s scaled lids slitted, eyes moving in a slow arc as she observed the campsite then closed again.

The Asrai raised her scrying pool and peered in, resuming her search. The fiend would not head north into the lands of Indelsis or Jade unless he wanted a lot of attention, west held no towns to plague with the misery only a Triple Sign would wish to give. Nordek was in a northeastern path and beyond that continuing northeast lay the town of Barda. Good as any as a next step. If it proved fruitless to search there, she would try the surrounding areas then the western Freelands.

Barda lay on the outskirts of the inlet called the Azure Ribbon. The inlet was named such due of the weaving passage it took as it cut into Demaria as well as its deep vibrant shade of blue. Its water was always fresh due to its proximity to the Forever Storms, a sea tempest that never let up or died out, which resided at the mouth of the river in the Korest Ocean. Barda was well known for its market, boasting a wide variety of fish caught as they were swept into the Ribbon by the Storms.