The Island
General Summary
Octaviu walked over to the captain. He was looking over the wreck, offering directions to the crew.
I focused on pulling the water from my things and my clothes, then from everyone else on the beach. It wasn't worth much. The wind was strong, spraying seawater from the crashing waves back at us.
"Anything we can do to help?" Octaviu asked.
"The ship's a loss. We're just trying to save what we can," The captain nodded to the water. Barrels and crates of goods bobbed in the surf, and the crew had already started wading to grab what they could.
"There's supplies in the sunken hold as well," He added, pointing to the slowly sinking ship.
I frowned. None of us would last long in that freezing water. We wouldn't last long on an abandoned isle without the supplies... I could keep pulling water from crew members I supposed...
My head felt fuzzy. I closed my eyes.
"Rianemi, can you try and like, pull the water or something?" Davina's voice broke through my exhausted haze. I opened my eyes, looking up at her. She'd turned back to the surf, saying only, "I'm going to be fishing." It took me a moment, but I pushed myself up, the gravel beach biting into my hands as I did so. I watched her as she tied a rope to one of her hand axes, then swung it around. My mind clicked. As she tossed the makeshift fishing line over the waves, I called for the water to calm and hold a barrel still. The axe struck the side, and Davina pulled it in as I directed the current to help her. I don't think she'd needed my help, to be quite honest. She pulled the barrel faster than I could make a difference in the currents. As it landed on the shore, she gave another axe to Dinu. He followed her lead, though he struggled a lot more. I focused my attention on directing his hauls instead. It took an hour, but we'd salvaged most of what we could. The ship had all but been fully submerged once we finished. The air had only gotten colder and the wind stronger. We were soaked again, and I could see I wasn't the only one shaking. I did what I could to dry everyone again, and moved further from the breaking waves, under a rising rocky outcropping. Dawn would break soon enough, and when it did it would warm up, I told myself.
Davina and Dinu stayed to help the crew move the crates and barrels out of the reach of the tide. The rush to save all they could from the sea had passed, and now the captain and crew seemed to be discussing the payment they'd receive from the council due to this unexpected attack. Again, I found myself pulling water from my things to keep busy. I checked my bag, my spellbook, my charms, my notebook... I worried over its blurring words. All the recent entries were still legible, and the majority of the rest were too, and I still had copies back home... Still I felt my stomach turning. I didn't like the thought that my most recent entries could have been lost so easily... Had we been any further out when we sank... I ran my finger over an early entry from Sewca. Names of people, still legible. The mages, the workers... I paused over Octaviu's name, frowning. I hadn't seen him since we'd pulled the cargo to shore... I put my things away, and looked up and down the beach. Octaviu was no where to be seen. He hadn't been in the water, had he? I searched my memory, but came up with nothing. Then, I heard a scuffling from the outcropping above. I backed up to get a better view, and there he was. Octaviu had found his way atop the lower part of the outcropping I'd sheltered under. He stared up at the sky, seemingly calculating something. Then, he looked further inland, disappearing for a moment before hopping back down to the beach.
"Who wants to go say 'hi' to the natives?" he asked, pointing inland. I couldn't see what he pointed to, but he must have seen signs of civilisation from his vantage. I nodded, "Sure." Any reason to get off this beach and away from the cold was good enough for me. Davina told the captain we'd investigate inland, and he waved us on our way. They seemed to have things better handled now, supplies and crates piled along the cliffside. In our minds, I heard Davina say, "Maybe now you guys can pick up a language." Dinu chuckled as we followed Octaviu as he led us up the hills. He handled a faded and damp map as we walked, marking it with charcoal. He pointed out where he suspected we were - The Ribock isles. The small grey dots he had marked sat lonely in a huge sea of blue. I looked away and to the rising land ahead.
As we grew closer, Davina slowed. I looked to her, and Dinu and Octaviu stopped as well. "Hey, maybe we should be a bit..." She drew out, as if unsure of the words, "...Cautious. What if they're hostile?" That had not occurred to me. It seems obvious though, anyone who chooses to live so far out from civilisation probably wouldn't take kindly to random visitors... "Should we..." I frowned, now unsure myself, "Should we do some observation first?" "It would seem more suspicious if we slunk around, wouldn't it?" Octaviu added. A good point. He'd already begun walking ahead. I followed, "I suppose we could just knock... You all handled yourselves quite well back on the ship... And add in myself, I doubt whoever lives here could put up much of a fight if they tried." Davina gave me a disbelieving look. I didn't back down from my assertion. "It's only the truth," I said with a shrug.
We climbed, and finally some small ramshackle lodgings came to view. In the distance I could see like glows and rising smoke of camp fires. I picked up my gait as the wind hit us again.
"Hey!" A voice cut through the dark, "Who goes there!" A pair of armoured men ran to block our path. Well armoured for such a remote island... I stopped where I stood and raised my hands, "We've shipwrecked. We're of the council!" "What, the council?" One of the men removed his helmet, and approached, "What are you doing here...?" Up close, I could see they were dressed in the insignias of the council. I'd not heard of a council outpost in the islands, but I suppose that's not completely unusual for me...
I lowered my hands and simply said, "Pirates." "Oh no, that's horrid," The man frowned, looking over our group, "How many are you?" "There's about 20 or so back on the beach," I explained, and pointed the way we came. The man nodded to the guard with the helmet, and he ran to the beach.
We were guided us to an open clearing near the huts, and to the source of the fire I'd seen moments before. People had gathered around a fire, eating.
The guard motioned for us to sit around the fire, "Come, it's lucky you landed here..." Some of the men and women offered us meat and drink. I found myself famished.
"Name's Cairnwood," Our guide said, "Seems you're a bit new in these parts. What the hell happened to your ship?" "Pirates," Davina looked up from her empty mug. "As she said," I said, "We were attacked out a ways. We drove them back, but their cannon had a... Parting gift." Cairnwood mimicked a wince, then asked, "So what were you doing out here? Where'd ya come from?" "Sewca Outpost," I said.
"Sewca," Cairnwood twisted his face in mock horror, and laughed "What did you do?" Do? /Nothing/... There's just always someone who needs to be at the bottom of the pecking order... My face must have revealed my indignation, as his fell serious, "Oh, you thought..." I shook my head cutting him off, "It's but a step on the way up the ladder." I don't think he believed me. If I thought about it too long, I probably wouldn't believe myself. I scowled into my untouched alcohol.
"So what," He looked to the others, then me, "You served your time, now it's back to the council?" I was about to answer when Dinu spoke. "No, we were sent to deliver a message to the council," He explained, "The outpost was attacked, and the master mage was killed." "An attack?" Cairnwood furrowed his brow, "What kind of attack?" "Good question," I said, looking to Dinu. He did not return my gaze. Was he going to say everything...? Cairnwood looked to the others when I offered no further explanation. "There were hex agents involved..." Dinu offered. Of course he wouldn't say everything. Good. "This far north? That's no good," Cairnwood said, "Does the council know yet?" I shook my head, "No, not yet. We were waylaid..."
"Damn..." Cairnwood shook his head, "Well again, you're welcome here. I'm not in charge but I'm taking care of things while Kara's asleep. I'll go get her for you." He stood up, leaving us to our food. The ship's crew had been making their way up from the beach and had joined us. I picked at the remains of my fish. It wasn't good, but I didn't care. Davina seemed to be asking for another drink.
A few moments later, a woman dressed in a heavy cloak came out of a nearby hut. She took one look at our group, and zeroed in on Dinu, saying "What are you doing here?" Dinu hid his surprise well, and pointed to one of the bolts stuck in his armor, "We've had a rough time of it." She closed the distance to him, and placed a small medical kit on the bench. She began pulling the bolts out, bandaging them, and clucked her tongue, "you idiot." "Guilty as charged," Dinu smiled. What was happening here? I looked to Octaviu and Davina. They seemed just as lost.
"Well," The woman returned his smile, "Let me bring out the good stuff. Sounds like you could use it." Dinu chuckled. "Whaaat? You've got better than this?!" Davina raised her brows in disbelief. The smell of alcohol hit my nose and I shifted further away. Dinu looked to her and us in surprise. Had he forgotten we were here...? "Oh, uh... Right," He cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is Kara... And to make a long story short.... she's the mother of my child." I blinked. His child? I thought Razors... "Oh?" Octaviu smirked, "Didn't know you had it in you." Davina didn't say anything, looking into the fire instead. Dinu shrugged, "Well, now you know how I got assigned to Sewca-" "-And how I got assigned to this rock," Kara added.
"-You know," Davina spoke up, her gaze still far, "If there was any question of Ya'Rubu being a stowaway..." Silence fell as she trailed off. All our eyes were on her, but she seemed unaware.
"Well," Kara cleared her throat first, looking back to Dinu, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" "Right," He sat up straight and gestured to me, "-This is Rianemi, er, water mage." I offered a slight bow, and then Dinu nodded to Davina, "Then that's Davina-" She waved. "-and this is Octaviu," Dinu motioned to him, then continued, "We've had a hell of a few weeks, and now we've been sent to warn the council." "Hex mages, you said? Well..." She trailed off, thinking, then shook her head, "Never mind." I wanted to press her, but before I could, the other guard from before ran over to Cairnwood. He whispered something to him, then Cairnwood made his way to our group. "Sorry, don't mean to interrupt-" He waved apologetically to us, then looked to Kara, "-But could we have you for a moment...?" Kara got up, excusing herself, and after a moment's speech with Cairnwood, returned to us. "Well, I must cut this short, I'm sorry," She dipped her head, then headed off into the night with Cairnwood and a few guards. Dinu watched her leave. I watched him, then when Kara was out of earshot, I asked the question that was burning in my head- "Where's you kid?" He didn't hesitate, "With her parents, back in Andarco." I blinked. Huh. I thought... If Kara's the mother, and he's... Wait. Oh. They had to give her up. That's so... So horrible. The poor child...
"This shit's great, try some!" Davina bumped me out of my thoughts, offering her mug to my face. Some ale sloshed out of the mug, and I caught it before it touched me, guiding it back into her mug. I found my lip curling. "No... Thank you," I gestured to my untouched mug. "Wait, actually," Davina frowned, "Are you gonna drink that?" I sighed, and moved the alcohol from my mug to hers. I pulled out my flask and guided the water into my mug. I drank it, then got up. I had to get away from the alcohol. The smell was getting to me... And it would be nice to know what has Kara so concerned... If we're to stay here even a night, I'd rather find out there's a rabid animal loose before it bites. That, and the movements of the guards and Kara's expression reminds me of the day Opo came running... It's probably not the same, but if there's even a chance...
"Alright! Let's go," Davina slurred, exaggeratedly standing to follow me. I restrained a sigh, and walked off in the direction Cairnwood and Kara went. I could hear Davina behind me, and then Dinu and Octaviu a moment later. We walked over the rocks and through the brush in the dark, until I made out Kara and Cairnwood stopped by what looked like a cave. Could it be... I stopped on the hill overlooking the two. I strained my ears to hear what they said, but we were too far to hear... I was about to try and get closer when- I slipped on the crumbling slope, and quickly righted myself. Still, it was too late. Several stones slid down the slope. Kara's head shot up to us, "Dinu?!" "It's me," He waved. "You can't be here," She ran over to us, "What are you doing here? Then she looked to the swaying Davina, "Is she drunk?" "Rude, I'm not drunk," Davina slurred, then offered a thumbs up, "A Bonneru knows how to hold her liqueur." "Right we do," Cairnwood nodded, "But we do have some sensitive information here that you shouldn't see." "Sensitive?" Davina thought for a moment, "Ah, but Rianemi here's a mage, and she'd be interested in like, council matters and stuff..." She nodded along with her own words, then looked to me, "Right Rianemi?" "...?" I returned her gaze, embarrassed. Yes, she was right, but still... Surely there was a less obvious way of asking that didn't involve pulling rank... "I mean... " Cairnwood hummed, "Maybe we could use some help, Kara? It'll be a while until we get proper help..." Kara studied Dinu and our group for a moment longer than I'd have liked. "Well, nobody's supposed to be coming for another two weeks so..." She offered a curt nod, "Fine, come along. Come take a look." She led us to the cave, and into a familiar curved room. The walls were sharp, covered in runes and darkened metal, and in the centre, a large door waited for us. I didn't think, and stepped forward. I pulled water, and danced it in front of the door. No reaction. Was it lacking enough power? Last time it needed more magic and blood... Hm... I looked to Octaviu. He'd run to examine the visible mechanisms nestled throughout the door. The door showed no response to him. Dinu had approached the walls, examining the runes.
I mentally reached out to the door, but there was no response. I put a hand against it, and feeling the cool metal seep into my hand, I tried to push a small fraction of magic through. There was a bright flash, and then I was falling backwards. I slammed against the cave floor, and my vision lit up again. It took a moment to register the pain, and when I did, I bit back a yelp. Kara and Cairnwood rushed to help me up. I didn't push them away, just glared at the door. I was trying to help the stupid thing... "Well, it hasn't done that before," Kara said as I stood, "So, congrats?" Cairnwood looked a bit in awe. Impressed, even... Though, there was an undercurrent of something I recognised. Fear.
I approached again, and then heard a clicking noise, like a the last bit of power in a wind up toy before it petered out. As I got closer, I could see the source of the sound - gears and mechanisms slowly moving and ticking in the metal. Octaviu let out a sound of appreciation. I hummed in thought. Of course. One wouldn't be enough. I looked back to our Razor. "Dinu, could you help?" I asked, "Kara, too, if you can. Try and push magic through the device." "Oh, I don't really do that... I think I'll leave that to you..." She looked afraid. Fine. Dinu would have to suffice-
"Should we try using this?" Davina said, mentally motioning to our minds. I thought to myself. Davina filled the silence by countering herself, "Though, wouldn't that be tipping our hands?" "Not if Dinu follows my request," I said. "Smart," Octaviu said. "Sounds good to me," Dinu said aloud. He came to join me by the door, and we placed our hands on it together. I pushed in my mind, and I could feel him, Davina, and Octaviu join me. After a few minutes, a cool blue glow lit the room, and I heard Kara and Cairnwood gasp. We paid them no mind. In our minds, a still presence rose. The door was awake. It said it was here. "What do you require," I asked. It asked what we wished. "For you to open," I said. It thought, then asked 'to where?' Dinu cut in, "We wish to light the beacon." It reacted stronger to that. 'The beacon? Very well, the beacon here?' It asked. "Yes," I nodded.
The door fell silent in our minds, matching the the cave for a moment... And then several clicks fell as the mechanisms turned. Gears whirred and panels slid as door moved, opening into a vast dim hall. The blue glow only barely lit the room within. Black tiles stretched forward until vanishing into darkness. Kara gave all of us a suspicious look. She watched Dinu a moment longer than the rest of us. I struck my lantern and ventured in. "While we've been sharing secrets..." Dinu's explanation broke the silence first, "This isn't the first door we've opened." "You'll have to tell me all about it real soon," Kara said, then caught up with me.
The air was still as a tomb, and cold. Kara and I walked ahead. She lit a torch, and looked over the runes. They looked similar to the ones from Sewca... A shriek cut through our quiet examination, and I jumped, nearly dropping my lantern. Kara had quickly switched to a fighting stance. I looked for the source, then- "How drunk am I?" Davina yelled, "Has he been here the entire time?!" He? Oh... Oh no. "I heard every word you said," Ya'Rubu nodded. He stood beside Davina by the entrance, drenched as a rat. I felt a preemptive headache coming on... "You can see him right?" Davina asked, eyes wide. "Ya'Rubu..." I rubbed my temples. Kara looked to me, "You know him?" "Yes..." I said, "He's one of the Sewca mages." "So he's..." Kara frowned, "Cool?" "Well, he is a Nurehetic," I sighed, "But he's not going to hurt anyone, no." As if to prove my point, Ya'Rubu skipped ahead, oohing and awing at shining walls as the light of my lantern bounced off them. Kara relaxed slightly.
I moved on ahead with Kara. I could hear Davina muttering something, then she unsheathed her sword. Dinu followed suit, as did Octaviu with my sling again... I really need to get that back.
We reached the end of the hall, where the black tiles stopped. Dinu was looking over the walls, and Kara stood near him. Ya'Rubu moved through the room like an excited child. Davina and Cairnwood seemed to be keeping watch. Cairnwood seemed rather unsettled by everything. Octaviu was rummaging through his bag. He pulled out that slab of metal, then lifted it to the wall. What was he... A loud clank resounded through the room as the panel from his hands and stuck fast to the wall. He pulled, and pulled, but the wall would not return it. I briefly wondered what could lead it to stick like that. "Let me know if you need help getting it off," Dinu said. Octaviu had braced a foot against the wall and pulled again. "Yeah- I might-" He braced the other foot, and leaned back with all his weight. It didn't work. "Uh, guys? Some help?" He pleaded in our minds. Dinu and Davina answered, each grabbing a part of the panel and pulling. It looked incredibly ridiculous, but I resisted saying anything to the fact. I also resisted saying that the panel was Taharjin's now... Instead, I went back to examining the dead end we found ourself in. There was no door I could see... There was no sphere or other noticeable features that would hint towards a way forward...
Eventually, Dinu let go, and reached out to the door. He asked it to release the panel. A second later, the panel clattered to the ground, and something in the room shifted. The air felt charged. Slowly, the tiled floor lit up blue, lines moving between the panels and forming a glowing grid. Ya'rubu's eyes widened, and I knew mine did as well. Kara and Cairnwood both looked very concerned.
I stepped forward, reaching for the tiles. I brushed my hand over the walls, trying to make a connection, but- I was on the floor again. Ozone burned my nostrils and my head pounded. "Are you okay?!" Kara asked. "It really doesn't like that..." I stated as I sat up. I felt horrid. Ya'Rubu made a humming noise, "Lasers..."
Dinu reached out to the door again as I stood up. "Please stop shooting us," Dinu told the door. 'I do not determine the course of the device,' It said. Davina joined us, asking, "What's this device do?" 'I have no information about that,' It said. "Just as helpful as the last one..." I grumbled. The door offered no reaction. "Are you able to tell us your purpose? What is this place?" Octaviu asked. The same as before. "What information do you have?" Dinu asked, his mental voice slightly irritated. 'I am a door. I control only the circuitry.'
This would get us no where. I turned away from the mental connection. "Okay, the only thing that didn't result in negative feedback was the panel..." I thought aloud, then looked to Octaviu, "Can you give it the panel again?" He does, and it falls. I sigh.
"Hey," Kara spoke up, "How did you get that panel to fall off the wall again?" "Magic," I said. "Well the floor's glowing. Is that a good thing?" Kara asked, "I don't really know if I like things lighting up..." "...A reaction is better than none," I said. Kara still looked unsure.
Davina went to lean against the wall. She stepped onto a tile, and there was a click. She quickly lept back as a bolt of light shot into the ceiling. The room rumbled as she stared at the tiles. Maybe... Ya'Rubu let out an excited sound, and ran onto the tiles. Bolts of light shot up as he danced from one tile to another. "This is fun!" He shouted, then hopped off again.
"Rianemi, can you try and like, pull the water or something?" Davina's voice broke through my exhausted haze. I opened my eyes, looking up at her. She'd turned back to the surf, saying only, "I'm going to be fishing." It took me a moment, but I pushed myself up, the gravel beach biting into my hands as I did so. I watched her as she tied a rope to one of her hand axes, then swung it around. My mind clicked. As she tossed the makeshift fishing line over the waves, I called for the water to calm and hold a barrel still. The axe struck the side, and Davina pulled it in as I directed the current to help her. I don't think she'd needed my help, to be quite honest. She pulled the barrel faster than I could make a difference in the currents. As it landed on the shore, she gave another axe to Dinu. He followed her lead, though he struggled a lot more. I focused my attention on directing his hauls instead. It took an hour, but we'd salvaged most of what we could. The ship had all but been fully submerged once we finished. The air had only gotten colder and the wind stronger. We were soaked again, and I could see I wasn't the only one shaking. I did what I could to dry everyone again, and moved further from the breaking waves, under a rising rocky outcropping. Dawn would break soon enough, and when it did it would warm up, I told myself.
Davina and Dinu stayed to help the crew move the crates and barrels out of the reach of the tide. The rush to save all they could from the sea had passed, and now the captain and crew seemed to be discussing the payment they'd receive from the council due to this unexpected attack. Again, I found myself pulling water from my things to keep busy. I checked my bag, my spellbook, my charms, my notebook... I worried over its blurring words. All the recent entries were still legible, and the majority of the rest were too, and I still had copies back home... Still I felt my stomach turning. I didn't like the thought that my most recent entries could have been lost so easily... Had we been any further out when we sank... I ran my finger over an early entry from Sewca. Names of people, still legible. The mages, the workers... I paused over Octaviu's name, frowning. I hadn't seen him since we'd pulled the cargo to shore... I put my things away, and looked up and down the beach. Octaviu was no where to be seen. He hadn't been in the water, had he? I searched my memory, but came up with nothing. Then, I heard a scuffling from the outcropping above. I backed up to get a better view, and there he was. Octaviu had found his way atop the lower part of the outcropping I'd sheltered under. He stared up at the sky, seemingly calculating something. Then, he looked further inland, disappearing for a moment before hopping back down to the beach.
"Who wants to go say 'hi' to the natives?" he asked, pointing inland. I couldn't see what he pointed to, but he must have seen signs of civilisation from his vantage. I nodded, "Sure." Any reason to get off this beach and away from the cold was good enough for me. Davina told the captain we'd investigate inland, and he waved us on our way. They seemed to have things better handled now, supplies and crates piled along the cliffside. In our minds, I heard Davina say, "Maybe now you guys can pick up a language." Dinu chuckled as we followed Octaviu as he led us up the hills. He handled a faded and damp map as we walked, marking it with charcoal. He pointed out where he suspected we were - The Ribock isles. The small grey dots he had marked sat lonely in a huge sea of blue. I looked away and to the rising land ahead.
As we grew closer, Davina slowed. I looked to her, and Dinu and Octaviu stopped as well. "Hey, maybe we should be a bit..." She drew out, as if unsure of the words, "...Cautious. What if they're hostile?" That had not occurred to me. It seems obvious though, anyone who chooses to live so far out from civilisation probably wouldn't take kindly to random visitors... "Should we..." I frowned, now unsure myself, "Should we do some observation first?" "It would seem more suspicious if we slunk around, wouldn't it?" Octaviu added. A good point. He'd already begun walking ahead. I followed, "I suppose we could just knock... You all handled yourselves quite well back on the ship... And add in myself, I doubt whoever lives here could put up much of a fight if they tried." Davina gave me a disbelieving look. I didn't back down from my assertion. "It's only the truth," I said with a shrug.
We climbed, and finally some small ramshackle lodgings came to view. In the distance I could see like glows and rising smoke of camp fires. I picked up my gait as the wind hit us again.
"Hey!" A voice cut through the dark, "Who goes there!" A pair of armoured men ran to block our path. Well armoured for such a remote island... I stopped where I stood and raised my hands, "We've shipwrecked. We're of the council!" "What, the council?" One of the men removed his helmet, and approached, "What are you doing here...?" Up close, I could see they were dressed in the insignias of the council. I'd not heard of a council outpost in the islands, but I suppose that's not completely unusual for me...
I lowered my hands and simply said, "Pirates." "Oh no, that's horrid," The man frowned, looking over our group, "How many are you?" "There's about 20 or so back on the beach," I explained, and pointed the way we came. The man nodded to the guard with the helmet, and he ran to the beach.
We were guided us to an open clearing near the huts, and to the source of the fire I'd seen moments before. People had gathered around a fire, eating.
The guard motioned for us to sit around the fire, "Come, it's lucky you landed here..." Some of the men and women offered us meat and drink. I found myself famished.
"Name's Cairnwood," Our guide said, "Seems you're a bit new in these parts. What the hell happened to your ship?" "Pirates," Davina looked up from her empty mug. "As she said," I said, "We were attacked out a ways. We drove them back, but their cannon had a... Parting gift." Cairnwood mimicked a wince, then asked, "So what were you doing out here? Where'd ya come from?" "Sewca Outpost," I said.
"Sewca," Cairnwood twisted his face in mock horror, and laughed "What did you do?" Do? /Nothing/... There's just always someone who needs to be at the bottom of the pecking order... My face must have revealed my indignation, as his fell serious, "Oh, you thought..." I shook my head cutting him off, "It's but a step on the way up the ladder." I don't think he believed me. If I thought about it too long, I probably wouldn't believe myself. I scowled into my untouched alcohol.
"So what," He looked to the others, then me, "You served your time, now it's back to the council?" I was about to answer when Dinu spoke. "No, we were sent to deliver a message to the council," He explained, "The outpost was attacked, and the master mage was killed." "An attack?" Cairnwood furrowed his brow, "What kind of attack?" "Good question," I said, looking to Dinu. He did not return my gaze. Was he going to say everything...? Cairnwood looked to the others when I offered no further explanation. "There were hex agents involved..." Dinu offered. Of course he wouldn't say everything. Good. "This far north? That's no good," Cairnwood said, "Does the council know yet?" I shook my head, "No, not yet. We were waylaid..."
"Damn..." Cairnwood shook his head, "Well again, you're welcome here. I'm not in charge but I'm taking care of things while Kara's asleep. I'll go get her for you." He stood up, leaving us to our food. The ship's crew had been making their way up from the beach and had joined us. I picked at the remains of my fish. It wasn't good, but I didn't care. Davina seemed to be asking for another drink.
A few moments later, a woman dressed in a heavy cloak came out of a nearby hut. She took one look at our group, and zeroed in on Dinu, saying "What are you doing here?" Dinu hid his surprise well, and pointed to one of the bolts stuck in his armor, "We've had a rough time of it." She closed the distance to him, and placed a small medical kit on the bench. She began pulling the bolts out, bandaging them, and clucked her tongue, "you idiot." "Guilty as charged," Dinu smiled. What was happening here? I looked to Octaviu and Davina. They seemed just as lost.
"Well," The woman returned his smile, "Let me bring out the good stuff. Sounds like you could use it." Dinu chuckled. "Whaaat? You've got better than this?!" Davina raised her brows in disbelief. The smell of alcohol hit my nose and I shifted further away. Dinu looked to her and us in surprise. Had he forgotten we were here...? "Oh, uh... Right," He cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is Kara... And to make a long story short.... she's the mother of my child." I blinked. His child? I thought Razors... "Oh?" Octaviu smirked, "Didn't know you had it in you." Davina didn't say anything, looking into the fire instead. Dinu shrugged, "Well, now you know how I got assigned to Sewca-" "-And how I got assigned to this rock," Kara added.
"-You know," Davina spoke up, her gaze still far, "If there was any question of Ya'Rubu being a stowaway..." Silence fell as she trailed off. All our eyes were on her, but she seemed unaware.
"Well," Kara cleared her throat first, looking back to Dinu, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" "Right," He sat up straight and gestured to me, "-This is Rianemi, er, water mage." I offered a slight bow, and then Dinu nodded to Davina, "Then that's Davina-" She waved. "-and this is Octaviu," Dinu motioned to him, then continued, "We've had a hell of a few weeks, and now we've been sent to warn the council." "Hex mages, you said? Well..." She trailed off, thinking, then shook her head, "Never mind." I wanted to press her, but before I could, the other guard from before ran over to Cairnwood. He whispered something to him, then Cairnwood made his way to our group. "Sorry, don't mean to interrupt-" He waved apologetically to us, then looked to Kara, "-But could we have you for a moment...?" Kara got up, excusing herself, and after a moment's speech with Cairnwood, returned to us. "Well, I must cut this short, I'm sorry," She dipped her head, then headed off into the night with Cairnwood and a few guards. Dinu watched her leave. I watched him, then when Kara was out of earshot, I asked the question that was burning in my head- "Where's you kid?" He didn't hesitate, "With her parents, back in Andarco." I blinked. Huh. I thought... If Kara's the mother, and he's... Wait. Oh. They had to give her up. That's so... So horrible. The poor child...
"This shit's great, try some!" Davina bumped me out of my thoughts, offering her mug to my face. Some ale sloshed out of the mug, and I caught it before it touched me, guiding it back into her mug. I found my lip curling. "No... Thank you," I gestured to my untouched mug. "Wait, actually," Davina frowned, "Are you gonna drink that?" I sighed, and moved the alcohol from my mug to hers. I pulled out my flask and guided the water into my mug. I drank it, then got up. I had to get away from the alcohol. The smell was getting to me... And it would be nice to know what has Kara so concerned... If we're to stay here even a night, I'd rather find out there's a rabid animal loose before it bites. That, and the movements of the guards and Kara's expression reminds me of the day Opo came running... It's probably not the same, but if there's even a chance...
"Alright! Let's go," Davina slurred, exaggeratedly standing to follow me. I restrained a sigh, and walked off in the direction Cairnwood and Kara went. I could hear Davina behind me, and then Dinu and Octaviu a moment later. We walked over the rocks and through the brush in the dark, until I made out Kara and Cairnwood stopped by what looked like a cave. Could it be... I stopped on the hill overlooking the two. I strained my ears to hear what they said, but we were too far to hear... I was about to try and get closer when- I slipped on the crumbling slope, and quickly righted myself. Still, it was too late. Several stones slid down the slope. Kara's head shot up to us, "Dinu?!" "It's me," He waved. "You can't be here," She ran over to us, "What are you doing here? Then she looked to the swaying Davina, "Is she drunk?" "Rude, I'm not drunk," Davina slurred, then offered a thumbs up, "A Bonneru knows how to hold her liqueur." "Right we do," Cairnwood nodded, "But we do have some sensitive information here that you shouldn't see." "Sensitive?" Davina thought for a moment, "Ah, but Rianemi here's a mage, and she'd be interested in like, council matters and stuff..." She nodded along with her own words, then looked to me, "Right Rianemi?" "...?" I returned her gaze, embarrassed. Yes, she was right, but still... Surely there was a less obvious way of asking that didn't involve pulling rank... "I mean... " Cairnwood hummed, "Maybe we could use some help, Kara? It'll be a while until we get proper help..." Kara studied Dinu and our group for a moment longer than I'd have liked. "Well, nobody's supposed to be coming for another two weeks so..." She offered a curt nod, "Fine, come along. Come take a look." She led us to the cave, and into a familiar curved room. The walls were sharp, covered in runes and darkened metal, and in the centre, a large door waited for us. I didn't think, and stepped forward. I pulled water, and danced it in front of the door. No reaction. Was it lacking enough power? Last time it needed more magic and blood... Hm... I looked to Octaviu. He'd run to examine the visible mechanisms nestled throughout the door. The door showed no response to him. Dinu had approached the walls, examining the runes.
I mentally reached out to the door, but there was no response. I put a hand against it, and feeling the cool metal seep into my hand, I tried to push a small fraction of magic through. There was a bright flash, and then I was falling backwards. I slammed against the cave floor, and my vision lit up again. It took a moment to register the pain, and when I did, I bit back a yelp. Kara and Cairnwood rushed to help me up. I didn't push them away, just glared at the door. I was trying to help the stupid thing... "Well, it hasn't done that before," Kara said as I stood, "So, congrats?" Cairnwood looked a bit in awe. Impressed, even... Though, there was an undercurrent of something I recognised. Fear.
I approached again, and then heard a clicking noise, like a the last bit of power in a wind up toy before it petered out. As I got closer, I could see the source of the sound - gears and mechanisms slowly moving and ticking in the metal. Octaviu let out a sound of appreciation. I hummed in thought. Of course. One wouldn't be enough. I looked back to our Razor. "Dinu, could you help?" I asked, "Kara, too, if you can. Try and push magic through the device." "Oh, I don't really do that... I think I'll leave that to you..." She looked afraid. Fine. Dinu would have to suffice-
"Should we try using this?" Davina said, mentally motioning to our minds. I thought to myself. Davina filled the silence by countering herself, "Though, wouldn't that be tipping our hands?" "Not if Dinu follows my request," I said. "Smart," Octaviu said. "Sounds good to me," Dinu said aloud. He came to join me by the door, and we placed our hands on it together. I pushed in my mind, and I could feel him, Davina, and Octaviu join me. After a few minutes, a cool blue glow lit the room, and I heard Kara and Cairnwood gasp. We paid them no mind. In our minds, a still presence rose. The door was awake. It said it was here. "What do you require," I asked. It asked what we wished. "For you to open," I said. It thought, then asked 'to where?' Dinu cut in, "We wish to light the beacon." It reacted stronger to that. 'The beacon? Very well, the beacon here?' It asked. "Yes," I nodded.
The door fell silent in our minds, matching the the cave for a moment... And then several clicks fell as the mechanisms turned. Gears whirred and panels slid as door moved, opening into a vast dim hall. The blue glow only barely lit the room within. Black tiles stretched forward until vanishing into darkness. Kara gave all of us a suspicious look. She watched Dinu a moment longer than the rest of us. I struck my lantern and ventured in. "While we've been sharing secrets..." Dinu's explanation broke the silence first, "This isn't the first door we've opened." "You'll have to tell me all about it real soon," Kara said, then caught up with me.
The air was still as a tomb, and cold. Kara and I walked ahead. She lit a torch, and looked over the runes. They looked similar to the ones from Sewca... A shriek cut through our quiet examination, and I jumped, nearly dropping my lantern. Kara had quickly switched to a fighting stance. I looked for the source, then- "How drunk am I?" Davina yelled, "Has he been here the entire time?!" He? Oh... Oh no. "I heard every word you said," Ya'Rubu nodded. He stood beside Davina by the entrance, drenched as a rat. I felt a preemptive headache coming on... "You can see him right?" Davina asked, eyes wide. "Ya'Rubu..." I rubbed my temples. Kara looked to me, "You know him?" "Yes..." I said, "He's one of the Sewca mages." "So he's..." Kara frowned, "Cool?" "Well, he is a Nurehetic," I sighed, "But he's not going to hurt anyone, no." As if to prove my point, Ya'Rubu skipped ahead, oohing and awing at shining walls as the light of my lantern bounced off them. Kara relaxed slightly.
I moved on ahead with Kara. I could hear Davina muttering something, then she unsheathed her sword. Dinu followed suit, as did Octaviu with my sling again... I really need to get that back.
We reached the end of the hall, where the black tiles stopped. Dinu was looking over the walls, and Kara stood near him. Ya'Rubu moved through the room like an excited child. Davina and Cairnwood seemed to be keeping watch. Cairnwood seemed rather unsettled by everything. Octaviu was rummaging through his bag. He pulled out that slab of metal, then lifted it to the wall. What was he... A loud clank resounded through the room as the panel from his hands and stuck fast to the wall. He pulled, and pulled, but the wall would not return it. I briefly wondered what could lead it to stick like that. "Let me know if you need help getting it off," Dinu said. Octaviu had braced a foot against the wall and pulled again. "Yeah- I might-" He braced the other foot, and leaned back with all his weight. It didn't work. "Uh, guys? Some help?" He pleaded in our minds. Dinu and Davina answered, each grabbing a part of the panel and pulling. It looked incredibly ridiculous, but I resisted saying anything to the fact. I also resisted saying that the panel was Taharjin's now... Instead, I went back to examining the dead end we found ourself in. There was no door I could see... There was no sphere or other noticeable features that would hint towards a way forward...
Eventually, Dinu let go, and reached out to the door. He asked it to release the panel. A second later, the panel clattered to the ground, and something in the room shifted. The air felt charged. Slowly, the tiled floor lit up blue, lines moving between the panels and forming a glowing grid. Ya'rubu's eyes widened, and I knew mine did as well. Kara and Cairnwood both looked very concerned.
I stepped forward, reaching for the tiles. I brushed my hand over the walls, trying to make a connection, but- I was on the floor again. Ozone burned my nostrils and my head pounded. "Are you okay?!" Kara asked. "It really doesn't like that..." I stated as I sat up. I felt horrid. Ya'Rubu made a humming noise, "Lasers..."
Dinu reached out to the door again as I stood up. "Please stop shooting us," Dinu told the door. 'I do not determine the course of the device,' It said. Davina joined us, asking, "What's this device do?" 'I have no information about that,' It said. "Just as helpful as the last one..." I grumbled. The door offered no reaction. "Are you able to tell us your purpose? What is this place?" Octaviu asked. The same as before. "What information do you have?" Dinu asked, his mental voice slightly irritated. 'I am a door. I control only the circuitry.'
This would get us no where. I turned away from the mental connection. "Okay, the only thing that didn't result in negative feedback was the panel..." I thought aloud, then looked to Octaviu, "Can you give it the panel again?" He does, and it falls. I sigh.
"Hey," Kara spoke up, "How did you get that panel to fall off the wall again?" "Magic," I said. "Well the floor's glowing. Is that a good thing?" Kara asked, "I don't really know if I like things lighting up..." "...A reaction is better than none," I said. Kara still looked unsure.
Davina went to lean against the wall. She stepped onto a tile, and there was a click. She quickly lept back as a bolt of light shot into the ceiling. The room rumbled as she stared at the tiles. Maybe... Ya'Rubu let out an excited sound, and ran onto the tiles. Bolts of light shot up as he danced from one tile to another. "This is fun!" He shouted, then hopped off again.
Report Date
08 Nov 2024
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