The Clutch of Sharys: Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter 26- Splitting Differences
The Humans responded, led by the newly widowed Queen of Netis, who lay down her spear before the Godbeast’s feet.
Petra twisted her blade through the air, slicing vigorously as though through flesh. With each sweep of that deadly baton, large shelves of clear green crystal split out of the ground as though pushed, creating a small pyramid of gem around the area in front of her. "That won't hold them very long." Petra remarked, sheathing her sword and turning towards the gusts of air being buffeted down at them by the landing dragons.
Cara let her hand drop as soon as Petra put her sword away, feeling shaky and fragile, but no sign of the burning red from the last time she had helped someone with magic. Cheska and Ahnn looked up at the giant crystal prison in front of them, no small amount of awe on the Farcan's face and curious calculation on Ahnn’s. "Cara with me. Hurry now." Petra interrupted, striding off towards Lysander's golden horns.
"Well, that makes some more sense." Cheska murmured as they walked over to their dragon, staring up at the golden horns dragon in front of them. Cara followed Petra quickly, accepting the hand the Princess offered and clambering up behind her. She wasn't particularly looking forward to returning to the prison in the mountains, but maybe she could persuade Cheska to take her to safety after they had successfully escaped.
Petra had thrown on a passenger belt, Cara noted, while the Princess clipped the side straps of the saddle to her legs. Picking up her cloak, Cara tightly wrapped it around herself and little girl as she awkwardly grabbed the loops at the back of Petra's narrow waist, threading her arm through. Dull, thudding cracks sounded nearby, and the agitated, leathery snaps of wings filled the air as they took off, powerfully rejecting the ground and taking to the sky above.
Hooking her feet forward, Cara secured her feet underneath one of the broad saddle straps that lined Lysander’s shoulders and held on tight as they rose. Once she felt slightly more secure that her dragon was tightly seated within her arms, Cara glanced back towards the area they were leaving behind.
The top of the crystal that Petra had summoned skewered through the trees like a needle piercing the Canopic green fabric of leaves and branches, the tops of the gem spiraling in sharp lines that turned into a twisted spire. One side was cracking, great jagged lines of stress that ran outwards from the interior onslaught, but the rock was as tall and thick as a small castle, so it would take the Cetnan hunters a little while to break through its bulk. Watching the top of the rock fade in the distance, Cara silently marvelled at the enormous size of the structure she and Petra had created and felt all the more drained for looking at it.
Unfortunately, Petra had decided that they were far enough away from trouble that she was now free to scold Cara. "What were you thinking, running off like that?" The Princess bit out over her shoulder. "Were you just planning on asking some random stranger for a ride back to Cebrene out of the goodness of their hearts?"
Cara huffed in reply, looking away over the shadowed treetops and saying nothing.
"Fine. I understand. You had to try." Petra sighed finally, turning her head back to look ahead. "Where'd the Farcan come into your predicament? They're an impressive combatant..." The Princess trailed off, glancing over to her left. Cara followed her gaze to where a dragon roughly the size of Lysander flew through the dark, the shape of a tall person standing upright on their back as though riding in the Ataran style.
"However, whether they're trustworthy remains to be seen." Petra amended, glancing back meaningfully to where Cara still clutched her at her waist.
"They also got captured by those people. Cetnan bounty hunters, I think." Cara said, tucking her dragon's tail back beneath the cloak.
"Bounty hunters?"
“Mmhmm.”
After that, they remained silent for the rest of their ride; the hours seeming to stretch on as morning dawned before the dragons pulled to a stop atop the stone landing before the castle in the mountains.
"Welcome to Cair Demesis." Petra called out to the stranger, landing between Ahnn and the Farcan's black dragon. As they touched down, Cara caught a hint of a bronze flash near the head of Cheska’s mount, further piquing her curiosity as to why there had been a bounty placed on the stranger’s head. Silently praying that she hadn’t just brought a murderer into the castle, a small measure of distrust slowly grew within the hollow of Cara’s chest as she looked over the dark dragon beside them.
"I appreciate the welcome." Cheska called back, sliding off their dragon and stretching. Petra quickly undid her clips, and Cara let go, sliding down towards the ground as soon as she picked up her little dragonling. She still felt awkward and disappointed about what had happened and wasn't sure what would happen or how to act now that they were all back. Would they let her go back to living normally because they understood why she left, or would she find herself encased in restrictive crystal once more come morning? Her heart beating fast, Cara let her dragonling go, the little creature zipping off in the air to investigate the new dragon while Cara wiped her clammy palms on the sides of her knit jumper.
After feeling a bit more presentable, she walked around the side of the scaly flank of the Princess’s dragon, getting another look at Cheska as she approached. The Farcan wasn’t precisely what one would have described as “pretty” like one would Petra's attractive blondeness. Instead, Cheska held a beauty unique to individuality, all broad strokes and high bone structure, intense, heavy brows, and full lips. Something about the shape of their face caught the eye and held it; the gaze caught on the charisma and allure held by a visage so pleasingly unique.
Their eyes were shut tight as they stretched, stretching sculpted muscular arms in a long line behind them as their face screwed up in a slight twist, the motion revealing a stretch of flat, toned stomach as the black of their shirt rode upwards towards the pleasing curve of their chest. Cara swallowed and quickly looked away from their guest, suddenly feeling like the cloak and jumper she wore were too hot for the moment, and she needed a cool bath to wash away this sudden heat. Releasing the pose as Cara took a step back, those large brown eyes snapped open towards her, a grin forming across the full bow-shaped lips at the bottom of the Farcan's face.
"Quite the rescue team you've got here, little bones. I’m a lucky woman," Cheska said, giving Cara a cheerful grin.
"More like a hunting party."
"Honored Farcan guest." Ahnn said, addressing Cheska in her sterile tone, slowly approaching with Petra closed behind. "Welcome once again. You have the pleasure of being addressed by the Favored Princess of the holy nation of Netis, Her Royal Highness, Petra of the House Aspas."
Cara inwardly sighed, expecting Cheska to be cowed by the presence of royalty. It was a potent drug that often changed even the strongest of personalities, the power and celebrity granted to the Royals by right of birth an advantage which they saw no reason to not take advantage of.
"Ah. Wonderful." The Farcan said, nodding towards Ahnn. "Quick question though, what's a Princess with a title that long doing out by the Cetnan-Netian border without some guards?"
Petra glanced over at Cara, who looked back in confusion, and then slid her gaze over at Ahnn, who sighed and shook her head. "You might as well come in, Farcan." The Lady-in-waiting said, taking a step back.
"It's Cheska. You can call me Lady Cheska if that suits your delicate Kitisalian classifications." The stranger addressed Ahnn directly, her voice sounding unimpressed. Cara felt a gratifying sense of kinship with the woman because she was also on Ahnn's cold side. Before she could remark on it, Petra quickly swept their new guest away for a tour of the castle.
"How come I didn't get a tour?" Cara asked the air, following as Petra started reciting some long history about a Netian king and his six lovers who needed refuge from the strains of courtly life.
“Lady Myzanti. You assisted with the initial exploration of the place. It's a self-guided tour." Ahnn said flatly, motioning with her head towards the castle.
Cara trudged off behind the Princess and her guest, her slow footsteps quickly matched by Ahnn's neat, small ones. "You're reckless, you know." The girl remarked, not looking over. "Running off like that. You could've got much more unlucky than you already did."
Cara looked down at her feet as they walked, speaking to her toes. "I wasn't exactly given a lot of options here." She said bitterly, kicking at a rock that got too close to being underfoot.
"No." Ahnn agreed, her eyes fixed on Petra's back. "But you need to make better the ones you have with some actual thought beforehand, or one of these times no one will be around to save you." With that, Ahnn quickened her pace, leaving Cara feeling more the fool for how things had turned out.
"-I can't do that." Cheska said up ahead, coming to a stop. "I owe a debt for my freedom, and I refuse to leave until I see it fulfilled." Petra halted in her steps, halfway up the steps to the main door of the palace. The Princess looked over at Ahnn, who was staring at something on the embroidered cuff of Cheska's tunic. At the pause, the lady-in-waiting looked up and glanced over at the Princess, giving a swift nod.
"Well, come in, and let's find you someplace to sleep before we all collapse. We can speak more about this over dinner." With those words, Petra flounced off, oblivious to the glance Cara threw her way, wondering where exactly the Princess intended on having the guest sleep.
It turned out that she expected that to be in Cara's library, in one of the other window nooks that she had seen during her daily spars. Cheska quickly took it into stride, clearing out some clutter from the lowest sill and claiming it as her own. After donating some pillows and blankets and being thanked with a warm smile, Cara climbed up into her own curtained nest and fell asleep, the restful oblivion that blocked out her problems, even if only for a little while.
A long, curious cry woke her up, and Cara reluctantly forced her eyes open to peer around the curtained enclosure for the source. Little girl was perched on the edge of the sill, wings raised in alarm as she crossly cried at whoever was on the other side of the curtain. Propping herself up on one arm, Cara sleepily pushed the tangle of heavy red curls out of her eyes, holding the mess of her hair back so she could better see what was going on.
A pair of hands parted the curtain, and Cheska's cheerful, loud countenance greeted her. "Ahnn just stopped by and said dinner is soon."
"Don't just burst in like that!" Cara yelped, pulling a blanket up over her undershirt, the only thing she had left on after pulling off her dirty clothes when she climbed into bed that morning.
Cheska's light brown eyes flicked over the blanket and Cara's reddening face, a faint amusement making the deep brown of her eyes dance behind the long, thick lashes that framed them. "Hurry up and get dressed before all the food disappears." She added, letting the curtain fall. Cara immediately grabbed her tunic and jumper, sniffing the fabric to see how bad it was before sliding them on. After her curly head popped through the top of the jumper and her legs had been covered by loose cotton pants, she scooted off the windowsill, leaving her boots behind in favor of walking barefoot.
Cheska was leaning up against the balcony railing, running her fingers through the short crop of brown hair atop her head, a small copper band in her unoccupied hand. Nervously, Cara ran a hand through her weighty mess of curls, sweeping them back and into a loosely captured braid. At the same time, Cheska re-tied the short ponytail at the top of her head, flipping her head upwards. "All ready?" The Farcan asked, shooting Cara a grin while she let her dragon out of the sleeping area by holding the curtain to the side.
"...after you." Cara said, waiting and then following Cheska down the ladder and to the kitchen tower. When they entered, Petra was primly sitting at the table, hands folded and a large pot of grain mush in front of her. As they took their seats, Cara resisted the urge to make a face at the scent of the mixture, instead forcing herself to look over at where Ahnn approached, carrying a platter of dried meat.
Setting the food on the table, Ahnn took a seat beside her princess, looking over at the Farcan with a focused gaze. The group sat there, sizing each other up in silence and waiting for someone to make the first move. "It's a long way north from Farca." Petra started, eyes demurely lowered to the piece of jerky she selected from the platter.
"I'm on a rhythmic pilgrimage." Cheska responded, crossing her arms.
"A Farcan Monk? We're honored by your presence."
"You sound surprised, but you spotted the insignia on my clothes earlier." Cheska replied, looking into the cup of water laid out before every plate.
“How many of the Rhythms have you mastered?" Petra asked, not responding to the statement.
As if in response, and without hesitation for propriety, Cheska swung a dusky leg up onto the seat beside her, exposing the bare foot at its end. Dark lines split across the skin as a spiderweb stretches across doorways, a collection of small symbols neatly penned within the gaps. Cara saw a skull, a flower, and a spiked bolt before the monk shifted, sitting upright once more.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Cheska reached forward and ladled some grain mush onto her plate, looking unbothered as she did. "A few. Five or six. I haven't counted the tattoos lately." Cheska scooped a bite of the grain porridge into her mouth, looking momentarily sad before she swallowed. "Is this the part where you try to recruit me?" She asked Petra, taking another bite of food. Giving Ahnn a quick look, Petra looked back towards Cheska and nodded.
"Yes, I'd like you to help support my claim to the Netian throne." Petra said, voice serious. "I need strong combatants at my side for the shard combat against those who challenge me, and the daughter of a Farcan Nomarcha seems an excellent ally." Cheska swallowed the mouthful of food she had just eaten, slowly looking up at Petra with an appraising glance.
"So long as it aligns with my interests and the repayment of my debt, I see no issues."
"What's a rhythmic pilgrimage?" Cara finally burst out, looking between Petra and Cheska. The Princess drew herself up importantly, like a bird puffing out its feathers in pride. "It's a journey dedicated students of the Farcan martial art undertake to further hone their combat by experiencing the elements that define it outside the confinements of their land." Cara's eyebrows rose in surprise as she looked at Petra.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Petra sniffed, raising her nose slightly. "A Princess needs to know these sorts of things." Cara huffed, mildly impressed as she turned to Cheska. Before she could speak, Ahnn's flat voice cut through the dining room. "Your Highness. I just explained this to you a few minutes ago. Please don't take credit for my knowledge."
Petra visibly deflated, shooting a hurt glance towards Ahnn. "Yes, but you don't have to say that out loud." She said, pouting slightly. Cheska let out a warm, throaty laugh at the exchange, eliciting a smile from Cara and a chuckle from Petra. The rest of the evening wore on pleasantly, with Cheska recounting several stories of her journeys through Netis and Cetna, her brown eyes alight with fresh energy as she entertained them.
A few days after Cheska had settled in, Cara found her and Ahnn in the kitchen one morning, glaring into the depths of the unknown mechanism in the center. The round, metal barrel that looked like some sort of stove had no place for wood, just a singular hole barely a thumb’s length across that ran into the center of the wide drum. Many pipes and chutes ran from it into the ceiling, and none of them had been able to make it work since arriving.
The stubborn contraption held no opening large enough for wood, and there hadn’t been a chance or cause to acquire coal because of the stealth that Ahnn insisted they uphold.
When Cara came in, Ahnn was crouched down close to the opening, and Cheska held an open palm over the hole, brow tensed in concentration. "Ready?" She asked Ahnn as Cara drew close, and Kitisalian wordlessly nodded, causing Cheska's brow to crease further as she flexed her fingers.
Cheska closed her eyes, face tense as she concentrated on her task. Pulling her other hand back, pointing it away from their project and towards the ground, where a wooden bucket lay by her feet, waiting innocently. Cara's mouth felt dry as she glanced up at Cheska, to the illuminated eyelids that remained closed and the reasonably sized spout of flame that poured out of her hand and into the contraption.
Confusion ripped through Cara as she watched the Farcan monk's broad, well-toned shoulder droop with fatigue. Dropping her hand, Cheska took a step back and away as Ahnn snapped the cover over the opening shut, the metal grate hinging on a hooked latch which the lady-in-waiting threw. Having consumed its choice of fuel for the first time in years, the round metal drum in front of the girls began to creak and clank before shuddering to life and keeping a constant ticking rate.
"Told you." Ahnn sighed, dusting a bit of dirt off her pants.
"A secret defense system would've been more exciting." Cheska grinned, turning to greet Cara. "Morning, little bones."
"Caaaaraaaa." Cara replied, drawing her name out.
Cheska shrugged, picking up a bucket off the floor and walking over to the sink as Ahnn turned her emotionless attention towards Cara. "Lady Myzanti." Ahnn addressed her, long hair tied up into a ponytail over her usual blouse and pants. "I wouldn't bother. Over recent weeks our Farcan guest has retained her determination to address everyone like this." The auburn-headed girl shook her head, sending the tail of hair behind her whipping back and forth in bulky disapproval.
"I'm bad with names. I’ll admit that freely enough" Cheska cheerfully grinned, brushing some escaped, wayward hairs back into place atop her head.
"No, beyond all that." Cara said, putting a hand up in pause. "How did you do that?" She gestured towards the contraption at the back of the room, highly confused.
"Oh." The Farcan Monk said, eyes flicking towards the little dragon twisting about Cara's feet in an attempt to sabotage her shoelaces.
"I sometimes forget that you're new to this." Cheska said, walking back over towards the contraption. "You're a Light rider, so you can partly learn from this, but I'm sure you understand the basic elemental components that make it." Cheska waved a hand, gesturing towards the sink she had just thrown water into. "When you and your dragon reach a certain point in your maturity, your magic will grow more versatile, doubly so for those of us blessed to be archetypes."
Cheska gestured to Ahnn over from where the Kitisalian had been picking at the rubble-filled dust left over from Petra clearing the rocks from the collapsed roof. The hole was sealed, modeled now into smooth quartz rock by Lysander's breath. "Although this type of magic is typically not as practiced or evident outside riders of the Royal ranks." Cheska paused, nodding towards the little dragon. Cara guessed the Royal rank must be the Farcan way of talking about Face Card dragons.
"Could you teach me?" Cara asked hopefully, eager for an opportunity to broaden the use of her magic. Although she had committed time to experiment and practice her power every day, not much that was new had emerged.
"Not as you are right now, maybe after you and your little dragon have grown." Cheska dug a small dried fish out of a box, tossing it to the silver dragonling near Cara's feet, who reared up on her scaly hindquarters to catch and swallow it in one gulp.
Cara nodded, slightly disappointed but not surprised. Using the magic had gotten somewhat easier; she got tired less and could make her element shine brighter with some encouragement and power. Using the magic wasn't unlike learning someone's name, who comes to greet you with more and more familiarity each time you call out to them.
"The upside is that, although they hit harder, the base elements like, say earth, for instance," Cheska shot Cara a grin. "Aren't capable of this. Their magic is far too strictly aligned to allow such flexibility."
Continuing, the monk leaned against the metal contraption with one arm, "But with enough time and practice, you can summon your magic and split it into its base components, although they appear as far weaker echoes of themselves." Cheska patted the steel drum she had shot flame into like an animal, opening her mouth to continue. Her next words were cut off by the door of the dining tower being thrown open below them, violently slamming into the wall as angry, intent footsteps slapped on the stone floors below.