Subj : RE: DARKWALL]Marika's Prologue 13 To : All From : liyet@bigfoot.com Date : Sat May 06 2000 03:15 am From: "Yune Kyung Lee" Subject: RE: DARKWALL]Marika's Prologue 13 Once Marika and Lynx have stamped the document and finished their meal, Rohani shows them to the caravan and introduces them perfunctorily to her three guards, who have already hitched up the van. "This is Tae, whom you'll be answering to," says the merchant, nodding to a heavyset man. Tae mutters a greeting. Marika pulls the image of a hard-eyed mercenary over herself; between one blink and the next, she makes the internal adjustment that will--she hopes--allow her to pass as a competent guard. She nods curtly to Tae, whom she suspects will be harder to fool in this matter than Rohani. The other two are Blossom, a dreamy-eyed woman with long braided hair, and Vessen Iros, a lanky young man who greets them effusively. "It's a good thing you have your own horses," Vessen says after Rohani has left to make some final preparations. "Riding in a wagon's pretty uncomfortable." His eyes alight on Lynx's spellsworn's cross, still pinned to his collar. "*That* might come in right handy." He looks uneasy for a moment, then says, "I've heard of foreign bandits and well-do-naughts, lately...." Lynx gives Marika a meaningful look. "I'm sure we can handle anything that happens." Tae says curtly, "Then let's see how good you are at keeping up. You have your horses ready? Meet us out here." Marika can already tell that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Once their journey begins, the routine becomes appallingly familiar. They see very little of Rohani, and rather too much of Tae, whose silent, brooding presence dampens even Lynx's attempts at conversation. Blossom, too, says little, though every time they set up camp she sings quietly to herself. She does invite Lynx and Marika to play tirachen against her, a slow smile playing at her lips as she suggests playing a game for money; Lynx declines rather hastily, claiming he's no good at the game (highly likely). Over the next couple of stops, Blossom attempts to convince Lynx to play a game. Marika sees what's going on, but Lynx doesn't seem to have a clue. By the second day, he agrees to play. On the third day, he agrees to play for money. And loses. Blossom leans over and whispers something in his ear. Marika catches the words "...payment doesn't have to be..." Lynx looks in shock at Blossom, then gets a sly look on his face. Scratching his chin, he pauses to think for a minute, then pulls Blossom up by the hand and takes her off to a wagon. She smiles at Marika as she gets up, and then follows Lynx to the wagon. Marika rolls her eyes, mutters an entreaty to the gods for protection from fools and the lovelorn (all one and the same, in any case), and marvels that anyone would actually want Lynx in the same room, much less the same bed. Without Lynx to talk to (not that they made much of a conversational pair anyway), Marika is left with the other guards. Having already established that Tae is a silent one, that leaves Vessen. Vessen talks a lot, but there's an uneasy paranoia underlying his words. And even though Lynx spends a good deal of his time with Blossom, on more than one occasion, Marika has to pull Lynx out of trouble when he tangles a wagon's traces or spills his tea or....well, at least he hasn't asked for "love advice" yet. She only trusts--ha! Trust Lynx!--that he won't get emotionally involved when they're on such a critical mission. Although, she reflects, knowing him, he could easily get his feelings as entangled as the wagon traces. In any case, she's certainly not going to nurse him out of a broken heart. The weather is damp and often rainy as they make their way through the Valley, through canton Tannaj where Marika spent her early years. The rice paddies are just as unappealing as she remembers them. From other traders, travellers, and the local farmers, they hear rumors: An army from the West bringing tribute to Avrezin's warlord; an army led by pale spirits whose wounds don't bleed. Commandant Miris has been found; Commandant Miris is has betrayed Qenar and is serving the Ezinen; Miris died of fever and they've been covering it up. The price of Zellen dyes, strange new crystalware from the desert, Sorevvan porcelain to rival anything fired in Qenar. And all these are but pale whispers above darker thoughts: wraiths. Wraiths have been seen in Bereshen, at the border settlements of Avrezin, in the shifting sands. Even the bandits that might be expected on the less-travelled roads are nowhere to be seen. Good or bad? Marika contemplates a coin toss, but she already knows the answer. Her thoughts are chilled and frost-lined at the thought of encountering wraiths. With her luck, she grouses, trying to find reassurance in complaining, one will turn up and decide that she deserves the dubious honor of a personal visitation, or something of the sort. Determinedly she bends her ears to the rumors which wrap about Commandant Miris' name, encouraging the trickle of words as subtly as she can whenever she meets those who might have heard the faintest piece of news. Nine out of ten parts false, surely, but that last part she cannot afford to overlook. As they leave Tannaj and enter canton Birechan, they come to a routine checkpoint. Rohani makes an appearance. Somehow she manages to look just as opulent (and overdressed), after their days travelling through the summer rains, as she did when Marika first saw her. "As you're well aware," she is saying to the customs officer when a shadowless presence makes itself known. "Gods," Lynx says in a hoarse voice, staring. "Madam Rohani!" Tae shouts, positioning himself in front of Rohani. The other two guards come running. She turns to begin a rebuke, then pales. "Do something!" she says in a strange, strained voice. Marika's gaze snaps away from its habitual flicking about her surroundings, and comes to rest unwillingly on the cause of the disturbance. She feels her breath catch somewhere between lung and lips, her body overcome by a sudden-rapid pulse, as if the air were hammering to be let out. Marika has a perfect view of the wraith from her position by one of the wagons. It is a black wolf with black eyes, and the sardonic expression she sees in those eyes tugs at her memory. Where has she seen such eyes before? The wolf leaves no shadow, though; nor is it one of the familiar white ghostwolves that are honored in Qenar. She swallows with a dry throat, her hand closing on her blade but reluctant to bare it. Her eyes, at first wide with surprise, are now the same in order to take in as much of the scene as possible. Then the wolf says, in a voice like the wind of a winter night's passing, "You are not what I have come to hunt." A howling gale answers him: the hidden pack, calling to their leader. [OOC: Addressed to Rohani?] "Do something--" Rohani says again, in a trembling voice. Lynx is beside Marika, and he says hoarsely to her, "There's no chance. I've been on the Black Wall. There's no chance." She breathes, without hope, "But if we're not the intended prey..." Her voice fades. Those eyes are disinclined toward mercy, she knows, and all too inclined toward death. "No!" Rohani cries as more black wolves appear, shadows becoming solid. They slowly circle the caravan. The leader remains still. "Do something," she says with greater conviction. "There's a bonus in it once we get to Avrezin--" The wolf's eyes transfix the merchant. "Avrezin. The land beneath the Firebird's wing, the rivers of which poets sing." Its voice is mocking. "Her justice brings the mountains war. To kill, her soldiers travel far--Avrezin." And then the wolf lunges for Rohani. [All of the below happens at once.] Tae, ever the obedient guard, draws his sword to strike at the wraith. Vessen Iros moves to cover his back, though his face is white. Blossom, who is near the lead wagon and had been playing with a dagger before to affect a menacing stance, doesn't move at all. She holds the dagger tightly in both hands, one hand over the hilt, one on the blade. Blood begins to creep slowly down her hand towards her wrist. Lynx starts toward Blossom, perhaps thinking to pull her out of harm's way. One of the wraiths breaks the circle, cutting between Lynx and Blossom, stopping him short. For once, a quick halt doesn't make him fall...but his ankle does look to be at a painful angle. He groans, trying not to. Marika snarls silently, mentally cursing his ineptness and whatever god is laughing at them. She is tempted to leave the fool to the wolves...but no, it is no fit fate for a human, no matter how fumble-footed. Not wolves, she reminds herself. Wraiths. Intelligent. Shadowless. *Here* and all too real. Her first stride is toward Lynx. Never mind Blossom; Marika can't use her sword for her, and can't waste the time to slap her to her senses. And while steel is too elusive a path to life, there is a glimmer of a chance... "If you've any defensive magic that you can *successfully* cast, this would be a good time," she says bitingly, her sword drawn and ready, even if she is not. [OOC: If Lynx does attempt a spell, Marika will do her best to defend him should any wraiths make any further move. As so far only Rohani seems to be a target, she will not provoke them unless it is clear that attack upon one of the two is imminent. She will also attempt to count the number of wraiths while still keeping a close eye on the wraith that stopped Lynx to see if it approaches, and the one lunging at Rohani, to analyze its style of combat in case she can learn something. Let me know exactly how you intend to run combat.] -- |Fidonet: liyet@bigfoot.com |Internet: ad&d@conchbbs.com | | Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own. | Conch, Net 106's Public Access Internet Gateway --- # Origin: (1:106/357.99) * Origin: ConchGate (1:106/357.0) .