Chapter 5

Winter, Day Six Hundred and Fifty Two
Year Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirteen AF

It took them twelve days to reach the small village outside of the city; the one Kianna was planning to visit. Though they called it an outpost, it was a little too big to be called one. The caravan resupplied here, frantic to be gone as far from the devil city as they could. Beside her, Yakui stood in the twilight and pointed at the city, her face grim.

“It was called Kinsha, the Mizukori capital, but now the Desh call it Hell’s Maw. The leader they elected is still in power, through the grace of his family’s name. But there’s something wrong with their lineage, something twisted. They’re cruel and brutal to anyone not Desh, even resorting to slavery and public executions.” Yakui shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off the words.

“I have no choice but to go.” She smiled weakly at the Mizukori, those crimson eyes glinting as they began to glow in the darkness.

“Why?” It was a simple question, but the voice wasn’t Yakui’s. A smaller girl had overheard their conversation, peeking out from beside Yakui. She had amber-cream colored ears sticking out from strawberry blonde hair that was cut short, layered and rough like it had been done with a knife. She wore a loose tan colored tunic and pants that were tied up around her calves and biceps. On her person, Kianna counted six daggers, though they looked more for skinning than for fighting. She had one fluffy fox tail the same color as her ears that twitched behind her, waiting eagerly for the answer to the question.

“Kelindra, that’s rude.” Yakui scolded her, flicking one of those fox ears. The younger girl couldn’t have been more than thirteen by Desh standards, though Kianna knew she could have been a lot older. Some races aged slower than Desh, while others barely lasted a year.

“It’s fine. I just have a calling, some kind of drive to go there.” Kelindra’s eyes lit up, those amber orbs slitting like that of a cat with interest. Yakui though kept a firm hold on her shoulder, like a big sister.

“Yakui, this is the adventure we were wanting.” She said, excitement rippling through her body as she tensed, standing on the balls of her feet, her ankle high boots laced tightly for the trip. It looked like she had been ready to follow the Ciasti, looking for some type of adventure.

“No, you belong here with your family. Kyui stick together, right?” Kelindra glared at the older girl, rolling her eyes. She trotted over to a hut nearby them, made of simple leathers and furs, able to be taken down at a moment’s notice. She picked up a pack, heavy with food, supplies, and clothing. On top, she had Rairakku strapped to it.

“Fate works in weird ways.” Kianna grinned, taking the weapon from the pack it was strapped to. She did a few practice swings, twirling it in her hands before sheathing it again.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Kelindra tried to snatch it back, but Kianna held it above her head, glaring down at the Kyui. It made her falter as she went to jump for it again, instead choosing to let it go.

“This is my weapon from far to the West, where I come from. You got it off a trader who was desperate to sell it, didn’t you?” When the girl nodded, Kianna did a few turns, showing her that it was indeed her weapon. A few practice slashes had Kelindra backing up behind Yakui, letting the argument go.

“Impressive. How did it end up here?” Yakui mused aloud, looking to Kelindra with a raised brow.

“He said he had bought it off some Akori who found it and had no use for it. When he himself couldn’t find a buyer for it, he came to this outpost to try. Apparently we like exotic weaponry.” Kelindra rolled her eyes, pouting at losing her new weapon.

“Akori, that sounds familiar.” Tokiu raised his head from her shoulders where he was perched, having been quiet this entire time. With a bit of mental nudging, he answered her question. Kianna’s eyes widened and then narrowed as her grip tightened on Rairakku, looking towards Kelindra. Again the Ciasti eyed the camp next, finding no signs of the white wings, but it didn’t cause her to relax.

“They’re pretty well known, but they haven’t visited this part of the world since the city fell over a thousand years ago.” That triggered something to flicker across Kianna’s memory, but she didn’t answer, instead listening intently as the girl went on. “It was pretty bad, but no one who was there is still alive. My family had escaped before the big brawl happened and I wasn’t born yet.” Yakui hugged Kelindra, raising a brow at the Ciasti’s reaction to the story but didn’t say anything.

It took a few moments for Kianna to be able to speak, wading through memories half remembered, unsure if they had been real or just imagined. When she saw the sincerity of Kelindra’s face, her own paled.

“Though no one can confirm if Princess Taevra survived or not. Everyone thinks she’s long dead, slaughtered for the public.” The name rocked her memory as she fell to her knees, holding her head while tears raced down her cheeks. Dying, the Gods, the gates, Taevra’s history, it all came racing back to her. Yakui ran to her side, kneeling beside her, hesitant to touch her while Kelindra sat on the other side.

“What’s wrong? Kianna!” Yakui called while Tokiu pressed his head to Kianna’s cheek, trying to reach the Ciasti through their link. The sea of emotions and images were strong, but Tokiu was stronger than that.

“Kianna, listen to me. You are safe, you are here. Come to me, listen to my voice.” In her mind, Kianna turned to him, reaching out for his paw. Grasping it, they slowly worked through the memories, her face blank on the outside.

“What just happened?” Kelindra whimpered, trying not to cry while Yakui waved a hand in front of Kianna’s face. When she had no reaction, she looked in both her crimson eyes, now dull and lifeless.

“I don’t know, but she knows something Kel.” Yakui wanted to shake the Ciasti, but thought better of it as one of those amber eyes opened. Teeth showed from beneath the curtain of black hair that hid him, though those teeth were black as well. His tongue was purple, making him more frightening even though he was small, making both Yakui and Kel hesitate to touch Kianna even more.

They waited impatiently in front of her, Yakui sitting indian style beside her while Kel rocked back and forth on her toes. Impatiently they watched her, waiting until Kianna focused on them again, blinking while tears came to her eyes. Though she didn’t cry this time, she looked at them both as if for the first time.

“I remember why I came here.” Her voice sounded hoarse, though she hadn’t been screaming in the slightest. Tokiu leaned back on her shoulder, watching her curiously while she spoke.

“I came here to see her, to find out why the Gods have chosen me to find her.” Kelindra nearly was knocked over as Yakui grabbed Kianna’s biceps, locking her eyes with the crimson ones before her.

“You’ve seen the princess?” She hissed, careful not to raise her voice too much to draw attention. Instead she kept quiet, speaking quickly and with restrained excitement.

“Yes, but if what I’ve seen is long gone, then I wonder where she is now?” The excitement died a bit from Yakui, but there was hope within those serpentine eyes. The fact that Kianna had seen the past made her tail twitch; curling tighter around her while Kel crept closer to hear.

“What have you seen?” Yakui prodded, still holding Kianna who was still too raw to really notice. Her emotions were a whirlwind of excitement from the Mizukori holding her from the empathy link and fear.

“Her family slaughtered and her escaping to a clearing with some animal, one that could fly. There was a Desh boy too, but that’s all I’ve seen so far.” Yakui looked to Kel as Kianna spoke, covering her mouth while she took a shuddering breath. Tears formed in Kel’s eyes, feeling the same excitement and hope that their princess lived. They had questions, but Kianna held her hand up.

“But.” Kianna shook her head and slowly got to her feet, still shaky as she steadied herself. Kel was beside her in an instant, helping to steady the Ciasti just long enough to get her to a bed. Yakui sat beside her, Kel grabbing pillows to help make her comfortable.

“How do your visions work?” Yakui asked, looking from Kianna to Tokiu and back curiously. For a moment the Ciasti looked inside herself, feeling Tokiu nod more than see it as she decided to answer.

“I thought they were dreams, things I’ve had many times before. I’ve been in a castle, far above the clouds soaring with the sun or deep beneath the ground running from the darkness. I just thought it was all dreams, but I was wrong.” She took a deep breath, choking back the overwhelming fear that gripped her heart.

“Have you had any visions since you’ve been here?” Their eager eyes made Kianna nervous, but the urge to move away from them was held in check by Tokiu showing fangs at them. It kept them from shaking her with their excitement, thankfully still afraid of the little beast. Through her empathy, she wanted to tell them every detail, but she hadn’t sorted through it herself yet.

Shaking her head, their sad faces made her want to reach out and touch them, but she held herself back, slowly working through her empathy. It would take some time to be able to hold it in check, since most of the above grounders had little control of their emotional faculties it seemed.

“Well what will you do now?” It wasn’t as much a question from Kel rather than a statement that wherever she went, they would follow. Realizing she wasn’t going to be able to make them listen, she sighed inwardly.

“Let them come Kia, they’ll be our eyes and ears during the day. Though they’re young, they’ll be helpful with knowledge of this land and its people.” To Tokiu’s advice, she smiled at them both. Eyes widened as hugs were exchanged, though thankfully none with her. Kel was nearly on top of Yakui as she cheered, her mouth covered by the Mizukori.

“It’ll be dangerous and I have no idea where the visions will take me. If you still want to come, I am not responsible for your lives.” They seemed to not be listening as they bolted out of the tent, Kel using Yakui as a springboard while she raced headlong into the dawn that was approaching. Kianna bit her lip, worry painted on her face while making herself comfy. It would be a long trip, one she wasn’t sure any of them would survive.

“You’ve warned them and they still want to come. It’s not your fault. You’re on this mission by the Gods, they aren’t. They can always back out, so can you. There’s no reason why we can’t go home right now.” Tokiu pressed his head against her chin, trying to ease her worries. She looked up at the ceiling of the tent as things grew lighter, near painful to her eyes. There was no way of knowing if she could walk away from this path without consequences, but for now she didn’t plan to.

As the light grew brighter, she heard the desert people were awakening, moving to start the day before the sands grew too hot for even them. Kianna closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the pillows she had piled up. It wasn’t so much that she was relaxing more so than she was deep in thought. Sleep wouldn’t come to her either, something that her restless mind knew.

What felt like a few moments to her sleepless mind brought the heat of the day with it, passing through her meditation silently. Only the movement of the tent flap brought her Rairakku up at the throat of the intruder, Yakui. Kianna opened her eyes, looking at the startled Mizukori with a blade at her throat, Kel standing behind her. They had bags, supplies, too much to carry on this journey.

Kianna carefully pulled her blade back, sheathing it at her side as she sat back down. Yakui touched her neck, coming away with no blood to her relief. They both sat down on the mat inside the tent, grinning over their overstuffed packs. Kianna squinted at them, a brow raised in question to their supplies.