Chapter 12: Loose Ends

Caden awoke to bright sunlight bleeding through his eyelids. He opened them, his muscles stiff and sore, his mind clouded. He was lying on his bedroll in the observatory, the Alfar model of the solar system slowly rotating above him, the opening at the peak of the pyramid revealing blue skies. His cape had been draped over him like a blanket, and he pulled it off as he sat up, looking around for Kadal.

“Caden!” she exclaimed, rushing to his side. “You are awake!”

“What happened?” he grumbled, rubbing his temples as a dull ache permeated his head.

“After you used the black stone, you passed out, and I carried you up to the observatory. You have slept for hours. I was starting to worry that you might never wake, that the stone had incurred some terrible cost.”

“No,” he replied, “it was just very taxing. Acting as a conduit for that kind of magic, seeing the things that I saw ... it was draining.”

“What happened to you?” she asked. “All I saw was you placing your hands near the sunken star, then you seemed to freeze up, like your body had turned to stone. After a few seconds, you fell backwards, as though it had rejected you.”

“A few seconds?” he repeated, giving her a confused look. “I was gone for minutes, at least. My soul ... my consciousness, it left my body. I was carried high into the sky, beyond the clouds, until I was amongst the stars themselves. My memories are ... fuzzy, but I remember seeing the world from above, I remember using the black stone to alter its course.”

“Did you succeed?” she asked. “The great serpent told me that the task was done, before becoming as stone once more. I pleaded for it to stay, to tell me the history of my people, but it would not.”

“I did what I could,” he said, staring up at the golden sculpture. “We can only hope that time is on our side and that we will not suffer the same fate as the people who built this place. Imagine it,” he added solemnly. “To have devised such a marvelous artifact, to have saved all of creation, only for your civilization to perish regardless. Were it not for the Alfar, we would never have existed at all. Our world would have ended thousands of years before we were ever born.”

“I believe in you,” Kadal insisted, Caden smiling at her. “The Gods are not so cruel as to have us come all this way for nothing.”

“We shall have to wait and see,” he sighed. “Where is my waterskin?” he added, looking around their makeshift campsite. “I’m parched, my tongue feels like a lump of wood.”

She fetched it for him, and he took a long draw, feeling the liquid slide all the way down to his stomach. He covered his mouth as he coughed for a moment, then took another drink.

“What happens next?” she asked, Caden handing the vessel back to her. “Your quest is over, you have done all that you can. What will become of us now? I cannot return to my village,” she continued, a touch of regret creeping into her voice. “While I might be able to explain what has happened to the Shaman if I could reach her, the other tribes are still hunting for us. If they learn that I have led an outsider into the heart of the sacred city, they will show me no mercy.”

“What if we just ... stayed here for a while?” he suggested, Kadal cocking her head at him. “There are more books here than I could ever read, more artifacts than I could possibly catalog. I can make water for us, some of my supplies yet remain, and you know how to hunt. We have shelter,” he added, gesturing to the sloping walls of the pyramid.

“And good company,” she replied with a smile.

“It will take a couple of months, at least, for me to confirm that I have succeeded in my task. The changes will be gradual, we have plenty of time to figure out what to do next. I think we’ve earned a break.”

“I think you have earned a little more than a break,” she said, her tone turning sly. She swung her long leg over him, straddling him as he lay on the bedroll. He was still sore, but he welcomed her comforting weight, running his hand up her scaly thigh. “You saved the world, after all. Some might call you a hero.”

She leaned closer, her soft lips meeting his own, the two sharing a kiss beneath the gilded planets as they rotated above them. Her embrace was like a balm, soothing him, filling him with warmth. When they broke away, she remained sat atop him, gazing down at his red face with her honey-colored eyes.

“Now, you must recover your strength quickly, hero. You shall need it, I will see to that...”

“The stars are slowly returning to their original positions,” Caden said, making a note on a piece of parchment before turning away from his telescope. The hole at the peak of the observatory was not merely to let in light, but also to let the magi point their lenses at the stars from the comfort of their workshop. He had been plotting the constellations for weeks, and with the gradual shortening of the days, he finally felt comfortable declaring his mission a success. “It’s happening, and fast enough that disaster should be averted. In a matter of weeks, the farmers back home will find that the rains start to come again and that their crops take to the soil. It may be a couple of years before everything returns to normal, but the world is on the right course.”

“I never doubted it,” Kadal replied. She was lying nude on their bedroll, in the midst of the temporary home that they had made for themselves in the pyramid. The contents of his pack were strewn about nearby tables, along with a collection of Alfar artifacts that he had recovered during his expeditions into the city, and from his explorations of the observatory. There were scrolls everywhere, both his own research, and the notes left by the magi that he was still in the process of translating. There was also a circle of salvaged masonry, a makeshift campfire, the spit that they had used to cook Kadal’s latest catch earlier in the evening still standing above the smoldering embers.

Silver moonlight filtered in from the ceiling, reflecting off Kadal’s scales, seeming to make them glow in the gloom. She shifted her weight, lying on her side, gravity squashing her ample breasts together. His eyes were drawn to the wide curve of her hip, her firm abdominal muscles tensing beneath her shining hide as she moved. “Come back to bed, will you? You cannot stare at the heavens all night.”

“This means that we can start thinking about leaving soon. I mean, if you want to,” he continued. “I’m in no hurry myself.”

“We are rather comfortable here,” she replied, her frill rising to frame her head in blushing red. “But yes ... we cannot remain idle forever. I have been thinking about my people, how their lives might be improved if I were to lead them here. So much of our history is unknown to us, but we can learn, we can uncover the secrets of our past.”

“And I must let my Master know all that I have discovered,” Caden added. “The Alfar knew things that even the Sorcerer’s Guild does not. This library alone could take a team of scholars years to catalog, let alone everything that might be contained within the city walls. I’d rather we didn’t have to fight our way back across the Coral Sea, however.”

“What we need is a way to convince my people of the truth,” she mused. “An artifact that we can bring back, something that they can see for themselves. We can still defend the city, as is our duty. After seeing our people’s likeness in the ruins, and hearing the words of the stone serpent, I have never felt more sure of that. But you have proven to me that not all outsiders are evil, and that there are some who should be allowed to travel here, to uncover the mysteries of this place.”

“I was hoping you’d feel that way,” Caden replied with a smile. “Your people have the only claim to this city. There are no more Alfar, but you are still here, it is only right that you should inherit what they built. More, you have the strength to defend that claim. If you can convince your Shamans to allow the guild’s scholars to visit, provide them safe passage through the Coral Sea, then I will vouch for them. These are no battlemages, they are scholars, explorers.”

“I would be glad to, if we ever make it back,” she replied.

“You said that you wanted to show your people proof of what has happened,” Caden said, scratching his chin pensively. “What would it take to convince them?”

“If they could see the statues of our people fighting alongside the Alfar as I did, I am sure that they would understand. The problem is, we cannot drag a giant statue across miles of desert. I doubt that even you are capable of that.”

“Maybe not,” Caden replied, “but I’ve come across plenty of smaller artifacts that might help you make a case. I’ve found intact tapestries depicting battles involving reptiles and Alfar that could be rolled up and carried, commemorative vases and bowls, small trinkets that might prove your connection to the city.”

“And what if they refuse to listen?” Kadal asked.

“I don’t want to fight,” he sighed. “I think I’ve done enough fighting to last me a lifetime, but I don’t know what else to do.”

“You remember when we found that armory a few days ago, when we were exploring the Eastern quarter of the city?” Kadal asked. Caden nodded his head, recalling the racks of ancient weapons, swords and spears of Alfar design that had been enchanted by the magi. There was armor, too, different from those worn by the knights of his kingdom. Where his own people wore heavy plates of iron and steel, the Alfar had favored lighter materials. They had worn cuirasses made from overlapping strips of metal that gave them a greater range of motion in battle, with little more than studded leather skirts to protect their thighs, and shoulder plates to cover their arms. It might have something to do with the heat, too. A knight wearing full plate would cook inside his suit under the desert sun.

“There must be armories housing weapons built for my people,” she continued. “Let me don armor, let me wield a weapon, let me guard you as my ancestors once guarded the Alfar.”

“Kadal, I can’t let you fight in my stead,” Caden began, but she cut him off.

“My people respect strength,” she insisted, sitting up on the bedroll. It was a challenge to have a serious conversation with her while her ample breasts were swaying in the moonlight. “I can best any of my kin in combat, I am sure of it. Armed with Alfar artifacts, I will be the equal of any of the warrior-shamans the tribes have sent after us. There need be no bloodshed, only a show of force, enough to get them to stop and listen to what I have to say.”

“You know your kin better than I do,” Caden conceded. “If you think this will work, I won’t try to dissuade you. I don’t have a better suggestion to offer.”

“I learned to trust you,” she replied, opening her arms in invitation to him. “Do me that same honor.”

He smiled, making his way over to the bedroll to join her.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Caden warned, walking beside Kadal as they made their way through the jutting whale bones. They had nearly arrived at the base of the ridge, where Kadal was certain that they would encounter the headhunters who had been pursuing them. They would not brave the territory of the Borophage, as they would have no way of knowing that it had been slain. With that in mind, she had concluded that they would be guarding the South pass and the exit to the cave system as they waited for their quarry to return. Kadal had decided to head towards the pass, as neither of them particularly enjoyed the thought of navigating the underground passages again.

“It will work,” Kadal replied. “Just stay behind me, and let me do the talking.”

“Not that they would understand me anyway,” he muttered.

She was wearing a suit of armor that the ancient Alfar had fashioned for her kind, a cuirass made from bands of shining metal, its surface decorated with golden livery. Her helmet had face guards that protected her cheeks and snout, a regal brush rising from its peak, likely made from horsehair. A skirt made from studded leather stopped just above her knees, and around her hips was a belt, the hilt of a short sword protruding from its sheath. Her main weapon was a two-handed battleaxe, one of far more impressive craftsmanship than the axe of ivory and stone that she had once wielded. It was made from steel, with a great, curved head that looked capable of bisecting most men with one swing. It was all enchanted, he could see the strands of magic that still flowed through the artifacts, providing her with more protection than her attire might suggest at a glance. It certainly made for a fearsome sight, but would the headhunters respond to it?

Before them loomed the pass, a break in the insurmountable face of the ridge that created a rocky pathway through it, like a small valley. Caden was no tactician, but he could immediately see how easy it would be to stage an ambush in there. The path was boxed in by high rock walls, covered in convenient boulders and scrubs where their adversaries could conceal themselves. He had cast a perception spell so that he and Kadal would be forewarned of their presence, but it was of little consolation.