CHAPTER 05

CHAPTER 05

RUMBLINGS

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T

HE DWINDLING LIGHT

outside produced a greater radiance than the smoky room they entered. Round tables and low-backed chairs fashioned from dark wood crowded the interior. A dark-stained table was placed in front of a stone fireplace that extended along a wall. No one sat at the rectangular table, even though the high-backed wooden chairs beckoned to the weary. At least, they looked inviting to Crystalyn.

In contrast, the round tables sported patrons. A few of them glanced in Crystalyn’s direction before quickly turning back to their private matters. Lit candles at each table accounted for the feeble light and some of the smoke. Lit oil lamps mounted near doors, loose-leaf cigars, and tamped pipes contributed to the rest. Wooden booths lined the walls along three of the great room’s peripheries. Most had occupants.

There was raucous laughter and the dull clack of filled metal mugs banging together, which Crystalyn attributed to a group of longhaired, clean-shaven men and boisterous women, some wearing armor. They mingled with swarthy townspeople wearing silken leather who sat alongside tradesmen in gaudy tunics and robes.

The low crescendo of many conversations droned throughout the room. Snatches of bodiless voices drifted to her ears. “I’m telling you,” a female voice thick with frustration said. “Listen to me. I just left the front. We’re losing ground every few bells!”

“What am I going to do now?” a nasal male voice asked. “The blasted Dark Citadel grows bolder, yet the Circle of Light does nothing.” Crystalyn’s ears perked. The boy, Darkwind, had mentioned a Dark Citadel in the alley, but the nasal voice said nothing else. “Somehow, the Dark Users have doubled their power in the past season alone,” a swarthy man said quietly from a table nearby. “Never in my twenty seasons as captain have I lost so many good men in one skirmish. Yet it’s happened twice in this blasted war. The last one nearly took my life. Perhaps it would’ve been better if it had,” he added, looking into his pewter mug and trailing off.

There it was. As plain as the man’s mug. Rumblings about some war going on, and Crystalyn had dropped the two of them right in the middle of it, providing Jade had transported to this world at all.

Please, Great Father, help me find her here.

Crystalyn’s luck seemed to be running where it usually ran, in the wrong place.

Atoi slipped across the great room, headed for the sole empty booth tucked away in a corner.

Crystalyn rushed to follow. Two table lengths from catching her, a massive body slid from a darkened side booth. Crystalyn pulled up short. The humanoid barrier blocking the way had to be female, but was she human? Bare, well-toned thighs rose past Crystalyn’s stomach. Clinging to the upper thighs, a leafy green dress snaked to mid-breast where golden hair cascaded past a generous bosom complementing muscular arms and toned hands. The woman towered beyond the meager lamp light and drifting smoke, hiding her neck and head in shadows too deep for Crystalyn to see through. A voice, brusque and melodious at the same time, drifted down from the shadows of smoke filling the rafters. “You’re with the Child of Dark, are you not?”

“If you mean Atoi, yes. Why do you call her that?”

“You’ll come to know in time, possibly. She may not allow it. Right now, I would ask acceptance for my companions and myself to join you and her. Is this permissible?”

Crystalyn glanced at the booth the woman had vacated. Two large shapes sat at the back. “I suppose you may, if it’s not too long.”

“Excellent. Lead the way.” The great body stepped to the side.

Slipping past before the big woman could change her mind, Crystalyn plopped into the booth opposite Atoi. “Make room, girl, we have company.”

Atoi sat up straighter, looking to where Crystalyn indicated with a wave of her arm. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?” Atoi asked the others.

The large woman wearing the green dress sat next to Atoi, facing Crystalyn Broad in face and nose, the woman was attractive, in a big sort of way. Delicate cheekbones complemented her fine eyebrows and eyes ... there was something about her eyes.

“Our business isn’t with you this time, Child of Dark,” an elderly woman clad in a long, white silk dress said as she sat down beside Crystalyn. Smaller than her companion, the old woman still forced Crystalyn to look higher. Wrinkles lined her weathered, motherly face, and her eyes... The old woman’s eyes were a lustrous, glowing white with no visible pupils or irises.

Crystalyn looked at the big woman across the table. Her luminescent eyes shone from the darkness, facing her direction. Crystalyn had little time to gape as a third companion squeezed himself in next to the old woman. Shorter by several inches than his companions, the man’s bulk still loomed over the booth. He held his broad jaw higher than most, and his deep, brown eyes regarded Crystalyn, revealing little of what they wanted. At least he had normal eyes.

“Please, allow me to enlighten you who we are,” the large woman across from Crystalyn said. “I’m known as Lore Rayna,” she said, gesturing to herself. “The elder beside you is the Lore Mother or simply Mother. The choice is yours but do address her properly as one or the other. Our protector sitting next to the Lore Mother is Cudgel,” she added, flashing a quick smile toward the big, muscular man.

Crystalyn stole a closer look at Cudgel. The man’s auburn beard made his broad face appear wider, and his hair was a thick, fiery red. He sat rigid, and his pale brown eyes regarded her with open suspicion. Taken aback, Crystalyn looked away toward the one speaking the introductions.

Lore Rayna had fallen silent, facing Crystalyn expectantly.

“Oh! My name is Crystalyn Creek,” Crystalyn said suddenly. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I believe you already know Atoi?”

“We have known her for some time. For this moment, we’re interested in you, dear,” the old woman said, her vibrant tone belying her age.

Varicose veins branched prominently from her forehead to her deeply sunken cheeks. The old woman’s mouth and lips had stretched so taut Crystalyn felt it must hurt to converse, though she showed no sign of pain. “Me? There isn’t much about me to cause so much interest.”

The Lore Mother laughed a vibrant laugh that sounded strange coming from one with so many seasons. “Don’t be coy, dear. I know when there’s something special about someone. Particularly one with your ... shall we say, strong Flow capabilities?”

“I knew it!” Atoi exclaimed.

Ignoring the outburst, the Lore Mother went on. “Besides, one does not usually sit speaking with an old woman like me while displaying such a large bloodstain spread across a waist as small as yours. In most cases, it would require seasons of advanced study to heal someone with a wound that dire. Much longer than you’ve lived, I’d imagine.”

Crystalyn kept silent, though she wondered how the woman knew she’d somehow healed herself. She didn’t even understand it herself.

“Let’s talk about your apparel. I’ve never seen a tunic cut like yours, and I know a lot about clothes, believe me. It’s a fancy of mine. Your clothes have an almost otherworldly feel about them, if I may be so bold to say.” Before Crystalyn could answer, the Lore Mother turned her wizened face to Atoi. “I’m sure that’s not all, is it, Child of Dark?”

“What are you talking about, insane old woman? Did I not tell you to stop calling me that?” Atoi said, her emotionless face contradicting her words. She sat back and dropped her left hand to her side.

For some reason, Miss Dagger’s petulance irritated Crystalyn, and the little girl seemed only too ready to reach for her weapon. “Watch your tongue, Atoi, and keep your hands on the table.”

Atoi put her hand beside her other one on the table. “I do not know why the old woman keeps saying such things. What do they want with us? Make them go away.”

Lips pressed together, the old Mother’s pale, luminescent eyes bore down on Atoi’s young frame. Presented with a side view of the woman’s eye, Crystalyn saw only white. She wondered how the woman or Lore Rayna could see at all. Several heartbeats passed before the Lore Mother went on, her voice almost inaudible. “Tell me, little one. Did you create that ugly red stain on her attire?”

Atoi hesitated, looking at Crystalyn.

“Go on. Tell her the truth. I think she knows, anyway,” Crystalyn said.

Atoi lifted her tiny head slightly. “Okay, fine. I did not do it with purpose.”

The old woman went on, her raspy voice lowered. “Your dagger injects the magical properties equivalent to tree dragon’s blood deep inside your prey, does it not?”

A sharp inhale from Lore Rayna and Cudgel brought to mind that they and the Lore Mother were part of a trio of people on another world Crystalyn knew nothing about.

Cudgel spoke for the first time, his deep voice a rumble. “Wise Mother, how can this be? A tiny splash of tree dragon’s blood will kill a warrior in a score of breaths!”

Lore Rayna interrupted. “Do you think she is the one, Mother?” Her large eyes remained fixed on the old woman. At least her head faced her, anyway. It was difficult to tell the focus of her eyes. Lore Rayna could’ve been staring at her, for all Crystalyn knew.

“I—” the old woman began and then clamped her mouth closed.

A buxom barmaid, wearing a black skirt barely reaching her upper thighs, and a matching vest that left her shoulders and most of her chest bare, appeared at the open end of the booth. “Can I get you all something to drink?” she asked, flashing a small, tired smile meant to include the entire table. Balancing a large wooden tray full of empty tankards and glasses, the barmaid glanced at Atoi, her blue eyes neutral.

“Yes, I want—” the little girl began.

“Go see to the Gray Dust envoy, Dawn. I’ll see to this table,” a gruff male voice commanded.

Shrugging her bare shoulders, the woman sauntered toward a boisterous round table.

A balding man of average height who sported a black mustache replaced the barmaid. A leather patch covered his right eye. Trailing out from under it, a jagged scar was festering. “Well now, isn’t this cozy,” the man said, looking at the three big newcomers in turn. His one blue eye slid past Crystalyn without pausing. A stained rag was draped over his right shoulder. “I don’t need another trouble table, not this night. With all the trade envoys in town for the Snow Melt Festival, I have my hands full with everyone as it is, yet problems have plagued you three all week. Now here you are at the little one’s booth. Why is that?”

Cudgel’s red, bushy eyebrows pulled together, his gruff face darkening with each word the man spoke. In contrast, Lore Rayna’s broad face smoothed—serene as a porcelain doll made to resemble a noble woman prepared to withstand the ages, if handled with care. The Lore Mother’s face, meanwhile, resembled weathered stone.

“Don’t answer that. I know you won’t anyway, but I’ll find out eventually. You know I will. All that happens in this forsaken town ultimately finds its way into the Muddy Wagon Inn, where I decide what to do about it,” the scarred man said. Pausing, he fixed a penetrating one-eyed gaze at the end of the booth. Crystalyn tried not to stare. His good eye looked right at her this time. “Except, I don’t think I know you, which I find quite curious. A new visitor never escapes the local townsfolk’s gossip, particularly one as young and beautiful as you.” His large muscles bulged as he lifted the rag from his shoulder and daubed along the scar’s visible portion.

Crystalyn didn’t know how to respond. Silence blanketed the booth.

“She’s with me,” Atoi said after a time.

“I know she’s with you. She’s in your booth, isn’t she?”

“No, I mean, she’s staying with me. I brought her into town and did not want to display her around, so we arrived...my way,” Atoi said, her voice getting softer with each word.

Fixing his unblinking stare on Atoi for a long moment, the balding innkeeper’s eye narrowed. “Very well, but if she’s staying in your room, it’ll cost you extra, you know that. See me in the morning. As for the rest of you,” he added, glancing around the booth, “you’ll also need to see me in the morning to go over your accumulating debt.” Turning on his heel, he stalked off into the crowd.

“Blast Hastel!” Cudgel hissed through his teeth, his deep voice echoing around the booth. Balling his beefy hand into a fist, he thumped it on the table, causing his chain mail shirt to clink softly. The table bucked. “One of these times I’m going to relieve him of his good eye, then stand him near a cliff and enjoy watching what happens next.”

Lore Rayna leaned forward, a half-smile on her lips. “Leave him for now. We have larger concerns. The opportunity for your loving ministrations shall happen in good time. At this moment, we have a different purpose.”

The Lore Mother spoke. “We do at that. You two stay away from Hastel. I shall handle him. Regarding you, Crystalyn, I have something to show you. I think you may find it quite...useful. Can I meet you tomorrow? Shall we say, at eight bells?”

Curious, Crystalyn nodded.

Atoi slapped the table with both palms. “Hey! Hastel never let us order our drinks. I’m hungry.”

“I shall stop by the kitchen and have something sent to your room. We should all go to bed. The rest would do us good,” the Lore Mother said, standing abruptly.

Cudgel slid hastily from the booth.

Pausing for a brief stare around the room, the Lore Mother stepped into the dimmer light of the smoky tavern center. “Not to mention, I want to have words with Hastel.” The Lore Mother’s raspy words hung in Crystalyn’s ears long after the dim light had closed in behind her.

Lore Rayna scrambled to her feet as Cudgel stared into the crowd, raking his curly hair back with a swish of his big hand. “I hate it when she does that! How am I supposed to protect her when she goes gallivanting off into a hostile area?” he complained, hastening into the crowd, breaking a new trail through a fog of smoke.

“Will she be all right?” Crystalyn asked.

Lore Rayna smiled. “She’s the Lore Mother. I think you’ll find there’s a much harsher side to her than poor Hastel realizes. Besides, she has the hairy, red-haired brute glaring over her shoulder at anyone who sneezes in her direction.”

As Lore Rayna spoke, a flash of movement on the big woman’s dress caught Crystalyn’s eye. Or was it a dress? Green forest-fern leaves formed an intertwined vine pattern that fit together with every leaf so well overall, they formed a body-hugging garb seamless enough to repel moisture, Crystalyn believed. Such a thing wouldn’t be impossible for some material, but that was not what had caught Crystalyn’s eye. There was ... something. Then, she saw it. The fern constricted and loosened with Lore Rayna’s breathing, moving subtly back and forth. The dress was

alive.

Lore Rayna pursed her lips. “You require food and a rest cycle to complete your healing. We will speak again in the morning.”

Crystalyn watched her walk away until the smoke claimed her, her eyes on the green dress. With each stride, the foliage shifted, maintaining some invisible line for decency, albeit barely. She found the whole thing disturbing.

Her head throbbed.

Standing, she looked at Atoi. “Come on. I want food, bath, and bed, in that order. Do they have bathtubs here?”

Atoi slipped into the narrow aisle. “My room does. I pay well for it.”

“Good. I can scrub my clothes too. Lead the way.”

Keeping an eye on the young girl’s sinuous form as the little girl deftly made her way through a sea of faceless bodies, Crystalyn thought about how she’d never asked Atoi or any of the others about the rumblings. If there was a war, she wanted to know the details.

A war could be a significant deterrent to finding her sister.