Legends of Endrian: The Rebirth

Oppressive, sulfurous air assaulted Sumiré and Kain as they climbed the craggy mountain. The rock was warm beneath their feet and only increasing in temperature as they climbed. Sumiré's green and silvery priestess robes and leather sandals were unsuited for the journey and she went to great lengths to maintain their cleanliness. Kain watched her warily, for her flat-soled sandals were ill-equipped to find footing among the steep mountainside. With one hand ever at the ready should she lose her balance, he rested the other on the hilt of his broadsword.

He had only chosen this ugly, dangerous terrain because the merchant kingdom of Talim was only a few days' walk past the mountains. Talim was an Elven kingdom, as Aethyr had been, though its people bore striking physical and cultural differences to its secluded brethren. Talim was a prosperous kingdom of trade and fashion at the peak of its Renaissance. Surely, there would be information about the horde, its destination, and perhaps even its master. Even if they could find no information, it would still be the most sensible first step. Kain also had connections in Talim. Another reason to make the journey.

At last, they found the upper reaches of the mountain. As they climbed up the final footholds, they trod a flat road that cut across the top of the mountain. It was a wide path, and heavily-traveled though the tracks of cart wheels and pack animals were old and faint. None had passed through here in years, at least. The pair followed the road until it sloped down into a clear mountain spring. Kain squatted beside Sumiré to fill their water skins and was surprised at the heat of the water. It was a hot springs. Perhaps the mountains were no longer traversed because the Talimites had discovered that they were actually volcanoes, and not mountains as the previous generations had assumed.

"We should go quickly," he said, splashing some water over his face. "If the Talimites haven't been through this pass... you know what it means." Sumiré nodded.

It would explain why the Talimites rarely visited Aethyr in the past few years, and it would explain the sudden spike in the price of ore. The Aetherians had suffered only minimally, as they still had plentiful resources and desired goods for trade that could be found nowhere else. Aetherians had been particularly praised for their vibrant enchantments, which were more potent than any other, and their beautiful textiles the like of which could be reproduced nowhere else in Endrian.

When their water skins were full, they continued as quickly as they could through the rocky mountain pass. It took another day to get through the pass and to the bottom of the mountain. Sumiré had proven hardier than she appeared, though Kain had expected as much. She had somehow found a way to maintain her poise and grace despite sleeping on rocks and without so much as a blanket to stay warm in the night. Truly, there had been nothing left intact to take with them on their journey save for the two water skins. Yet not once did she complain.

At nightfall, they came upon a small farming village. It was quiet save for the small tavern that loomed taller than the other squat buildings, where some sort of celebration was taking place. The short, narrow buildings with angular, prism-shaped roofs spoke of a human population rather than an elven one. Kain found his hand on his sword, already gripping the laced hilt. He'd met humans on multiple occasions before he came to settle in the outskirts of Aethyr, and none of them pleasant.

"We have nothing to fear from these humans, Kain," Sumiré said softly as they reached the small globes of light cast by the first few houses. "They're naught but farmers and shepherds. Stay your hand and maintain your control, else we shall receive no hospitality here."

Bitter thoughts swirled in his head of his previous experiences with humans. He forced himself into silence as they continued past the shepherds' grazing flocks. He flexed his fingers, but forced his arms to his sides. He already saw curious human faces in the windows, mostly that of children. They were so strange- their features round and thick, one step away from the stout, burly dwarves. Even the children had this appearance. Kain forced his eyes on the road ahead, the small dirt road that cut through the village's center.

"The tavern is right there," Sumiré told him, taking his arm. Priestesses of Kidane were taught a great many things, though he didn't know the common tongue was one she'd wished to learn. He certainly had never had the chance nor desire. A large sign with strange symbols marked the tavern. Though they had no meaning to him, Sumiré seemed to have no trouble recognizing the alien words.

The door opened easily on cheap bronze hinges. The wooden door was light and hollow-sounding, quite unlike the thick, heavy Sylvanwood used in the elvish cities of Aethyr and Talim, among others. It was said that humans preferred lighter wood such as birch and oak, but the idea of using such a flimsy material for a door seemed silly to Kain. Inside, the small tavern was filled with men drinking watered-down ale and conversing in loud, joyful tones. A woman with hips the size of a small flagship and a bosom to match danced across the floor, serving drinks and lamb's leg. As the two elves crossed the room toward the bar, all frivolity ceased, stolen away and replaced by an uncomfortable silence.

"S-sky above!" the woman cried suddenly, scurrying behind the bar. She addressed the two only after a long pause to gather her bearings. "Keyong, kyae. What brings you to our small village?"

"We merely seek beds for the night. We shall leave you tomorrow, miha," Sumiré answered, meeting the woman's earthy brown eyes. She nodded, clearly nervous and deeply curious, and handed a key to the pair. "And the price?"

"Ten pence." Sumiré paid and took the key. "The room is upstairs at the end of the hall."

"Divine grace be with you, miha," Sumiré said, leading Kain up the stairs to their room. It was small, but offered two small beds, a desk, and enough space for their cloaks, bags, weapons, and water skins. It was enough.

Sumiré took off her boots and cloak. As Kain removed his boots and armor, she stared out the window into the night beyond. Where before she felt Kidane's watchful eyes, she felt nothing now except for a deepening emptiness. It was as if Kidane no longer existed, rent from Her very soul, and most if not all the power invoked by Kidane had been ripped away as well. Sumiré felt very weak without Her. She pushed open the window to let the cool air in.

"You are no less yourself, Sumi," Kain said gently from across the room. It did not come as a surprise to the ex-Priestess that he knew her thoughts intimately.

"You are right. However, I am less without Her. I am less capable. Less useful." Sumiré did not turn from the window. Kain knew that she would not show her face if it were drawn with pain. He was certain that it now was. "Even to you."

"Do not speak as such," he said, unbuckling his scabbard and dropping it on the desk. "You are, and will always be, Sumiré n'Yeone regardless of your patron goddess or lack of."

"Kain, if you are injured in protecting me, there is little I can do other than tending the dressings of your wounds. If I can restore Kidane's grace by retrieving the earring, I will feel much less tension. Until then, I fear that I am somewhat useless."

His next question he pursued gently. "Surely Kidane hasn't sapped even your magical power?"

She turned from the window, but the lamplight fell across her face in a way that made her soft, rose-colored eyes impossible to read. She slipped into bed and turned away from him. He crawled under his own blankets, the need for sleep tugging at his consciousness. Just when he thought she wouldn't answer, she created a soft, bluish ball of light from her fingertips.

"I have maintained my magical talents, though I have no explanation for it. Perhaps," she continued, extinguishing the light, "it, too, will be taken away in time."

"I doubt that," Kain said, staring at the back of her head. "If it were linked with Kidane, would it not have been taken with your clerical magics?"

"So I had thought," she said quietly, as if on the brink of sleep. "Though magic- whether clerical or arcane- does not always follow the expectations we lay upon it."

***

The next day, Kain awoke revitalized and alert. The beds had proven comfortable and warm the previous night. Even Sumiré looked less somber. The sun's bright light allowed them to travel easily across the rolling plains past the small village. Throughout their short trek, the weather was pleasant and cool. After several days across the seemingly-endless ocean of grass, they approached the great gates of Talim alongside merchant caravans, pilgrims, adventuring parties, and a few bands of mercenaries. The perimeter was posted with rigid-backed elven guards who were checking cargo and wagons at the gates. The pilgrims and adventurers, they simply waved by. Kain and Sumiré were passed along in the same manner.

Talim was huge and opulent, climbing across several hills in all directions. Even the peasants' homes were far more beautiful than the hovels of the outlying human villages, communities drawn upon for agricultural resources and manual labor. Talim favored tall, thin buildings with sloping, curved roofs and tall, ornate spires that reached up toward the clouds. There were a few temples scattered throughout the city, though the deities venerated there were unfamiliar to Kain. He'd never been a man of faith to begin with.

"Where shall we go first?" Sumiré asked, her green and silver robes still immaculate despite the week or so on the road. "I confess, I feel quite conspicuous in a city of this size."

"I have a friend or two yet in this city," he told her, narrowing his eyes at a beggar ventured too close. He froze, caught with the intent to pickpocket in his eyes, and disappeared into the crowd. The incident made Kain more aware of his possessions. "We should first find them."