Love and Misadventure

Thankfully, the rest of the journey up the Saines river was fairly uneventful. As they neared Leylan, the air got warmer and dryer. While most of the land was in ruins, Leylan still had a small little oasis town where crops could still be grown. They stopped for a day to gather supplies before trekking down the dry path to the ruins.

The dry climate made the land mostly hard dirt and stone, with little in the way of greenery and water. Once they moved away from the river and the oasis, they would be on their own and would have to ration their food and drinking water. Then they would have to search for a hidden entrance to this temple. If it even existed, it would be underground and likely cleverly covered up.

They were on a time crunch to find it before they ran out of supply rations, so Henry had asked Levi and Juliette to go out and place some orders for tents, so they could set up camp once they arrived at the temple. It seemed Henry had all sorts of errands for Levi and Juliette to do, together. Levi looked over and saw she was still reading the mythology book he had given him.

"I thought you'd have been done with that by now," he remarked.

"I would have been," she told him, "But I've been going back and re-reading some of the stories with your notes. They give some interesting insight. Actually, there was one I wanted to ask you about."

"Of course."

"Here," she said, flipping to a page she had folded a corner of. "The god of rain, Nollo. He was a minor god."

"Unusual, isn't it?" Levi said. "You would think a kingdom located in such a dry climate would worship a god of rain a little more, but it seemed like he wasn't too important."

"But you made this note," Juliette said. "You mentioned the bountiful growth of crops during Queen Arisha's reign, and her personal appreciation for Nollo. I think it's fair to assume she gave Nollo some credit for the abundant food, but why didn't the Leylan people do the same? Why would they worship her, and not him?"

"That's a good question," Levi said. "I wish I had a good answer for you."

"I was thinking," Juliette said slowly. "It might be stupid, though."

"It might be," he told her. "It might not. I won't know unless you tell me."

"Well, I remember reading in Nollo's history that he would often come to the mortal world to... mingle... with women."

"He was a bit of a skank."

"I was trying to be respectful."

"Sorry. Go on."

"I just wonder if maybe the people of Leylan believed Queen Arisha was one of these chosen women," she suggested. "And that's why they gave her a burial like she was going to live among gods rather than go to the same afterlife as the mortals. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud."

"No," Levi said, brow furrowed. "It's not stupid. Actually, I wouldn't put it past them. Whether or not a god floating down to earth to sleep with Queen Arisha happened or not, it wouldn't be unusual for such a rumor to start. And if this rumor was followed by years of bountiful rain and food, then the her people might consider her to be worthy of the gods. Possibly even a wife to Nollo. But if that's true, then that might mean..."

"Mean what?" Juliette frowned.

"Arisha is still down there," Levi said, stopping in his tracks. "Most Leylan royals would have been buried, but they wouldn't do that to a goddess. She would have to be free to move, collect her things, and ascend to the land of gods."

"So are you saying she might still be there?" Juliette asked. "I mean... mummified?"

"There isn't a record of Leylan people mummifying their dead," Levi said. "Only burying them. For royals they would be buried in sacred tombs with a few of their most treasured belongings, but still buried and decomposed. There is, however, a record of Leylan people mummifying offerings to the spirit world. Like human sacrifices that were meant to stay fresh before the gods feast on them. Maybe they did something similar for Arisha."

"A mummified queen," Juliette said.

She stared wistfully ahead, then shuddered.

"It's creepy to think about," she said.

"A mummy?" Levi asked, resuming their walk. "You're not scared of mummies, are you?"

"Of course not," she said, indignantly sticking her nose in the air. "Why would I be scared? It's just a dead person. Who has been dead for hundreds of years, but it somehow still intact. And probably has a creepy hollowed out face. And weird, crispy flesh. And fingernails."

"Alright," Levi said, grinning. "You're not scared."

As the walked, he noticed a dry branch on the ground. He subtly picked it up, walking behind Juliette.

"Right," he said. "Creepy hands. Still with fingernails."

As he said this he took the dry branch and lightly ran it down her back. She shrieked, startling some people around them. She scowled when she saw Levi laughing with the branch in his hand, smacking him with the book.

"I'm sorry," he said, still laughing. "You should have seen your face, though."

She looked mad for a second, but she couldn't keep the expression for long before she started laughing too. They had picked on each other plenty of times before, but it was kind of fun now that it was innocent.

They placed their orders for the tents to be delivered that night, then returned to the inn where Henry and the team were staying. He was discussing something with Royce in the lounge area of the inn, and Levi and Juliette both made a similar sound of disgust when they saw him. Levi was still a little bitter about Royce making them look like stupid little kids when they got lost.

Henry saw them and smiled, gesturing for them to take a seat across from them. They reluctantly did so, and a waitress came by and placed some glasses of a fruity drink across from them.

"Don't worry, it's not alcohol," Henry reassured them. "No getting tipsy and dehydrated right before a trek through the drylands. On the contrary, these fruit juices are quite the full body hydrators. And they taste delightful."

Levi took a hesitant sip, but found that it did feel quite hydrating and refreshing. Royce, on the other hand, still seemed interested in his glass of scotch. Probably not a smart move, but Levi didn't care if the man passed out from heatstroke on the journey.

"We're just finishing some last minute preparations," Henry told them. "We'll be up early tomorrow morning. Very early, before sunrise. That way, we can make most of the journey before the sun gets too hot in the middle of the day, and we'll arrive to the ruins and set up camp by nightfall."

"How much time do we have to find the tomb itself, after we arrive?" Levi asked.

"We can search comfortably for two days," Royce said. "Then the rationing will feel a little strained. We'll have a cart for what we would like to bring back with us, so I can account for another two days to load and prepare."

"Four days," Levi said in a flat tone. "I don't know if four days will be enough."

"It's plenty," Royce said, his tone a bit harsh. "Just put all those notes you've been buried in to use and we'll find the place with plenty of time to spare."

"Notes are one thing, Captain Fuller," Juliette said, jumping to Levi's defense. "A lot of this depends on legend and whether or not these legends are true."

"Well I'm sure Levi is prepared for whatever comes his way," Royce said. "You can leave it to us, and search for some more flowers."

This time, even Henry seemed a little uncomfortable. Juliette's lips were pursed into a tight line, and it was clear she was trying not to make a scene.

"I think you've had quite enough liquor tonight," Henry said, dismissing Royce. "Why don't you get some rest, captain? We'll see you bright and early in the morning."

Royce didn't say anything else, downing the rest of his drink before leaving. Henry cleared his throat and looked back at Levi and Juliette.

"He's just under a bit of pressure, I'm sure," he said. "You two get some sleep as well. Big journey ahead of us, tomorrow."

They nodded and excused themselves to go back to their rooms. As they headed up the stairs, Levi found his hand taking Juliette's and giving it a light squeeze. She stopped and looked back at him with pink cheeks.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Fine," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure. We just have to prove ourselves to that asshole."

"That, I can agree with."