Chapter 27: Within

  “Where to now?” Zhi asked.

  Corin looked around, he felt as if he had stepped into a different world. They were in the center of a large city square with alleys coming in and out and roads leading into all directions. The city around them bustled with more activity than he had ever seen in his entire life. Everywhere he looked there were furtives engaged in all sorts of activities. There were furtives of all kinds, humans, sirens, dragoors, ape-men, forest elves, dwarves.

  “It might behoove us to get a feel for the city. It is a large place, and information about Belaran could be found anywhere within it," Simeon replied.

  “So we have to walk all over the place?” Zhi asked.

  “I'm afraid so," Simeon replied.

  “Somehow I knew this was to be my fate,” Zhi said and she began walking down one of the many streets to their left.

  “My love, where are you going?” Nanaua asked in a concerned tone.

  Zhi turned around with a smile.

  “If we are walking more, then I want to be the one deciding our route at least once. So, follow me!” Zhi turned back and continued.

  Corin and the others obliged. The street they walked down was paved with stone stretching far into the distance. This street was filled buildings on either side made of fiery red brick.

  “You can’t catch me!” a young boy shouted as he ran in front of Corin and the others. Another one chasing them bumped into Nanaua and fell to the ground.

  “Watch where you are going you rascal!” She shouted at him. The young kid, a small siren did not even bother replying to her and continued running after the other one.

  “These cretins don’t even care!” Nanaua shouted as the boy continued on.

  “Well city life is different I suppose,” Simeon said.

  The next building ahead of them exploded with loud sounds.

  Two furtives fell out of a window entangled with each other.

  “You damned bastard!” An ape-man yelled at a dwarf. “I saw you take my gems!”

  The patrons from inside the building yelled at the two. “Get him Lenny!”

  The dwarf tried to pry the ape-man’s hands from his neck.

  “I didn’t do nothin’!” He gasped.

  “Well let’s go a different way,” Zhi said as she went down a side street. This street was much narrower than the road they had been on, the width of it being just enough for the five of them to walk abreast if need be.

  This street was filled with mostly wooden buildings. At first these seemed to be well maintained houses. The first ones that closer to the beginning of the street had vibrantly colored wood, with clean exteriors, and nice decorations on the doors.

  This seems like quite a nice place to live in.

  As they continued on Corin started to notice a difference. Some of the houses seemed to be missing windows, and some were missing doors. In one of these Corin looked in and could see a siren asleep on a chair that faced the door. The siren did not react at all when they walked past him.

  I wouldn’t mind relaxing right now.

  “I’m hungry,” Nanaua stated as they continued walking down the row of houses.

  “It seems this is a residential street, maybe we ought to turn up ahead,” Simeon instructed Zhi.

  She did so and now they walked down a street filled with white stone buildings. These were so far the nicest buildings Corin had seen in the entirety of the city.

  “Well this area looks much nicer,” Livia stated.

  “Must be where the more affluent members of the city live,” Simeon replied.

  “Let’s see if there is some food nearby,” Zhi said as she continued ahead.

  As they continued down the street Corin was amazed at the differences in size of these stone buildings. Some of them were about as tall as Corin's home, but some seemed to be more than ten times that height. He had never seen buildings this tall in his life. Some of these tall buildings ornate carvings in front of them, depicting various furtives.

  Eventually they caught scent of food and found a place that offered cooked meats with bread.

  “Finally!” Nanaua exclaimed.

  Simeon walked up to the host, exchanged various precious stones, and soon they were soon sitting down with warm food in front of them.

  Nanaua was the first to speak after taking a bite.

  “Eh, Corin your meats are better cooked than this one,” Nanaua said as she continued eating. “The meat is too tough and too dry, and the flavor is very bland.”

  “Corin is a really good cook. It is hard to compare other foods to his cooking,” Livia chimed in.

  Livia always complimented his cooking and would let him take care of it in their home. He was happy to take care of the hunting and the preparation of the meat while she would fix up their house.

  Corin felt bittersweet about the compliment. He was happy they enjoyed his cooking, but he was not enjoying the meal he was having.

  “How did you learn to cook so well, Corin?” Zhi asked.

  “My brother Cyril taught me,” Corin said.

  “Oh, I'm sorry,” Zhi quickly interjected.

  “No, it's fine

  . He actually was taught by our mother. Our father would spend a lot of time away at sea with the sirens fishing. Cyril was too young to join him, so he would stay with my mother. A lot of what I learned through Cyril was from my mother,” Corin said.

  Livia held Corin's hand as he spoke. She looked at him and he back to her.

  “Your father would fish with those sirens? How is that even possible?” Nanaua asked.

  “It was a dangerous endeavor,” Corin began. “As you know, sirens move underwater with the same ease we do on land. They would not let anyone join them on any expedition, but it seems as if my father was the exception.”

  “My brother said that when he went out, neither he nor my mother knew when he would return. It could be within several hours or several days. But there was something within him that loved the sea. It challenged him more and more as he got older. When I was born, he was already close to middle age. But nothing would deter him. Even if he knew it was dangerous, he would return every time. He knew that one day he would not return from the sea, and that is exactly what happened. I only have faint memories of seeing him, but I do remember the time he left for the last time.” Corin finished.

  “Hmph, to spend your last moments engaged in what you love?” Nanaua said. “If I were to be as lucky to decide how I would go, I would want it to be in the field of battle.”

  “Nanaua…” Zhi said with a groan. She felt embarassed by what she had said.

  “I don’t mind, Zhi. That is exactly how my mom saw it too,” Corin said, laughing. “She was sad that he passed but was happy he died doing what he loved.”

  “But what of your mother?” Nanaua asked.

  “It was an illness,” Livia interjected. “It swept through the village and took many lives. Many on my mother’s side succumbed to it as well.”

  “My sincere apologies, friend,” Nanaua added softly.

  “Again, no need to apologize. I was lucky to have Cyril to help me, and eventually when Simeon washed up he made sure Cyril and I didn't get into too much trouble,” Corin replied.

  “And yet with my guidance, you demolished Dell’s barn. Cyril and I spent days tracking sheep throughout the island,” Simeon added.

  “That's right. I forgot!” Corin said as he began laughing.

  He laughed so much that it took him several moments to calm down. Zhi and Nanaua stared at the two unsure of what was happening.

  “One time, one of the farmers near us, Dell, had a heated argument with Cyril,” Livia explained. “Corin thought it would be a good idea to scare some of the animals in his barn with a loud explosion as a warning. He asked me for some help crafting the explosive, and I agreed to help, because I had no idea what he was thinking. Since he didn't tell me anything, and dragon powder was very much new for me, I went overboard on the dragon powder. The little device I built was really strong, and when Corin used it, the thing blew out the roof and the doors off the barn!”

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  Throughout the entire story, Corin was on the verge of tears. Simeon too laughed as he put his hands on his face and shook his head.

  “I feel bad saying this, but those animals were definitely not the same after we got them back for Dell. The sight of Corin made them so panicked that you would think the end times were upon us! We had to tell Corin to go stay indoors while we rounded them up. And Cyril tried his best to be serious when speaking to Dell about this, but the second we left his property to look for those animals, he laughed so much that he had to lay on the ground to catch his breath.”

  Zhi laughed along with them, while Nanaua had an intrigued look upon her face. It was clear she was listening to the story to see what other relevant details there might be.

  “How about you, Nanaua? Who were you raised with?” Livia asked.

  “I was not raised with my kin. From the moment I was born, I was assigned to be a member of the Lord's Protectorate,” Nanaua said.

  “Oh, so that's how you became a Lord's Protectorate?” Livia followed up.

  “Yes,” Nanaua said. “All members of the Lord's Protectorate are chosen at birth. Those who are selected live in a separate section of the lord's domain. Within, the art of battle is instilled in us. Those who survive to the age of thirty become part of the Lord's Protectorate.”

  “You have to do that for thirty years from the moment you are born?” Corin asked, bewildered.

  “Yes, is that strange to you?” Nanaua asked.

  “Well, yes, but that explains why you're so good at fighting,” Corin said.

  “It is a similar process for Kishtros. But within them they inculcate the art of death,” Nanaua explained.

  “So there were never any funny moments? No pranks?” Corin asked.

  “A prank?” Nanaua asked.

  “Did someone ever do something that they were not supposed to do? Something that made you laugh?” Corin asked.

  “Hmm, one time another pupil who had a disagreement with one of the instructors took it upon himself to fill the instructor's helmet with rotten eggs. When he put it on in front of the class, the eggs fell all over his face and onto his clothes. He smelt of rotten eggs for a long time.”

  Corin began laughing. “That's funny.”

  “Yes. When they identified the perpetrator, he was eaten alive by Tonatiuh in front of all the Lord's Protectorate and the pupils,” Nanaua said.

  Corin instantly stopped laughing. “Oh.”

  “What of you, old man?” Nanaua asked Simeon.

  Corin tensed up. He knew the answer. He had only heard it once. He tried to steer the conversation away from that.

  “It's late. We should—”

  “Once, I had a wife,” Simeon began. “We had a son.

  He would have been only a bit older than Corin.”

  He took a moment to compose himself.

  “I, er, I made a mistake once in the mines. It was the only time I erred. And they paid for it.”

  That was all that Simeon said. He looked down. The conversation at the table ended. Corin placed his hand on Simeon's back. Zhi reached across the table and held Simeon's hands.

  “Their cruelty is not your fault,” she said to him.

  “Thank you,” Simeon said, tears welling in his eyes.

  “What were their names?” Nanaua asked determination burning in her eyes.

  Corin was surprised. He thought Nanaua would cease with her questions, but this went beyond mere curiosity. Corin didn't even know this himself after knowing Simeon all these years.

  “My wife… her name was Penelope. My… my son, he was Eduard,” Simeon said.

  “I see,” Nanaua said.

  She stood up and gripped her pike with both hands.

  “When I go into battle, I think of those who have been victims of the titans

  . Whenever I need something to dig into to keep myself going, I think of those that died in Tonatiuh’s palace, the citizens of Grial, of the victims of Arandu. Now I will keep your loved ones in my heart too, Simeon, as I strive to strike fear into those who continue this oppression and to give hope to those who suffer. When I enter battle, their spirit will help guide my blade. I promise you this.” Nanaua said as she set the pike back on the ground.

  Simeon teared up at Nanaua's declaration. He got up and walked over to Nanaua, embracing her in a tight hug. She seemed surprised at the gesture but did not back away from it.

  After their embrace, Nanaua still was surprised.

  “Is something the matter, Nanaua?” Simeon asked. “I'm sorry if I went a bit overboard, but your words really got to me.”

  “No, nothing is the matter,” she explained while still confused. “Before I met Zhi, I had never shown or had any affection shown to me. But now I have all of you as well and your affection. I don't know what that is supposed to mean.”

  “It means we have a family, Nanaua,” Zhi said as she looked around them.

  Nanaua looked around.

  “Is that what this is?”

  Corin and Livia looked at her and nodded.

  “Zhi's right,” Livia added.

  The concept was so strange to her that she never thought about how it would impact her. She had brothers and sisters in arms before, but there was no interaction beyond the field of battle. She turned to Simeon, who had placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Family is more than ties of blood. A real family provides guidance and reassurance and will do their best to support you. That's what you have here.”

  Nanaua looked around once more.

  “Family,” she said and smiled.

  ***

  The next task at hand for the group was to find shelter for the night. They did not know how long they would have to stay in Yranto before they found information on Belaran.

  A passing guard gave them information.

  “At the end of town, there is a makeshift camp for fugitives,” he said as he pointed down the road. “Once you reach it, speak to Captain Fran, she will find accommodations for you. Those are only meant to be temporary, so you would do well to find a new place within the city soon.”

  The group followed the directions to the camp and could not help noticing the worsening conditions of the buildings around them. The road here was not paved with stone, but dirt. Now the majority of the buildings were mostly just several pillars holding up some semblance of a roof. The furtives inside were occupied with various activities, without a care that anyone who walked by could see what they did.

  “Are we sure we are heading in the right direction?” Zhi asked.

  “It pains me to say that this is a clear indication we are headed in the right direction," Simeon replied.

  As they walked, they could feel eyes on them.

  Nanaua began to tense up and flex the grip on her pike.

  “Let's not give them any more reasons to stare at us,” Simeon muttered.

  She let go.

  They continued on their way until they could see their destination in the distance.

  They saw a large clearing that was surrounded by large wooden fences around one side, and back up against the large city walls. The guards atop the city walls seemed more interested in what was occurring in the camp than outside the walls. Within the fences, Corin could see many shoddy structures built with a combination of materials. Wood, mud, bricks, cloth, and sticks to keep the sides standing. Around the huts activity of all sorts could be seen. On the ground Corin saw pieces of cloth where furtives would sleep, or attempt to as others around them continued with their activities.

  The camp reminded Corin of the forest elf camp he had left only several days ago, due to the sheer number of occupants. But there were some glaring differences. The first was how much louder this one was. Shouting could be heard coming from all directions as furtives conversed over each other. Then there were distinct areas of the camp that existed as virtual boundaries. Each section of the camp was a separate unit, existing in the same space as the other sections, but apart in accessibility.

  At the entrance, Corin and the rest came face-to-face with a unique furtive wearing a cloth uniform, but Corin could see they were part of the city guard. This furtive was not very large, as tall as Corin, but was completely covered in brown feathers. Her face had very sharp features, including a large beak, and dark eyes. She was armed with a small sheathed sword and she kept a wing near it. She followed their movements as they approached.

  Simeon whispered to Corin, “A sparrowling.”

  So that's what they look like!

  Corin tried to imagine what the one who faced the giant and triumphed nearly a millennia ago looked like.

  “Fugitives, I presume?” the sparrowling guard spoke.

  “You must be Captain Fran?” Simeon replied.

  “Yes. Fugitives?”

  “Yes,” Simeon answered.

  “Alright, five of you,” she said and pointed with her feathered arm.

  “That back corner over there was recently emptied.”

  Corin looked to the corner. It was right up against the city walls in a small spot that seemed to be the dividing point between opposing factions.

  “You have five days. After that, you have to leave,” she said to the group.

  “Captain Fran, the Yeojta are causing trouble again in sector six,” another guard shouted to the captain.

  “Again?” she shouted back. “And Gerol?”

  “He has not been seen today!”

  “Fine, you need to take over!”

  She raised her feathered wings and was quickly airborne. She flew away from Corin and the group, heading toward the center of the city.

  “I guess this is the place,” Simeon said as he began walking to the spot.

  “I'm missing the forest now,” Zhi said.

  “Remember, we only need to be here until we learn of Belaran’s location. We might be back on the road by tomorrow," Simeon replied.

  The group entered passed the wooden fence and were into the camp. As they did every single furtive in the camp stared at them. They continued on in their conversation and their activities, but still stared at the five newcomers.

  “Seems like we are quite the interesting bunch,” Livia muttered.

  “Let’s not give them anything more interesting to look at,” Simeon replied.

  They continued until they reached their allotted spot. The furtives on either side eyed them curiously and whispered amongst themselves.

  Amongst those whispering were three ape-men sitting to the right of their campsite. Like the majority of the camp they made no attempt to hide their curiosity. They merely stared at Simeon and the others as they approached and kept talking amongst themselves.

  “Why don't you and the others get settled, and I will speak with them?” Simeon said to the group.

  Corin and the rest did so and set down their items. As they put down their baggage and sorted their items, eyes from every corner of the camp looked in their direction. The curiosity as to what the strangers had with them was too much for any of the other furtives to ignore.

  “It seems as if our items are of great interest to our neighbors,” Livia muttered to Corin.

  “I will let them know,” Nanaua began as she made a fist and turned around.

  Livia put her hands up to Nanaua's fist and held it close to her.

  “Nanaua, these are not our enemies,” Livia spoke softly. “We will safeguard our items, and that should be enough. But if we arouse too much suspicion, then we might be put in a difficult situation.”

  Nanaua looked at Livia and desisted.

  Corin and Zhi looked at each other with relief. The less attention they drew, the better.

  As Corin grabbed what few essentials he needed, he could not help but look over to Simeon interacting with the other ape-men.

  “We might or might not,” the one closest to Simeon said without looking at him. “It depends.”

  This ape-man squatted next to an open bag. He was in the midst of chewing something as he spoke to Simeon. His fur was reddish. He like the other two ape-men around him, was very skinny and wore baggy clothing. He had a perpetual look of disinterest plastered over his face.

  Simeon seemed to understand what was said. He brought down his bag and opened it, pulling out some precious stones.

  The reddish-haired ape-man gave the stone a quick look over and then went back to ignoring it and its owner.

  “Not much use here,” he replied.

  Simeon thought for a second and smiled. He went back to his bag and ruffled through the various compartments until he pulled out a bag of lychee fruits. They had gathered many of those while traveling with the forest elves. Simeon took one out.

  The ape-man eyed it curiously. The other two ape-men who had been having their own conversation turned their gaze to look at the fruits.

  “Try it. If you like it, I can give you more,” Simeon said.

  The ape-man grabbed it and was about to put it in his mouth.

  “Wait,” Simeon interrupted, “here I'll show you.”

  Simeon grabbed one of the fruits, peeled it, took the seed out, and then ate the white flesh of the fruit. The ape-man repeated the steps and plopped the fruit in his mouth. His face displayed a wide range of expressions as he processed the flavor of the fruit.

  “Well?” Simeon asked.

  “Ten and I may have heard speak of this giant.”

  Simeon quickly took out the fruit and handed them to the ape-man.

  “What was that name again?” he asked.

  “Belaran," Simeon replied.

  “Belaran…not a name I recognize,” the ape-man replied.

  The other ape-men watched with curiosity as Simeon and their friend spoke.

  Corin felt his heart drop. He was incensed and prepared to walk over.

  A tug pulled him down.

  “Simeon can handle himself,” Livia said as she grabbed Corin.

  “Do you think you may know someone with that kind of information?” Simeon asked.

  The ape-man did not meet Simeon’s gaze.

  “How about this?” Simeon said as he went back to his bag.

  He pulled out a piece of dried spiced meat Corin had prepared. He had used bark from a tree the forest elves referred to as a fire tree. The resulting dried meat scalded the tongue on contact.

  Corin once again felt the need to say something but decided to let Simeon handle this himself.

  The ape-man looked at the meat with much interest. Simeon gave him a small nibble. The ape-man put the meat in his mouth, and the reaction was instant. The ape-man reached for the nearest water he could find and gulped it down in one swig.

  “Well?” Simeon said.

  “Well what? You could have warned me you were giving me fire disguised as meat!” the ape-man replied, tears running down his face. The exposed skin around his face was nearly as red as his fur now.

  “So you did not like it?” Simeon asked.

  “I did not say that!” he said, putting on his best bravado.

  His friends seemed to be salivating at the thought of trying the spiced dried meat.

  “I'll tell you more,” the ape-man replied as he stifled back sniffles. “Give me that piece right there.”

  “First the information," Simeon replied, holding up the meat.

  The ape-man eyed Simeon with red, teared-up eyes.

  “Fine,” the ape-man sniffled. “The information you seek about a giant, whatever his name is, I'm sure the Oixia will know about it.” The last part was said in hushed tones.

  “The Oixia?” Simeon replied loudly.

  Furtives around them reacted to the name. It was imperceptible, but it was clear the name had piqued the interest of many near them.

  “That's correct. Depending on who you ask, she is the unofficial ruler of Yranto, a criminal mastermind, a saint, or something in between,” one of the other ape-men chimed in. This one was dark-haired. “What is for certain is that the Oixia knows every little thing that goes on in this city. The saying goes, 'for every word spoken in Yranto, two more are whispered in the Oixia's ears.’”

  “I see, and this Oixia, you wouldn't happen to know how I may reach her now, would you?” Simeon replied.

  “No, but he does,” the ape-man replied as he pointed behind Corin.

  Behind Corin stood a figure that was completely covered in robes from head to toe, save for a small slit across the eyes. Corin had not even heard or felt his presence until it was pointed out to him by the ape-man. Judging by everyone else's reactions, it seemed as if he was not the only one who did not notice the stranger.

  “Tonight, the Oixia requires the Onsiel and the Lord's Protectorate’s presence.” The robed figure spoke in a deep voice toward Zhi and Nanaua. “A guide will meet with you here when the sun sets. Do not make them wait.”

  The robed figure departed.

  “Wait,” Nanaua called.

  “It's no use,” the second ape-man said to Nanaua. “Wait until the time he spoke of, and you will have your meeting.”

  He turned to Simeon now.

  “I believe we are owed something.”

  “Enjoy!” Simeon gave the rest of the dried meat to the ape-men. They began to eat the dried meats, loving every second of the burning sensation more than Corin could have expected.

  Simeon got up and joined the group. Zhi and Nanaua seemed to be at a loss for words for what had occurred.

  “It seems like we might be getting information about Belaran sooner than we anticipated,” Simeon said.

  “But why just meet with us two?” Zhi asked. “Why not ask to meet with all of us?”

  “It's obvious that this person, this Oixia, knows more about us than we know about her,” Simeon said. “I would not doubt that she knows where you both come from. For a person like her who deals in information, you both may have something she needs.”

  “You're not concerned?” Zhi replied. “You think we can trust this person?”

  Corin looked around. The furtives around were not even trying to hide the fact that they were all listening to them.

  “Whether or not we can is not something we can concern ourselves with,” Livia spoke up. “We're in her territory, and if we want what we came here for, then we need to meet with her. She asked for you and Nanaua, the same Nanaua who easily disarmed the captain of the guard at the gates, an incident I'm sure she knows of. If anything, I would see this as a show of good faith on her part.”

  Zhi was still unhappy.

  “You are not the only one who does not like this arrangement,” Livia said in a low tone as she looked around. “But we came to this city together and will leave together.”

  Corin and Simeon nodded, reassuring Zhi.

  “So you are of the opinion that there won't be any issues?” Nanaua asked.

  “Oh there will be. I have a feeling we’ll find out later,” Livia replied.