"Nysit-ight... Nysit-ight, you of all people- you, of your people- should know the importance of relics of the past. They guide us, shape us, and remind us of the progress we have made as civilization. It may only be a trinket, but imagine its stories and experiences. We must protect the ancient, and become a part of it in our own time. I hope this will make some sense to you, someday."
"Naekan? Mister, I'm afraid this is as far as I can go."
The man's eyes snapped open, woken from a light slumber from the back of the gently rolling wagon. At least, it had been- now it sat on the edge of the slender dirt road, beneath the dark shadows of rigid mountains.
Huddled among sacks of grain and flour, Naekan turned to the woman seated upon the front of the wagon. Her face was bright and coated in a fine layer of sweat from the intense midday sun, the golden hair sticking to her cheeks. After sharing a hearty meal and settling once again into the horse-drawn wagon, the sleepiness of the day had caught him and carried him into a comfortable nap. Now, however, he had unwittingly reached the end of his easy ride, and would have to surrender to walking once more.
He rose to his feet and hopped out from the back, quickly trotting up to the woman's side. A friendly smile rose to his lips, and he bowed his head respectfully.
"Thank you very much for the hospitality and company, Dessere. I owe you a great deal, but I have little to give."
She straightened in her perch, looking down to the man with a twinkle in her weary eyes. Her hair would be graying soon, and years had taught her utmost courtesy. "Nonsense; I wouldn't accept anything you would have to give. Fixing my wheel is plenty enough." The woman gripped the reigns more tightly, drawing the attention of the portly mare who had begun to graze during this brief stop. "Be careful, though. Those mountains are no place for the inexperienced."
"Don't worry for me, ma'am." Naekan winked slightly. Calling a human ma'am always felt eerie. Though he look to be a decade or more younger than the woman, he surpassed her by centuries. "I'll be perfectly alright. Take care of yourself."
By the time the wagon faded from view down the winding road through the seemingly endless fields, the sun has fallen close to the horizon and terrific progress had been made climbing the steep pass through the mountains. Resting only once or twice, Naekan couldn't help but feel a growing wariness as the darkness of night blossomed. It would be moonless tonight, and under the cover of darkness, the path ahead would be visible by only a few paces. With no indication of any civilization nearing soon, he began to regret not making camp earlier and in a safer region.
The sun had already fallen as he contemplated this dilemma, and his pace quickened- not in fear of the night, but what lay behind the boulders and scraggly trees that guided his path. He would not find anything or anyone in this darkness unless he happened to trip upon it- and making his own light would make him the most noticeable object in the entire mountain range. Not to mention, camp would be dangerous among these rocky cliffs.
The jungle had never been this level of dark. Glossy foliage or trickles of streams reflected the smallest bit of light, and the familiar shapes were easy to establish in the blackness. But here, everything was its own jagged mess.
Seems there's little else I can do, he thought with an inward sigh. To find camp, he needed light, and it seemed no one else inhabited these mountains. Hoping for some safe passage and taking a moment to pray for it, Naekan raised a hand and gently blew across his palm. As the rush of breath tickled his skin, an eerie white glow enveloped his palm, giving light a few meters ahead as he held the hand aloft. To add to the strangeness of it all, his skin began to darken to a heavy brown, making even he harder to see. Casting a wary glance in every direction, he continued forward, wishing a cave or some safe hole would make itself known soon.
