Kael sighed as he leaned against a tree. He had finally just finished setting up camp, and it had taken him alittle longer than he was expecting. He was used to the harsh, hot, dry desert climate that was Essryn. Kael was used to emptying sand out of everything he owned. But this place was different.
It was the allure of something new and strange that had drawn him out of the desert in the first place. The rumors of money hidden in some cursed ruins somewhere in Serendipity had intrigued him, and he had been successful in his quest. He was rather on edge, in fact, about having so much money at the same time.
All day he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched, but he only ended up scaring a poor squirrel out of his mind.
He was a rather imposing figure at 6'3, armed with a long-sword and several knives. Currently his weapons were lying next to him, as he had a campfire going and was trying to warm up. He was not used to this "cold", he was used to scorching heat and dust storms.
Kael stretched, trying to get comfortable. He had hung his dust cowl on a branch. He didn't need it here, in fact he regretted not bringing the one waterproof jacket he had.
He eyed the gathering storm clouds with suspicion. He had only ever experienced rain three times in his life, but his natural nomadic instincts were warning him that the rain would soon fall. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, and Kael yawned, laying his head on his makeshift pillow, forgetting to hide the money he had found.
Perhaps he should have been worried. The bag of gold was barely sealed and the little curious creature- just the smallest mouse- was drawn towards it. She sniffed about, her little whiskers perking up as she scrambled into the bag ' sniffing about and displacing a strange rolled up piece if parchment.
It slipped down the bag and into the open moonlight, opening, with a curl, where dark, ancient worn ink gleamed in the moonlight.
And a moment later- there was the softest sound of a woman's voice.
Kael stirred. He swore he could have heard something. He anxiously looked around. His bag of gold was still there...but there was an ancient piece of paper that wasn't there before.
Kael stared up at the trees. Someone was toying with him, surely. He sat up, and picked up the piece of worn paper, scrutinizing the writings.
The writings were Essyrni in nature...
He could have sworn he didn't bring this piece of paper with him...
He had thought, upon contemplation, that he had heard a woman's voice. But from where?
And just then a little squeak revealed the culprit- or atleast perhaps who had been 'speaking ' as a little mouse darted out from within the gold sack and skittered away.
Kael frowned and then sighed. He had almost gone to sleep too. Damn mice.
He sighed, turning around and leaning against the tree, holding the paper with both hands. What is it? So much for sleeping...
Then, likely when his eyes began to glaze over with want of sleep..
A soft, barely audible voice came again.
And it sounded like she was asking for help...
But in some other most familiar tongue.
It was Essryni.. but not..
A tongue from a forgotten time.
This time Kael snapped wide awake. He had just drifted off again when he heard it...he glanced at the map...
"No way...surely not..."
He sighed. He'd done weirder things than talk to a piece of paper.
"H-hello?"
At first, no response came. Silence.
Then a soft, definitively female voice seemed to whisper off the paper. The surface of the scroll hummed softly with light- but only when the voice was heard.
It was quiet at first... strained.
But the words were there.
"Please.. please help me!"
Kael almost had a heart attack right then and there. The voice was coming from the paper.
"Can you understand me?" He cautiously asked.
"I'm not going to get cursed or something because I'm messing with something I shouldn't, yes?"
He glanced around again, but the trees were empty, save for a breeze flitting through the leaves.
The parchment went quiet. In truth, it had been ages since she could communicate- some three thousand plus years to be exact. She wasn't quite sure what she was dealing with.. or who or even when.
But his accent was strange.. muddled somehow. She concentrated- tried to focus on that voice.
A curse? He thought she was a curse?
Was she a curse?
No.. no..
No, no, no. Something had gone wrong. It had to of. Her sacrifice.. it was meant to preserve it all for her brothers- their secrets.. their triumph...
"I am Hebara of the Flame," she warned him, the page glowing softly. "Protector of the knowledge of my brothers. "
She paused to consider.. then asked, "What year is it? Where are we?"
She had to know. She must know.
"Who is the ruler?"
Did her sacrifices work? Did her brother reign all?
"Hebara of the Flame..." he said softly.
Kael told her the year thinking it rather weird. But then again he was talking to a piece of paper.
"We are in Serendipity...the Wester Highlands to be exact. The ruler of Serendipity is Qi'ana Diveera...if it's a ruler of Le'raana you're asking about there is none."
"So...were you given sentience or did you choose to...to..." words escaped Kael.
"How long have you been like this?"
The paper cursed softly.
She didn't know any of those places or names.
Did that mean they had truly failed?
The paper almost seemed to hiss at his questions.
"Quick! The pages.. read to me what the pages say!" The words could help breath her life anew- and maybe she could figure out just went wrong.
Only problem was..
There were no pages.
She was the only one.
"Pages? Is there more of you?"
Kael looked through his supplies but found nothing.
He rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out what to do.
"Where do you need to go? I'll help you." Kael had no idea where to even begin, honestly.
"What?" The paper sounded flabbergasted. "What do you mean there aren't any other pages!? Where did you find me?" Then she corrected. "Where did you find this page?"
"Well to be honest I didn't know I had found you until you fell out of a sack of gold—-" Kael trailed off, realizing that she must have come from the ruins.
"Do the ruins of Serendipity mean anything to you?"
The paper actually sighed.
"It sounds poetic but means nothing." Her tone was curt. Serendipity was founded several millenia after her brother's fall.
If she could frown, she would.
"Check your bag. See if there aren't anymore!"
She was demanding.. for a piece of paper.
"Damn, you're awfully bossy..." he teased, but he did check the bag.
"Nope, it's just you."
Kael sat down cross legged and tended to the camp fire with one hand, poking at the embers with his staff.
"So, how do we go about getting you out of there? If that's even an option?"
"I was once sister to the most powerful and prolific king of our ages! Burdened by True knowledge and blessed by the flames!" She went on. He might notice as he poked at the fire, something interesting was happening to the paper.
"I gave up my true self to protect these scrolls for my brothers return. " she paused to consider. "Perhaps that time is near..."
"The most powerful and prolific king of our ages..." he mused, stoking the fire enough to get a small flame going again. He glanced at the paper and almost dropped it.
For there was a faint outline of a feminine face...indistinguishable but there...
"The time is near for what? Your brothers return? Are you a necromancer?" His interest was piqued.
She could have scoffed, but that was beneath her.
"Hardly...I was.. am.. an enchantress. I pull power from this world to extend the purpose of my king and I.."
She let out a sudden noise- it almost sounded like a moan.
"Do I feel fire?"
"Wait a second...could you take power from me? Just to come back?"
Kael sighed, adjusting his knapsack and then leaning behind him and using it as a headrest.
"You can feel the fire? Do you want me to bring you closer to it?"
If she could be seen, she'd have been bristling. As it was, she was just a piece of paper.
"Not.. exactly what I meant.." she replied, dryly. But then at his query, if the paper could smile it would.
"Throw me into the fire." She commanded.
"You want me to throw you into the fire...hell no!"
But then he contemplated it. And thought about it.
Finally he sighed, gently throwing the piece of paper into the fire.
"Gods above I hope I don't regret that."
It probably sounded like a silly request- after all, what did paper do when it met with the flame? But flames were her element... she was born unto fire and would not die unto fire. Her connection was as pure as the element itself.
So when he had reservations she felt the swelling of anger within, old emotions- power, purpose, envy and as she went to reprimand him with an earfull- the page was tossed into the flames.
She released a euphoric gasp as the flames surged all around her- the power and wildness of their heat surging through and fueling her with such power that the winds all around them began to carry and the fire began to spark in pops of threats as a haunted limb of fire rose up from the page like a serpent.
A rush of heat exploded out in a spiral, the flames suddenly curling around the ghostly flame within- and twisting.. writhing the form seemed to moan in pure ecstasy before the middle flame that rose upon the sheet took shape- first a rough outline of a woman- naked and pure- like an unfinished carving, then limbs took shape- a head and the growth of long hair. Still she moaned, her body leaning and tilting within a spiral in the flames as they rose higher and higher before she cried out and a waved of pure heat abd light erupted- blindingly so..
But in the aftermath she stood, poised, a figure of commanding power and beauty with her head held high and her body layered in lavish robes of a forgotten time.
"Oh.." she moaned, stretching a limb and curling her fingers as they trembled before she drew rhe hand back against her body and shivered. "I am back.." Then it turned into a laugh, a mocking, bark of a noise with a toss of her head.
"I AM BACK!!!"
And before the man now stood a fire bodied woman of rhe flames- a haunting vision created of thr flames as she wrapped her arms around herself with a shudder of pleasure. She looked like a phantom flame, a gorgeous figure with a memorizing figure.
First Kael thought he had burned the paper...but then a figure arose out of the crackling flames, seeming to have been made of fire herself.
Kael cried out and fell back, drawing his sword in haste.
"What are you?" He questioned, both in fear and in wonder.
Her cries of "I am back!" Sent chills down his spine, something in his soul signaling this was not good.
"You're back? From what[i/]?" He yelled.
Oh this was not good.
"What have I done?" He whispered to himself, watching as she formed completely.
But then...all rationale left him as he saw her finished figure.
"You're beautiful," he said in hushed tones, still holding the sword in front of him.
She continued to make soft, contented noises- like a lover after the act. It was as if she hadn't even noticed Kael and his floundering.
"It has been too long," She moaned, stretching her limbs - her form still vibrant, like a fiery ghost.
Then turned to him, eyes half lidded, appearing like a cat in the cream.
"What is your name, so that I might remember he who awakened me."
Kael wasn't sure if he wanted her to remember his name...he lowered his sword but kept alert.
"My name is Kael. How long have you been...stuck like that?"
She considered all that he spoke in a digestive silence.
"Too long, it seems. But I can not know. Essryn.." she hesitated, almost afraid to ask. "Tell me.. does the empire still reign over all?"
"The empire? What time period are you asking about exactly? As of now, the Shah rules over Essryn...well, honestly, the Shah is rather a symbol."
He looked around, as if to make sure no one else could hear.
"The merchant princes control the flow of things...it is best not to get on their bad side..."
The fiery illumination grew subtly brighter as she listened.
"It seems much time has passed."
She pursed her lips to consider this. It meant.. and confirmed.. her brother's original empire had fallen.
"Much has changed in this world.."
She now turned her attention to her ward.
"Tell me.. how long would it take to travel to the city of Essryn?"
"Around a couple of months...maybe 1 month if we booked it..."
He scrutinized Hebara.
"But...aren't you...fire? Of sorts? How exactly does all of," he gestured at the fire and her, "this work? How will you eat? How will you drink?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"If we do go to Essryn, I will need to hunt one last time to get enough food for the way back."
The fiery woman went quiet, a subtle surprise taking over as she simply stared at him.
Did she have to explain everything? And eat? For the King 's sake... she was fire. But that was trivial- eating was something those mortal had to do. She had broken her very being, her very soul and essence down into the protection spell..
But for what? Well.. if the word still lived...
Then her brother had the chance to rise again.
"I will command what I require," She stated simply. "I'm not a living being, not in the way as you are. Not any longer."
She wasn't about to explain- it would be far too complex to just describe to any normal person.
But one month...
Essryn was farther away than she had hoped. But she supposes in this form.. she bad had all the time she needed.
And she also considered another detail as she cast scrutinizing gaze upon Kael. Humans always were out for themselves...
This one seemed a little too eager to help. Perhaps it was because she always had to withstand the scrutinizing gaze of others.. considering who her brother was.
"Oh ok...well...I'm going to go hunt one more time..."
And with that Kael was gone, going from tree to tree checking his snares he had set out. First snare there was nothing but a squirrel...second snare was also nothing...but the third snare had a scared bear cub. Kael cursed. He knew better than to mess around with bears, even on a good day. This was not good. Mother bears were notorious for their protective tendencies. He cautiously approached the bear cub, and drew his knife.
"I'm just cutting you loose, I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered, carefully cutting the ropes that had trapped the bear cub.
The final rope snapped, and the bear cub got up, and without taking a look back at Kael, ran the other way into the undergrowth.
Kael let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Everything was good. No angry mama bear to contend with.
He stood up and put his knife away, only to see a very enraged mama bear, running straight at him.
Kael rolled to the side, making the mama bear run headfirst into a tree.
The bear charged at him again, and he tried to dodge, only the bear's paw caught him in his side. He let out a grunt of pain, and fell, preparing to defend himself, when the baby cub ran out, making the mama bear forget about Kael and turn her attention to her cub. They lumbered off and Kael was left alone.
His shirt had torn, and he was bleeding, but ok. He put a makeshift bandage on his side and stood up, wincing in pain and picking up the squirrel he had gotten from the first snare, and made his way slowly back to camp.
He got back and practically collapsed onto a log by the fire, breathing heavily.
"Got a squirrel, and that's it."
Hebara remained a radiant figure amid the flames, poised with statuesque grace. But the moment he returned, a disheveled mess, she cocked an eyebrow at him.
He showed her the squirrel.
"That small rodent will... feed you through the month?" She didn't comment about the way he looked, but she was thinking it... how did he get into such a state? Surely not by hunting and capturing the little rat...
"No, no............I'll eat it. In a second," Kael explained, breathing heavily.
"Fucking bears," he angrily muttered to himself, starting to skin the dead squirrel so he could cook it.
"So, I assume you want to travel to Essyrn? It's a long journey."
Hebara watched, which was all she could really do from where she had turned animated over the fire. Her parchment remained beneath her, but the flames danced and created her form of life and light.
She heard the grumbled word bear and had to wonder if that's the beast that did this to him. She had only ever read about bears in books.
At his words, she frowned and lifted her head, as if looking down her nose at him.
"Of course! It's of the utmost importance and urgency that we travel there!"
Kael realized that he hadn't asked "why" very much, the pain in his side was clearing his head, and giving him some rationale.
Now seemed like a very opportune moment to ask "why".
"Why, exactly, is it so important to get to Essyrn? You don't happen to be entangled with the merchant princes do you? Because I have reasons I'd rather not go anywhere near the princes."
He shifted on the log he was currently sitting on, having finished skinned the squirrel and put it over the fire where Hebara wasn't to cook it.
"Don't get me wrong, I'll happily take you there, but I don't plan on landing in an Essyrni jail anytime soon."
Hebara stared at the squirrel sizzling as it roasted, then looked to the man. Afraid of merchants? Go to jail? It figured she would have been awakened by a criminal.
She continued to look down at him, her figure a poise of perfection- and the sign of a woman who knew power, confidence and came from aa noble blood line.
"The reawakening of my brother is a power far beyond that of mere merchants. He is the one true king to rule this world. And holds incredible wealth, knowledge, ambition and power. "
"The world? All of Le'raana?" Internally Kael was beginning to think this Hebara was a bit unhinged.
"You act like he's done this before..." Kael said, choosing his words carefully.
"Let me clarify something. All is not well and good in Essyrn. The merchant princes are corrupt, evil men and I've been cleaning up their messes for years. "If your brother can stop the merchant princes..." he paused for a second, taking a breath to think.
"Then I might finally have found a cause to fight with."
He finished cooking the squirrel, taking half of the meat for now and leaving the rest over the fire to dry it and prep it into strips for the journey.
He held out half of the meat to Hebara.
"Would you like some?"
Hebara kept her air of confidence, even as she could sense his reservations.
"Of course all is not well. The true King of Essryn has not yet secured his throne. Those who dare claim as rulers of this time do so in vain. But their time is wasted. My return only solidifies this. He will reign again. They will not keep him from the throne!"
Her eyes shone with passion, even with the flames she now resided. And then...
She blinked as he attempted to offer her some food.
"I do not need such sustenance," she informed, almost seeming repulsed at the very idea- as if the act of eating in of itself repulsed her.
Kael shrugged.
"More for me, I guess."
He took the rest of the meat off of the fire, wrapped it, and put it in his leather pouch.
In between bites of his food, he studiously glanced at Hebara.
He finished his food and stood up, stretching.
"Well, I guess we better get going. The true king isn't going to come back by himself!"
She remained poised as he fussed over his meal. She exuded an air of confidence and grace, despite being just some figure within the flames. And at his words, she didn't move but her eyes seemed to narrow upon him.
"How long will it take you to escort me there?" She asked. "And are you capable of this task alone?" He didn't appear to be a soldier.. or anyone of any consequence , for that matter.
Kael looked at her.
"Well," he said thoughtfully, "it could take anywhere from a month to two months. It depends on how long a day we travel for."
He finished his meal.
"I should hope I'd be capable. I promise I'll get you to Essyrn. If it's the last thing I do," he promised, standing up and grabbing his knapsack.
As he moved to gather his things, she put out a commanding arm- one holding a halting presence.
"Before we embark.. I need to know more about my ward." She studied him, flames crackling and dancing around her body. She almost seems to possess a glowing orange skin in the way her phantom like image was created within the flames- save for the piece of unburnt paper at her feet.
"And just who are you and your title to be escorting me?"
Kael raised an eyebrow when Hebara stopped him.
"You need to know about your ward?" He repeated.
"Well. My name is Kael. My tribe went back for generations. We were nomadic, roaming over the desert and keeping to ourselves. I lead the defense unit. We would protect the tribe from hostile tribes, slave traders, and hostile animals."
Karl's gray eyes took on a haunted look.
"But I couldn't protect them from the tempest that killed them," he said sadly.
"I blame myself for my tribe's demise. I couldn't save them," his voice broke, and he took a second to compose himself.
"After the tragedy, I roamed the desert myself, protecting those who were unable to protect myself, and learning the desert's ways. The desert has magic in it for those who will listen."
He cleared his throat and forced a smile, checking the sword that was in his sheath.
"Shall we head out?"
Hebara stood, poised and perfection as the flames danced and crackled around and within her form. She took in what he said and considered the way forward.
"Do you hear it," she finally said, after a long moment of contemplation. "The magic of the desert?"
A wistful look appeared in Kael's eyes. He'd been gone from the desert too long.
"Yes," he replied softly.
"But there's also danger in the desert...evil...corruption. Those who listen to the desert must be careful."
Hebara let his replies all sink in. She considered for a moment, reminding herself he was her only option. But was he the best option?
Did it matter?
It always mattered.. yet....
She could deal with it later if he were incompetent. She needed to get to Essryn. She had to get to the desert.
"And if this tempest.. the one who finally took down your people and you were unable to save them.. what if that tempest were to stand on our way to Essryn?"
"Then I will die trying to save you from the fate of my people. I have learned much since that fateful day...to control the desert one must balance the dangerous line between the peace and the chaos. If you give in to the chaos...you will become corrupted."
Kael stood up.
"We've wasted enough time. We should get going, if you are in agreement."
Hebara stood poised- like a statue amongst the flames. Something seemed guarded as she calculated a reply, but nodded and lifted a hand.
"Very well, I shall accept your offer."
But one thing still remained to be discovered....
She was barely returning to her cognitive self but..m she couldn't help but feel something was... off. Sure, she could travel and get to Essryn.. had to get there.. but then what? She was just.. akin to a spirit.. she supposed.. but something tethered to the living world...
Or is that what she wanted to believe?
"We can be off once you feel it is wise to do so. I am at your fate."
For now.
"So I just put the fire out? And grab the paper?" Kael nervously asked, not wanting to kill this...spirit? Whatever it was.
"Ok, ok. I hope this won't hurt you," and Kael reached down and grabbed two handfuls of dirt and threw them on the fire, putting the fire out. Then he grabbed the paper, burning his hand in the process, and gently placed it inside his knapsack.
He quickly took down the small campsite he had and packed everything up, before beginning the journey towards Essryn.
"We've got a long journey ahead of us..." Kael wasn't even sure who, or what, he was talking to at this point.
"Er, if you can hear me...we must be careful, there's highwaymen around this area...but we should be fine."