Coiffed Clerics Choke Clean Clerk's Cherished Chickens

[tekraa]

   Essyrn, The Golden City, Jewel of the Desert, built upon an oasis of staggering size.  A result of location only, and the need of the people.  The Niafi river was the lifeblood of this city.  It  alone provided the neccesary enviroment to sustain plantations.  Crops and livestock aplenty to feed the masses, those who could afford it, and keep them from thirst, probably for centuries to come.  The Dry heat of the desert was bad, but the humid heat of the Oasis would be worse, during the day.

   Light gleamed off the granite walls, polished naturally by wind and sand to an unlikely finish.  The roads emering from the city were populated with wagons, and merchants, coming and going, striving for the privelage to sell their wares in the city,  rejection could break even the best of merchants, while admission could make one wealthy for years to come.  The merchant fleets of Essyrn were the wealthiest in all the lands, rivaling those of any of their competitors, their princes ruthless and brilliant in their dealings.

   Their caravan was long and winding now, the trek across Maraki long and arduous, only once had raiders tried them, dehydration had hurt them far more than bandits.  Atar'Ashi and his companion, Dred'Rikath, lounged in the back of a wagon.   The swordsman had clearly fallen asleep again leaving his mage companion alone to his thoughts.  Chain armor and woolen clothing had been replaced by lighter, local subsitutes, boots for sandals, gloves gone.   Atar'Ashi's atunement to all things magical had found them a source of trade, rare as sorcery was Atar'Ashi was able to step in and make people's lives easier, offering basic knowledge in medicine, an all-too-well-accomplished hand in the healing arts,  and some geomancy to go with it.  As ever, the two of them would survive, and profit, on their skills alone.

   Tanned skin had long since replaced sun burn on the fourty-nine day trip through the desert, Atar'Ashi had come to the conclusion that he hated travelling by wagon, one could simply shadow-step to Essyrn but the swordsman had insisted on making the trip.  Dred'Rikath was right, though. Inconvenient for the time they were losing, but he was turning a profit with little expense to himself, and he had taken a liking to Alberich on this trip.  The boy was more atuned to magic than he was, the thought still frightened him, intensely, however, he didn't think the boy could cause much harm. 

   Silver'Dart, that one could cause harm, much harm.  He had seen it, and felt it, and could do little about it.  Fourty some days of travelling together following the incident with Werglk and their encounter with the Mordecai and the woman was as gaurded as ever.  Trust was a hard thing  to develop without friendship, and companionship was no substitute for friendship.  Dred'Rikath, was his friend, Silverd'art, was their companion, and while Dred was extremely open with the woman, he felt no need to be.  Everyone has secrets, after all. 

   Atar raised his hand to shield the sun from his eyes and squinted, the walls of Essyrn just now breaching the horizon ahead of them, the air was humid, unusual for a desert but not so much for the Oasis.  They had passed the last quarries hours ago, the labor that went into moving the stone for these walls was not something Atar longed to think on, the backs of slaves, broken and maimed in the process.  His brow wrinkled as he frowned, the thought rapidly souring  his mood.  It had been years since he had seen Essyrn, years longer yet since he had been in the city, the thought was not heart-warming.  They had their share of enemies, the gods knew it, and they didn't know who to expect here. 

   The mage sat up and kicked at Dred's leg, the swordsman snapped awake, blinked while his eyes adjusted to the light, and sat up as the wagon bounced down the road.  "The city"  Atar said and nodded ahead, Dred's eyes followed the motion and surveyed the scene as he let out a heavy sigh.  "Dreadful place."  The swordsman's hands checked his weapon as he scanned the terrain, riders were headed toward the caravan, probably from the city.  "Don't tell Raflroi I said that...or his family" He added, then grinned as he looked at the mage.  Atar grinned back.  Too long on the road... "Where is Zayna?" Dred asked.

[GoblinFae]

As much as she despised the heat of the desert, the assassin always considered it a rare treat to be able to pass some of her days here with the caravan. It was not something she would ever admit to, but she did find it within her to care deeply for the family, especially young Alberich. The long-buried desire for love and family was always dragged closer to the surface in their presence and she endured it as long as she could before it drove her back out of the harsh desert lands.

Tiraris had first met them when she had been found by Alberich, injured and very close to being a vulture's meal. It was only the boy's refusal to leave his spot in the scorching sun that brought his irate mother over to discover the sunburned and bleeding body of a barely breathing woman. Under their care she had healed and survived. Yet, as the days passed and she found herself well enough to go on her way, she still had not. The young woman had not understood it then, even as she at last disappeared into the night without a word of parting. But, the assassin did now.

Chapped lips cracked and bled as Tiraris smiled slightly at the past. The blood was quickly wiped away with a pass of her tongue as she continued her steady gait alongside one of the wagons. A deceptive, cooling breeze briefly danced by, tugging on her headscarf as it passed her by, carrying with it her desert name spoken from Atar'Ashi's mouth.

Her brow crinkled at the thought of her unwanted, circumstantial companions. In this place where she came sparingly to forget her present and her past, she was forced to be on her guard in the face of two strangers when all she wanted was to enjoy her brief respite from her usual duties.

She and Atar'Ashi had continued their sniping at each other over the past month and half of journeying together, which suited her just fine. It was Dred that she was more wary of. His open nature made her suspicious of his motives. The pair had continued to stay with her and the caravan instead of trudging on ahead in search of the mage, much to her disappointment. Tiraris had no doubt that she would beat them to the kill but she still would have liked to continue doing things alone.

Huffing she allowed her pace to slow long enough for the wagon to pass her and her to come into sight of the occupants of it. Gracefully, she swung herself up and into the moving vehicle before settling down in its entrance.

"Best be grateful it was I that heard your insult and not Raflroi, whelp. The desert has ears you know," the assassin commented testily, as she smoothed the light fabric of her knee-length tunic that rested atop her loose leggings. While it was uncommon for the desert people to pants, Tiraris was still a little too conditioned by her mother's teachings to let that much skin to show. She made up for it though with the sheerness of the black outfit that hinted at the pale flesh of her torso and legs beneath.

Disinterestedly, she looked out and watched the land recede from them. "What did you want with me now?"

[tekraa]

  "I was day dreaming that you had lost your voice" The mage quipped then sneered "I wanted to see if we had been granted sweet serenity by the Smiling Dragon, alas, my hopes dashed, I thought we might discuss plans upon gaining entry to the city."  As quickly as the expression and hostility had mounted it was gone, replaced by an unusually calm expression from the mage.  He glanced briefly at the swordsman as he raised his arms up and behind his head, fingers weaving as he tilted his head back to rest.

  "We were considering options while you were away, and were curious of your intentions.  We have...connections, in the city, and means to enter the city ahead of the caravan, or with, unless they are denied entry to the city, of course, in which case we still intend to enter."  Atar noted that his friend was still watching the approach of the mounted soldiers, it was what he liked about the man.  He was keenly aware of his surroundings, a trait that had kept them both alive far more often than he liked to admit.

   Atar's arms dropped and he shifted uncomfortably in the back of the wagon.  The rest of the caravan had halted now and people were beginning to tend to beasts and children, or prepping goods for inspection or searches for contraband. "We...I, feel responsible for you winding up with us in Essyrn.  We intend to stay briefly, we have talked it over, will do a few jobs in town to purchase supplies and then we will strike out of the Glass Desert and-

  "What the mage is trying to say, Zayna"  Dred cut in, his gaze shifted from the motion in the distance to the mage, and then to Silverd'art, russet eyes glinting in the sunlight.  "We do not intend to stay long, if you seek passage out of Essyrn we will purchase your passage away from here, however, we are extending you an invitation to join us in our journey to Seraj Isa.  There are...things, we should like to investigate in the Glass Desert, as off putting as my companion can be, we welcome able hands to partner with us." Dred'Rikath paused to wet his lips, Atar'Ashi looked uncomfortable for a brief moment then regained his composure.  "You don't need to answer now, take a few days, we just thought it was time to let you know of our plans."

The soldiers had reached the head of the caravan, city guard. Ten of them.  From the size of the caravan, it would be an hour before they reached the trio, which would leave them ample time to rest before entering the city,  midday was a bad time of day to be about, even in the oasis,  it was due time for a few days rest.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris smirked at his jibes but otherwise said nothing. Her desire to get to the point faster was aided by her silence and they all knew it. But, the snort that inevitably came from his posturing ruined the moment. No amount of saving and clarifying on Dred's part would save the situation. The assassin was by no means stupid. Besides, how could she pass up two opportunities to gouge Atar'Ashi for his mistakes.

"And why pray tell would I have trouble getting into the city? Tell me, with your connections what have you been up to that would warrant you being denied access? Surely you were not so obvious as to make yourself noticeable? Oh wait, I forgot who I was talking to."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Of course it is your fault mage, you were careless and we all paid. You are lucky to even be alive. As for my passage I have no need of your money. I am perfectly capable of taking of myself, thank you. I would not be surprised if I have more money than you could ever hope to earn in a lifetime.

"No, what I am more interested in, in what you intend to find in the desert. You have already determined he is not here. If you seek him, why wander aimlessly? Unless," here she smirked again, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so, "there is something else you are keeping from me."

Her eyes darted between the two, amusement clear within the garnet orbs. "Why do men have to behave as such children, I wonder? You both act like boys trying to keep the icky girl out of their secret society. I do not believe you could be any less mature if you tried. My intent is to hunt him down. I will stop until his blood flows freely without a chance of replenishment. If our paths are meant to continue their intertwining then so be it. But, I will not be deceived or mislead. If I am to make a decision I wish to do so in clear conscious with complete knowledge. You owe me that, boys."

[tekraa]

A moment passed, the mage looked thoughtful and closed his eyes.  If her words had any affect on him it did not show.  He had felt it, not the man, or god, or demon, or whatever Werglk was, but something out there, in that desert, that felt like Werglk.  It was faint at first, but the closer they got to it the more he could feel it, sending out ripples like it needed to be found, perhaps, calling to its master.  He wondered at it, how those sensitive to magicks were dealing with it, or if they even knew.  He wondered if Zayna had felt it, or if she had, had she realized what it was.  Always there where he touched the source, it struggled against him, trying to prevent him from manipulating it.  He had felt it before, in Adela, when they had first encountered the mage.   He had his suspicions about the situation, much of which he had not shared with anyone, even his partner.  There was too much left unknown to make an assumption upon.

  "You, STOP!" The cry rang out from a short distance away, a man had taken off running from the soldiery during his inspection.  Concerned eyes popped open and turned to the action just as the man stumbled, then immediately being tackled into the side of another wagon, the resounding crack of bone carrying to their ears.  Dred's fingers were now touching his sword hilt, fingers tensing and then relaxing back to his knee.  Atar was unsure what to say to the woman, was she worthy the explanation?  She had traveled with the man and he was not yet sure of why he would have chosen such a companion, there must have been something about her he needed.

Perhaps, his opinions on Werglk were misleading, perhaps he was mislead, the powers that be in the world were often far and far above mere mortals in their dealings, it could be that some gods were midst a game and had spun a farce that he was thinking far too much into, still...

"Silverd'Art.  There are places of power in the world, all around the world.  They are not terribly difficult to find and are used in rituals or practices to varying degree, but few are rarely created.  Most are simply wells, open, accessible.  The desert, feels different.  I have hunches, and speculation, about the mage.  Nothing concrete. I don't know enough to tell you anything but where we plan to go.  The why?  You probably won't believe me, but I think he is possessed.  By a god, or a demon, or something.  Centuries old, maybe more, whatever it is, is using him to collect pieces of itself.  I think it is scattered, lost. Maybe old rituals that bound it are breaking down."  He shrugged.  "Whatever the case, we still intend to find, and kill him."

Dred's brows arched at that, the mage had spilled more information than he himself had been told, and was surprised at that.  Clarity, now.  The swordsman realized why he wanted the woman along, it wasn't hard to see and he figured Zayna would figure it out quickly, the mage thought she was involved, in some way, perhaps unsuspecting, but involved.  His own curiosity was now sated.  The mage had been obsessed with Werglk since they had arrived in the desert, leave it to wizards to have suspicions and not share anything.

[GoblinFae]

The crack of bone only made the assassin blink. She caught the tenseness in her fellow's posture yet while part of her listened to Atar'Ashi's ramblings another was keeping her senses open for signs of the guards getting closer to Alberich's hideaway. The boy hated being around strangers and large crowds, a feeling Tiraris herself concurred with. There was just something about being pressed in upon that set her skin crawling.

The problem about this inspection though was that Alberich tended to scream and shout, bringing a lot of unwanted attention upon himself that usually got him threatened with being locked up for the night. She would not admit it, but the notion infuriated her and if need be she would interfere in this matter. The guards' lives meant nothing to her in place of the blue-eyed child's own.

She could not hear him yet though and briefly allowed her attention to waver back to her current companions. As long as he was safe she could afford to let her mind drift. Although as the assassin listened she began to debate whether it was worth listening at all.

"The only one who will be killing him is me. If you get in the way of that I will help you do nothing and go my own way. We will only travel together because for now our paths are one and the same. And on top of all that you are wrong. He is not possessed. He has always been that way," Tiraris insisted haughtily, her crimson eyes flashing in anger.

"You are fools, the both of you. You know nothing, and pretend to be everything. I hate men like you. Keep your secrets then, but do not think me stupid enough to believe that is all that there is to tell Atar'Ashi," she declared, her tongue spitting out his name.

[tekraa]

The search of the caravan continued, thorough and ever diligent in their search for contraband.  The man who had fled was now bound across one of the soldiers' mounts and a thief had been detained. The men worked quickly and were beginning to approach the hiding place of young Alberich.

Atar'Ashi looked distressed, right hand moving to brush sweat from the creases above his brow.  The heat of the desert was hard, even on him and his companion, even as familiar with it as he and Dred'Rikath were, and now this deep into the Oasis they had to deal with the humidity that would drain the water from a man's body in the heat in mere hours.  Atar took a long draught from the water skin, rationed out for the day, and offered it over to the woman.  "I will keep my secrets, so long as you do, girl."  His tone was even as he replied, his attention had turned toward soldiers, attentive to their surroundings, and their search.

"I imagine your opinions on Werglk would change if you had seen him slaughter seventeen children simultaneously in order to harness the powers of their death through some forgotten unholy necromatic ritual, imbuing the slain corpse of a dragon with the souls of the enslaved innocent in order to resurrect and bind the once majestic beast where after he chose to use it to cut waves through an army of battle hardened  Adelan veterans, single handedly destroy two accomplished mages, and burn me near to a crisp in the process."  The pitch of the mage's voice rose higher and higher as he ranted, cracking as he was near shouting at the end.  She had managed to crack the mage's armor in a way that rarely happened, the face he put forward, sniping back and forth with the woman was now shattered, leaving a seething Atar'Ashi for the camp to see.

The soldiers who had been nearing Alberich's hiding place now turned their attention toward the mage, other's were beginning to watch as well.  The soldiers began their approach  but were still a safe distance away. "Mage."  Dred snapped,  irritation washing across his scarred face, hazel eyes narrowing to a knife's point.  When he opened his mouth to speak again his voice was hardened, but barely above a whisper.  "You are garnering us unwanted attention"  Zayna's words outwardly had not appeared to have affected the stoic Dred,  It would be a long time before the insult would be forgotten.  Nothing but curt and helpful the entire journey, he barely spoke to her unless he needed to.

"I will beat the two of you unconscious if this nonsense gets us arrested."  His glare moved from the mage to the woman.  "Test my ire,  you simpletons, this ride has been long and uneventful, and I'm beginning to itch for some violence, and nothing would please me more at this moment than breaking your hands,"  he paused for emphasis as he pointed his finger at the mage, and then SilverD'art. "and to mash your face a bit.  You two act like you are children, not deserving of the respect anyone gives you."  He spat, his attention now turning the mounted soldier trotting dangerously close to them.

The man, this detachment's leader no doubt, hailed them from a safe distance away, two more soldiers were approaching from his rear, several paces away yet.  "We were told you are mercenaries, foreigners hired in Adela to escort the caravan and merchants.  You will need to come to the barracks before entering the city to get clearance.  We ask that you keep your quarrel end until we are done with our inspection,  and then you three will join us at the barracks."

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris hummed noncommittally within her throat at Atar'Ashi's rants concerning Werglk. There were many words she wished to casually toss in his direction to incite more of his anger. She found it quite entertaining and an effective shield against the prying into her own personal secrets. On and on it built until she nearly submitted and joined in, only to be stopped by her other circumstantial companion's hissing.

The nearly silent chuckle at the Mage's expense though managed to slip out anyway as dry lips smirked in amusement. A passive expression greeted Dred'Rikath though as he threatened the formerly squabbling pair. The assassin raised a brow in a nonverbal challenge to try but she remained otherwise composed due to the judging eyes of the searching patrol.

"I am but a simpleton," she replied channeling a distinctly Connlaothian accent, even as she eyed the leader demurely. "Why must I too join these bloodthirsty mercenaries in those atrocious barracks?" Tiraris shuddered in effect as if the thought alone offended her sensibilities. "I come of late from Connlaoth. My desires are not in line with these men. I am not here for blood-money. I am only visiting. Are you so prejudiced or is it boredom that would have you apprehend and delay me in my travels when I am so close to a soft bed and a proper bath?"

She thought she was playing the part of the privileged woman well as she pouted and whined softly. But the never quiet assassin within judged and calculated the strength and power of the patrol, trying to determine how much of a threat they were to her and her party. It did not matter so much to her that she was almost selling the two men out. Then again, who was to say they would not do the same in her position. Tiraris had duties to Raflroi and his family that she refused to be pulled away from. The boy was known for causing trouble and they were not home free yet. Her being placed in the barracks for an hour or two while seemingly ancient rulebooks were consulted would do nothing but incite her fury. It was the last thing they all needed right now.

"You are going to force my hand in making me address your superior for wrongful conduct now are you?" the black-clad woman questioned, her fingers gently tracing over the hilt of a dagger along her thigh and out of the man's sight. She was trying so hard to hide the tension that was growing within her but she was almost positive the other two could see it, plain as day. Absolutely under no circumstances did she wish to be dragged off to the barracks.