Home again
Spring 376 – Tenni, Secretary to Ru'Sala
“It's so odd,” Tishrel commented as we stepped onto the dock. Tishrel's comment made me look around. Several workers were offloading cargo we'd brought along.
For the first time in such a long time, I had returned to my homeland. Thoughts of returning would flare up from time to time since my employment with Ru'Sala had been so lucrative but I often smothered those flames. There was nothing here for me, so I told myself. Yet, I spoke the language and Raqua would need my help more than anyone else in negotiations. We would need ships to repel the invasion of our island.
Tishrel expanded, “I'm so used to you being the only Djinni around. It's odd to see so many others.”
She was right. Many of my race were present. Sailors, fishermen and mongers alike. A few even had managed to come into stores of their own. Biting my lip, I realized aloud, “There weren't this many here a decade ago. We tended to live in remote oasis since humans hated us.” Yet, everywhere I looked, my people were mingled with humans and a few elves. Each race kept to their own but coexisted for the sake of profit, I imagined.
“Alright, Tenni, you'll need to explain our situation to the port authority. This place doesn't have a shipyard but it should suit our needs as a base to operate out of,” Raqua ordered as she herself descended onto the dock. Even in the heat of the desert she wore her chainmail and chestplate. The Phoenix carved into it caught the midday sun.
Even the docks themselves were different; they were built out much further to accommodate much larger ships. I turned to ask Tishrel, “So, how was it to be back on a long voyage for the first time in a while?”
“I can't tell you how nice it felt to have the sea under me again. I'll never get it. Ru'Sala is a water dragon but he spends so much of his time on land. It has to be as unnatural for him as it is for me.” Tishrel beamed as we passed by a group of sailors. One whistled while another pair made suggestive gestures. We ignored their rudeness for the Port authority office. As if he hadn't moved beyond growing a fuller beard, sat the same rotund man I'd met a decade ago.
“Can I help you ladies or are you just lost?” He grumped.
“Good day to you, sir. I'm here on behalf of the Drowning Heavens, a ship operated by the Blue Phoenix Mercenary Company. We'll need to occupy a dock for a few weeks while we're on business in the area,” I explained cordially.
The man grumbled as he reached into his desk to produce several forms. Setting them down with disdain, he asked, “What's the color of your coin? Non-native silvers have to be weighed by national standard and any lesser metal or goods will have their value set by me.”
“Here you go, sir.” I said reaching into my dress's pocket to produce a single Imperium gold coin. His beady eyes scowled at the coin and then to me. With a scoff of disdain, he snatched up the money.
“Right, that'll get you four weeks. I'll look forward to your future patronage and welcome to the Kingdom of Teper,” He sneered with barely constrained disdain. I simply gave him my most professional smile in response. We finished filing the paperwork in relative silence. Once done, Tishrel and I returned to the ship. Raqua was busy feeding her mount, Shelby. She refused to leave the horse behind and it kept on getting onto the deck to see her. Some are claiming that despite having eight children, her real husband is that horse. I'm withholding judgment for now, mainly cause I'm fairly sure Shelby is a mare.
Bowing my head, I explained our situation. With a smile, the big woman reached down and mussed my hair before saying, “You're gonna go home, aren't you?” A shiver ran over my skin at her words. Of course Raqua knew, she was the intuitive type. Not that it took much to figure out. Still, I bit my lip as she said, “It's fine. If you aren't back in a week, I'll say that you blew away on a desert wind. We'll miss you but.”
I cut her off there, “No, that's not it. I'll be back in a day or two. I'm just going to see if I can find anything to help us there.”
“Right, right.” Raqua said dismissing us with a wave of her hand. It didn't take long to gather what we needed for the trip and stock our mount's saddlebags. With no fanfare from our comrades, we were off. Night fell on us making camp in the desert. A pristine sea of stars lay overhead to guide us. Only a few would be bandits followed us but were scared off after a shot from Tishrel's bow.
“You know, it's easy to forget that there was a time for me when that's all it would have taken to get killed. I would've meekly sat there as they stole from me. After all, I was a woman.” I chuckled mirthfully. My mind wandered over the past. We'd been attacked on the road to Nightrivers quite a few times. Tishrel often scared them off with blade and bow. Only the most persistent would find themselves cast away by the winds.
Wrapping her arms around me, Tishrel whispered lovingly, “Just, be careful sweetpea. There's a whole world out there that'd still love to harm you.”
“That there is, but I'll take from the world long before it'll take me.” I giggled and passed the time with small talk till we were sure the bandits had given up. Sure enough, their lust for our bodies or gold wasn't dissuaded by that. While we cooked our breakfast, they sought to capture me. In a rather embarrassing position, they leaped out from behind a dune. Brandishing dull, worn knives and axes, I invoked the power I'd spent a decade honing. Hands of sand reached up from below.
Each man was tripped up to lay face down in the dust. Making myself decent, I explained that they'd be held in that position until we were gone. We departed without incident. Our mounts seemed to enjoy our leisurely pace. It was just past midday when we arrived.
I could only ride with my eyes transfixed, what had been a prosperous oasis was now a sand choked ruin. Almost no signs of life remained. Tipped over or shattered pots were everywhere. A few boarded up homes had eyes peering at us behind them. It was obvious that nothing of my original home remained here. Yet, what struck me was how little I felt at that. Well, I had been disowned, after all. Before I knew it, we arrived at the gate to the palace.
What had once been a painted jewel that was kept up by my family, now sat ravaged by the winds. Climbing down from my mount, I passed through the open gate. Even the central fountain gave only the slightest trickle to a scum covered basin. Blinking my eyes, I invoked the spell that allowed me to see magic. Surely enough, I could see some artifact buried deep underground that had supplied us for so long. It's power would fade after none too long like this.
Clearing away the spell with a shake of my head, I sat at the fountain's edge. Tishrel placed a hand on my shoulder. I let out a sigh before tangling our fingers, “It's alright. I was expecting this when I saw so many of my people in the ports. Let me check one last thing before we go, alright?”
“Take as much time as you need, sweet pea.” Tishrel spoke softly. I walked the familiar halls as I had done a thousand times in my youth. Memories of other children and servants made me smile sadly. Then, I approached the spare room that had been used for storage. If you looked close, you'd notice a small latch that lead down into the secret library. As I cleared away a box, it remained the same. Pulling up the tile, I checked the ladder and it'd held together, even now.
The room was dry and cool, perfect for reading. Opening my palm, I summoned a light to dance over my shoulder. It swayed slightly as I walked over to the desk. Sitting centrally was a letter addressed to me from my father's captain of the Guard, Asril. Checking the dusty papers, he'd written them periodically. Perhaps he felt them as a penance or expectation that I'd return? Or, maybe he was just a sentimental old man? Either way, his papers detailed the fall of my home.
It wasn't Teper, but their enemy that attacked us under the cover of night. Declaring it as a holy crusade against anyone who 'disturbed the proper order of the universe', they began to slaughter each Oasis. One by one, my people were scattered and driven from their homes. King Teper was no fool and welcomed my people so long as they'd fight his enemy. Sure enough, a few like me, with power, rose up in the ranks. The war was won but the magic supplying our oasis had began to dry up. So, life went on.
On the last page, Asril wished me a happy life before he'd go out to meet the enemy. I could still see that old man in his armor. The curved sword that hung at his side glinting in the desert sunlight. Part of me envisioned myself, spells whirling about my body at his side. We'd wreak havoc on those fools. I giggled at myself and placed Tishrel in his stead.
Climbing up the ladder, I saw my love watching over the room. She gave me a smile as I came back up to find the cold of night blowing through. Apparently I'd been wrapped up in my reading for a long time again. I always seem to lose all track of time when I get into something.
My eyes grew wide and I gasped in horror noticing a bloodstain on her side. Checking the wound, she'd already bandaged it. Tishrel rasped, “I'm sorry, sweet pea.” She passed out, falling limp against the wall. Blinking, I called forth a new spell. This one traced the energy of living beings. Rats were plentiful but a single figure hid in a room down the hall.
“Come out, I know where you are! Who are you?” I demanded as I stomped down the hall. With each step, sand spiraled around me in every more complex patterns. Weaving the wind into a shield and whip.
Slowly creeping from the room to hide fruitlessly behind a pillar, the figure declared, “I am the King of this Oasis! I'm a true Djinni so leave my home!”
“What is your name, Ishzark?” I demanded.
“I am Earn Ishzark! Last of the true Djinni!” My youngest sibling declared.
I hesitated for a moment. Part of me wanted to embrace him, remembering the small, quiet child that used to play by himself. Recalling Tishrel's wound, I wondered if his claim to power was a bluff. Not that it mattered. Walking towards him, I said simply, “Then you should be the one to leave and get yourself a wife, Earn. That would be your duty to your family now. Not presiding over lost glories no one cares about.”
“How dare you defame my home! I will kill you for that!” Earn roared and charged me. He was struck by a stream of wind that sent him hurtling into a wall.
Despite his injury, Earn croaked out, “Are you, Tenni?”
“Yes.” I answered flatly. Earn began laughing madly. His body was thin from malnutrition and shook constantly. Despite the obvious pain it caused, he climbed back to his feet.
Throwing his head back, Earn continued his laughter, “Fate smiles on me! If I kill you, there will be no more pretenders to my throne! Everyone will come back! The Ishzarks shall rule once more!” A deperate lunge came my way. This time, I wrapped the young fool in air. A storm spun him about before I added a flame to it. The newborn pillar of flame roared loud enough to drown out his dying screams.
“That was the kindest mercy I could bestow,” I told myself aloud. The fire sputtered into scattered sparks, discarding ashes everywhere. I returned to Tishrel and made a small fire from what I could gather. When it came time to change her bandages, Tishrel awoke. I told her, “You know, I've been exiled for a decade yet I had to come home to bloody my hands. I hadn't killed anyone with my magic. The one time I tried, I failed.”
I pondered, would that spell be fast enough to kill Ru'Sala? No, I might never have the power to kill him. That was somehow reassuring.
Laying her back down, Tishrel placed a hand to my cheek. Her fingertips were cold so I kissed each one. Tishrel looked at the ceiling, “My first kill was Ria's mother, the former witch of the wood for Sandport. Her family hit hard times when Ria wasn't ready to be the witch and her mother got sick. My family was one of the ones in their employ. We were going to starve and I heard that if someone could kill her, we'd get a lot of money.” Tishrel took several breaths, her hands shook. I held her to my breast.
“She was laying there, gasping and weak. I plunged a stolen cooking knife into her throat,” Tishrel gasped between shallow breaths.
I lowered her head onto my lap, I asked, “Does Ria know?”
“She walked in as I did it. I stole her mother from her and all she did was ask me if I'd be okay. I felt horrible. From then on, I swore to do whatever it took to help her,” Tishrel breathed slowly, “I did whatever I had to. I killed more and stole a lot. She knew but never questioned it. And, when she became a Witch, Ria told me my debt was repaid. So, I went out to sea. Then I found you.”
Leaning down, I kissed her forehead. I knew she was hiding plenty of pain but I'd never seen her like this. She began to weep so I kept wiping away her tears no matter how many came. Tishrel sobbed, “When I thought I was going to die, all I could think is that it fit for a murderer like me. That you deserve someone cleaner.”
“Hush now,” I quieted her, “You're not going to die. Just rest and recover. When we get this job done, we'll be taking a trip to Sandport to have Ria change my name. How does the name Ashrel sound to you?”
For those who do not know, in Elven society when two women are in love, one will change their name during the joining ceremony. Traditionally it will be a combination of a parent's name and their lover's. I doubt Asril will object to me using his over King Ishzark's. Tishrel continued to weep until she passed out. Though, I'm sure the rest were from joy.
“It's so odd,” Tishrel commented as we stepped onto the dock. Tishrel's comment made me look around. Several workers were offloading cargo we'd brought along.
For the first time in such a long time, I had returned to my homeland. Thoughts of returning would flare up from time to time since my employment with Ru'Sala had been so lucrative but I often smothered those flames. There was nothing here for me, so I told myself. Yet, I spoke the language and Raqua would need my help more than anyone else in negotiations. We would need ships to repel the invasion of our island.
Tishrel expanded, “I'm so used to you being the only Djinni around. It's odd to see so many others.”
She was right. Many of my race were present. Sailors, fishermen and mongers alike. A few even had managed to come into stores of their own. Biting my lip, I realized aloud, “There weren't this many here a decade ago. We tended to live in remote oasis since humans hated us.” Yet, everywhere I looked, my people were mingled with humans and a few elves. Each race kept to their own but coexisted for the sake of profit, I imagined.
“Alright, Tenni, you'll need to explain our situation to the port authority. This place doesn't have a shipyard but it should suit our needs as a base to operate out of,” Raqua ordered as she herself descended onto the dock. Even in the heat of the desert she wore her chainmail and chestplate. The Phoenix carved into it caught the midday sun.
Even the docks themselves were different; they were built out much further to accommodate much larger ships. I turned to ask Tishrel, “So, how was it to be back on a long voyage for the first time in a while?”
“I can't tell you how nice it felt to have the sea under me again. I'll never get it. Ru'Sala is a water dragon but he spends so much of his time on land. It has to be as unnatural for him as it is for me.” Tishrel beamed as we passed by a group of sailors. One whistled while another pair made suggestive gestures. We ignored their rudeness for the Port authority office. As if he hadn't moved beyond growing a fuller beard, sat the same rotund man I'd met a decade ago.
“Can I help you ladies or are you just lost?” He grumped.
“Good day to you, sir. I'm here on behalf of the Drowning Heavens, a ship operated by the Blue Phoenix Mercenary Company. We'll need to occupy a dock for a few weeks while we're on business in the area,” I explained cordially.
The man grumbled as he reached into his desk to produce several forms. Setting them down with disdain, he asked, “What's the color of your coin? Non-native silvers have to be weighed by national standard and any lesser metal or goods will have their value set by me.”
“Here you go, sir.” I said reaching into my dress's pocket to produce a single Imperium gold coin. His beady eyes scowled at the coin and then to me. With a scoff of disdain, he snatched up the money.
“Right, that'll get you four weeks. I'll look forward to your future patronage and welcome to the Kingdom of Teper,” He sneered with barely constrained disdain. I simply gave him my most professional smile in response. We finished filing the paperwork in relative silence. Once done, Tishrel and I returned to the ship. Raqua was busy feeding her mount, Shelby. She refused to leave the horse behind and it kept on getting onto the deck to see her. Some are claiming that despite having eight children, her real husband is that horse. I'm withholding judgment for now, mainly cause I'm fairly sure Shelby is a mare.
Bowing my head, I explained our situation. With a smile, the big woman reached down and mussed my hair before saying, “You're gonna go home, aren't you?” A shiver ran over my skin at her words. Of course Raqua knew, she was the intuitive type. Not that it took much to figure out. Still, I bit my lip as she said, “It's fine. If you aren't back in a week, I'll say that you blew away on a desert wind. We'll miss you but.”
I cut her off there, “No, that's not it. I'll be back in a day or two. I'm just going to see if I can find anything to help us there.”
“Right, right.” Raqua said dismissing us with a wave of her hand. It didn't take long to gather what we needed for the trip and stock our mount's saddlebags. With no fanfare from our comrades, we were off. Night fell on us making camp in the desert. A pristine sea of stars lay overhead to guide us. Only a few would be bandits followed us but were scared off after a shot from Tishrel's bow.
“You know, it's easy to forget that there was a time for me when that's all it would have taken to get killed. I would've meekly sat there as they stole from me. After all, I was a woman.” I chuckled mirthfully. My mind wandered over the past. We'd been attacked on the road to Nightrivers quite a few times. Tishrel often scared them off with blade and bow. Only the most persistent would find themselves cast away by the winds.
Wrapping her arms around me, Tishrel whispered lovingly, “Just, be careful sweetpea. There's a whole world out there that'd still love to harm you.”
“That there is, but I'll take from the world long before it'll take me.” I giggled and passed the time with small talk till we were sure the bandits had given up. Sure enough, their lust for our bodies or gold wasn't dissuaded by that. While we cooked our breakfast, they sought to capture me. In a rather embarrassing position, they leaped out from behind a dune. Brandishing dull, worn knives and axes, I invoked the power I'd spent a decade honing. Hands of sand reached up from below.
Each man was tripped up to lay face down in the dust. Making myself decent, I explained that they'd be held in that position until we were gone. We departed without incident. Our mounts seemed to enjoy our leisurely pace. It was just past midday when we arrived.
I could only ride with my eyes transfixed, what had been a prosperous oasis was now a sand choked ruin. Almost no signs of life remained. Tipped over or shattered pots were everywhere. A few boarded up homes had eyes peering at us behind them. It was obvious that nothing of my original home remained here. Yet, what struck me was how little I felt at that. Well, I had been disowned, after all. Before I knew it, we arrived at the gate to the palace.
What had once been a painted jewel that was kept up by my family, now sat ravaged by the winds. Climbing down from my mount, I passed through the open gate. Even the central fountain gave only the slightest trickle to a scum covered basin. Blinking my eyes, I invoked the spell that allowed me to see magic. Surely enough, I could see some artifact buried deep underground that had supplied us for so long. It's power would fade after none too long like this.
Clearing away the spell with a shake of my head, I sat at the fountain's edge. Tishrel placed a hand on my shoulder. I let out a sigh before tangling our fingers, “It's alright. I was expecting this when I saw so many of my people in the ports. Let me check one last thing before we go, alright?”
“Take as much time as you need, sweet pea.” Tishrel spoke softly. I walked the familiar halls as I had done a thousand times in my youth. Memories of other children and servants made me smile sadly. Then, I approached the spare room that had been used for storage. If you looked close, you'd notice a small latch that lead down into the secret library. As I cleared away a box, it remained the same. Pulling up the tile, I checked the ladder and it'd held together, even now.
The room was dry and cool, perfect for reading. Opening my palm, I summoned a light to dance over my shoulder. It swayed slightly as I walked over to the desk. Sitting centrally was a letter addressed to me from my father's captain of the Guard, Asril. Checking the dusty papers, he'd written them periodically. Perhaps he felt them as a penance or expectation that I'd return? Or, maybe he was just a sentimental old man? Either way, his papers detailed the fall of my home.
It wasn't Teper, but their enemy that attacked us under the cover of night. Declaring it as a holy crusade against anyone who 'disturbed the proper order of the universe', they began to slaughter each Oasis. One by one, my people were scattered and driven from their homes. King Teper was no fool and welcomed my people so long as they'd fight his enemy. Sure enough, a few like me, with power, rose up in the ranks. The war was won but the magic supplying our oasis had began to dry up. So, life went on.
On the last page, Asril wished me a happy life before he'd go out to meet the enemy. I could still see that old man in his armor. The curved sword that hung at his side glinting in the desert sunlight. Part of me envisioned myself, spells whirling about my body at his side. We'd wreak havoc on those fools. I giggled at myself and placed Tishrel in his stead.
Climbing up the ladder, I saw my love watching over the room. She gave me a smile as I came back up to find the cold of night blowing through. Apparently I'd been wrapped up in my reading for a long time again. I always seem to lose all track of time when I get into something.
My eyes grew wide and I gasped in horror noticing a bloodstain on her side. Checking the wound, she'd already bandaged it. Tishrel rasped, “I'm sorry, sweet pea.” She passed out, falling limp against the wall. Blinking, I called forth a new spell. This one traced the energy of living beings. Rats were plentiful but a single figure hid in a room down the hall.
“Come out, I know where you are! Who are you?” I demanded as I stomped down the hall. With each step, sand spiraled around me in every more complex patterns. Weaving the wind into a shield and whip.
Slowly creeping from the room to hide fruitlessly behind a pillar, the figure declared, “I am the King of this Oasis! I'm a true Djinni so leave my home!”
“What is your name, Ishzark?” I demanded.
“I am Earn Ishzark! Last of the true Djinni!” My youngest sibling declared.
I hesitated for a moment. Part of me wanted to embrace him, remembering the small, quiet child that used to play by himself. Recalling Tishrel's wound, I wondered if his claim to power was a bluff. Not that it mattered. Walking towards him, I said simply, “Then you should be the one to leave and get yourself a wife, Earn. That would be your duty to your family now. Not presiding over lost glories no one cares about.”
“How dare you defame my home! I will kill you for that!” Earn roared and charged me. He was struck by a stream of wind that sent him hurtling into a wall.
Despite his injury, Earn croaked out, “Are you, Tenni?”
“Yes.” I answered flatly. Earn began laughing madly. His body was thin from malnutrition and shook constantly. Despite the obvious pain it caused, he climbed back to his feet.
Throwing his head back, Earn continued his laughter, “Fate smiles on me! If I kill you, there will be no more pretenders to my throne! Everyone will come back! The Ishzarks shall rule once more!” A deperate lunge came my way. This time, I wrapped the young fool in air. A storm spun him about before I added a flame to it. The newborn pillar of flame roared loud enough to drown out his dying screams.
“That was the kindest mercy I could bestow,” I told myself aloud. The fire sputtered into scattered sparks, discarding ashes everywhere. I returned to Tishrel and made a small fire from what I could gather. When it came time to change her bandages, Tishrel awoke. I told her, “You know, I've been exiled for a decade yet I had to come home to bloody my hands. I hadn't killed anyone with my magic. The one time I tried, I failed.”
I pondered, would that spell be fast enough to kill Ru'Sala? No, I might never have the power to kill him. That was somehow reassuring.
Laying her back down, Tishrel placed a hand to my cheek. Her fingertips were cold so I kissed each one. Tishrel looked at the ceiling, “My first kill was Ria's mother, the former witch of the wood for Sandport. Her family hit hard times when Ria wasn't ready to be the witch and her mother got sick. My family was one of the ones in their employ. We were going to starve and I heard that if someone could kill her, we'd get a lot of money.” Tishrel took several breaths, her hands shook. I held her to my breast.
“She was laying there, gasping and weak. I plunged a stolen cooking knife into her throat,” Tishrel gasped between shallow breaths.
I lowered her head onto my lap, I asked, “Does Ria know?”
“She walked in as I did it. I stole her mother from her and all she did was ask me if I'd be okay. I felt horrible. From then on, I swore to do whatever it took to help her,” Tishrel breathed slowly, “I did whatever I had to. I killed more and stole a lot. She knew but never questioned it. And, when she became a Witch, Ria told me my debt was repaid. So, I went out to sea. Then I found you.”
Leaning down, I kissed her forehead. I knew she was hiding plenty of pain but I'd never seen her like this. She began to weep so I kept wiping away her tears no matter how many came. Tishrel sobbed, “When I thought I was going to die, all I could think is that it fit for a murderer like me. That you deserve someone cleaner.”
“Hush now,” I quieted her, “You're not going to die. Just rest and recover. When we get this job done, we'll be taking a trip to Sandport to have Ria change my name. How does the name Ashrel sound to you?”
For those who do not know, in Elven society when two women are in love, one will change their name during the joining ceremony. Traditionally it will be a combination of a parent's name and their lover's. I doubt Asril will object to me using his over King Ishzark's. Tishrel continued to weep until she passed out. Though, I'm sure the rest were from joy.