A New World
late fall, 426 LC
Sarvatha wasn't sure what, exactly woke him. Perhaps the cheerful crackle of a fire, or the smell of roasting game... or perhaps the rough tongue that was currently giving his face a bath.
He sat up with a jerk and a gasp, hands clenching around the hilts of his blades as he came face to face with a large felid. The cat's dark eyes sparkled mischievously in the afternoon light, as it settled back on its haunches and began nonchalantly licking a pale paw.
"H-heh. Nice kitty. Uhm..." Sarvatha shifted slowly, taking in the beast that sat before him. The cat, whatever it was, seemed to be all leg and slender lines, definitely a creature built for speed and maneuverability. Its pale gold fur shone in the sunlight, broken up by lines of black spots, and was short enough that he could see the powerful muscles moving beneath the skin. The sight didn't fill him with confidence.
"Solath, leave the man alone," a man's chill voice cut through the silence that had descended.
Startled again, Sarvatha jerked his eyes away from the cat - which was obligingly moving away - and onto his other visitor. Sharp, emerald green eyes met and matched his stare, mesmerizing him into calm once more. Absently, he noted the other's skin, tanned so dark as to be almost a match for his own (but clearly tanned, he concluded, because there was a ring of paler skin just below the man's collar, noticeable when he leaned over to turn the roasting rabbits), the midnight black hair, the grey clothing, and the distinct lack of weapons about him.
(Then again, his mind noted numbly, as the feline curled up at the man's side, Who needs weapons, when you command a large cat?)
The man looked away, the faintest of frowns crossing his face as he carefully shifted the coals over which the rabbits were cooking. "I am Cetirnen Midali, Neo'Savok of K'Ristos. I would appreciate your honesty in telling me both how and why you have come to my lands."
Sarvatha swallowed, coming back to himself abruptly as soon as Cetirnen's piercing green eyes shifted away. He released his grip on his weapons and settled into a crosslegged position, carefully looking anywhere but the man, the lord, across from him.
"I'm Sarvatha." He finally choked out, feeling like the uncultured barbarian he had often been called. But Savoks, even Neo'Savoks, weren't supposed to meet strangers in the woods, alone but for a feline! "Uhm... Emberwind and I crossed the Shadow Realm to escape pursuit. We... we didn't mean to trespass, m'lord! My deepest apologies. If you'll per--"
"Enough." Cetirnen cut him off. "Who were you escaping from, and why."
Sarvatha fidgeted. "Shadow Knights from the Mother Temple. The Master wanted to... to take over my body, so I... I ran. I had to kill another Knight to escape."
Silence greeted his statement. Cautiously, Sarvatha glanced back to Cetirnen, expecting to see annoyance or disbelief on the lord's face, but instead finding the man staring thoughtfully into the embers.
"I see. I had heard rumors of Temple Masters jumping bodies, but never had any proof." Cetirnen eventually spoke. He then glanced up, catching Sarvatha's gaze with his own again, a slight furrow forming between his brows. "You do realize, I hope, that you are halfway across the known world. Laruen and the Mother Temple are far to the west, across the ocean."
He couldn't help but gape in surprise. Surely the other was kidding. He'd never heard of someone crossing the ocean via any of the Realms before, Shadow or otherwise!
::Why do you think you feel like you went a hundred rounds with Armsmaster Kandi?:: Umbra asked. ::Desperation can do interesting things.::
Cetirnen nodded, as if seeing some expected answer in Sarvatha's expression. "No, of course you would not realize. By your trail, your mount was more conscious than you when you came through. Very well. Eat, and then we will begin the journey back to Resonant."
Sarvatha awkwardly accepted the offered rabbit, forcing himself look away from those piercing green eyes. His stomach roiled with hunger, and it was all he could do to eat slowly, using his belt knife to slice pieces of meat free of the bones. Cetirnen, he noticed, was eating with an absent-minded grace, as if the simple campfire in the middle of a woodland clearing was a grand banquet hall.
Cetirnen even politely paid no attention as Sarvatha pulled the last strings of meat clear with his teeth, instead looking down at the feline at his side and feeding the cat the remains of his own rabbit, letting Solath's rough tongue clean his fingers of the last traces of his meal. Indeed, he didn't look up again until Sarvatha had set aside the last of the bones and licked his fingers as clean as he could.
"Get yourself a drink," Cetirnen ordered, "and fill your water skins. We leave shortly."
Feeling like an errant child, Sarvatha pulled his water skins free of his saddle and went to the stream as commanded. He knelt, swiftly rinsed his hands clean and cupping up a small drink, then emptied and refilled the skins. By the time he was finished, the embers were already out and Cetirnen was mounted on a slender roan gelding who stood quietly, both of them waiting patiently for him to finish his tasks.
Emberwind came to his whistle and stood as he swiftly saddled her, put her hackamore on, and mounted.
Without another word, Cetirnen reined his gelding around and started off, silently leading the way. Solath easily kept pace with them, sending the occasional amused glance towards Sarvatha. What was worse, he felt his strength already starting to drain away, his eyes sliding closed in exhaustion.
It was going to be a long ride.
"Not much further," Cetirnen murmured in his ear, in a tone Sarvatha figured was supposed to be reassuring.
Sarvatha glared down at the gelding's neck, feeling the heat of anger and embarrassment rising in his face again. With Cetirnen's arm about his waist he felt like some maiden out of a story, being rescued by the handsome prince.
(Except this is a Neo'Savok who's cold enough to make the northern winters look pleasant, and we're both men, he thought sourly. And I was never one for fairy-tales.)
"I can ride just fine," he muttered rebelliously, for what felt like the thousandth time. "I don't need to ride double with you."
"During the time we have been riding, you have drifted in and out of sleep more times than I could count." Cetirnen responded calmly. "I judge you unfit to maintain your seat unaided, and the mess you made of your saddle-ties is not something I feel confident in trusting your life to."
Sarvatha shivered, shifting as much as he dared, only to be pulled back against Cetirnen's chest. Their differences in height made this entire trip uncomfortable, at least for him. Cetirnen seemed to show no discomfort at the angle he had to hold both of them at in order to see around Sarvatha.
The gathering dusk cast the thinning forest in shades of red and violet and created great pools of shadows at the base of the boulders that had begun to sprout up in place of the trees. Briefly, he considered calling one of the shadows over and escaping into it, but weariness dogged his heels - he couldn't even get one of his own shadows to obey him.
A block settled gently across his abilities, effectively sealing him off from his magic. He probed it, once, making no secret of his attempt, only to get a stinging mental slap for his efforts.
"You are heartbeats away from burning your magic out." Cetirnen broke the silence between them. "Since you seem disinclined to listen to reason, the block will remain until I am convinced of your recovery."
"Why do you care?" Sarvatha growled. "About any of it - me, my magic, my story. Why?"
Cetirnen's sigh ghosted past his neck and ear. "I am a Neo'Savok. It is my duty to care for those on my land."
"I'm not one of your damn followers. Give me a better reason."
"Very well." Cetirnen's voice was colder than before. "If you must. I hold no love for Laruen or the Temples. If you doubt my ability to care for the welfare of a young man who is on the run due to a reprehensible practice, then accept that I do this to deny your Temple something it desires."
Sarvatha shifted uneasily, letting the conversation die into uncomfortable silence. He saw no way to respond to the lord's words that wouldn't dig him deeper, though he kept puzzling over it as the gelding and Emberwind picked their careful way down the stony slope. Goats looked up from their grazing briefly before putting their heads back down, writing all of them off as harmless, even the cat that flowed over the ground at their side.
His eyes drooped closed, his head falling back against Cetirnen's shoulder as he gave into exhaustion again. He dimly felt Cetirnen's grip tighten on him, but couldn't muster the energy to protest. The other's words still buzzed at the back of his brain, but he could make little sense of them, anymore.
As the dusk deepened, the way became more treacherous, the shadows deeper, the ground deceptive. He heard, as if from a long way off, Emberwind stumble on a loose piece of rock and send it clattering down the slope. His hands clenched in worry as he jerked abruptly awake at the sound, nearly upsetting both of them from the saddle. Why was Cetirnen pushing them on? Why hadn't he stopped earlier? What foolishness--
A light burst into existence over their heads like a miniature sun, illuminating the immediate area as bright as day in a steady, unflickering white light. The horses immediately settled, picking their way down the slope with renewed confidence.
Sarvatha's mouth went dry as he glanced upwards. First Cetirnen blocked him without a thought, as if dealing with high-level Shadow magic was something he did every day, then he cast a spell of the Light? True, calling light was a simple thing, but the brightness and intensity spoke of a certain amount of mastery. A mastery that should have beyond anyone capable of powerful Shadow magic.
"M-m'lord?" He hated the quaver that had entered his voice, but he couldn't seem to erase it. "Are... are you a Magician?"
He had never heard of a Magician being permitted any title, but perhaps they did things differently, out here on the frontier.
"No." Cetirnen said. "On my fifteen birthday I was awarded the rank of Crystal in my magic, and passed the exam to become Strategist."
"But..." Sarvatha gestured weakly at the ball of light obediently following them, then at his own head, unable to put his thoughts into words.
"Heh. A bit careless of me." Cetirnen shrugged. "I expect you to speak of this to no one."
Sarvatha swallowed and nodded. If the man could toss around the opposing elements of Light and Shadow so easily, when neither were his born affinity, what else could he do?
"Solath, please alert the staff of our arrival." Cetirnen spoke. "Tell them they may bring our dinner to the study."
Sarvatha watched as the cat listened with head cocked, gave a very human nod, and proceeded to flow over the uneven ground at a quick run, instantly lost in the gathering darkness beyond the circle of magical light.
Cetirnen's arm lifted from about Sarvatha's waist for a moment, pointing off into the distance in the direction they were traveling. "There. Castle Renosant. My home, for the present."
Sarvatha squinted into the distance, barely able to make out the sharp turrets and high walls that comprised a frontier castle. Here and there a light shone from an arrow slit window, like the eyes of some strange, multi-eyed beast. The fascination of watching it approach kept him awake.
Not long after, they were clattering through the open gate and the portcullis was closing behind them. Two boys came from the stable and nodded their greeting to Cetirnen, as one held the reins of the gelding and the other went to Emberwind and tried to grab her reins. With a shrill cry, she reared up and stood there, poised in the deadly stance.
"Ember! N'laisha, girl!" Sarvatha shouted before she could begin crow-hopping forward. He tore himself free of Cetirnen's grip and slid to the ground, cursing the time it took to steady his legs before he could start making his slow way across the space.
"N'laisha, calm, down. Viradi." He took hold of her hackamore and tugged lightly on it, though she was already settling back to all fours at his approach. He gestured the boy to approach again. "She's a war steed, boy. She doesn't know you, yet. Hold out your hand."
When the boy finally gathered the courage to stick his hand out, Sarvatha brought Emberwind's nose down to sniff it, while whispering command-words in her ear and stroking her muzzle. He'd probably have to introduce her to the Neo'Savok's entire stable-staff at some point, but for now... for now, introducing Emberwind to one small lad was about the extent of his ability.
"There, she'll go with you now. Just make sure you're the only one to deal with her." Sarvatha said wearily. He gave the mare a pat on her shoulder as she docilely walked past him, led by the boy, then swayed in place, unable to lean on her strength as his own began to give way again.
Strong arms caught him as he fell.
"I told you, you are in no condition to exert yourself." Cetirnen's voice was strained, as he tried to hold the larger man upright. "Solath! Get your teal-clothed ass out here already!"
Sarvatha blinked, shocked by the crudity of Cetirnen's words after the refinement he'd previously shown. Why was Cetirnen calling for the cat in such a manner? More to the point, why was he calling for the cat at all?
The keep door opened, revealing a dark-skinned man, rather than the cat he had been expecting. The globe of light that Cetirnen had conjured shown off the streaks of silver that ran through the man's black hair and reflected in the dark eyes that fixed on him.
"You named the cat after this man?" Sarvatha asked quietly, before the man was in hearing range.
Cetirnen snorted, then spoke dryly, "He is the cat."
"Cat, dragon, and human," Solath chimed in. "I'm not exactly from this world."
Sarvatha decided he'd puzzle those words out later, when he wasn't hallucinating.
With practiced ease, Solath slipped up on Sarvatha's free side and hauled him fully erect. Between the two of them, they practically dragged Sarvatha across the courtyard and into the castle itself. The large corridors were disturbingly empty, of people, of decoration beyond tapestries, of sound.
Sarvatha was quickly lost in the maze of corridors and stairs. All he cared about was sleep, or at least a place to sit down, but instead these two strangers were dragging him through what seemed like the entire castle, neither talking the entire time. The whole blasted thing was eerie.
Finally, finally!, Solath pulled a wooden door open and pulled him into a chamber. With a sigh of relief, Sarvatha collapsed on the bed the two led him to, drifting off as soon as he was horizontal.
He never heard the door close behind them.