O6 + M

Olivia was glad to be back in the saddle again. She hadn’t spent much time visiting Blue during their short stay in Tarn’s Crossing, and she’d missed him. More than that, she was glad to have that whole duel business behind them and to be making quick progress back toward First Landing. They’d left the day after the duel, and Olivia could see that Morgan and Issa were glad to be going as well. Something about that event had soured their experience. Morgan had been glum in the evening, and it was Roald that suggested they get a head start heading back to the colony ahead of most of the Hunters who’d be coming to aid in the upcoming conflict. Olivia liked Tarn’s Crossing, but some time away for memories and tempers to fade would be good for all of them.

They’d been riding hard for three days, just stopping to eat and sleep a few hours each night. Issa had her own roladii named Gabber, and she had proven to be quite an accomplished rider. Gabber had a different disposition than the roladii Olivia had experienced so far; he was crabby and snapped at the other mounts if they got too close to him. Issa laughed at his antics, though, saying he was an old grouch that her father had purchased when she was a little girl. Still, Gabber had no trouble keeping pace, and they were moving a lot faster than they had with the herd. Already they were halfway through the plains, following the trampled grass that Teric’s herd had left in their wake.

Each night, they took turns sleeping, and Olivia felt that Issa and Morgan were giving her extra sleep time. She didn’t know if it was just because they’d both improved their race and had higher levels than she, therefore needing less sleep, or if they wanted to sneak some extra time together. In either case, Olivia was glad to get nearly a full night's sleep at each camp.

Now, on their fourth day, the roladii rapidly devoured the miles of grassland between them and the Gresh Woods that bordered the meadow where the colony was situated. Morgan was confident they’d get to the woods by nightfall, and Olivia couldn’t argue; he was able to use his ability to sense allies to feel the distance. Her mind wandered back to the duel and how Morgan had almost bled to death before finishing the fight. He was significantly stronger than she was, and it drove home the point that she needed to improve herself and her magic if she wanted to survive the harsh realities of this world. Tarn’s Crossing and the Ardeni had an honor code that wouldn’t let someone like Swent challenge someone like Olivia, but that didn’t hold true for all the peoples of this world.

Her thought process brought Olivia to the usual, frustrating conclusion: she couldn’t improve any more if she wanted to go to the Academy, and she wanted to go. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that she would probably choose to use the teleportation token. It was just too much of an opportunity to pass up. She knew she would do well; she always did well in school, and Olivia had already proven that she had extraordinary aptitude with Energy. Doing well at the school would undoubtedly pay dividends when it came to gaining knowledge that could benefit the colony. It would be selfish not to go; her cynical side laughed at her roundabout way of talking herself into doing something she wanted to do.

Morgan was proved correct; they arrived at the edge of the woods just as the sun was starting to dip below the western horizon. They ended up camping at the same spot where they had first laid eyes on the Chebli Sea. They cared for their animals and then sat around the fire, sharing a meal that Issa prepared in an iron pot that she produced from one of her storage bags. The dish consisted of chunks of flavorful meat in a grain mixture with roasted vegetables. The seasoning was fairly spicy, but Olivia enjoyed it.

“This is good, Issa,” she said around a mouthful.

“Thanks! It was my mother’s recipe. My father roasted the meat and vegetables before we left and made me pack enough to feed a small army.”

“Do you miss him?” Morgan asked.

“A little, but I’m used to being apart from him. He travels a lot for his business, delivering projects, visiting other masters, procuring materials; you get the idea.”

“How far behind us do you think the Hunters will be? You really don’t think they’ll have any trouble finding the colony?” Olivia asked for what was probably the fourth or fifth time since leaving Tarn’s.

“Not far, and no, they won’t struggle to find us. Morgan gave good directions, and they can track. Every Hunter has that skill. Stop worrying, Olivia! Things will work out!” Issa smiled and tossed a twig at Olivia.

“Alright, alright,” Olivia laughed, “I can’t help it. I’m anxious to make sure things are going well for the colony because I’m feeling more and more sure that I want to use this teleportation token.” Olivia gestured to her satchel, where the token was stowed.

“You’re sure?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah, it just seems like it’s too much of an opportunity to let go. I’m stressing about it because I’m afraid I’ll have to leave in the middle of a crisis. I have to use the token before the first of Belintide, which I think is just a bit more than a week away.”

“That’s right, hmm, yeah, nine days,” Issa said, looking into space and counting on her fingers.

“Also, I don’t know if it would be smart to show up on the last possible day. I mean, I never went off to school on the first day of classes; I always got there early for orientation or to find my dorm or to buy books. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, sure, I get it,” Morgan said. “You don’t have to stress, Olivia; we’re going to be okay while you’re gone. I think you should check things out when we get back, and talk to the people you need to talk to, and then you should go. You’ll feel better if you don’t wait until the last minute.”

They talked for a while longer, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the prospect of finishing their journey the next day. Morgan shared some grain alcohol that Issa’s father, Roald, had given him the morning they left, so it was with a warm, pleasant buzz that Olivia snuggled into her blankets that evening.

She woke with a start sometime later. Olivia wasn’t sure what had woken her, but she listened to the darkness. After a moment, she heard a voice. She listened closely, and she was fairly sure it was Morgan’s voice. Then she heard a high-pitched, raspy voice say something, and the strangeness of it, brought Olivia fully awake. The fire had died down, and so, she summoned her fire-attuned Energy orb. She made it as small as possible, like a little marble of fire, and it illuminated the interior of the tent. Olivia saw Issa’s wavy yellow hair poking out of her blankets, but there was no sign of Morgan. Olivia crawled toward the tent flap and poked her head out as quietly as she could.

In the cool night air, under the light of the “sister” moons, as Issa called them, Olivia could see Morgan standing a ways off to her left, facing into the forest. She could very faintly hear him speaking, but she couldn’t see whom he was talking to. She slowly climbed out of the tent and stood, walking softly on the grass toward him. As she drew within twenty feet or so, she caught sight of the person he was talking to, and her heart nearly stopped. Without warning, memories of the Yovashi cave came to her mind - a terrible beak surrounded by tentacles chomping down on Emmet’s corpse, a deep mocking laugh, being thrown like a ragdoll into the wall. Suddenly her scarred eye throbbed, and she stumbled, taking a knee in the grass.

“Wait, Ykleedra, I’ll be right back,” she could hear Morgan say. Then she heard his footstep and felt his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? Don’t worry, Olivia; she’s not like the other Yovashi.” He squatted before her and put his other hand on her other shoulder. “Hey, look at me. It’s alright.”

“I. I, um, I’m sorry about that. How do you know that creature? Morgan, you know what they’re like!” Olivia shook her head, banishing the memories that kept rushing up in her mind. Shakily, she stood up, noticing that Morgan didn’t let go of her, keeping himself between her and the Yovashi.

“She’s a female. They’re different - they can reason better than the males. I know her because I murdered her family after getting teleported out of the Yovashi lair. Listen, she came to me for help. When I left her, she told me she would try to help her mother’s eggs hatch. Well, it didn’t work - she thinks the eggs are dead. She found our tracks from our earlier passage and has been waiting and watching for us.”

“Oh god, Morgan. A Yovashi? What does she want from you?” Olivia tried again to suppress her shudder. She hadn’t realized how much emotion she’d buried about that experience in the cave.

“Well, I think she wants to come with us. She’s all alone. There aren’t any other Yovashi around - they’re almost wiped out as a species.”

“Truly?” The idea that the creature was almost the last of its kind softened Olivia’s viewpoint.

“Yes, truly, and she’s only a child, Olivia.”

“Well, let me meet her, then.” Olivia started walking toward the creature lurking in the trees, and Morgan hurried to walk in front of her.

“Ykleedra, this is a friend, Olivia.” The creature came forward out of the shadows, and Olivia could see that it really was a lot smaller than the one in the cave. Even on its long spider-like legs, it wasn’t as tall as Morgan. Most surprising was the fact that it was wearing a silky gown, its tentacles tucked up under it. Olivia saw that its small face was framed with long, silvery-white hair, and the creature’s eyes, like bottomless dark pits, swallowing light, were smaller and slightly angular when compared to the enormous saucers on the devil that had lived in the cave.

“Hello, Ykleedra. Morgan tells me that you’re all alone?” Olivia looked into those dark eyes, and for the first time, she thought she could see emotion - they squinted slightly, and it seemed almost like a spark flitted through the darkness.

“Yes, Mistress. I am alone. I sought Morgan because he told me to if I needed help.” The girl’s - Olivia determined at that moment to stop calling her a creature - voice was tremulous, strange and full of sorrow. When she said the word “alone,” Olivia felt like her heart would tear.

“Oh, dear, Ykleedra. I’m sorry I was so frightened when I saw you. I’ve had bad experiences with another Yovashi.”

“I’m sorry, Mistress. The madness is a curse on our kind but only affects our males. I am no threat to you.”

“Well,” another voice spoke up from behind Olivia, “bring her over to the camp. No sense keeping her skulking out here in the woods.” Olivia turned and saw Issa stepping out from behind a tree.

“Uh, yeah. Alright. Ykleedra, come on over to our camp. You’re safe with us; that’s Issa who just spoke, and she’s not one to invite someone to her camp and then hurt them. Right, Issa?” Morgan stared pointedly at Issa, and Olivia cringed at the glare she gave him.

“Of course, but this seems like a big secret to have kept to yourself!” Issa said, turning with a huff back toward the camp. Olivia made eye contact with Morgan, and he winced, shrugging. Ykleedra, hesitant at first, then with more confidence, walked out of the woods, onto the grassland, and followed them to their camp.