Seren tried to look behind her to see who was talking, but the movement only heightened the possibility of falling over, and she was afraid of hurting her legs if she bent that way.
“Rive... could you please introduce us? And then help me get unstuck?” She tried to remember what her dad had taught her to do when she was worried or scared. It probably took less than a minute to remember, but it felt as if it took forever. Breathe in, imagine the air as whatever color brings you the most comfort, and when breathing out, make sure that the colors changed to whichever she disliked. Okay, she could do that.
She tuned out Rive, concentrating on breathing in a peaceful, calming lavender and letting go of her flashing yellow anxiety. In, out. In, out. When she could, she concentrated on trying to remove her feet from whatever she was stuck in, and was able to catch snippets of the conversation behind her.
“I’m Rive, and she’s Captain Seren. We’re visiting, and, um, trying to find someone.”
She could imagine them flashing the new person a grin.
“Do you know where Vachlan lives? We were told it was around here.”
“It is. And that’s my name.”
“Ah...”
Seren snorted. Of course, the person they needed was the one to find them when they needed help.
“Was there something in particular you wanted? I don’t enjoy squandering my time.”
“Tairdi said—”
“Not interested.”
There were sounds on the landing again, and Seren let out a low hiss of anger. She was trapped, couldn’t see this person to talk to them, and apparently Tairdi had left a lot out of his explanation. Either that, or xe had a unique definition of friend.
“Excuse me, please wait!” she called out, holding her breath as the noises stopped. An inner part of her was ready to plead with Vachlan to help them make the coin they needed, but there was a more pressing need Seren wanted addressed. “I can’t move my feet.”
“Yeah. That’s what happens on the bottom layer here.”
“We were supposed to come here and knock on Vachlan’s door,” said Rive. “There was nothing about sinking into the ground, or even of traps existing. This really wasn’t our fault.”
The being let out a sigh. “Yeah. Fine. I can help you out. Kind of my fault anyhow.”
Seren’s eyes caught small sparkles of orange and green by her feet. The mud, or whatever she had been sucked into, moved away from her, reformed under her feet, and hardened. She turned around to see a petite person with wings outstretched to outgrow her height. Those little sparks were there, too.
“You have Earth mastery?” Seren asked. Vachlan shook her head, and as her wings folded behind her, the lights died away.
“No. I have some command of Earth, but nowhere near mastery. More than enough to keep people from bothering me, though.” She laughed. “Which is why I’m the only one that lives down here.”
“Thank you for getting us out.” Seren stretched her legs and stepped next to Rive.
“Even if you were the reason it trapped us in the first place,” they muttered under their breath, giving her a look when she lightly slapped them.
They sighed. “What did you want me for? And yes, I know of the bearkin, but I don’t like to talk about xem, or to xem.”
Seren carefully took a few extra steps onto the landing, smiling as the rock beneath her feet stayed still. There was still the side of the cliff leading to the river that she wanted to stay away from.
The movement allowed her to get a better look at Tairdi’s... friend? Massive wings further than she could stretch, finally someone she was taller than, and…was that a tail flicking behind the feathers? Squinting didn’t help. Several tufts she saw could be fur, or not. Vachlan’s pointed ears weren’t any better as a clue either.
“We asked Tairdi if there was anyone we could work for, since we’re without coin right now, and can’t pay for anything,” Seren explained.
“And xe told you to talk to me?” She sounded a bit confused. “I mean... Sure. I guess. Do you really want currency from our town? It’s not like it can be used elsewhere.”
“Yes, please!” begged Rive. “Earlier, there was this amazing smell, and I want to taste it sooo bad!”
A curious clicking sound came from Vachlan’s feet. Seren glanced to see that the being was tapping a claw against the ground.
“You don’t even know what job I’m going to give you.”
“Anything is fine. Trust me, I have several siblings, I’ve done every dirty job there is.”
“Okay.” There was a pause. “I need the two of you to clean the river.”
Seren’s mouth dropped open. The cold source of water radiating chills? That river?
“You noticed that I’ve got some control over earth, but for the river we need someone with control of water. Or, people who are not afraid to get their fur an’ feathers wet. As for me, I personally dislike water except for shallow bathing and drinking.” She shrugged as if it was nothing unusual.
Rive walked over to where Seren stood. They dropped their voice and leaned in, the air around them cold enough that she could feel heat radiating off their body.
“I’m for it, if you are, captain.”
She wanted to say there wasn’t really a choice. The two of them needed money to pay Tairdi, get supplies, food included, and hopefully have enough left over to either pay for more dowsing or keep until they went to the next town.
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“What else can we do?”
“You could stop whispering as if I couldn’t hear you,” Vachlan called out. Seren winced. “Yeah. Did Tairdi mention I have very good hearing?”
“No,” muttered Rive. “Xe forgot to mention that.”
A strange noise started up from Vachlan. Seren jerked away, hitting the chains with her hip, but the noise only grew louder. It was a cross between chirping and something raspy, as if a baby chicken had drunk a gallon of vodka.
“Are you okay?” asked Rive. The sounds stopped immediately.
“We can start cleaning the river now.”
Seren stepped forward.
“That sounded rough on your throat, are you sure—”
“I said I’m fine!” Vachlan snapped, stepping forward. Seren flinched, her feet sliding out from under her and causing her to fall backwards. The beastkin lunged forward and tried to snag her with a claw, while she felt Rive reach out and snag her arm.
“Thank you.” Seren took a deep breath and tried to get rid of that gut-clenching fear of falling. “Sorry.”
“Did you do it on purpose?”
“No!” Seren looked at where she’d almost fallen from, which was way too high for comfort. “Not at all!”
“Then don’t apologize. Come on. Follow me. You’re going to need someone to guide you around the river, and I can at least keep the mud from catching you again.”
“Again, thank you.”
“Seriously. I don’t want to be grabbed by mud either.” Rive waited to make sure Seren was steady, then bounded after the Earth manipulator. “Where I come from, there’s only mud if someone’s dumped bathwater outside. The rain’s pretty gentle, and we normally try to catch it in buckets to use later.”
“There’s not much rain here, and the little that blows up stays to the upper levels. The water we want comes from the river, which is why we need people to help clean it every once in a while.”
Seren said nothing. If Tairdi had known what the job was, had xe kept it from them? Or had xe just known there would be something?
“Why aren’t there people in town who want to clean?”
Vachlan laughed. “There are, but we have other things to do as well, and then time slips away from you. Eventually, it’s been put off for so long that we’re more than happy to pay someone else to take care of it.”
This still seemed too easy for Seren. What needed to be cleaned out of the river anyhow? She couldn’t imagine the people here throwing trash, or anything like that, into the waters they used for cleaning, drinking, and cooking.
“Oh...” Rive gulped as Seren looked up, and she almost laughed in delight. The river they’d been following was the snaking path, but Vachlan was taking them to the top, where there was a waterfall.
“Yeah, that’s the other reason. People need to withstand the cold, be strong swimmers, and also have a head for heights. That’s not including the free time they need to even begin cleaning.” She paused. “You’re looking for two things in the river. Easiest is first. All the wood you see up there needs to be removed. There’s a type of creature that likes to use the wood for a home, but when they build it, the water flow behind stops and the risk of flash floods, or of the dam breaking, occurs.”
Wood. Okay, that seemed easy enough. And hopefully the creatures would be unhappily watching them clean up their work from a distance.
“The second thing is a little harder, and truth be told, it’s the real reason for cleaning.” Vachlan cleared her throat, making a strange noise that was a mixture of a purr and a cheep. “There are very valuable stones washed our way which need to be collected.”
“The stones at Tairdi’s building,” Rive said, nodding in understanding. “You’re asking us to find those stones that light up when flicked, aren’t you?”
“Yes. And this might actually be why xe suggested you help. Normally, if a person has lived here for a while, they aren’t able to sense the stones. However, people who command Earth as their element can always sense them, even if it’s a weak signal. Outside people, who haven’t attuned, have the best chance at snagging the stones.”
Ah. Seren nodded along to everything Vachlan said. That was the reason xe knew this job would be available. More than “not having enough time” or “having other things to do.” Being able to find the stones was the reason they were entering an icy river.
“Is there a chance for hot water?” asked Seren, turning to Vachlan. “After we’re done, of course.”
She bobbed her head.
“Absolutely. Towels, too, besides payment.”
“What is the exchange rate here? And currency?” The questions she had wanted to ask in Viadora came out here instead, since her tongue wasn’t bound. “What’s the average wage for this job?”
Vachlan snorted. “You’re experienced in the ways of economy. We use marked stones for currency, and depending on the shape its worth changes. We actually don’t do any other exchanges here. Everyone goes to Wavemeet for that.”
“And?”
“And what?” There was a moment of hesitation. “Oh, and the normal rate is fifty stones, along with the fifth choice of a stone if you find enough of them.”
“Done!” said Rive, holding out a hand. It wasn’t taken. “What?”
“We don’t do... that.” Vachlan looked at Rive’s hand in disgust. “Can’t, really. Too different paws, hands, and more down here. And you never know where a being’s hand has been.”
“Okay... What’s the equivalent, then, since you know what it means and what I’m trying to do?” asked Rive.
“I know it only because I was friends with Tairdi. Xyr parents always liked to show off the knowledge gained while outside of Azmar. We bend the body towards each other. Better for beastkin like me with no hands, and others who might have trouble controlling their limbs.”
Seren was looking at the wings Vachlan had.
“Those don’t look as if they’re only bird feathers,” she pointed out. “You could probably shake hands with other people.”
“It’s not just about me, though. There are others who—” She cut herself off. “That’s a topic for a different time, day, and probably people. Come on, let’s head up.” Vachlan didn’t touch the rails but started... lunging? Seren wasn’t sure what type of leg movement was happening, but it sounded as if claws were scratching the rocks as she went upwards.
“I don’t think her knees bend like ours do,” Rive said quietly, cupping a hand around their mouth. “She looks like a flightless bird trying to climb a mountain.”
Was that why she lived at the bottom? Seren had so many questions now. Tairdi had mentioned they were friends, but Vachlan didn’t see them as such; there was also a strange sign that Vachlan wouldn’t be able to visit Tairdi’s library if she had problems climbing the stone stairs, so had xe come down here to meet her?
“Are you coming or not? I thought you wanted this job?”
Rive rushed forward, making apologies for both of them. Seren continued at a slower pace, looking around the city as they continued up. From down here, it was easier to see items. There was a natural light in the area, something that was a mix between green and blue.
“Is that light coming from the rocks?” she called out, forcing herself to hurry. On these stairs, there were no other places to look at, or pictures to examine. Just a ramp going straight up at a steep angle. Seren wondered if the fact that this wasn’t a staircase was why their guide was having problems.
“The light is coming from the river itself,” Vachlan answered, waiting for Seren to catch up. “There’s something in the water that mixes, and the resulting mist lights up the area when it settles on the rocks.
“So, nothing to do with the rocks that you want us to get?”
“Correct.” Vachlan sighed. “Captain, you’re slowing down again. If you do not want to do this, that’s fine, but you need to tell me.”
“Oh, I want to,” said Seren, not taking her eyes off of the waterfall. Or, to be more precise, the area behind the waterfall. The one that was the same intensity of a midday sun and which she almost had to protect her eyes against it was so bright. “It’s just... I think we don’t really need to dredge the river to find the rocks you’re looking for.”