I watched as the Haarthuu rushed to a table, picked up their bows and quivers, and made ready to leave. I followed behind them as Liss-ran led our little party out of the entrance and took a left into the wilderness.
We walked in near-complete silence for several hours down an old game trail until the sun was high overhead. The air had that tell-tale bite that always heralded the coming of a snowstorm, sometime in the next few days. I looked around, seeing the multiple species of trees in their various states of undress. I couldn’t identify most of them. I had seen several that resembled maples and oaks and pines, but there were so many more that I’d never seen before coming to Chaia.
Now, without having to worry about bandits or rogue animals trying to kill me, I could take the time to examine them and learn more about the different types of wood that surrounded me. I wasn’t about to do that while on the hunt, so I gathered various leaves and stuffed them into my Pack for later. I figured at least one of the hunters could clue me in on what was around me.
My companions were a focused and driven lot. I’d never seen Liss-ran outside of the archery range or during social visits, so this was a unique opportunity to see her at work. Her attention to our surroundings was impeccable. Several times, she had called for a halt when some unknown creature ranged ahead of us or to one side or another. Whenever this happened, the others would silently knock an arrow, ready to draw and fire at a moment’s notice.
Always, the unseen threat would pass us by, and the group would relax. We would then range onwards, pressing ever farther into what would have been a dark canopy of leaves in the summer.
Surprisingly enough, the Haarthuu were nearly silent as they walked through the forest. Once we had gotten into the deeper leaf litter, it was quickly recognized that something would have to be done about the noise I was making.
“Ivor? Can you please be quieter? You’re going to scare off anything we actually want to find out here, and attract the things we don’t want. I’m not going to fail this hunt just because you’re noisy. I will leave you here if I must,” Liss-ran said irritatedly.
“I’m trying, Liss-ran. I have bigger feet than you, for one, and I still can’t figure out how you four are moving as quietly through the leaves as you do. Give me a moment to think. I may have a spell rattling around in my head that could help here. Let me check our surroundings for any unwelcome visitors first,” I said, leaning my bow against a tree.
“But, Liss-ran has been checking this entire time. What could you possibly do that could be better?” asked Kilik-ma.
I smiled as I knelt on the ground, my knees protesting the action with soft clicks. “Liss-ran has been amazing at keeping watch as we traveled. I, however, can check for hostile or predatory creatures within a couple of leagues from our location. It takes a moment, but it’s trustworthy. It isn’t something I can maintain indefinitely, however. That would make me useless, eventually. Let’s see…” I said, placing my hands on the ground and closing my eyes.
I focused on the idea of predators, and whispered “Seek”, letting my consciousness range out. It was always a wild sensation, feeling my mind expand. I became aware of every tree and rock and leaf around us, my awareness rushing out in a wide circle, some thousand yards wide. I felt nothing but random squirrels and birds, and smaller woodland creatures, but nothing dangerous. Satisfied, I withdrew back into myself, and opened my eyes.
“We’re safe. I checked a circle about five hundred yards wide centering on our location, and there’s just the random squirrel and whatnot,” I said, shrugging off my Pack.
The four Haarthuu simply stared at me as I dug around in my Pack for some jerky. “You mean to tell me that you can detect anything in whatever range that is?” Piri-thak asked in shock.
I opened the bundle and stuffed half of it into my coat pockets, giving the rest to the group. “Yeah. It’s about the distance from here to” -I looked around, finding a lone tree that was near the edge of my range and pointed at it- “that tree, just in a circle. It isn’t terribly draining, but I do need to concentrate on it,” I said, chewing on a strip of dried meat.
The four looked at each other and then at me. “Just what else can you do, Ivor?” asked Liss-ran.
“A little of this, a little of that, really. Oo! I have it!” I exclaimed and took hold of my boots. Softly, I whispered, “Muffle.” and felt my boots vibrate softly.
I walked over to a pile of leaves and shuffled my feet through them, making a soft swish sound. “Yep! That works. I’m ready to go. I may have to do that again in an hour or so, I think,” I said.
The Haarthuu simply shook their heads and Liss-ran walked on. I dug into my Pack again, and pulled out my pistol, clipping it to my belt. Better safe than sorry. Pulling my Pack back on my shoulders, I hurried back up to the group.
We continued our trek into the woods. The air was still biting and cold, my breath steaming out into the crisp air.
Watching the Haarthuu, I noticed that they were shivering despite wearing heavy coats and furs. Sure, it was cold, but it wasn’t that cold. Not to me, anyway. I resolutely decided to make certain to keep them warm at night. I couldn’t have my friends get sick, now could I?
As night began to fall, Liss-ran called a halt to the trek. “We will make camp here, everyone. There are enough trees to act as a windbreak, and enough deadfall for a low fire. Kilik-ma and Ivor? Get to digging a sleeping pit. The rest of us will collect wood and water,” she ordered.
“No.”
All activity stopped immediately.
“Excuse me?” Liss-ran asked dangerously.
“I said no. That isn’t happening,” I repeated, crossing my arms.
“And why do you think you’re getting special privileges, Ivor?” Piri-thak asked, advancing towards me.
“Oh, that’s not the case. Not at all, Piri-thak. This is just a terrible place to set up camp, is all,” I replied.
“And just where does the almighty Ivor suggest we set up camp?” Liss-ran asked crossly.
I pointed to the clearing just north of our position. “Right there. There’s plenty of room for us there,” I said.
“And there isn’t enough to keep the wind from freezing us, Human,” Piri-thak said.
“Sure isn’t,” I said, watching the rest begin to get angry with me. “Well, not that you can see, anyway,”
“Explain yourself. Now,” Liss-ran said.
“No. I’ll show you, instead,” I said, walking to the clearing.
The four Haarthuu followed, shivering slightly. I went to the center of the clearing, and looked around. The ground was fairly level, and we could see into the trees pretty easily. I shrugged my Pack off, and reached in, pulling out the two tents, four chairs, three bundles of firewood, and several large stones.
In ten minutes, I had my tent put up, the chairs unfolded and was setting to make a fire before I realized I was being stared at.
“What? You want a camp, I’m giving you a camp, Liss-ran. Go into the tent. You’ll see. Actually, how about we all go inside?” I said, abandoning my fire-making.
I walked over and opened the flap, motioning for my companions to enter. They hesitantly walked inside and stopped in open-mouthed wonder. I scooted in beside them.
“There’s enough room in here for all five of us with little problem. I can have individual sleeping materials for each of us if you’d like, or we can all squeeze into one bag for warmth. Your call,” I said.
Liss-ran looked over at me in awe. “Is this normal for where you’re from? Are all things bigger on the inside there?” she asked softly.
“Goodness, no. I made it this way when I realized what I could do here. In fact, Elizabet, the boys and I, we all slept together in here on our journey to Haruma. I kept everyone warm enough by myself. It seems most of the people on Chaia run colder than I do,” I said.
Piri-thak looked at me, then. “So, you weren’t being obstinate on purpose, I see. You wanted us upset enough that we would be curious as to what you would do, didn’t you?” she accused.
“No. I simply didn’t like that there weren't any questions. I understand that what you were about to do is simply what the Haarthuu have done for I don’t even know how long, but you have a new variable. Me. I’m not your typical Human, Piri-thak. I have some secrets that Liss-ran may only be vaguely aware of, that will assist us all on this hunt. And I think I can share one of them with you all here and now,” I said.
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They all looked at me questioningly. In response, I smirked and replied, “Well, after I’ve made the camp secure and set the fire.”
I walked out of the tent, the four Haarthuu on my heels. I went to the outside edge of where I wanted it and knelt, placing my hand on the ground. “Get behind me, please,” I said.
When the four of them were safely behind me, I spoke a Dome of Concealment into being around our camp. I watched as the shimmery outline of the dome rose from the ground, slightly obscuring the surrounding world. As had happened once before, a lone crow snuck in through the top of the closing dome, alighting upon the top of my tent. The odd silence descended upon me once more, and I knew we were properly concealed from prying eyes.
“And we have a visitor!” I said, rising. The four Haarthuu knelt immediately. “Hello, Great Mother. It is a joy to see you again. I trust you have been well?” I said, extending my hand to the crow.
The crow cawed once, and stepped out onto my hand, walking up my arm to sit upon my shoulder.
“Ivor! Get down!” Liss-ran hissed. “Don’t you have any respect for-” she halted as she raised her eyes, seeing the crow perched upon my shoulder.
“The Great Mother? Of course I do, Liss-ran. In fact” -I gently stroked the crow’s shiny plumage, receiving a pleased croak- “I absolutely adore her. She brought me here, after all. Come on. Get up and help me with the firepit. I have much to share with you all. Piri-thak? This may help you understand me better. Come on,” I said gently.
The crow flapped off to perch upon my tent once more, as the five of us busied ourselves with getting the fire set. Once the fire was made, I Duplicated a chair to make sure we all had a place to sit, and we settled down in front of the fire to keep warm.
“So. I’m sure you all would like to hear the tale of how” -the crow flew down to perch upon my shoulder once more- “I arrived here, and one of my biggest secrets, yes?” I asked, seeing four heads nod in unison.
“Well, it’s like this…” I sat there and told them all my tale from the day I left my mother’s house all the way up to this morning, leaving only my experiences in Asgard and in the bedroom out. A man must keep some things to himself, after all. It was well after dark before I finished. The disbelief on all their faces was almost comical.
“So, wait. You’re not a Human from Chaia? The Great Mother saw you in a veritable sea of Humans from your world, and brought you here? I find this hard to believe,” Piri-thak said.
“Pretty much. How else do you think I would be able to interact with her avatar the way I have been?” I asked, gently scratching the crow’s neck, receiving soft nibbles in my hair in return.
“Well…” she said uncertainly. “It could be a trained crow?”
“Sure could be. Were any of you present when Talah-ahte was killed?” I asked, seeing all of them shake their heads. “Well, he said the same thing until the crow that was there revealed herself as The Great Mother. Now, I’m thinking she won’t repeat that right now, just for the sake of the four of you, but please trust me when I say that it’s true,” I said.
“I’ve never really seen Human magic, so I don’t know how it works, but what do you mean when you say that you know all of the Ancient Tongue?” asked Kilik-ma.
“Ooo… That’s a good question, friend. Well, I mean this: The Ancient Tongue of Chaia is the exact same as my native language of English. I grew up speaking it. The same as you grew up speaking your language. I have knowledge of your language from Blainaut. I copied his mind into mine the day I arrived,” I said, startling the crow, who flew off my shoulder.
We all turned to watch the bird as it went to a space just in front of my tent, and The Great Mother took form once more.
“You what?” She demanded.
The Haarthuu dropped from their chairs into a supplicator’s pose, and I stood. “My Lady?” I asked, confused.
She advanced upon me angrily and took me by the shoulders in a mighty grip. “What. Did. You. Say?” She repeated.
“I said, I copied Blainaut’s mind into mine the day I arrived. It was the fastest way I could think of to learn about this place I found myself in. With no notice, no warning, nothing. I was ripped from the only home I’d ever known and dropped into a new world where I knew nothing. At that moment, I didn’t care if he lived or died or became a vegetable. All I knew was that I needed to survive, and I was going to do anything I needed to do in order to make that happen,” I said, never flinching from her gaze. “Anything, except hurt those three boys,” I said, my face softening.
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, looking down. “Ivor, I don’t think you understand what you could have done to yourself,” She said as Her gaze came back to my own. Her grip softened and She looked to the Haarthuu kindly. “Please rise, My children. Sit yourselves down and be comfortable,” She said, Her warm voice caressing our ears.
The four stood and took their seats again, and I smiled at the Goddess. “Would you like a seat, My Lady?” I asked.
“No thank you, dear. I can manage that on my own. Sit. You have to hear this,” She commanded.
I took my seat and watched as she walked to us, a wooden chair sprouting from the ground, and she sat, folding her delicate hands in her lap. “Ivor. You nearly died that day. The Human mind isn’t designed to hold a second person within it. How you’ve managed to remain sane is incredible. One mistake, one slip, and you would have simply been a second Blainaut Kiernan. How? How did you manage this?” She asked.
I sat there aghast. I’d no idea that anything like that could have happened. I walked her through my process. “...and that’s all there was to it. Just ancient techniques that had been passed down in various mystical societies back on Earth that I’d learned over the years. I didn’t know that they would work the way I was hoping, but it sure seems like it did. I now know the languages here, and I’m pretty sure I can learn the others either similarly, or the old fashioned way,” I said with a shrug. “I didn’t realize the kind of gamble I was taking. Since then, as I’m sure you will agree, I have gotten much better at not being reckless. I highly doubt it will ever happen again,” I finished.
“See that it doesn’t, Ivor. You cannot fulfill your oath to your gods or to myself if you die. Besides, I have grown quite fond of you. And Elizabet. I want to see you two last into old age with each other. And to be surrounded by all the children that you and I both know you’ll be having,” She said with a wink.
I smiled and nodded. “Yes, My Lady. It will be as you wish. Can I get you something to eat or drink? I can get water for us,” I said.
She laughed, a pleasant, musical sound. “No, my dear. That will not be necessary. I will, however, give you this” -She reached down, pulling a small, lidded, earthen vessel from the ground- “so you will have something to drink. It is only clean water, but will not run dry. Keep the lid on it. I do not want another disaster like what happened in the North,” She said, handing me the container.
I took it with some confusion. “Another disaster? Like what happened in the North? What do you mean, My Lady?” I asked.
“I will say no more, dearest. You will discover more when you get to the Academy. I must be gone. You five have a hunt to partake in, and I shall neither help nor hinder you,” She said, rising.
I stood and reached out to her, taking her hand in mine. “Until we meet again, My Lady,” I said warmly, kissing her hand. She laughed softly and cupped my cheek.
“Such a respectful man. You and Elizabet are a wonderful pair. Farewell, dearest,” She said, walking over to the Haarthuu, who sat there, wide eyed.
To each of them, she gave a kiss on the top of their head, saying, “And to you, My Child, I wish you a good sleep. Farewell.”
She shimmered, becoming once more the crow, and flew off into the night.
“Well, that was exciting. How about we eat, then get some rest?” I said, my hands on my hips.
“Do you not realize what just happened, Ivor?” Piri-thak asked.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. I sat and had a conversation with The Great Mother again. And you four were there to witness it and receive a blessing for the evening,” I said with a shrug, pulling out my camp stove, pan, and some raw, sliced steaks from my Pack.
“He speaks to our Goddess with borderline insolence, and acts as if it is customary to converse with gods. Who even is this man?” Piri-thak asked softly.
“I’m the man who is going to do his best to free all of Chaia. I’m the man who is going to be spreading the tales of his gods across this world, hoping that they’ll find a new home here. I’m the man who is going to make Elizabet Valortongue my wife. And most importantly of all right now, I’m the man who is going to cook your dinner. I hope you’re hungry,” I said with a smile.
Four faces smiled at me, and I cooked us some steaks. We laughed and talked as we ate into the night. One by one, the Haarthuu began to yawn.
“So, how are we doing this? Do you want to curl up next to me in the tent, or do you want separate sleeping arrangements?” I asked.
“I vote we sleep beside you, Ivor,” said Liss-ran, getting nods from her companions.
“So be it. I’ll get the sleeping bag and pillows set up, and we can go to bed. You will not need the coats or the furs. I’d suggest removing them, and placing them somewhere inside that you will designate as “yours” for this trip,” I said as I pulled a pair of sleeping bags and pillows from my Pack.
I raked the fire towards the center of the pit, and climbed into the tent. It was barely lit, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hand-sized stone. “Light.” I whispered, seeing the tent become illuminated. I connected the sleeping bags, stripped down to my underwear, and crawled inside, situating myself in the middle.
I lifted the opening and Liss-ran hesitantly walked up. “Are…are you certain, Ivor?” she asked quietly.
“If you don’t get in here, they won’t get in here. They’re looking to you for guidance, Liss-ran,” I answered just as softly.
She nodded and crawled in, scooting her back to me until she was backed up to my chest. I wrapped an arm around her, and she called out to the others. “Get in, everyone. He is warm,” she said happily.
The other three crawled in, Piri-thak behind me, Kilik-ma behind her. Tren-sun crawled in, situating himself in front of Liss-ran.
I leaned down next to Liss-ran’s ear. “Is this what you wanted? You’re going to be very warm tonight,” I murmured.
In response, she scooted back into me, making sure she was firmly pressed into me. I reached out, and pulled Tren-sun into Liss-ran’s chest, and in this manner we all fell asleep.