Ayuen

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[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/876104022833127448/1109066790723661884/LP3.png]

Art by Fantastical, Fantastical Art Licence

Words came difficult at first, but the more Ayuen talked, the easier it became.

“In short, the ruler of my people has been assassinated. And I’ve taken it upon myself to fix his... Baros’ death. This medallion…”

She grabbed the medallion with one hand, turning it to the back to watch it.

“…has been in my people’s possession for ages. Even my research didn’t yield a clear timeline. Only the oldest of books mentioned its purpose at all. And only those hidden in the stuffy and dust-ridden corners of the Marlight library were of use.”

The Pyrn poet took a deep breath as she steadied herself before continuing. Talking like this felt very therapeutic.

“The texts spoke of a place called the ‘Dawn of Life’, which was said to contain a vast power. A force strong enough to call a person from the Wailing Gates if it was administered before two moons have passed. I tried to convince the Council to send an expedition to find this force or item. But my people voiced their disagreement with my plans, to use this to save our friends and family. They said that I shouldn’t place that much faith in a fairytale. They refused to hand me the amulet.”

A tingle of regret and sadness shot through her being like lightning through metal.

“They were right. Putting our hope in a myth is a fool’s errand. I knew that. But I thought it was worth a shot anyway, even if the chance was minute at best. Stubborn as I am, I refused to listen and pilfered the amulet. Afterwards, my parents whisked me away, right before the guard found me.”

The sting of tears in her eyes halted her story for a moment, and Ayuen swallowed hard as she took a deep breath. Throwing it out like this was therapeutic. She couldn’t stop talking, like a geyser finally exploding after a long time of inactivity.

“I’m sure they’re imprisoned for my theft of the amulet. When I got to the Grasping Isle, I hired Rove, met Trïeste and Sneak, and struggled against the forces that attempted to halt my progress. Ending up here in the end. That’s my story in a nutshell.”

She looked Hod in the eyes. She needed whatever the Dawn was hiding, no matter what. Coming this far without results would shatter her resolve. She needed this, especially now the myths were all but confirmed.

“Please, sir Hod. I need whatever object or trinket you’re guarding. I realized that I did some foolish and selfish things to get here, but please, help me. Help us.”

In the last couple of sentences, she struggled to keep her voice from cracking. She had done what she could do, talking as well as she good to this supposed Caretaker. Her silver tongue was feeling useless, her poetic sensibilities wasted.

All the time she was talking, Hod was listening with a serious expression on his face, nodding at times to indicate he was all ears. As she finished her plea and locked eyes with the man, his gaze softened and his smile widened.

“I hear your conviction, Ayuen. But I have one question I need to be answered before I will grant you what you seek.”

He gestured to Trïeste and Sneak, then raised his finger in the air as the old man leaned back in his chair.

“What about your companions? You said you want to save your people, yet constantly force those you call companions into peril. Why? Are they just tools in your hands?”

The question took Ayuen by surprise, the woman physically recoiling in her seat before she was able to lace her arms around the supports to steady herself. Companions as tools? Of course not. It was true that she’d hired them. Or at least Rove. But not this time around. Trïeste and Sneak were here of their own will and Rove had been too. The Herhor wasn’t bound by a contract this time around. Yet there he was, abandoned by her to keep his half-brother at bay, with all odds stacked against him. Ayuen looked Hod in the eyes again, the old man’s eyes peering into her own. His gaze suddenly looked endlessly deep and infinite. A surge of fright and guilt wracked her as she swallowed before answering with an uncertain tone.

“I don’t know.” Her voice was quiet and soft.

“I did not pay Rove what he was due, and Sneak and Trïeste...” She looked at her companions, who looked at her expectantly. Sneak just bluntly stared at her, while Trïeste looked at her from the corners of her eyes while she sipped from her cup. She looked at them. How did they feel about coming with her? Were they on board with her goals?

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“Do they know what they’re getting into?” Hod proceeded to ask, observing her calmly, arms folded in front of him. Another blow was dealt to her confidence. With Trïeste and Sneak, in particular, she hadn’t told them all the details of her journey, what they were up against. Now, Trïeste already knew a whole lot about Siandra and the general situation. Sneak, on the other hand, knew next to nothing.

“Well… I… No, they do not. Not entirely, I believe.”

“Were you planning to tell them?”

“I was!” She protested, feeling attacked. “When the time was right, I would’ve given everybody all the information they were due!”

She saw Trïeste sighing and putting down her cup, standing up from her seat. The alchemist walked towards her, stopping right in front of Ayuen’s seat.

“Stand up, Ayuen.” She said, pointing a hand upward.

Ayuen felt she went a bit pale. What was Trïeste thinking? Did she go too far? Without a word, she stood up, standing chest to chest with Trïeste now. Trïeste nodded approvingly. Then, without another word, she suddenly slapped her in the face. Ayuen’s head snapped to the side as the sound of the slap echoed through the clearing. For a moment, her mind couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. The mixture of tension and fear in her thoughts stopped roiling around as she slowly raised a hand to her cheek.

“There,” Trïeste said plainly. To Ayuen confusion, she heard no resentment in her voice. Her voice was just neutral. “That is to wake you up from that delusion you were stuck in.”

“Delusion?” Ayuen softly asked while she tried to collect her thoughts. “But I didn’t tell yo-… EEK!” Trïeste launched another slap at her face, this time targeting her other cheek, and her head was smacked the other way.

“And that is for not tellin’ me. This is enough payment for me. I do consider you a friend after all. Plus, I would be a hypocrite for keepin’ it against you after what I’ve pulled.”

A friendly smile appeared on Trïeste’s face while Ayuen rubbed her jaw. The woman had some strength in her arms.

“Sneak does not mind,” Sneak chimed in as he stayed put, nodding wildly to emphasise his point. “Mistress Ayuen has been kind to Sneak. If the Mistress does not want to tell Sneak her secrets, Sneak does not mind.”

“I’ve deceived you before, it’s not my place to scold you.” The Vysari woman continued. “I’ve done somethin’ far worse to you after all. And you and Rove decided to keep me around despite that. The only thing I’ll say is this. Be careful how far you’ll go.” Trïeste’s face became saddened.

“Lies upon lies will result in pain upon pain in the end.”

Ayuen nodded slowly at this news, her thoughts finally catching up. She gave both Sneak and Trïeste a shaky smile.

“Thank you. Both of you.” Guess she needed those slaps in the face. “I will be more open from now on. Thank you.”

Ayuen’s voice remained soft, but there was a genuine thankfulness in it now. Thank the Arals that Trïeste and Sneak were on her side. If luck hadn’t been with her, this meeting with Hod might’ve gone very differently.

Trïeste nodded and patted her on the shoulder, after which she stepped aside. The half-Vysari leaned against one of the trees, her sharp eyes taking in the scene. Sneak looked at her with an airheaded smile for a moment, after which he focused his attention on the blades of grass surrounding his feet. Ayuen heard him mutter, counting softly.

Ayuen herself aimed her eyes at Hod again, the man observing her calmly. She got the urge to make her excuse to the man after being smacked around. The poet smiled apologetically at him, giving him a slight nod.

“The sincerest of apologies for that.”

“Oh, don’t apologize to me, Ayuen. It intrigues me to see the conviction below the layers of cobwebs you’d spun for yourself.” The old man’s eyes glimmered as he chuckled. “And it seems to me you needed those smacks. I think now we can go through with what you’ve come here for.”

With a soft grunt, Hod stood up from his seat, beckoning the guests to follow him as he walked towards the middle of the clearing, approaching the small body of water in the middle. As she followed the old man’s footsteps, Ayuen noticed a small patch of bushes on the fen’s shores, partially hidden from view by the long grass around it.

The bushes were made up of sleek vines, with narrow elegant leaves that glimmered in all the shades of green she could imagine. And in the middle of that tangle of colour and shapes, she saw a fruit. At first glance, it appeared to be some kind of pumpkin, but the longer she looked at it, the more she realized she couldn’t define the shape or the colour. One moment, it looked like a huge light green apple, the next time she blinked it seemed more like a pink-hued lemon. It was like her brain refused to put a label on the object. She could see Trïeste’s expression shift from curiosity to confusion, the woman’s eyes narrowing with suspicion.

When they were a couple of meters away from the strange fruit, Hod turned around. His eyes had lost all trace of amusement, and the smile around his lips had evaporated like snow before a bonfire. The age lines on his face seemed to have diminished to be nearly gone, yet his age was something she could still feel. In a way, he felt even more ancient than when he looked like an old man. She swallowed and waited. Instinctively, she made herself seem small. Trying to play the noble leader wouldn’t be a fantastic idea. Not now. Behind her, the footsteps of her friends fell silent as well as a deafening silence took hold of the clearing.

“You wish to acquire the Dawn of Life.” His voice seemed to worm its way into her mind, resonating within her skull. The ground around them quivered when he spoke, resonating with the man’s voice. “The source of life on Lugon. The beginning of those such as yourself. Do you stand by your convictions?”

It was now or never. Glancing back at her companions, she nodded, looking up at the old man’s face. With a deep breath, she made a curtsy before him before speaking up.

“I do. For myself, my people and those at my side, I stand by this.”

The emotions on Hod’s face did not change as he looked down at her for a couple of seconds, his eyes seemingly boring into her brain before his voice thundered again.

“Then hear my price.”

A sense of foreboding came over her. Her wings began to itch, her fur standing on edge as she waited for the words that would follow shortly.

“You, Ayuen of Marlight, will be allowed to take the Dawn. However, in exchange, you will not be able to save your chieftain, Baros. That is my price. His soul has its path set beyond the Wailing Gate.”

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/926707024362885130/1045841100604186624/Ayuen-WayX.png]

Ayuen art by Ina Koffen, @Ina_Koffen on Twitter