Leaving the Tokash plateau was something else. Callan hadn’t really thought about the fact it was a plateau at all too deeply. The villagers referred to it as such, and he’d seen the sheer cliff just outside his temple’s back door. So it wasn’t as if he was in doubt of the idea.
But knowing a thing and seeing it for yourself were two very different matters.
They had spent the first night sleeping in a partially-collapsed house back in Tok—or the village formerly known as Tok, Callan still wasn’t too clear on the whole thing—and from there had marched past the pythian tree and out into the plains beyond. The shade from it had lasted them almost until noon, after which they’d been forced to march through the worst of the day’s heat.
Despite being several hours removed from the trunk of the pythian, the land remained barren for the most part. Occasionally they passed a bit of green around a spring or watering hole, but otherwise it was mostly brown stalks or sand underfoot.
“Shouldn’t there be more plant life?” Callan asked no one in particular. “I could have sworn Xeph told me that it rained too much during the off-season for this to be a desert.”
While that is true, you must understand the pythian tree’s influence on the landscape as well, Xeph lectured from his cool and comfortable perch inside Callan’s skull. The roots likely run through much of the plateau and tend to discourage other plant growth. Only in places where resources are truly bountiful can life thrive.
“There is a reason that my people were able to secure this plateau so easily,” Kivi noted as she trudged along at Callan’s side. Despite her diminutive size, she was barely puffing in the heat. Callan by comparison had sweat coming out of just about every pore. “Unless one possesses the resources or natural gifts to make use of it, the disadvantages often outweigh the advantages. For instance, farming is mostly impossible beneath it due to the extensive shade.”
“What about spirebeans? Those seem to grow well enough.”
A tight grin spread across Kivi’s face. Or maybe it was a grimace. “That is because spirebeans are not a true bean, but rather a vine that has adapted to growing on the pythian itself. How they managed such a feat, I could not say.”
It’s because spirebeans have a symbiotic relationship with the pythian. The beans provide food to certain birds and other creatures that keep the tree clean of parasites. At least, that was my understanding during the last age, though study of the pythian trees was never a particularly engaging topic for me.
Callan grunted but didn’t respond. He thought he saw a slash of something dark on the horizon. Another village? No, it spread too far in either direction. Unless this Aos was much larger than he’d been told, it had to be something else.
Soon they were close enough for him to see that indeed, it was something else. A very much something else.
A sheer cliff something else. Stretching in either direction as far as he could see, and easily twice as wide across as the cliff back near the village. Beyond it, he could make out another plateau, one so vibrantly green it almost hurt to look upon.
“Well,” he said, pausing on a small hillock to take it in, his sweaty clothes momentarily forgotten. “Isn’t that a sight.”
“Wait until we reach the Aosan plateau,” Kivi said. “At least here we have a bridge to cross. There, we’ll need to navigate down to the canyon floor.”
“That isn’t the Aosan plateau?” he asked. The priestess smirked in response.
“Unfortunately, no. That is... Actually, I am unsure of the name of that plateau, as there are no villages on it to provide a central name. Just several small farmholds and hermitages. A few of which have now pledged their faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.”
Ah, is this where the faith she brought me came from? Xeph asked, preening. That means there is even more waiting for us in this yeth village.
“We will need to cross three more plateaus after this one before reaching Aos,” Kivi continued. “With luck, we will be there in another two days of travel, barring any delays.”
She led them down the hillock and across the arid land below. As the edge of the plateau drew closer, Callan spotted something he hadn’t been able to make out before. A rope bridge connected the two, a massive thing with cables as thick around as Callan’s head helping to hold it aloft.
Kivi sighed as they reached it and ran a hand lovingly down its side. “Every time I travel this way, I fear this bridge will no longer be standing, forcing me to make the longer journey back down the canyon and up again. I am glad to see it has survived.”
“High Priestess, you were literally just here less than a week ago. And this thing looks practically brand new. I doubt these cables could have frayed in such a short time.”
This earned him a strange look from Paeral and Sworv, and a sad one from Kivi. “It isn’t the cables fraying I worry about, Avatar. It’s the ravages of a passing moon. The cult frequently sent us out here to work repairs, and before that our village maintained or replaced it several times a year, at least. Rope woven from a pythian tree can take only so much stress.”
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How much stress are we talking? Callan wondered. Then, another thought occurred to him. Did she say a moon? As in more than one?
“Come,” Kivi said, breaking him from his thoughts. “We should move quickly. I do not wish to be anywhere near a plateau’s edge come this evening. According to the scouts we posted at the village, there is a moonrise expected for tonight. We should prepare ourselves accordingly, if we wish to survive the trip to Aos.”
Hmmph. Xeph grumbled inside of Callan’s head. Moonrise at the start of the journey. An ill omen, indeed. I still wish we hadn’t been forced to come in the first place. Alas.
“Yeah, you and I are going to have a little chat about these moons, later,” Callan whispered out of the side of his mouth.
They made their way steadily across the bridge, which despite Kivi’s concerns barely creaked under their weight and felt more solid than some stone bridges Callan had been across. In short order they were on the far side and forging a path inward through the nameless plateau.
“With luck, the rest of the journey will be as easy as that crossing,” Kivi noted as they passed beneath the cool shade of a small grove. “For we shall have tribulations enough once we reach Aos itself, if my suspicions are correct.”
“High Priestess,” Paeral stumbled over the words, then fell to stuttering as Kivi glanced in his direction. “Forgive my impertinence, but can you explain why it is that the avatar himself is accompanying us for this return journey? Surely the three of us are sufficient to handle whatever threat faces the yeth.”
Kivi and Callan glanced at each other. Neither had yet shared the exact details of this journey with the others, opting to wait until they knew more about the situation themselves. Still, Callan realized he probably needed to give the men something by way of explanation.
“You’re new to the priesthood, Paeral,” Callan said at last. There was no question in his voice, but Paeral nodded nonetheless. “I’m guessing you’ve never had a chance to use your orisons outside of the temple?”
“No, Avatar. But per your instructions, I’ve been practicing diligently with Argas—”
Callan held up a hand, cutting the man off. “Do me a favor. Run a little ways ahead.”
They stopped walking while Paeral jogged a little ways ahead. He turned around, and Callan made a shooing motion. “A little further.”
A few more steps. “Further...”
A few more. “Further...”
“Okay, that should do. Now, summon Wurmchain.”
The priest did just that. At least, he attempted to. The shocked look on his face was absolutely priceless. It took all of Callan’s restraint not to laugh. “Alright, come on back here.”
“I don’t understand,” Paeral said, jogging back.
“Outside of the temple, you can only use your powers when you’re close to me. So, unless I go to Aos myself or we establish another temple, you’d be about as much use to the townspeople as a knitted condom.”
All of the lud stared at him. Even Xeph grumbled. I don’t even know where to begin translating that.
“So what did you have me say instead?” Callan asked hurriedly, walking ahead and leaving the surprised lud to catch up.
Nothing. I just had you make a high-pitched squealing noise. Trust me, the result would have been the same.
“Gee, thanks for the moral support there, buddy.”
A moment later, the lud caught up with him. The two older men were breathing heavily.
“I still don’t understand,” Paeral said, once he had himself under control again. “Why not simply establish another temple? Why let the avatar risk himself?”
“Because we need more followers for that,” Callan said. “Xeph can’t have more than a single temple until we get more followers. And since neither he nor I know exactly how many that needs to be, it’s me coming along or nothing.”
“A temple in the future may still be the solution,” Kivi added. “Once we better understand the situation. The town’s mayor was reluctant to share details with anyone but the avatar however, which is another reason for his participating in this journey.”
“That didn’t strike you as suspicious?” Sworv asked, surprising Callan. He was pretty sure this was the first time the man had spoken since they left yesterday. “This could be part of some elaborate trap to lure the avatar away. Perhaps the town of Aos is under the control of Zavastu and are seeking to curry her favor after we destroyed her hold in Tok.”
Callan frowned, suddenly wishing they’d had this conversation before departing the temple. The thought that this might be a trap hadn’t even occurred to him. Not by Zavastu, of course, but perhaps by this other, nameless deity.
After all, their knowledge of the situation was limited to what little Kivi had been able to learn, and all of that had been secondhand at least.
“I do not believe that to be the case,” the high priestess said after a moment of thought. “While yeth are known to be cunning and emotionless, they are not omniscient, no matter what they would like to believe of themselves.”
Both Sworv and Paeral looked nervously at Callan, and it took him a moment to remember that most of the lud apparently thought he was a yeth. Were they worried about what he might think of being called ‘cunning and emotionless’?
Clearly, they didn’t know him that well yet.
Meanwhile, Kivi continued, “Laying such a trap would have required a great deal of foreknowledge to plan and execute, knowledge I do not believe the Aosans could easily possess. Their plateau is difficult to reach, which is why Zavastu has left it alone for so long. Even I struggled to reach it on my first journey. However, we will be cautious in our approach, and be prepared to strike at the first sign of trouble. I do not see how we could do any more than that, short of abandoning the town to its fate entirely.”
“Perhaps if the avatar were to wait, while we ventured into—” Sworv began, but was cut off by a quick hand motion from Kivi.
“I have made my decision, Sworv. Unless the avatar himself feels this course of action unsafe, it is how we shall proceed.”
“But—”
“Sworv.” There was a note of ice in Kivi’s voice. “You may have been elevated to Leadership, but you would do well to remember your place in Xeph’s hierarchy. I am still the high priestess. My word is second to Xeph himself.”
“Of—of course, High Priestess.” The lud stammered and nearly fell over attempting to bow as they walked along. His brother watched on with a tight expression. Inside Callan’s head, Xeph chuckled.
Such passion and dedication to her position! I knew there was a reason we chose her.
“Yeah, remind me not to get on her bad side,” Callan muttered, glancing at the lud girl. “Probably wouldn’t take much for her to break out the whips and chains.”
I wouldn’t worry too much, mortal. You are my avatar, after all, and she is still a priestess. There will be no whips and chains involved between you. He paused, then added, At least, not outside of foreplay.
“Xeph!”
What? There’s no shame in it. I happen to have had several avatars in the past who enjoyed being—
“We are absolutely not having this conversation right now,” Callan growled, feeling his cheeks heat up. He almost stuck his fingers in his ears, except part of him knew that would only make things worse.