Callan stared up at the night sky, trying to wrap his brain around what he was seeing. The moon hovered overhead, and that he could understand.
He just couldn’t quite accept how it was so big.
Well, either big or way closer than Earth’s moon. He was honestly unsure which of the two was more terrifying.
The moon above him was roughly the same shape and color as the one back home, but easily took up three to four times more space in the sky. It must have been spinning at a faster rate too, because the craters or whatever they were slid across its surface even as he watched. The effect was mesmerizing.
After several minutes, he managed to break his gaze away. “And there are twelve of these friggin things? Seriously?”
In that moment, he couldn’t have cared less if this admission outed him as an extra-terrestrial (or maybe extra-outerworlder? Whatever). He simply didn’t have room inside of him for any other emotions or concerns right now. The moon took them all.
Fortunately, Kivi didn’t comment beyond a nodding affirmation. Come to think of it, she also hadn’t brought it up earlier when he’d caught her eavesdropping. Maybe Xeph would have some insight later as to why.
“Are any of the others...” He couldn’t find the right words, so instead he just gestured skyward.
Kivi nodded again. “Most are smaller, or more distant. Only three are larger than the Cavalier. I pray not to see any of them in my lifetime.”
Huh. So apparently it wasn’t that unusual to not see certain moons. Did they have some sort of irregular elliptical cycle or—
Callan shook his head. He was letting himself get distracted. “Are we in any danger? Tervak mentioned once about the danger of traveling on a moonlit night.”
“That is only in the lower lying areas,” Kivi said. “We should be perfectly safe up here.”
She paused, then added, “I think.”
“Well, don’t sugarcoat it or anything,” Callan said, rolling his eyes.
“Sugarcoat?”
“What, didn’t you have sugar in your village? I just figured you must refine it from the pythian like everything else.”
Where did you get a foolish idea like that? Xeph grumbled. How would you get sugar from a tree?
“It was a joke, Xeph. Ugh, never mind.”
And as for danger... The Cavalier always has exerted an unusually strong pull. Perhaps it would not be imprudent to seek higher ground.
“Wait. Pull as in... tides?”
Of course. What other threat would the moons pose?
Callan opened his mouth, realized he had nothing to say in response, and shut it again.
“I admit, I am mildly worried about that disturbance earlier,” Kivi continued, glancing over towards the fire. The two older priests had settled down again, apparently no longer concerned themselves, and had resumed warming their hands over the fire.
“But... we’re on a plateau,” Callan said, his brain finally catching up with his mouth. “And the ocean is like... a week in the opposite direction.”
“Which is why we are perfectly safe up here. Come, avatar, return to your tent, and try to get what sleep you—”
Another rumble echoed through the trees. The ground under Callan’s feet shook so bad he almost lost his footing.
“High Priestess, perhaps we should—” Sworv began, but whatever he was about to suggest was lost as an immense roar sounded through the camp, and a flood of water rushed in.
The shock of suddenly seeing a knee-high wave crashing down on him almost caught Callan off-guard. Likely it was only his now thirty-plus points of Fortitude that let him keep his feet as the current tugged at his legs.
Kivi was not nearly so lucky. She yelped as the water pulled her away.
Just before she disappeared beneath the dark waters, Callan seized one of her flailing hands and dragged her upward. She spluttered and coughed, then yelped as he flung her over one shoulder.
“Avatar! The others!”
“Yeah, yeah, on it.” Callan searched the night for the two older priests. When the water had rushed in, their campfire had been instantly doused, but the moon overhead still provided ample light. Thanks to that he quickly managed to locate the lud.
Sworv clung to the trunk of a nearby tree with all four of his arms. He refused to let go the first time Callan tugged on him, but eventually relented when he saw who it was.
Initially Callan thought Paeral was lost, but then caught sight of one of the man’s grasping hands. Wading over, he pulled the man free of the undercurrent. Close to a gallon of black water must have poured from his mouth before he was able to speak again.
“Leave me, Avatar, and save yourself! A bigger wave may strike at any moment, and then we’ll all be lost.”
“Yeah, nah, we’re not leaving anybody behind.” Callan set the other two lud down, as the water level had dropped now to around his ankles. While he might have the Brawn to carry all three of them, he couldn’t do it for long. “High Priestess? Thoughts?”
“I—I do not know, Avatar. I am no Etruscian, trained in wildcraft or survival. Clearly it was arrogant of me not to bring Silfia along, but after we had such an easy journey the first time, I thought..."
"Save the regrets for later,” Callan said. He glanced at the trees. “Should we try climbing up higher? Not the best place to sleep, but at least they should stay dry.”
I would not attempt that, Xeph muttered.
“Why not?”
Because these trees are adapted to moonrise conditions. Once they detect the saltwater on their roots, they’ll—
Callan yelped as a tree branch almost as wide around as his arm crashed down not two feet away. The air filled with more cracks and snaps, until it sounded as if they were pinned by gunfire. The lud all yelled and ran for the nearest clearing.
—Do that, Xeph finished. I did warn you that beginning a journey on a moonrise was an ill omen.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah, maybe next time try for some actually useful advice!”
Hmm. In that case, perhaps seeking higher ground would be prudent. It would at least protect us from the smaller waves.
Callan grumbled under his breath, his gaze sweeping the dark for anything useful.
The forest was rapidly disappearing around them. What had before been reasonably thick foliage was thinning out, leaving branchless trunks rising stark white towards the moonlight. On the flip side, Callan could see all the way to the plateau’s edge.
There, waves were crashing against the side, sending sprays of water into the air. A few managed to actually make it over to flood the ground beyond, but none got as close as that first wave.
In a moment of epiphany, Callan understood. He’d wondered the first time he’d looked on the canyons why they all had that saltwater smell that reminded him of Puget Sound. Now he knew: because apparently they were regularly flooded with actual ocean water. Somehow, even miles away as they were.
Just how powerful was this Cavalier moon? And Kivi claimed there were three that were even bigger?
He shuddered at the thought.
Another wave broke over the distant plateau, far bigger than the previous ones, sending its water rushing towards them. Callan cursed. “Shit! Time to move!”
“Avatar? Where are we to go?”
Callan tore his gaze away from the oncoming wave and looked behind him. He spotted a bulge in the dark. “Higher ground. Move, move, move!”
They rushed at a madcap pace. Callan was tempted to scoop up the shorter-legged lud and carry them along. The roar behind them grew louder.
“Faster, faster!” he urged on the others. Sworv and Paeral reached the bulge first, clambering atop it with ease. Kivi glanced over her shoulder and let out a squeak of fright. Not waiting to find out why, Callan scooped her up in a princess-carry and leapt into the air.
He just made it in time. Another wave crashed beneath his feet, striking their refuge and flowing around it. Callan landed with a solid bump, feeling rough stone under his feet.
He set Kivi down, then began searching for a higher roost. This boulder they clambered on was better than nothing, but it still only bought them another foot or two of additional height. He’d have preferred at least ten times as much at the moment.
Unfortunately, there was nothing. The plateau was empty but for the bare matchsticks of trees sticking out at odd intervals. In the dark, they looked like the victims of a horrible forest fire.
Even the small spring where they had filled their canteens after making camp was gone. Was it permanently polluted with salt, or did it have a way to purge itself?
More questions for another time.
“Avatar,” Kivi said, tugging at his sleeve. “Do you think we’ll be safe here? If an even bigger wave should strike...”
“Your guess is as good as mine, High Priestess. Is there any chance we could just make for a higher plateau?”
The lud girl shook her head. “We might make the edge of this one if we ran, but if the canyons are this full of water, the bridge has likely been swept away. We’ll need take the long way down to the bottom tomorrow.”
She glanced again towards the distance waves cracking against the plateau’s edge. “Assuming we live to see tomorrow.”
“Now, now, let’s keep up a positive attitude.”
“Of course, Avatar.” Kivi smiled at him, but it was a worried, tight-lipped smile.
Glancing down, Callan noticed the water from the latest wave wasn’t retreating. The waves crashing against the plateau’s edge were also declining. Was the water level itself rising? That wouldn’t do. Even if there were no waves, they could still easily be swept away from their perch by a flood.
A flood.
“Sandbags!” Callan said, startling the lud huddling together. They all glanced at him. “On my... where I’m from, when it floods, people pile up bags of sand on top of each other to build a wall. If you do it right, you can stay completely dry on the other side.
If you haven’t noticed, mortal, we somewhat lack for either sand or bags at the moment, Xeph noted.
“Yeah, but we have something better: Shape Stone!”
...Ah. That is a valid point.
“It’s worth a try. C’mon!” He motioned to the others to join him, then activated his own power. With a little manipulating, he managed to mold the nearest edge of the boulder to form a wall about three inches thick. It didn’t stretch more than about two feet in either direction, but it was a start.
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 2.75%
Even as he watched, a small wave broke against it, the water flooding around the edges and soaking their feet anew.
In the distance came another rumble.
“Yeah, nothing like building under pressure,” Callan grumbled, beginning to shape another section of the boulder. It wasn’t easy, since he was pulling from the stone under their feet. He just hoped they’d have enough base material to make a difference.
Between himself and the others, the wall began to grow, until soon it encircled them entirely. Kivi was particularly helpful, as she seemed to have a knack for stretching limited amounts of stone that Callan still hadn’t grasped. The wall had started about three inches thick at its base but grew progressively thinner as it rose. He left the upper sections to Kivi as much as he could, and just focused on reinforcement.
Still, while Kivi’s skill had increased, she could only use Shape Stone a total of four times before exhausting herself. Sworv and Paeral barely managed a single use each, and both of their wall sections had to be reworked by Callan, wasting a use of his ability.
At his current level, Callan could use Shape Stone nine times before hitting the Apotheosis limit. He reached it just after smoothing out a section at the back.
Alert: 2.75% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 24.75%
“Think that’ll be enough?” he asked, as another crash echoed outside. A salty mist filled the air as the wave broke around their sanctuary, but otherwise they remained dry.
Hmm. The wall isn’t as thick as I’d like, but as the nature of Shape Stone retains the work as a single piece rather than many, it likely should not break. I suppose we’ll know if you failed when we are all swept away into one of the canyons.
“Gee, thanks, Xeph. That’s just the mental image I wanted right now.”
If you are that worried, you may always break the threshold and reinforce the wall further. I do not mind being quarantined if it results in the survival of my avatar and priests.
Callan considered it as another wave struck, the waters parting to either side as they rushed past. “I think we’ll be okay. Besides, I’d rather keep your powers on the table as long as I can. Getting stuck with you taking a nap for an hour or so really doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time right now.”
I wouldn’t be napping! We’ve been over this, mortal.
He turned back to Kivi. The lud was currently on her tiptoes, peering over the wall and out onto the plateau.
“I’ve heard from villagers before about what it is like during a particularly bad moonrise, but... do you think everyone at the temple is alright?”
Let her know they’re fine, Xeph said. My temple wouldn’t have lasted for as long as it has if there was no way to keep the water out.
“Do we have the dveorgs to thank for that?” Callan asked.
Most likely. Their own cities certainly never seem to suffer ocean incursions, at least none I have witnessed.
Callan assured the others that their friends and family would be fine. Then, seeing that some of his power had recharged, he set to work slowly building the wall further.
Over the hours, the walls rose higher around them, until even Callan could no longer see outside. When that happened, he fashioned a set of steps into the wall and climbed up for a look.
The water had receded, so that there was probably no more than a foot or so around their tower. Waves still crashed against the distant walls of the canyon, but fewer were making it up onto the plateau. It seemed the danger had passed.
He dropped back down into their makeshift tower. The moon had moved on, so that only half of it was visible over the rim. Still, there was light enough to see the expressions of his companions.
Sworv and Paeral watched him nervously, while Kivi seemed braced for the worst.
“Thank you for your quick thinking, Avatar. It was my foolishness and arrogance that got us into this situation. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.” She bowed low.
“I don’t think any of us could have anticipated that was going to happen,” Callan told her.
Cavalier moons are exceedingly rare, Xeph noted. At least they were a thousand years ago. I doubt that has changed too much.
“Anyway, we have this awesome tower now too. Think how nice it’ll be for anyone traveling this way to know they can take refuge inside here.”
Kivi’s expression metamorphized into a look of sudden inspiration. “Avatar, you are right. This tower could change everything here on the plateaus.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s just one refuge.”
“For now.” Kivi’s grin had taken on a look that Callan didn’t like one bit. “I have, however, just had a wonderful idea.”
“Oh?”
“It might delay our journey to Aos, but... how do you feel about gaining even more followers?”