Content Warning: CRAB!!!

“For?”

“There’s a… something. Crossing the road ahead.”

Delphian jerks from the thick tome she’s been immersed in for the past few hours. “A Carbunkle?”

“Bigger than any I’ve ever seen.”

“What is–”

But it’s easier for me to move with the rest of the group toward the doors and windows to lean out and see for ourselves.

The frozen lake really is a sight. Rolling dunes of white snow-topped hills and ravines, but most gorgeous, were the gemstones. Like a forest, strange twisting shapes curled and jutted out as far as the eye could see. Thousands of colors and hues dancing against what would have been a murky and dull day with all the snowfall, instead light the environment up.

The road we’re traveling down is simple, not paved, but temporarily carved with some specialized Arudian thing. If the snowfall wasn’t so thick, Jevita had told me, then the road itself would be a glass pane of deep granite swirled with still budding crystals.

I was entranced again by the sight for a few seconds, before worried words wash by.

“I’ve never seen one so big!” Lady Ophrit is whispering.

“It shouldn’t be up and about.” Delphian was murmuring with barely concealed worry. “They…”

I miss the rest as my eyes settle on and widen at the large shape that is just beginning to cross our path about fifty feet ahead. It’s… well fuck if my eyes can make sense of it. The thing ahead resembles a crab, but with about a dozen legs and a weird lopsided shell with only the hint of a seam. It also seems to be like… made entirely of gemstones that seem to grow from all over its shell and legs.

It’s also larger than our carriage. By, like… almost half.

“We could turn back,” Delphian murmurs, “take another route.”

“Last crossroads was, what? An hour back?” Tasii asks.

Lady Ophrit sighs, “And then we’d be circling around for another couple hours, at least. We’d be delayed by–”

But she’s interrupted when the thing shifts, and begins to turn. And I get to see… well I’m not sure from this distance. The seam in the shell seems to part a bit, groove up and down to reveal a little dark hole into the abyss inside.

Everyone goes very quiet and still as we feel the large thing focus on us. The Quelekita pulling the carriage shuffle back, silent as their feathers press very very close to them in fear.

“Um…” Yrelia whispers, very very softly. “I think it’s looking at us.”

Delphian gulps, nods. “We should just turn back. Don’t want it to get spooked and–”

It tilts, lifts a foot, seems to… consider moving.

The driver looks about, a sudden worry. “We… I’m not sure I can turn us around quickly enough if it decides to…”

The foot comes down, and another lifts, comes down. It’s moving our way.

“Fuck.” Delphian hisses. “We should unhook the Quelekita and move. Now. Hope it’ll–.”

But what good am I, as a Sun Spoken, If I do not protect the women at my side? The thought comes… well not unbidden, but with a great deal of calm I’m not used to.

I pull back inside, take up my new and wonderful cane the Ladies had gifted me the day before our travels, and move to a door. A long rod of twisting heavy granite with a smooth gnarled handle perfectly shaped to fit my hand.

“Move please,” I boop Delphian’s leg, voice calm. I chose her door because I did not have time to explain myself to my lovers. Questions and hesitations could get any of us hurt. My half-memories from that night six months ago taught me that.

She gives me a curious and worried look, but moves to hang outside the carriage as I step down the little stairs into the snow covered path.

“All will be well.” I murmur to the Quelekita in my rough Arudian as I pass.

“Ina!?!” Yrelia only notices me from her own window as I’m moving forward and down ahead along the path. I only just hear her quiet hiss and shuffling as she tries to move. But I’m not worried, this thing won’t be able to move past me.

This will cost a little more Amwella than I’d like, but… the lessons She’d taught me on this song so long ago had made it clear, It could rise to a crescendo to match my needs. And as of right now, my Amwella is a wellspring of fire that envelopes my heart.

Her song of peeling, a horrid thing that could strip and rend stone as easily as a hot knife does a fruit’s skin, would work to end this thing before it could charge or otherwise get past me.

The huge gemstone crab seems to twitch at my approach. I must seem such a small and strange thing to it. Our carriage’s size might make it seem a threat to this giant, but me? Barely a weird insect.

That big hole in the shell tilts down, and I can feel it’s focus on me as I tink tink tink along with my bone leg and stone cane. But… as I begin to weave a murmur of a song, preparing to bubble my soulfire into the melody to peel the crab in half, I find myself really entranced by the sounds… and… and I begin to hear it.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The World Song flickers, and I… I understand!!!

I feel this beautiful, corrupted thing’s pain. Can see the wounds upon its heart and soul and… and I can understand its desires! Simple things, maybe that’s why I so easily resonated with them as I slow to a stop about twenty feet from its front legs.

Another step, and the crab is moving closer. Senses danger in the world song, is raising a leg to…

But I’m already inspired and altering my song, would probably have laughed if I wasn’t hit with a sudden bit of worry that I might not be able to weave it in time.

“You should sleep, big friend. We seek only to pass by.” I say to it without words, only using the lilting harmony of the song to calm and communicate.

For a moment I worry… but no. What’s there to fear? The world song is laid plain and this thing doesn’t wish to fight. Only to sleep. It slows and stops to loom over me. Tilts its weird shell down to… huh… I think that hole is what it sees out of. I keep singing, adjust the harmony to–

Then the stupid thing just… lowers itself, legs curl and… and the fucker begins to goes to sleep on the road!!!

I huff as my song slows… drip a little more Amwella into my words, and bop the big things stupid leg. “Not here, big friend, we need the path you're sleeping on!” I have to repeat the tune a few more times while clinking my cane on one of its big chonky legs.

I can feel it’s… well not annoyance, but a gemstone crab thing’s approximation to that. But it's not dangerous to me now. It knows from my song that I really do mean it no harm. So eventually it shifts, and returns very very slowly to stand, moves off the road, and resettles into a little mound of gemstones no different than the pretty environment around it.

I end the song and turn. Everyone is just… frozen in wonder and awe and… other things. Yrelia and Tasii are halfway between myself and the carriage, eyes darting between myself and the, now sleeping, giant gemstone crab. Kque and Jevita are peeking over the top from their seats in the back area. Even Lule has maneuvered to poke his long neck around the carriage to bounce and hoot at me. Upon reflection, that was probably a really weird thing to watch.

“Sorry, I didn't have time to explain.” I apologize as my lovers begin to move back to the carriage.

“The fuck did you do?” Tasii whispers as she wraps an arm through mine and helps lead me back.

“Asked it to move, basically.” I explain, head still alight with the music shifting through the air. I… I don’t know if anyone else can hear it. “We scared it. Our big friend was just… really really fucking tired and grumpy. ”

I decided to leave out the… eh… other song I was preparing. Best to keep that ugly thing secret. I honestly hope to never need it. Don’t want to… to even imagine what it’ll sound like. Especially now that I’m getting to hear the tundra's wonderful song!

After we’re back in the coach, settled and moving. Delphian finally pops, and an eternity of questions envelope me.

“What kind of magic was that?” She can barely contain the anticipation and hunger in her tone.

Lady Ophrit’s good humor has returned in full force, is enhanced by such a close touch with danger. “That was incredibly well done. I… I think we just witnessed quite the–”

But my mind is still consumed by the thrumming symphony I just wove my own melody into. To just… feel the World Song like this! Much less understand and… I… it’s such a rare thing to me to find this much of it without being overwhelmed!

“Was that… does it use some ancient language? Does it need it? I… I could have swore I heard you singing even! Song magic? How does that even work!?! NONE of the Arudian records I’ve seen even mention–”

Huh… did I just… I made my own song!?! A strange flutter of pride and wonder and fucking joy washes through me. As I enjoy this thing I haven’t felt since… well… before my change. Creating something new and wonderful and meaningful from nothing. And… then sharing it with others.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever do that again.

“Ina, do… Do you need anything?” Tasii murmurs from beside me. “Should we, um… get Jevita and have her help you to get some rest?”

Yrelia reaches out and pats her hand. “Just let her come down from it, You know she sometimes gets like this after her morning things.”

I finally turn to the group after watching the gorgeous landscape pass me by, basking in the World Song and my echoing litanies within. But… it’s faded away again, that big amazing symphony that seems to encompass everything. Thrumming into the background of snow and cluttering of the carriage.

“Sorry, I kinda… That was just more than I’m used to doing all at once!” I smile at them, “It’s been a while since… Since I got to feel that.”

Delphian nods, and just… keeps going. “Feel what? I’ve… There are so many conflicting reports on Sun Spoken magic. And… Like… how does it even work? What did we just see!?!”

“Wrong Question.” I reply automatically. And frown. Memories flooding back. That was Her… no… our hint to Jevita.

That night… six months ago…

“What?” Delphian studders to a halt, and I can almost see her brain trip over itself. She was expecting some… long-winded, very precise answer.

I sigh and decide to just… go with it. Maybe it will give her the same puzzle to fidget with. “If this was Cultivation or even Lyttoral Alchemy, Maybe that would be the path to understanding. But it’s not.”

“So… What is the right question?” Lady Ophrit asks with a smirk and gleam in her eyes.

I almost laugh, but keep my face to a polite smile as I give her a very clear not answer.

“But…” Delphian seems to seethe. “Like… Can you explain the basics? Help me understand the foundations to it?”

I think about that for a few moments. Tasii takes my hand while Yrelia curls feet around mine from across the aisle. “Can you explain how a tree grows? Not like… the little bits or complex watering and sun drinking things, but the why of it?”

“Of course I can!” She bursts.

“Okay, tell me.”

She pauses, and begins to explain about the seed being put into the soil and starting to grow. But I stop her there. Feel a bit of the world song helps me phrase things, despite my own floundering at this.

“Why do some seeds grow and others die in the dirt?”

“All sorts of reasons. Lack of water, or good soil.”

“It could also get eaten.” Ophrit adds.

I nod. “Exactly.”

A long pause, and then it hits me. The best way I, who am very much not practiced or learned in magical things, can try and explain.

“I used to love to paint and draw,” I suddenly state. “To turn nothing but a blank canvas and my own thoughts into something… more. But… I haven't done anything like it since I left Lyttoral. Honestly, I never thought I would do it again. Not… not after… um… well after I started traveling.”

“Huh…” Yrelia muses, tilting her head. “You never really used that notebook we got you for anything but notes on the journal, did you?”

“What journal?” Delphian asks.

I wave her off. “Not important. But, no. I tried once in Deledita, but stopped. Do you know why?”

Delphian huffs, kinda does a… I haven’t the faintest idea! motion.

No one answers. I sigh then. “I still had all the skills, past knowledge and tools. I had good soil, water, and safe care, but I couldn’t do it. Why not?”

Still silent. Really? None of them… ugh. That’s annoying. I glance at my two lovers, smirk as I see they know part of the answer. Jevita untangled it… like… before I even woke up six months back. Was already bursting with more questions that delighted the… the… Well I guess our old teacher now. If all this worked out we’d just have to puzzle my magic out together!

Delphian looks ready to explode with more questions, but Ophrit lays a hand on her leg. And… Huh… I think she might have an idea of what I’m getting at. “Puzzle it out, beloved. You’ll have at least a week with her to get a few hints.”